tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49727489093414897432024-03-14T04:31:20.225-07:00Concrete ExistenceExistential musings on the inter-relational metaphysics of skateboarding and life. Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger99125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4972748909341489743.post-7290534335622624442023-05-07T22:43:00.014-07:002023-07-04T19:04:51.401-07:00How to Do a B/S Slappy<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6b7zhez2qKPD1YzPwih0e27N_36mU-fcS5qajTNDqzzLaoV0D6_xTwFcpUBkfBSzYwHbjypgIDxoGm6EJhycBJ1w17IIsys6lm6rfoCPBW5JtuVSdc5qIfKe-gFc43WZRWxrfDWVSTI06JHLKz_0sGA6byxbnldPnJ39cgapJSNWbfLG-senG-kscNQ/s1170/IMG_9244.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="934" data-original-width="1170" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6b7zhez2qKPD1YzPwih0e27N_36mU-fcS5qajTNDqzzLaoV0D6_xTwFcpUBkfBSzYwHbjypgIDxoGm6EJhycBJ1w17IIsys6lm6rfoCPBW5JtuVSdc5qIfKe-gFc43WZRWxrfDWVSTI06JHLKz_0sGA6byxbnldPnJ39cgapJSNWbfLG-senG-kscNQ/s320/IMG_9244.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">How to Do a B/S Slappy</span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Here is a “How-To” I wrote for a b/s
slappy. The principle is basically the same for f/s, the mechanics are just
slightly different.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">(1)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Find a tiny curb. We are talking REAL small here. 1” – 2”. No higher
than two inches. If possible, find a slanted one (like they have in
California). If you can’t find a slanted one, no worries. Just make sure the
one you found is 2” tall or shorter.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
(2) Wax the fuck out of that curb.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
(3) Go to an empty part of a parking lot. Once you are there, tighten the fuck
out of your trucks. Yes, I said tighten your trucks. Stay with me on this one. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">(4) Do some backside carves, really
flexing those ankles, and pointing those toes down. Your trucks should be so
tight now that both your heel-side wheels lift up in the air. You should be
carving on just your two toe side wheels. Do this a bunch so that you can
easily go up on to your toe side wheels whenever you want.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">(5) Loosen your trucks up again. Get
them back to where you had them before.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
(6) Go back over to that tiny curb. Approach the curb at about a 45-degree
angle, with a decent speed. Have your weight slightly ahead of your feet. Knees
bent/and crouching down a tad. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">(7) Just as your front heel side wheel
is about to slam into the curb, do that same motion you did with the really
tight trucks to carve up onto two wheels. Shift/thrust your hips toward the
front of the board, so that they “catch up” with your shoulders (which were
slightly ahead of your hips/feet), as your do this, also swing your back leg
around (almost as if front leg was the pivot point) to help get the back trucks
up on the curb. MAKE SURE that your shoulders stays in a parallel line directly
over the curb. If your shoulders are too “open” (not parallel) it is MUCH harder to get your
back truck on top of the curb. There is a LOT going on here, all at once, and
they are very subtle motions. Getting the weight distribution, weight shift,
speed, angle, and shoulders to all go as one, I think, is one of the reasons
slappies are literally the HARDEST tricks to teach. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">(8) Once up there, grind away until you
want to come off. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">(9) Find a SLIGHTLY taller curb, and
repeat the same process.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b><u>Note</u></b>: The textbook definition of a slappy
makes NO USE of the tail to lift the front truck onto the curb, and NO USE of
the nose to lift the back truck up, either. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><u><b>Note on F/S Slappies</b></u>: On f/s slappies, the shoulders are
SUPER important. Not to scare you, but f/s slappies can produce some NASTY
slams. What often happens on those slams is this sequence of events: (1) you get the front truck up, but the back truck
doesn't make it, (2) the rear toe side wheels bounce off the curb, (3) the back
end of your board then slides around, turning the board 90 degrees </span>(e.g. board goes into a f/s railside position), (4) rear truck then catch against the curb and board stops dead, (5)
since your feet are now twisted a bit under your torso, it is next to
impossible to "run out" of, (6) This sends you flying backwards toward
your hip/back/forward elbow. Slams like this are bad enough on flat ground, but now
you also have the edge of a curb to look out for. Making sure that rear
shoulder gets parallel with the curb, when "slapping" into it, can help
avoid this sequence of events. Leaving the rear shoulder "open" is almost an invitation
