TrAnCe
09-07-2008, 09:25 AM
TrAnCe is currently procrastinating, and decided to make this stupid and pointless guide, in part to inform you about skateboarding stuff.
BUY THESE
Deck; Alien Workshop, Habitat, Toy Machine, Santa Cruz, Creature, Anti Hero, Real, Krooked, Popwar
Trucks; Thunder, Venture
Bearings; Bones Reds, end of story
Wheels; Autobahn, popwar
Shoes; eS, Emerica, Circa, Vans, Fallen
DONT BUY THESE
Deck; blind, world industries, almost, chocolate
Trucks; phantom, kreper
Bearings; all except Bones
Wheels; blind, world industries
Shoes; high heels
try these out, you mite like them, mite not
Deck; flip, Zero, mystery, Slave, Girl, Baker
Trucks; Destructo, Royal, Fury, Independent
Bearings; you make me sick. All of them.
Wheels; spitfire
Shoes; DC, Dunlop Volley, Chucks (wear out too fast though), etnies, Globe
FOR BEGINNERS;
Deck;
If the guy at the shop asks what size Deck you want;
If you're short, you want a 7.5,
if you're average, you want a 7.625,
if you're tall, you want a 7.75.
Confusing? just write it down. As you get better, you may want a wider or slimmer Deck, you just understand after a while what you like.
Trucks;
You want Low trucks, and ones narrow as your Deck.
Venture make the best trucks, though I ride Thunder.
Lows are the way to go at first, though I refuse them now, because Hi trucks turn more and I think they give me more pop, although Lows are best for technical flips and stuff, and dont turn too much.
Venture are light and wont break, the Hi's are Hi.
Thunder are light and wont break, the Hi's are as tall as normal mids
Fury's are too narrow from the start, so buy the 775's if you want this brand.
Destructo and Royals are good for some people, though many friends of mine hate the brands, as they break sometimes, and trucks cost a sh**load in Australia. Noone forgives brands who'se trucks break.
Bearings;
if you buy bones reds, you can ride like a guy who bought bones reds. AND YOU GET A STICKER. People make too much noise over bearings (see that pun? Whatever)
Put a bearing on the axle then push the wheel into it (unless you have Swiss bearings, coz they may break. You dont have Swiss bearings if you have reds)
Other bearings are superfluous, and a waste of money; reds are the best.
Swiss bearings will go a bit faster, but wont last as long; they use softer metals to cut everything really perfect (those balls they use are perfect O shapes as opposed to the D and Q shapes of some bearings lol), but the softer materials means they dont last as long.
Wheels;
Spitfire used to make perfect wheels.. now they dont. I had really horrible ones.
Autobahn are as close to perfect as you can get.
Popwar also make killer wheels.
Those no-name "Blank" wheels you get from shops are a good idea if you're short on cash, as the top brands are just a bit better.
Shoes;
Get ones that are comfy, and that have deep grooves in the soles, so they last a while. harder grip (underneath and sides) lasts longer, while softer grip is for hard Skaters; they last shorter but give better grip.
Vans have been around since 1966, have soft grip, and last a while
eS have been there since 1995, and will last a while, diff models have diff grip
Emerica are the brother of eS
Fallen are good and last long
Circa are god himself
Other stuff;
Clothes; You dont need to wear Skate clothes unless you get them really really cheap. Then its worth it.
Skatepark; If you go to a Skatepark and people are waiting around for a turn on a Ramp, wait till everyone else has had a turn before you have a go. Its respectful.
Making friends; To make friends at the Skatepark, try NOT to ask "what bearings do you have?" but try to play a game of Skate against them, then you'll get to know them.
Helmet and pads; I've never owned a Skate helmet or pads, though some parents and indoor SkateParks insist on wearing at least a helmet. I've NEVER hit my head on the ground, you'll be better off with knee and hand pads.
Police and security; If the police ask you to leave, you leave. If a security guard asks you to leave, be polite, and leave nicely. The spot is not yours, and if you've misshandled it, it shouldnt be a punishment for everyone else who Skates respectfully in that place. Police aren't legally allowed to search you without a warrant, so ask if they have one first. If they dont have one, but threaten it's gonna become an issue if you make them get one, if you're not doing anything wrong, make them get one. You have a right to this.
If you are forcefully searched/assaulted by police, repeat that you do not consent to the search, write down police badge numbers, remember who was there, and put your hands on your head, so they cant claim you were fighting them. Do what they say, and cooperate. Being a dickweed can only get you into more trouble, although screaming and carrying on that you dont wanna get searched is good.
