Skate Reanimate

Starting this Wednesday and running through Friday.

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As I start to skate more ramps and bowls I’ve realized the need for good knee pads, and heard that 187 Pro knee pads are about the best. My brother has sworn by Boneless knee pads for almost 2 decades, but they are near impossible to get a hold of (he’s wearing the more expensive Paincheaters knee pads now).

Having read in a number of reviews that the 187s run large I bought a size small, and they fit nice and snug on my skinny legs (I’m 5′10” & 140lbs). The 187s have surprisingly less strappage than the Pro-Tecs that these replace, but that doesn’t mean they lack in security; in fact, they feel more secure, and seem to offer a good range of motion.

As for the cushioning, well I haven’t ridden them in a bowl yet but just walking around the house and randomly dropping to my knees is a surprising comfortable experience. The most I feel is a little left-right motion on my caps, which I expect will diminish as they mold to my shape. And what is that on the inside? Cushy fleece? Nice!

I picked these up at Social Skateboarding.com, a site I haven’t used before but seems to have a lot of killer deals–these were about $16 less than any online competitor.

I’ll report more on how these work out once I’ve recovered a little from last night’s skating.

I ordered new bushings and soft risers from Socal Skateshop, which I installed last night and tested before work this morning at the Orem park.

Old bushings

SCS stickers:

The product:

Installed:

If you notice, my old bushings were crushed and deformed. I realize now this is because they were replacements for Grind King trucks, and GK has it’s own unique style of bushings. So not only do these new GK bushings fit better, they perform better, and I think it has straightened out the hold of the board. You’ll notice that I have replaced the kingpins on these trucks, as the hex bolts that GK packs drill into the board when I tighten them down.

My ride this morning was noticeably smoother; the Orem skatepark has a lot of roll-ins and good transitions. I left my trucks a little looser than normal, so I don’t know if that improved the overall ride, or if the risers had anything to do with it. I really have no way to tell immediately if they disperse the impact and protect my joints, but I may be able to tell after a week of skating.

My cousin David Beatty and I hit the Payson skatepark early this morning before all the kids flooded in. The Payson park is a lot of fun and has decent terrain, though I don’t know who raised the punks who frequent it–the place is always littered with bottles, wrappers, pizza boxes, and assorted garbage. Kids these days…

Here are just a few pics:

A couple parts questions have been on my mind this week:

First, bushings: what does hardness affect?

I’ve got some old Grind King trucks that I threw on the deck my mother gave me for Christmas, but they hold to a peculiar angle, and so I figure I need new bushings. As a freestyler in the 90s tight trucks were the norm, and though I’ve eased up a bit these days, I still like my trucks pretty tight. I recall setting up with hard bushings–95 or 99a–so I’ll probably go with that again, even though I’m not sure how much hardness of bushings affects anything–if at all.

Second, riser pads: do they impact tricks?

As I get older I look for more ways to absorb some of the beating my joints take, especially my knee. I recalled that right before we stopped using risers altogether (as wheels lessened in diameter) one company–maybe Independent–put out some cushy little black riser pads–maybe 1/8 or 1/4 inch. I remember how well they absorbed impact for the deck–virtually eliminating pressure cracks around the trucks–and am now wondering if the new generation do anything for impact on landings. On the one hand they’re really small, and landings are quite hard. On the other hand, the natural cushioning and pillow between one’s joints is similarly small, so it’s got to be better than nothing, right? The real question is, do they impact tricks? Do they absorb some of the force your feet might exert on the board before, say, an ollie?

With no ready info on the web I suppose I’ll have to just try each out and report back here..

This trailer for the upcoming movie Machotaildrop gave me chills (think Brazil + Willy Wonka + Animal Chin):

A number of skaters have been talking about the passion and skills demonstrated by the Uganda Skateboard Union, but you have to see it to believe it:

USU Pt 1

USU Pt 2

These guys push equipment and terrain to the limits! You can donate to the Uganda Skateboard Union and help keep that fire alive.

A few extra shots taken by my mother who came out to check out her 30+ sons reliving some glory days at the Logan Skatepark:

I woke up early this morning and hit the Orem, Utah skatepark at about 7am. This park is usually pretty busy from spring through autumn, and I wanted to get there before the regulars came on scene so I could readjust to riding transitions. I haven’t been to a skatepark in years, of course, so I was pretty nervous and a lot more self-conscious than I’d like to admit.

I learned three things about my middle-aged skating at a park this morning. I need:

1. caffeine to kick in BEFORE I start skating
2. greater focus a lot more on when I shift my weight on the transitions
3. to strengthen my thighs in order to persist on a half-pipe

Both of these related to a precise lack of control and endurance this morning. But otherwise I had a good time. Didn’t try any tricks–I didn’t plan to my first time out–and almost never reached the lip of the transitions, but I took no real spills, which is encouraging.

The Orem skatepark itself is not reputed to be the best in Utah Valley, but it’s close to where I live and I figured it’s not a bad place to start. One goal I set for myself this year is to learn to carve a bowl, however my first impression of Orem’s single bowl is it’s weak, so I may have to take up at some other park(s) in the valley as my confidence and ability grows.

But for a middle-aged guy coming back into the skating scene, early morning park riding is the only way to go.

When I was a kid I could get away with more spills and less repurcussions. Now a small spill can put an ankle or wrist or elbow out of commission for days. So while I’ve worn a wrist guard for a long time (I’m on the computer for 10hrs a day for work etc), I decided to pick up elbow and knee pads as well. I plan to wear the elbow guard on my bad right elbow whenever I choose to hit the skate parks, but don’t expect I’ll need the knee pads regularly–still, they’re nice to have.

And because I hope my 5-year-old son will want to pick up skating sometime in the future I got a helmet for the good example. I’ll wear it at parks any time he comes with me.