Skateboarding • Page 3

this is amazing and super helpful - thanks!

Gonna make my boring ass day in the office better

 

Joslin, Jamie Foy, Aaron Homoki, Nyjah (watch his video part from last year).

I'm pretty behind on the current pro culture as well but those stick out to me.

 

The up and comers on Girl right now are killing it.

Tyler Pacheo, Griffin Gass, Simon Bannerot & Niels Bennet

 

Hi all. So I want to get into skateboarding just for fun, nothing too serious, and I bought a cruiser to ride around on. I'd really like to get a standard board so I can do tricks and maybe even go to the skate park if I can - the problem is I'm not really sure where to start. I've been researching sizes and I imagine I'd get something anywhere from 7.5-8 since I am an adult, 5'5 with an 8.5 (female) shoe size.

I'd also prefer a prebuilt deck if possible since I don't know what I am doing and don't want to spend over $100 (just bought the cruiser remember :)).

Here's an example of one I like (Lizzie Armanto is dope):

Birdhouse Lizzie Armanto Favorites Purple 7.75" Skateboard Complete | Zumiez

It's 7.75 and I don't know if that'll work for me or not?

I know I can probably go into a shop and pick parts and have them put it together but again, I'd have to trust they know what they're talking about, aren't trying to sell me on something, and can keep the cost at or below $100 preferably. Any help is appreciated. :)

 

7.75 will absolutely work for you. I'm also 5'5" (8.5 men shoe) and usually rode 7.5's back in the day. Don't know how true it is but always heard that Vert skaters used the bigger boards. I tried an 8 before and it seemed a little too big for what I was going for.

That pre-made one looks good, looks like they included all Birdhouse (trucks, wheels, deck) and Abec bearings. Sounds good for what you said you're going for.

You can definitely upgrade to better parts if you find that you really enjoy it and want to upgrade down the road.

 

Thank you for your help!! I'll probably pull the trigger on that prebuilt one.

 

Hang on, don't pull the trigger yet. Skate Warehouse is doing 15% off until this afternoon and I'm going to link a custom for you in a minute once I put it together..

 

Ahh thank you!!

 

A little bit over $100 but better quality parts than the zumiez complete:

http://www.skatewarehouse.com/workingorder.html?o_l=Hnzktx0XMrzbFAO8

If you don't care too much about the Lizzie deck you could get a deck that's on sale and save a bit more:

http://www.skatewarehouse.com/workingorder.html?o_l=z4zSNx~8M8Wbtn5u

The Zumiez complete isn't bad but the trucks, wheels and bearings are worse than what you will get with the above. Basically if you think you're going to stick with it, I would shell out the extra $20 to get a better first complete..let me know if you have questions about anything.

Skatewarehouse will set up everything for you if you select that option but I recommend learning to set up your own board eventually. There are tons of youtube set up videos...

 

Just quoting you here because I forgot to above with the links lol.

 

Hey thank you so much!! I'm not married to the Lizzie board so I am willing to look around and switch that out. I'm also willing to learn to build one but right now I'm pretty eager to have something set up for me so I can just learn the skating part lol, the rest can come later if I stick with it. Let me take a look at that site and get back to you with any questions, I really appreciate it!

 

Thanks for the help from everyone in here last week. In the end I went with the prebuilt Lizzie board simply cause I missed the sale window for that website :( However I know I can upgrade parts so I'm okay for now. The trucks seem very loose to me but maybe that's because I'm not used to it? I'm used to riding longboards which feel more stable to me. My balance is slowly getting better, today I skated around a bit before work and worked on heel braking and ollies. I can at least balance the nose of the board on the ground while lifting the other end so I am *getting* there. And this is all on pavement so I'm working off the nerves of thinking I will fall at any moment.

 

Always try and learn things while rolling a steady speed. Tons of people make the mistake of practicing things early on standing still and it ruins your confidence while rolling.

 

Thanks, I'll try! Today when I stepped on the board I felt more confident than I have even in the last week so it felt like the smallest amount of progress, haha.

 

Any progress feels great. As for the trucks, just tighten them to your preference. Some people ride them obscenely loose but I've always ridden them pretty tight. It's just whatever you feel comfortable with. I hate the wobbles associated with super loose trucks

 

Yeah, the wobbles make me very nervous so I'm trying to find the line between putting myself out of my comfort zone and being realistic with my expectations for myself.

 

I also ride tight trucks. Hate wheel bite

 

What kind of shoes do y'all ride with? I have some simple Vans shoes I've been using because the soles grip my board alright but does anyone have any experience with the pro models?

 

I use vans a fair amount but they always seem to wear quickly. Rocking some Emerica Romero's right now. Like them alot so far.

 

I only skate Vans. I skate Style 112 mids, they’re mostly suede and they have a rubber toecap so they stand up really well, and I broke my ankle skating when I was 10 so I always want ankle support. It’s probably my favorite skate shoe, I think it runs $75.

I’ve also skated Half Cabs, which are kinda chunky but again so durable, they’re super comfy tanks. I generally like the pro skate Vans with the ultracush, though some people prefer the classic flatbed sole for better boardfeel.

I liked Ryan Sheckler’s signature Etnies shoe when I was in high school. I’ve dabbled with a few other companies and had mixed results and always come back to Vans. I generally recommend a suede or leather shoe, canvas gets torn up quickly if you skate a lot. The Vans Kyle Walker Pro is really comfortable and all suede, though I haven’t skated mine much. They’re pink so I like the way they look and I kinda like having them as a colorful casual sneaker lol.

 

Thanks for such a detailed response! It's funny that you mentioned the Kyle Walker pros cause I came across these a few days ago and have been thinking about them ever since:



I'll probably look into these.

 

I'm going to try to go to the skate park that is like 15 minutes from my work after I get off at 5:30; I called to see when they close and since it's a town park it's from dawn until dusk which could mean anything with the time changes lol. Like I could get an hour in or they could say the sun is setting and they're closing it at 6 or something. Just going to have to go and find out, it's not getting dark until after 7 now.

 

Was honestly blown away by this video the other night:

Beautifully produced and now Andy is one of my fave dudes to watch. The control he has is just insane to me. Also good on him for wearing a helmet.

 

no idea where else i can post this but my jaw is on the floor. makes me feel ashamed for not getting back into skating because im nearly 27 and dont think i can physically handle it anymore lol