for this type of the slam.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><u><b>Note on Wheels Size & Shape</b></u>: </span>Larger wheels make it easier to roll over/slap-up a curb. Wheels
with a more rounded profile (e.g. <a href="https://www.spitfirewheels.com/formulafour/img/specs/classic-spec.jpg">Spitfire Classic type shape</a>) make slappies
easier than a more squared-off shape (e.g. <a href="https://www.spitfirewheels.com/formulafour/img/specs/tablets-spec.jpg">Spitfire tablets</a>).</p>
<p><style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4972748909341489743.post-20858396392703222402023-03-30T12:00:00.005-07:002023-03-30T12:20:43.278-07:00The Best Skate Photo I've Ever Seen<p class="MsoNormal">I’ll be writing more about this photo in the future, but for
now, I’ll say that this one of the best skate photos I’ve ever seen. No pros. No
fancy skate parks. No gnarly tricks. It captures something so pure. The "YEAH” face
of the kid on the platform, for “just” a simple kickturn grind. In its most
elemental form, this is the magic of skateboarding, that any skater can relate
to and/or knew at one point in their life. </p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ObdJX1r0rZ43CbXUvwRWJHwcWLG-4WUF90xrc8c0l12woWGAGALOrFjjGs4ZcjSC4P1hlPrPY8UiJ7hzYOAy3p8c5I4AcWNtNktS5tKYP-kD6oU_AGQbIISdUiOtpCXyPbs9hi7BLnsQeUYsSSEOLDeD7SCfct80fm8jQeZwVRQkoHC_JBGRw_H24w/s1167/Stoke.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="887" data-original-width="1167" height="486" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ObdJX1r0rZ43CbXUvwRWJHwcWLG-4WUF90xrc8c0l12woWGAGALOrFjjGs4ZcjSC4P1hlPrPY8UiJ7hzYOAy3p8c5I4AcWNtNktS5tKYP-kD6oU_AGQbIISdUiOtpCXyPbs9hi7BLnsQeUYsSSEOLDeD7SCfct80fm8jQeZwVRQkoHC_JBGRw_H24w/w640-h486/Stoke.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4972748909341489743.post-87888594216171557972023-01-30T08:17:00.003-08:002023-11-03T08:23:57.146-07:00Rediscovering What I Had Already Known<p>I saw a post on the SLAP forums that sent me down an introspective rabbit hole: What are (skate-related) things you were too cool for as a kid, that you now appreciate and/or love?<br /><br />A few of mine: Tony Hawk. Skating transition. Watching vert. Side rails. Pads. "Basic" tricks. Non-traditional forms of skating. Shitty ramps. The joy of just rolling. <br /><br />The irony here, is those are all things I really liked/loved as a very young kid, and then "lost interest" in as I got a bit older. Now that I am much older, I realize how much the very young version of me actually knew. Everything is a circle, and I'm grateful for that.<br /><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4972748909341489743.post-88828704324774435422023-01-27T14:35:00.004-08:002023-01-27T14:35:58.521-08:00The Subtle is the Most Profound<p><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs xlh3980 xvmahel x1n0sxbx x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x1f6kntn xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto">Pre-Socratics.
Plato. Hume. Kant. Heidegger. Kierkegaard. Frankl. Tao Teh Ching.
Tibetan Book of the Dead. The Bible. The Four Noble Truths.
Transcendentalism. Camus. Native-American mythology. Dostoyevsky. Dr.
Suess. Calvin & Hobbes. Yoko Ono. I‘ve read/studied it all. </span></p><p><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs xlh3980 xvmahel x1n0sxbx x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x1f6kntn xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto">Everything you need to know about the meaning of life...can be found in
this photo.</span></p><p><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs xlh3980 xvmahel x1n0sxbx x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x1f6kntn xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto"> </span></p><p><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs xlh3980 xvmahel x1n0sxbx x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x1f6kntn xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxIt7nDcD45Lt9JdX1CBpTksqyTezRj2RqNQOstYXjxU0-KYu7cbW3dBnXXwrz9sTUG4pl1zhFD9VKeYEOflPkXHfwcMPmXE_Q-fS-A1gOaKjoqZsi0zXrBjy2dktrNk64qga5Adtem7Unab9sBMfyEvTYngo44gJxr6DGqDKINmBXXCcOb7U_NOkZ_Q/s1170/001a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="976" data-original-width="1170" height="334" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxIt7nDcD45Lt9JdX1CBpTksqyTezRj2RqNQOstYXjxU0-KYu7cbW3dBnXXwrz9sTUG4pl1zhFD9VKeYEOflPkXHfwcMPmXE_Q-fS-A1gOaKjoqZsi0zXrBjy2dktrNk64qga5Adtem7Unab9sBMfyEvTYngo44gJxr6DGqDKINmBXXCcOb7U_NOkZ_Q/w400-h334/001a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4972748909341489743.post-11320654778320505012023-01-26T09:09:00.001-08:002023-01-26T09:09:19.954-08:00The January Desert & Jake Phelps<p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal">A few random things…</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><u>The Vast January Desert</u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In my phone I keep short-hand notes of things going on in my
life during a given month. At the end of the year, I can look back at what
happened during the past 12 months. After the year is over, I save all in the
info into a word doc. I’ve been doing this since 2015. It’s a very quick/easy
way to look back at my life, and see what was going on during any given period.
