Testing gear -Update 2

The recent weeks we had mostly windy days, rain and even some snow. That’s why I wasn’t able do longer rides yet. Last Sunday, it would have been possible weather wise. But that day we had the season opening in slalom. That was fun!

Some more gear testing has been done since my last posting. This time with the larger deck, the Fullbag Fôboo. First I mounted a PSD convex footstop and changed the wheels to bubblegum Hot Spots (rear) and mango Blast Waves (front). With this set up I did my first five laps test under 3:30 - a 3:25.

And I got a new Seismic G5 (30°). For a quick first test, I mixed the new baseplate with the old narrow hanger and soft yellow springs. Mounted this 5° dewedged. On a pretty windy day I did a 3:28. Then I narrowed the G5 hanger to 138 mm and assembled it with green springs. Yesterday there was almost no wind in the evening and I did a 3:21 on this board. It felt like I could have gone faster if my legs weren’t so tired from slalom the day before. Set up like this, I really like the board. I’m getting along great with the mellow concave and the shape of the Fôboo. And the wheels are lightning fast. So not much reason for further testing - beside my curiosity.

Testing gear – Update 1

During the last days there was quite some rain and even a little snow. That‘s why I wasn‘t able to skate longer sessions. But I had a few short rides on my rain board. And a was able to do some gear testing too.

I changed a few things on the Vandal and did some 5-laps-tests on the nearby parking-lot. First I put RipTide pivot cups in the Bennett (front truck). And I changed the lime BigZigs (80a) for lemon BigZigs (83a) in the front. With the almost new and harder wheels, I improved to 3 min 44. 10 seconds faster than the previous test.

A few days later I changed the wheels again. This time I mounted mango Seismic Blast Waves. I only did one timed run. It was 3 minutes 43 on a windy day. Feel was much faster.

Friday I mounted another Seismic G2 110mm (NOS) as a rear truck. I rode the old one for about a year and it started to click in a way that annoyed me. I tightend the springs of the new truck to max. And I changed the bubblegum Avilas to bubblegum Hot Spots (76mm). I did two timed runs yesterday. They where pretty fast: 3 min 34 and 3 min 31 although there was some wind. I don‘t think I can go much faster on the Vandal. It felt like I want to shift up.

So next step will be tweaking the longer board.

A Minipumper for rainy days

During the last months there has been a lot of rain in Germany. That’s bad for pumping. I didn’t pump on wet pavement since I slammed the first time I ever tried. That day I didn’t had the patience waiting for the streets to dry. When I just started my ride and gained momentum carefully, I suddenly lost grip in the front and hit the ground. This happened because I reached a different sort of pavement that turned out to be incredibly slippery in wet condition.

All that rain during the last months and the fact that I don’t have a skateable garage in the neighborhood, led to an unbearable situation – not being able to do some pumping for weeks. To change this unpleasant situation I purchased a set of rain wheels. It’s a set of pink ABEC11 BigZigs modified by longbordshop.eu to reduce hydroplaning.

I tested them and they are working. But on my home spot, a parking lot with tight turns on each side, they still tend to slide out in the rear - especially in one of the turns. I have to ride carefully and can’t avoid losing some speed in the turns. So I have to give some extra effort to accelerate every 30 seconds. That can be frustrating, especially with a longer wheelbase and wind. That’s why I wasn’t completely happy when I tested the wheels on my Rayne Vandal. So I set up an old Rayne Brightside, I had lying around, as a minipumper for rainy days.

Deck: Rayne Brightside, 34" x 9.25", WB 22,5"

Trucks
- Front: Randal RII-125 50° (+12°) with Riptide APS Barrel 75a (BS), Reflex Cone 74a (RS) and Riptide Pivot Cup.
- Rear: Randal RII-125 42° (-12) with Riptide APS Chubby 80a (BS) and Riptide APS Barrel 80a (RS) and Riptide Pivot Cup.

Wheels: ABEC11 BigZigs 77a mod. by longboardshop.eu.

With a shorter board like this accelerating is much easier. In this aspect the relatively lively rear truck helps as well. This board feels like I have more control and less sliding in the rear. I’m glad I can pump on wet pavement now. It’s fun, although it’s a little slower and more exhausting. Parking-lot pumping on wet pavement is all about accelerating from slow speed. That’s why I’ll try softer bushings and maybe a different front truck someday. A Bennett might bring some more drive. But a Carver CX.4 is something, I’d love to try out too. (If only they where sold separately.)

Practising pumping "ice skating style"

A couple of month ago I developed a pumping style I call "ice skating style". It's a modification of slalom style pumping. I'm leaning forward a little bit, hold both arms behind the back in straights and let one arm swing in turns. My original idea on this style was aerodynamics. But I found out that it's main advantage is a better balance between the feet. It shifts some weight on the rear foot witch makes it easier to get some more power from the rear leg. It also helps to reduce arm swinging and therefore saves energy. It took a while for my back to adjust. Now I'm able to pump like this non stop for at least half an hour and I think I will be able to double this soon.