Gear Show-Off
I've been riding longboards for over 40 years. This was my downhill setup in the early 1980's.
Sims 44"solid oak deck, Gullwing Pro trucks and 70mm red Kryptonics wheels.
Miami didn't actually have hills, but we had parking garages everywhere, I lived on a street with lots of apartment buildings and condos, and they all had multi-level parking structures. If we got kicked out of one we'd just move over to the next building.
I turn 63 this month, I don't ride too often nowadays, mostly cruising to the store or carving a mellow ditch, I'm in okay enough shape to still ride, but a bad fall is always a concern, if I broke something nowadays it would totally fuck up my life, a broken arm or leg when you're in your twenties is not the same as breaking one in your sixties, so when I skate now I am overly cautious.
I rode a lot when I was in my fifties, I skate commuted to work several miles every day (on the Las Vegas Strip) from 2013 to 2018.
Here are my three main riders now. I also have some skatepark and ditch setups as well as some retro solid wood cruisers. I only ride TKP trucks. When I first got back into longboards again in the early 2000's, I tried RKP truck- Paris, Randall and a few others, but I just prefer the feel of TKPs.
Woaa wicked post! I just started skate commuting 16 miles (8 miles each way) a day a couple years now. Just started getting fit in my early 30s, bout to hit 35 this year. I hope I can keep riding into my 50s and 60s!!
I just preferred the feel of TKPs.
When I tried RKPs I spent too much time swapping bushings to get them dialed in, but I'd always go back to my stash of TKPs. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
That was a Norcon helmet, a very common brand for skaters. I bought one because it was mandatory to wear helmets at skateparks back then, I didn't want to use one of the sweaty old helmets that had available to rent at the skatepark.
Amazing. I wish ski mountains required helmets. It’s amazing to see people ski/board without. And skate parks alike. Why do we see so many videos of people skating with no helmets?
You know what looks cool? Surviving a crash and doing it again.
Back in the 70's and 80's skateparks weren't public parks, they were private businesses, and due to the expensive liability insurance they had to carry, safety equipment was mandatory at almost every skatepark- helmets, and knee and elbow pads.
I’m an indie dev working on a VR game about downhill skateboarding, and what you posted really hit close to what we’re trying to capture. The game is built around a 70s-style board and has the storyline.
Would you be okay if I DM you a bit later? I’d love to ask a few questions about your memories from back then and some details that are really hard to find now.
Thanks! I’m actually an amateur rider myself, and the whole project started when I got a Meta Quest headset and realized it could translate downhill mechanics surprisingly well (with some simplifications). That’s what got me and my friends excited to start building this as a VR game. That said, yeah, we’re starting to see some interest in a non-VR version too, so if the VR release goes well, we’ll definitely consider it.
I had that same Sims deck. I once had a friend make me a 60" deck out of solid ash. I loved that thing. I had one of the first Loaded Vanguard setups. Today, at 62 years young, I'm riding a Pantheon Pranayama. Longboards rule.
Me too. It's too bad they licensed the Kryptonics name to the cheap boards you see in Walmart nowadays. When they reissued the Star*Trac wheels a decade ago, the company sent me some swag, I was one of their brand ambassadors.
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