One trend has clearly emerged: I don’t skate much during the month of January.
It is usually a result of weather, injury, and illness (I also seem to get some
kind of bad cold, or covid (2021, 2022, 2023), or some combination of all
three. That pattern is certainly repeating in this year. I think I have skated….3
times <b>this month</b> (I usually skate at least 3x <b>a week</b>). I had a
bad case of covid the first week of Jan 2023. I also pulled my groin muscle,
which is keeping me off the board. Thankfully, that is “easier” to do right now,
because it has been very, very wet over the last two weeks (snow and rain).
Hopefully February will be better. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><u>Phelps</u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">News broke this week about <b>how</b> Jake Phelps died. I
think we all had a pretty accurate guess as to what happened (which was
confirmed by the news). Jake had a drug problem. He overdosed and/or took
something that was laced with fentanyl. I’m not really sure what to say here. I
was never really a fan of the guy, and what direction he took Thrasher. Suffice
to say, the manner of his passing was not really a surprise. My friend Brian commented:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Talk about a
complicated legacy. On one hand Phelps, at a certain time, may have saved
skateboarding. After that, he just went out of his way to keep it a fiefdom. He
pushed and cajoled and influenced a generation to hit the self-destruct button
because he was self-destructing as well. The drowning man will always take you
down with him. </span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I use Phelps as a
study on how to age gracefully. Do the opposite of what he did and you will
probably live a long and healthy life. I don't judge him on his addictions or
personality flaws. I never met him. I can, however, judge him for his
influence.”</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’ll add to this, with a quote from The Replacements, “Kids
Don’t Follow.” They never have. They never will. That’s what makes them kids.
That’s why youth is wasted on the young. Skateboarding is mostly a “youth culture”
thing. So, you do the math as to what’s going to happen. That said, it is well
document how Phelps threw gasoline on an innate proclivity to reckless and
self-destructive behavior (from skating vert w/o pads to booze/drugs/party zone).
Should he/Thrasher have been an icon of public safety? Hell no. However, Brian
said it best, “<i><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">He pushed and
cajoled and influenced a generation to hit the self-destruct button because he
was self-destructing as well. The drowning man will always take you down with
him</span></i><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">.” Much of it IMHO,
just wasn’t necessary, needed, or productive. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So, what’s the take-a-way
(for me, and for skateboarding)? For me, that is easy. I’ve long held the belief
that one should “embody/be the Stoke they want to see in the world.” It’s sad
to see what happened to Jake, and sad to see those who have been washed away in
the wake of his influence. All of this just further solidifies, and illuminates,
the path I was already on. I will keep following, and trying to embody, the version
of Stoke that resonates with me (and that is basically the opposite of Jake).
If that influences others, great. If not, that’s great, too. What is the take-a-way
for skateboarding? I think that is for others to decide… <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4972748909341489743.post-53528882742211984052023-01-19T09:18:00.014-08:002023-01-19T12:43:23.422-08:00187 Killer Fly Knee Pads: Cast to Flames<p>My first post about these pads can be found <a href="https://vatorat.blogspot.com/2023/01/killer-187-fly-knee-pads-first.html">here</a>. In that post I covered some basic/initial impressions about them prior to actual use. Yesterday, I finally conducted an actual use test. I
was not a fan, and I will be getting rid of them. What did I not like
about them? A lot. <br /></p>-Compared to the Pros, you feel knee impact a
lot more. The Pros have significantly better padding. I knew this was
going to be a factor going in. But unless the Flys are going to excel in some other area (and they do NOT), then it makes no sense to compromise on safety. On the occasions that I am wearing pads, I want them to actually work (e.g. provide protection). The Pros are the <i>clear</i> winner. <br /><br />-There were pressure points on
my shins at the bottom of the pads, even with knee gaskets on. The Pros
do not have this issue. Overall, the Pros are just more comfortable to
wear. <br /><br />-Finally, I just <i>hated</i> the way they looked. They are
longer, and narrower than the Pros, and the caps are more squared off
(in a bad way). Something about the ratios and proportions of their
design just didn’t sit well with me. When I look down at my board or shoes (or pads), I don’t want to hate what I see. If I do, it’s going to bum me
out a bit, and put me in a bad mood. No one wants to go skating in a bad
mood—it’s supposed to an activity full of fun and stoke, not malaise and
contempt. I want to be stoked out my equipment. Like, why the hell
would you hang a painting/photo in your living room that you hated? You
simply wouldn’t. So, likewise with (my) skate equipment. <br /><br />-Combine all of these factors, with the reservations I first mentioned about these pads, and the game is clearly over. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4972748909341489743.post-79445558920293014872023-01-13T07:44:00.003-08:002023-01-19T09:25:39.617-08:00Killer 187 Fly Knee Pads: First Impressions & Initial Observations <header></header>
<p>I am revisiting Killer 187 Fly knee pads. These are a “lower
end” 187 product. I’ve actually had these before—and I got rid of them
for better knee pads (e.g. the Pros). So, why am I revisiting them now?