Wherever theres a no Skateboarding sign, you can get booked by police, although they will usually tell you to move along unless they've told you multiple times; if this happens, they may book you. Not fun.
Other people; When Skating, you will sometimes encounter strange and crooked faces. The places that you may Skate could have drug addicts, drug dealers, or even gangsters. Skaters are sometimes stereotyped as being a part of this Underworld. Skate with as little expensive stuff as you can, and if they start trouble, keep calm. Chill. "oi wtf u think your doin?" "ay just Skatin man.. I'll piss off if u want" can work "ay gimme ur wallet" "its my birthday man, and my mum died this morning in a tragic car accident while getting raped by a goat".. you get the point. The moment a punch is thrown, look behind him and "pretend" theres a police car there, yell "POLICE, over here", then in his panic, bolt like a rabbit. or confuse em with some random shit like "there's a garden gnome raping my pet squid with a jackhamer, and I got football training now. cya".
Other Skaters; Some other Skaters might not actually be Skaters. They might be gangsters with Skateboards, and wont be as nice to you as you are to them.
Music; I listen to Refused. alot of people listen to fast punk and hip-hop. emo shit and linkin park is shit. kill-switch-en-gage will kill you. I find chillout sessions music is good to calm me down and help me land tricks. no sweat. science tells us that whatever music you like works best.
Last word; Skateboarding is an Art, as opposed to a sport. Refuse Chinese brands, and buy good American brands, otherwise you're starving good Americans. The Chinese wont ever starve, they're Communists, and if they dont have a job in making Skateboard parts, the Government makes jobs for them. Nike and Adidas arent good; they're good in sports brands, but Skateboarding isnt a sport, remember?
And have fun with it. If you cant get a trick today, roll your eyes and learn a different one.
Skateboarding is a thing which becomes a part of you. You'll walk down the street, and see the wonders of the landscape you never bothered to see before, and learn to love the world. You wont turn into a stuck up s.o.a.b., because you know at any moment, you could be toppled off and stack it.
You'll make new friends, learn to live the high life, and never stop chasing your dreams, all while getting exercise your fat arse needs. It'll teach you to roll with the punches, while chasing your motivations.
As some dude I've never heard off called George Shaw once said; "This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; the being a force of nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy."
So get the **** away from this idiot box and go Skateboarding.
BUY THESE
Deck; Alien Workshop, Habitat, Toy Machine, Santa Cruz, Creature, Anti Hero, Real, Krooked, Popwar
Trucks; Thunder, Venture
Bearings; Bones Reds, end of story
Wheels; Autobahn, popwar
Shoes; eS, Emerica, Circa, Vans, Fallen
DONT BUY THESE
Deck; blind, world industries, almost, chocolate
Trucks; phantom, kreper
Bearings; all except Bones
Wheels; blind, world industries
Shoes; high heels
try these out, you mite like them, mite not
Deck; flip, Zero, mystery, Slave, Girl, Baker
Trucks; Destructo, Royal, Fury, Independent
Bearings; you make me sick. All of them.
Wheels; spitfire
Shoes; DC, Dunlop Volley, Chucks (wear out too fast though), etnies, Globe
FOR BEGINNERS;
Deck;
If the guy at the shop asks what size Deck you want;
If you're short, you want a 7.5,
if you're average, you want a 7.625,
if you're tall, you want a 7.75.
Confusing? just write it down. As you get better, you may want a wider or slimmer Deck, you just understand after a while what you like.
Trucks;
You want Low trucks, and ones narrow as your Deck.
Venture make the best trucks, though I ride Thunder.
Lows are the way to go at first, though I refuse them now, because Hi trucks turn more and I think they give me more pop, although Lows are best for technical flips and stuff, and dont turn too much.
Venture are light and wont break, the Hi's are Hi.
Thunder are light and wont break, the Hi's are as tall as normal mids
Fury's are too narrow from the start, so buy the 775's if you want this brand.
Destructo and Royals are good for some people, though many friends of mine hate the brands, as they break sometimes, and trucks cost a sh**load in Australia. Noone forgives brands who'se trucks break.
Bearings;
if you buy bones reds, you can ride like a guy who bought bones reds. AND YOU GET A STICKER. People make too much noise over bearings (see that pun? Whatever)
Put a bearing on the axle then push the wheel into it (unless you have Swiss bearings, coz they may break. You dont have Swiss bearings if you have reds)
Other bearings are superfluous, and a waste of money; reds are the best.
