Anyone into skateboarding?

[Brad200X]

I've been thinking about buying a skateboard, but I have no idea what to look for. I definitely don't want to go out and buy a Walmart special. I want something that's good for a beginner, but not too cheap. Anyone recommend any brands? Thanks.

[ATC-Eric]

Use to skate in highschool a little.

I would suggest finding a skate shop in your area, going in and just asking. Just starting out, a brand will not be that important. You will find what you like as you go. They will help you build a board to your satisfaction and budget.

[Brad200X]

Thanks for the advice Eric. Seems like there aren't that many skate shops in Illinois...

[factoryX]

how old are you? over 20? don't do it...

[Twilight]

i did it, gave my board to my lil bro. he still hits the bowls and grinds hard and my board is going strong.

got mine at target, haha

[Custom200]

The best advice was given above. The name of the board isn't important at first seeing what you like. The only board I really liked was my last one which was a Mystery deck. I had destructo trucks with blank wheels and speed demon bearings. I would say for a good begginer board buy a blank deck whick is usually the same contour/weight and feel as many of the pro boards but not as flashy. Try that with a decent set of trucks. Then If you get into it buy a more expensive board if you wish and you can just change over your trucks. Just my $.02

[dcreel]

CCS
http://shop.ccs.com/?SID=5501&inceptor=1&cm_mmc=SEM-_-Engine-_-Google-_-ccs_skates

The only place I by my skate stuff from.

[ScottZJ]

Well I skated pro-am for G&S in the early 80's back in Caily. I still have a few boards hanging on my wall, as I cant stand the new school.

http://www.fototime.com/%7B3E000246-5BB7-42A2-A5A4-16CD79ABEB7A%7D/picture.JPG

http://www.fototime.com/%7B146802D0-9CAF-4693-BC57-CDC190292921%7D/picture.JPG

http://www.fototime.com/%7B6651BDB5-DC1B-4C0E-9BC2-AFEF2BC5FD3F%7D/picture.JPG

http://www.fototime.com/%7B93D622B0-BD2F-4746-AE2B-D17F2AEDDC73%7D/picture.JPG

http://www.fototime.com/%7B83306183-01D3-42D9-AD0F-9818DFA1D9AD%7D/picture.JPG

http://www.fototime.com/%7B7847E4E7-1642-4AA4-8C33-70154C6771D5%7D/picture.JPG

http://www.fototime.com/%7B60EB8F0F-2004-483A-9DCB-9C9DD60F43DC%7D/picture.JPG

[Brad200X]

^ That's a pretty sweet collection you've got there Scott! There's actually an old school Variflex ramp rat on eBay for $30 shipped. Would that be a good way to go? PS I just turned 20. I'm not really trying to make any thing out of it, just looking for a cool hobby that won't break the bank, (That's what my 3 wheelers are for LOL) and can also be considered exercise. Its a win win. Thanks for your suggestions so far.

[300rman]

used to skateboard, rollerblade, bike, scooter.....you name it, i rode it and jumped it.....YES i jumped the razor kick scooters off those black plastic ramps you find at target.......

skateboarding was my least favorite.....hard and SLOW to learn, i prefer a device that i can either hold or is strapped to me.

these days, biking and blading are my fave's.



a good board to start with would be an Oxygen board. good board, decent trucks, great wheels. only thing that can be canned is the bearings, replace with some Bones Swiss or some Abec 7;s or higher. you can never have too good of bearings. hell, my 250 dollar pair of Solomon blades have different bearings in the wheels!

[Brad200X]

Thanks for the tips, 300rman. I still have a razor from my younger days. I can't make heads or tails of it. Always thought I looked like a tool on one lol. I actually used to have an old vintage board. my Bro jumped on it one day and it broke in half! I really only used it to learn how to balance a board. It was basically worthless to ride, as it pulled real bad to one side.

[Kintore]

Only time I use my skateboard is Back to the Future Style, hangin of vehicles!

[oldtime3wheeler]

Scott I had alot of those boards back in the day. I have a 1978 Dogtown Bulldog design with ranalli trucks and Skull skate 98a's stii in my garage.

[Brad200X]

Alright guys this is that I have it narrowed down to:

The Variflex.
http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-SKATEBOARD-VARIFLEX-RAMP-RAT-II-VINTAGE-RED_W0QQitemZ230331189726QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_Def aultDomain_0?hash=item230331189726&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1199|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A13 18|301%3A0|293%3A1|294%3A50

The Blank.
http://cgi.ebay.com/BLANK-COMPLETE-Skateboard-DPD-BLACK-7-75-Skateboards_W0QQitemZ370168434163QQcmdZViewItemQQp tZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item370168434163&_trksid=p4634.c0.m14.l1262

Also, Scott or oldtime, is there any advantage to the oldschool style decks? I know that companies still make them. What specifically about them do you like more than the new style? Scott, did you skate vert or street?

Finally, what should I be able to do competently on the flat before I venture out to a skate park? I imagine ollie obviously, but what about stuff like flip tricks or spins or reverts? Thanks for the comment so far guys.

[ATC-Eric]

Scott thats freakin wicked!


Love the oldschool boards. My brother had a vision that was a BLAST to hit the bowls with!

[oldtime3wheeler]

The old school boards are wider. I just found my Powell Peralta Sword and skull deck(before shitty bonite came out). The new style reminds me of old school free stlye boards. I likes having rails on mine. Like the old schmitt styke 2's. Newer thinner style was after my time. All depends on what yiou like. You would probably get the same kind of looks on a Vision gator as you get riding a 3 wheeler. lol.

[Brad200X]

The old school boards are wider. I just found my Powell Peralta Sword and skull deck(before shitty bonite came out). The new style reminds me of old school free stlye boards. I likes having rails on mine. Like the old schmitt styke 2's. Newer thinner style was after my time. All depends on what yiou like. You would probably get the same kind of looks on a Vision gator as you get riding a 3 wheeler. lol.

Sounds like my kinda board lol. There are a couple of reissue Vision gators on eBay. No grip tape though?

http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Original-Old-School-Vision-Gator-Hypno-Skateboard_W0QQitemZ250391675257QQcmdZViewItemQQpt ZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item250391675257&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A13 18|301%3A0|293%3A1|294%3A50

[Brad200X]

While were on the subject of vintage skateboarding, I thought you guys would get a kick out of this vid I found on the 'Tube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VuToyUKn0A

Man the skate scene has changed a lot! I'm too young to have seen this side of it.

[Brad200X]

Well, I bought my board. It an Almost Mullen OG Impact V3 deck with Core trucks, Amphetamine ABEC 5 wheel bearings, H-Block risers, and Black Diamond grip tape. Ended up being $70 bucks shipped. I'm expecting it to show up Wed-Fri hopefully. All the info that I could find on it said that its a good deck, and is a little stronger than I need, so it should last me a good while. How do you guys think I made out? What do you guys think of Almost decks?

[oldtime3wheeler]

Never heard of them. I remember some of that video from back in the day. I probably couldnt even ride a board anymore.

[Brad200X]

Well I got my board yesterday. I don't remember it being this hard, but after maybe an hour of messing around, I can do an ollie about an inch in height. It is a lot of fun, and its quite a workout.

[ScottZJ]

Well getting a new board is a must, just about. As the old school boards and not as strong. There are a few that I still skate but if you can get a GOOD reissue or remake of the old school shapes then thats what you should do. I skated a few new school boards or popsicles as we call them. I just couldnt skate them, not to mention I am 245 lbs and size 13 foot. So the bigger the better for me in more stuff HAHA.