When I previously had them, I was mostly wearing knee pads when skating
transition. I upgraded to the Pros, because the Fly version wasn’t
padded enough for some of the harder (and higher) falls on mini ramps.</p>
<p>Well, a few things have changed since then. Namely, I often now wear
pads even when “street” skating (funny what age and injury do to you).
My existing 187 Pro knee pads are great—I <i>love</i> them. But I am
curious to see if there is anything a little less bulky for street, and
that’s where the 187 Fly knee pads come (back) into the picture. I
ordered a set last week, and they arrived yesterday. This post is my
initial observations / comments about them (prior to actual use).</p>
<p>First, they are actually longer than 187 Pros (see pics below). This
kind surprises me. For some reason I always think the higher-end stuff
has more “coverage area” than lower end stuff. Here, it is the opposite.</p>
<p>Second, they are slip-on as opposed to an open/butterfly-backing,
like the 187 Pros are (pic below). Some people have very strong feelings
about slip-on vs. butterfly. I always wear knee gaskets with pads.
Thus, my shoes always have to come off when putting pads on, so having
to take shoes off to put pads on is no big deal to me (huge to deal to
some). I can absolutely put slip-ons on faster than butterflies, because
there are fewer straps to deal with, but that’s not really a big deal.
Butterflies, esp. without gaskets, can lead to some pressure points that
don’t happen with slip-ons (but again, I always use gaskets, so this is
a non-issue for me). Butterflies, however, can get more of an “exact”
fit than with slip-ons. So, in that regard, butterflies can be more
comfortable. The fabric on backside of the Flys is actually pretty
thick. My old Pro-Designed had a really soft/comfy spandex in back. But
yet again, I use gaskets, so these matters are of no concern to me.</p>
<p>Third, the lower strap on the Fly pads is a “lace-through,” where on
the Pros it’s a “Velcro-in-place. Personally. I like the Velcro better. I
may make a DIY modification on the Flys to turn them into Velcro as
opposed to “lace through” (pic below).</p>
<p>Fourth, is fit. The Flys run a bit small (Pros are true to size), so I
ordered up a size (e.g. I got a size large), which was also to
accommodate knee gaskets. Even still, the Flys fit really snug. I know
they will break-in/loosen up with usage, but for now, really snug. Not
tight, but quite snug.</p>
<p>Fifth, is protection. The Flys are noticeable thinner than the Pros
(pic below). I would not want to do a hard drop-to-knee with the Flys,
and I will never wear them when skating larger mini ramps (let alone
something bigger). But, for more mellow old–guy street skating, they
might be enough. More on that after some actual use, as this is just an
“out of the box / first impressions” review.</p>
<p>Sixth, 187 does not make recaps for the Fly knee pads. That kind of
sucks. Even Burly Recaps does not make recaps for these. So, when the
cap is toast, it’s either DIY new caps, or get a new set of Fly Pads.