Swiss bearings will go a bit faster, but wont last as long; they use softer metals to cut everything really perfect (those balls they use are perfect O shapes as opposed to the D and Q shapes of some bearings lol), but the softer materials means they dont last as long.
Wheels;
Spitfire used to make perfect wheels.. now they dont. I had really horrible ones.
Autobahn are as close to perfect as you can get.
Popwar also make killer wheels.
Those no-name "Blank" wheels you get from shops are a good idea if you're short on cash, as the top brands are just a bit better.
Shoes;
Get ones that are comfy, and that have deep grooves in the soles, so they last a while. harder grip (underneath and sides) lasts longer, while softer grip is for hard Skaters; they last shorter but give better grip.
Vans have been around since 1966, have soft grip, and last a while
eS have been there since 1995, and will last a while, diff models have diff grip
Emerica are the brother of eS
Fallen are good and last long
Circa are god himself
Other stuff;
Clothes; You dont need to wear Skate clothes unless you get them really really cheap. Then its worth it.
Skatepark; If you go to a Skatepark and people are waiting around for a turn on a Ramp, wait till everyone else has had a turn before you have a go. Its respectful.
Making friends; To make friends at the Skatepark, try NOT to ask "what bearings do you have?" but try to play a game of Skate against them, then you'll get to know them.
Helmet and pads; I've never owned a Skate helmet or pads, though some parents and indoor SkateParks insist on wearing at least a helmet. I've NEVER hit my head on the ground, you'll be better off with knee and hand pads.
Police and security; If the police ask you to leave, you leave. If a security guard asks you to leave, be polite, and leave nicely. The spot is not yours, and if you've misshandled it, it shouldnt be a punishment for everyone else who Skates respectfully in that place. Police aren't legally allowed to search you without a warrant, so ask if they have one first. If they dont have one, but threaten it's gonna become an issue if you make them get one, if you're not doing anything wrong, make them get one. You have a right to this.
If you are forcefully searched/assaulted by police, repeat that you do not consent to the search, write down police badge numbers, remember who was there, and put your hands on your head, so they cant claim you were fighting them. Do what they say, and cooperate. Being a dickweed can only get you into more trouble, although screaming and carrying on that you dont wanna get searched is good.
Wherever theres a no Skateboarding sign, you can get booked by police, although they will usually tell you to move along unless they've told you multiple times; if this happens, they may book you. Not fun.
Other people; When Skating, you will sometimes encounter strange and crooked faces. The places that you may Skate could have drug addicts, drug dealers, or even gangsters. Skaters are sometimes stereotyped as being a part of this Underworld. Skate with as little expensive stuff as you can, and if they start trouble, keep calm. Chill. "oi wtf u think your doin?" "ay just Skatin man.. I'll piss off if u want" can work "ay gimme ur wallet" "its my birthday man, and my mum died this morning in a tragic car accident while getting raped by a goat".. you get the point. The moment a punch is thrown, look behind him and "pretend" theres a police car there, yell "POLICE, over here", then in his panic, bolt like a rabbit. or confuse em with some random shit like "there's a garden gnome raping my pet squid with a jackhamer, and I got football training now. cya".
Other Skaters; Some other Skaters might not actually be Skaters. They might be gangsters with Skateboards, and wont be as nice to you as you are to them.
Music; I listen to Refused. alot of people listen to fast punk and hip-hop. emo shit and linkin park is shit. kill-switch-en-gage will kill you. I find chillout sessions music is good to calm me down and help me land tricks. no sweat. science tells us that whatever music you like works best.
Last word; Skateboarding is an Art, as opposed to a sport. Refuse Chinese brands, and buy good American brands, otherwise you're starving good Americans. The Chinese wont ever starve, they're Communists, and if they dont have a job in making Skateboard parts, the Government makes jobs for them. Nike and Adidas arent good; they're good in sports brands, but Skateboarding isnt a sport, remember?
And have fun with it. If you cant get a trick today, roll your eyes and learn a different one.
Skateboarding is a thing which becomes a part of you. You'll walk down the street, and see the wonders of the landscape you never bothered to see before, and learn to love the world. You wont turn into a stuck up s.o.a.b., because you know at any moment, you could be toppled off and stack it.
You'll make new friends, learn to live the high life, and never stop chasing your dreams, all while getting exercise your fat arse needs. It'll teach you to roll with the punches, while chasing your motivations.
As some dude I've never heard off called George Shaw once said; "This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; the being a force of nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy."
So get the **** away from this idiot box and go Skateboarding.