How long the caps last will also be part of a long(er)-term review of
these.</p>
<p>Last, is appearance. Obviously this one is subjective. I wish they
were shorter (e.g. not as long) like the 187 Pros. Something about the
ratio/proportions of a longer/narrower pad looks a little odd to me. I
wish someone would make pads akin to the old Rectors. Yeah, those were
horrible for transition, but they made for a good, smallish,
light-weight street type pad. Additionally, on the Flys I don’t like the
black rivets in the cap (pic below). This is weird—-usually I think
rivets on knee pad caps looks pretty bad-ass. But some reason, I don’t
like them on the Flys. So, I took a white paint-pen and
“whited-them-out,” and I like the looks of this better (pic below). Yeah, it's a very minor thing, but I get fussy about my equipment. I
may also spray paint one of the caps blue. I always liked the look of
mis-matched (re)cap colors that were prevalent in the 1980s—and I
actually have my 187 Pros set-up the same way (pic below).</p>
<p>So, that’s about it for “First Impressions.” Next will be actual use, and that’s the real test. That follow-up can be found <a href="https://vatorat.blogspot.com/2023/01/187-killer-fly-knee-pads-cast-to-flames.html">here</a>. <br /></p>
<p>Oh, I should mention cost differences.<br />
<b>Flys</b>: $46 at SoCal ($50 at 187 web site)<br />
<b>Pros</b>: $100 at SoCal ($110 at 187 web site)</p>
<p>The photos below mostly compare the Pros (on left) and Flys (on
right). One photo shows the original and painted rivets on the Flys. The
last photo shows my Pros with the mismatched recap colors (mentioned
above).</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW72pPVUxNE-sULKwOHjDxz3mGF1T28XRPvXQjVLYtaUrkWoNHFXceQAwGti541HCViv1kwW5pdOvCfYjvxBu1dBehtxbvtyPc1kwe6WMAlQ8cfn568XWzU1CUmgF-MGB5N_OTu0RWSjn4zvJG6KKMtb8ljoK8-p3mgiU104Yz0tb4zYfruC2wXhq3fw/s1624/01.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1003" data-original-width="1624" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW72pPVUxNE-sULKwOHjDxz3mGF1T28XRPvXQjVLYtaUrkWoNHFXceQAwGti541HCViv1kwW5pdOvCfYjvxBu1dBehtxbvtyPc1kwe6WMAlQ8cfn568XWzU1CUmgF-MGB5N_OTu0RWSjn4zvJG6KKMtb8ljoK8-p3mgiU104Yz0tb4zYfruC2wXhq3fw/w400-h248/01.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLLc1NlldI-YbxKJIyeCBrtMYHFL62LZul0T7_7fhDNE7GyI9N4NV2gVbn7_Hhcj6OKRbdmXWTnfhVo8DspP7TP4VYZGuhhVqZ_18D8AqoUFRpYD9Vc51j5Q7s6oeZLcHHMkgDAvIvVDIqq81FS5BWpWMSs_vl81ls6rxRWmXl6gc8YZ4lbe8ggTu6BA/s1788/02.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbzK1Dej5EgRQR9hSDkmjJ4jj7hK8aAW9yip16CSomrS9bVYB80qvnJR9GcNLZUyTCK7GZwYYFPsmSX863GzgRQlryAC2bq8z3PqtcRYxVqgWkMDLhpeREqnpiygIfwu_5dpCY9iPJocUeLmlR6ljqx3-NXm6U16Y27kw8m1Rfje0n2oRMZC2iKBkeFg/s1854/04a%20Tops.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1030" data-original-width="1854" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbzK1Dej5EgRQR9hSDkmjJ4jj7hK8aAW9yip16CSomrS9bVYB80qvnJR9GcNLZUyTCK7GZwYYFPsmSX863GzgRQlryAC2bq8z3PqtcRYxVqgWkMDLhpeREqnpiygIfwu_5dpCY9iPJocUeLmlR6ljqx3-NXm6U16Y27kw8m1Rfje0n2oRMZC2iKBkeFg/w400-h223/04a%20Tops.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkFX2PT3ACNBG6sgmlszSiJr7-zRw-Nhsrk3S37qGoV3tUaIicMKomgG1cnJ3CKGLB83E1lzLMtEBuDNa0HSTnUPDJjuwh-8ENkgCIPpwl2BvFGFse0dT2Qaz6IAq5xgDsCPrK4Uok6T3VkJ2AJBncFNkB9whHzg6yTtnRpJQniFfbQaNOAi2bOeI2-g/s1998/04b%20Tops.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNIh9-Ry7ksvEkx6HJf583IYgUvMmwcq_QDQLTmEFq0LX5xhDcfudLQScpQi7-6I0m4MTWaomoLpd-K9AtFbVAML0yX_3myzltKWwgNPr4QDJQL1OiclFEl6iLYVpGhNwXVPwZnuts7w2tsV6X_jaN0-rCTghG2-hpwxWuolod-XH9XjTa78yiPKFJ3A/s1257/Screenshot%202023-01-13%20at%2010.15.18%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="770" data-original-width="1257" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNIh9-Ry7ksvEkx6HJf583IYgUvMmwcq_QDQLTmEFq0LX5xhDcfudLQScpQi7-6I0m4MTWaomoLpd-K9AtFbVAML0yX_3myzltKWwgNPr4QDJQL1OiclFEl6iLYVpGhNwXVPwZnuts7w2tsV6X_jaN0-rCTghG2-hpwxWuolod-XH9XjTa78yiPKFJ3A/w400-h245/Screenshot%202023-01-13%20at%2010.15.18%20AM.png" width="400" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWEngjSUcmaFV7PFFWV40tcFPoLfgCPth6N1qRHBjQgViZl9t4UE1z5D-HfoooByW9Ru4_AQjq7zDYkU_m3h0iF8obOmQD1QK9-YkLa_Ncdfn7tyUfr_bTTLnsqg85iWVqFdk_LlUhZABUTEn4aI2pIRPCOTmCQoTDGhaLC4ZLRel0HQSK7RyG4GyhHA/s2016/10%20Pros.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWEngjSUcmaFV7PFFWV40tcFPoLfgCPth6N1qRHBjQgViZl9t4UE1z5D-HfoooByW9Ru4_AQjq7zDYkU_m3h0iF8obOmQD1QK9-YkLa_Ncdfn7tyUfr_bTTLnsqg85iWVqFdk_LlUhZABUTEn4aI2pIRPCOTmCQoTDGhaLC4ZLRel0HQSK7RyG4GyhHA/w400-h300/10%20Pros.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /> <p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4972748909341489743.post-42613136283272180722022-12-27T09:01:00.006-08:002022-12-27T09:04:27.339-08:00Wise Words from Chris Pulman<p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"I’ve gotten so much from skating over
the years. As an outlet for creativity, a way of creating opportunities unknown
to most people outside of our little world, or just the pure joy at the
absurdity of a practically bald primate riding on a wheeled plank.<br />
<br />
All I ever wanted to do in skating was to contribute in some way. Not so much
to leave a mark or have some kind of legacy but more to feel like part of the
bigger picture of the progression of this thing. Now, I’ve probably overthought
that set of circumstances too many times to count and definitely thought of
more trick variations than I ever had the skill or patience to actualize.<br />
<br />
The thing is (and it’s the very essence of skateboarding), we all contribute,
just by doing it. It doesn’t matter what skill level you’re currently at as
long as you’re smiling or feeling fulfilled. Whoever is the ‘best’ is
subjective and therefore irrelevant outside of marketing meetings…<br />
<br />
Often our favorite skaters are the ones we personally relate to or are inspired
by, rather than the ones that are held on a universal pedestal.<br />
<br />
Skateboarding is like life itself: there is no ‘proper’ way to do it. You can
be technically able through some innate ability or practice. You can be
creative by desire or chance. You can surrender your entire identity to it or
just roll around once in a while, depending on the priorities you make for
yourself. It’s completely open to interpretation.<br />
<br />
I look at skateboarding these days and find it heartening that it’s become so
diverse in approach and participation. From a point of past privilege, I’m glad
I’ve been able to see this all with more continually educated eyes. It’s becoming
open for us all to contribute in any way we wish; something I, and
skateboarding in general, always thought it was. It genuinely feeling like it’s
getting there…<br />
<br />
Go get weird and keep on truckin’"</span></p>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">-Chris Pulman</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">(His original post with this text can be found <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cmq1RlqMIZw/">here</a>) <br /></div><p class="MsoNormal"> <br /></p><p><style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4972748909341489743.post-84134120839909101002022-09-18T06:44:00.004-07:002022-09-18T06:44:56.207-07:00The Wisdom of 8-year-olds<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">What can •any• kid teach you? That fun is never measured by skill.</div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix1oGSWYK9r15FbFB_9zY2lzNdUylUIpWeQaRw6sXWlwBpk3IS4UDbI-JriEzky6wppD85QT6cbbt4Qp-ovDcwwCnPWCpD82NRGAhqEh6GudZk_Rj4qxsWjfh8InAQbPiXeiAhqdY4rX0WwoiL4G3RUyxzzC4WE47q5bBqJqGS_i_GAI2snEOgQaHMtA/s1118/C237DBF4-9376-4EC6-8578-30CA67E4489D.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="838" data-original-width="1118" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix1oGSWYK9r15FbFB_9zY2lzNdUylUIpWeQaRw6sXWlwBpk3IS4UDbI-JriEzky6wppD85QT6cbbt4Qp-ovDcwwCnPWCpD82NRGAhqEh6GudZk_Rj4qxsWjfh8InAQbPiXeiAhqdY4rX0WwoiL4G3RUyxzzC4WE47q5bBqJqGS_i_GAI2snEOgQaHMtA/s320/C237DBF4-9376-4EC6-8578-30CA67E4489D.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4972748909341489743.post-14702630210214988732022-05-19T22:00:00.002-07:002022-05-19T22:01:11.432-07:00 Session Report, 5/19/22<p style="text-align: center;"><u><b> Session Report, 5/19/22</b></u><br /></p><p><span> </span>A friend, that I’ve been skating with since I was 16-years-old, is having a hip replacement next week. Tonight was our last session together for the foreseeable future. No one knows for sure when he will be rolling again. We went to a little DIY that he built. He is not skating too well at the moment (e.g. he really needs a new hip), so it was a pretty mellow night. I think we probably talked more than we skated, which is what I expected to happen. Normally, I hate sessions like that—when I am on my board, I want to skate, but I wanted to be supportive of him considering what is about to happen, so I didn’t mind it at all this time. He is a walking encyclopedia of skate knowledge, so we talked a lot about skate nerd stuff, which I do enjoy (just usually not when I am skating). <br /> <br /><span> </span>I was planning on doing a lot manuals tonight (they didn’t happen), which I am not all that good at—I wanted to practice them a bit. So, I set up an older deck I had, because I knew I’d be doing a lot of tail dragging, and I didn’t want to quickly ruin a new deck I had just set-up. Normally I skate with rails on my deck, but there was no need for them tonight (mostly doing manuals). So, I didn’t bother to put them back on the older deck (had them on it when I was riding it before). This was the first time I’ve skated without rails in about a year (e.g. when I had first re-discovered them). The DIY at the spot we were skating is a small ¼ pipe to parking block. When I was getting warmed-up on the DIY, I realized that I can no longer skate without rails. The lateral tilt that comes with a rail-less deck (e.g. because of the deck’s concave) was totally throwing me off with ANY trick where you ended up in a rock/disaster position. With rails, your board sits “flat” (e.g. STABLE) in these positions. Without rails, there is a lateral tilt (from the concave) where the board shifts side to side. This was really throwing me off. Moreover, boardslides were now totally inconsistent and shaky. I hated it. Unless I am setting up a board for flatland-only (which I would never do), I will never skate without rails again. <br /> <br /><span> </span><u>And then there was my newest dumb injury.</u> My friend mentioned that I used to be able to do good switch 360 flips a long time ago. He asked if I could still do them. I told him I’d not tried one in…15 years?? I tried a few on flat, and actually came a lot closer to landing them than I expected. I told him that I’d bet I could come real close, if I could try one off a curb or something. While there were tons of curbs around us, there was none that I could ride off of (all abutted grass). So, instead I set my board up in an axle stall position on a curb, and tried to switch 360 flip out of a stationary axle stall. First try, I came close. Second try, I landed bolts. Both he and I are bewildered at what had just happened. We talk for a bit, and then I try another one. My rear foot lands square on the tail. My forward foot lands with just my toes on the edge of the board, which immediately slip off. Due to the rear foot (and my weight) being on the tail, and no front foot on the deck, the front of the board instantly pops up…<u>straight into the bottom of my knee cap</u>. As my knee explodes in pain, I now knew the session was now over for me. <br /> <br /><span> </span>This annoyed me. Greatly. But not for the reason you might think. I’ve been wearing pads a lot when I skate these days. If had worn my knee pads, this injury would not have happened. My board would have just glanced off the cap, and I would have kept skating like nothing had occurred. Instead, my session was over, I was limping, and even as I type this, I have a nice sized “egg” on my knee cap. I imagine I won’t be skating tomorrow because of it, either. And it was totally, 100% preventable. So, why wasn’t I wearing my pads tonight? I wanted to, but didn't. Why? The short answer: I was too self-conscious (e.g. awkward/kook/embarrassed) to do so around my friend. And that, <b>that</b>, is what bothers me the most about this situation. Even more than the lump on my knee. Even more than the fact that I had to stop skating tonight because of a dumb, preventable injury. Even more than the fact that I might not be able to skate tomorrow. Why did I get hurt tonight? Why did I have to stop skating? Why might I miss out on skating tomorrow? Because of my <i>ego</i>. My fucking ego. How fucking lame is that? And it’s not like he hasn’t seen Instagram clips of me skating in pads before. And not like he doesn’t know I now have some “pre-existing conditions” from my ankle/leg break. And not like he doesn’t know I am 48-fucking-years old, and am trying to skate for as long as I can. And it’s not like we are in high school anymore. And it’s not like I am one to normally give into these kind of obtuse social fears…but there it is. <br /> <br /><span> </span>I supported my friend tonight before he goes into major surgery, with an unknown outcome to his skate career. I am happy I did that. <br /> <br /><span> </span>I did a switch stance 360 flip tonight, which has not happened in a very, very, very long time. I am happy about that, too. <br /> <br /><span> </span>I also got physically injured tonight, because I was fearful of abstract existential injury caused by using something designed to prevent injury (man, the levels of irony in that one). I am not happy about that. <br /> <br /><span> </span>I hope that next time I skate with him, that he has a much stronger, healthier hip. And that I have much stronger, healthier sense of self. <br /><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4972748909341489743.post-35129688307225817362021-11-13T14:08:00.001-08:002021-11-13T14:08:11.494-08:00Random Updates on Saturday Afternoon<p>I’ve been posting a lot of reviews on this blog. While I admit they can be helpful to people, it was not something I ever intended to do with this blog. The intention was to keep more towards the daily life-existential-philosophical implications and aspects of skateboarding. It seems I have drifted somewhat from that. I suppose that is as much an existential reality as any. <br /><br />In any event, here are some random updates from life in mid November 2021.<br /><br />(1) My friend Joe got shoot (photos) of Tony Hawk, Bucky, Staab, Rene, and other big hitters in Texas last night. That is so awesome. Here is a pic he took of Hawk and Staab.</p><p> </p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgUGME5UINUvLyHzqs2t-FXacaSMKBnbgBCBf_l4FsIAibEG6-3vhQ8HiuIUp-ZIQ1Kwlkxtly3QL-Knq-TLpOY-byPLUJ-QVioT8poCYH80UADfO8K86GCCcHd1Bctsl-K6oZsbJHaLjT/s808/257306000_425114842577860_2451475835347032335_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="808" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgUGME5UINUvLyHzqs2t-FXacaSMKBnbgBCBf_l4FsIAibEG6-3vhQ8HiuIUp-ZIQ1Kwlkxtly3QL-Knq-TLpOY-byPLUJ-QVioT8poCYH80UADfO8K86GCCcHd1Bctsl-K6oZsbJHaLjT/w400-h268/257306000_425114842577860_2451475835347032335_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRfNPQlSiYubnV2O6JPs9OtX1CcvcG_US0mEhKcBD_tgyDb-TEbdfZybWXpJbbDioqbtzANvvKIVu-G-z2Jm4rkB7PHw8MPvZX2BDIeFwbNtu4LvqpkM1tYd1Retq3igIo1TIrCDwPB0eY/s1170/IMG_0337.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="763" data-original-width="1170" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRfNPQlSiYubnV2O6JPs9OtX1CcvcG_US0mEhKcBD_tgyDb-TEbdfZybWXpJbbDioqbtzANvvKIVu-G-z2Jm4rkB7PHw8MPvZX2BDIeFwbNtu4LvqpkM1tYd1Retq3igIo1TIrCDwPB0eY/w400-h261/IMG_0337.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br />(2) Staab has always been off in his own world. I am glad to see that has not changed with time. That is an inspiration as much as his skating is. <br /><br />(3) I am out on injury, <i>again</i>. Happens a lot these days (hi, old age). This time it’s a pulled muscle in my lower back. I did it on November 9th. I landed an (early grab) b/s air on a mini ramp, and when I landed, my back was like, “<i>Ok. You’re done</i>.” A similar thing happened (other side) when landing an Indy nosepick off a bench earlier this year. It appears that a “hard” landing, while bent over, is something that causes this. I wasn’t really warmed up on either of these two days. Now that it happened a second time, I’m starting to learn/see the patterns. The take away is to, (a) make sure I am really warmed up before going too hard, (b) stretch more in daily life, and (c) maybe add some strength training? It’s starting to feel a bit better. I hope top be back on the board in another week or so. <br /><br />(4) I’ve been on this weird trip recently—I need to write more about this, actually—at first I thought it was a nostalgia thing (maybe it is??), but now I seem to be viewing more as an <u>experiment in personal archeology.</u> What does that mean? I means I am toying around with what I experience in the present when I do, visit, and rehash some of the things I did when I was much younger. I am not trying to relive anything from the past. Rather, I am curious about the <i>present</i>, and what happens when the experience of time and place fold back onto each other, if that makes any sense. Again, I need to write more about this. <br /><br />(5) My 1980s Instagram account now has almost 18K followers. That is <i>insane</i>. I never thought more than 50 people would be interested that feed. Much of what I was talking about in (4) above has been triggered by some photos from that feed. Again, I need to write more about it elsewhere. <br /><br />(6) Fall is here. My favorite time of year to skate. It’s been really warm so far (well, climate change and all that), so it hasn’t really felt like a typical “cool” fall. Winter will be here soon enough, so I shouldn’t complain. <br /> </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4972748909341489743.post-40110990648171360862021-10-07T19:28:00.029-07:002023-11-03T08:27:20.727-07:00Helmet Reviews: Pro-Tec, Triple 8, Bell, and S-One <div style="text-align: left;">This post is a review of three different skateboard helmets (also, the S-One Lifer is mentioned in the end notes):</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">(1) <a href="https://protecbrand.com/collections/the-classic-1">Pro-Tec Certified Classic</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">(2) <a href="https://triple8.com/collections/skate/products/dual-certified-helmet-white-matte?variant=41017119768713">Triple 8 Dual Certified</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">(3) <a href="https://www.bellhelmets.com/bike/p/local-bmx-helmet/100000000600000020.html">Bell Local</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Before I get into the specifics of each helmet, I want to touch on three things. </div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><b>First, is certification</b>. This is extremely important: ONLY BUY A HELMET THAT HAS ASTM F1492 CERTIFICATION. REPEAT. <b>ONLY BUY AN </b><b>ASTM F1492 CERTIFIED HELMET</b>.
Non-certified helmets are useless, and do almost nothing for actual
protection. They should be banned from sale due to their misleading
nature (in fact, they are banned in California). If you have a
non-certified helmet (or your kid does), throw it out, and get a real
helmet. Below are a few links to more information about certified
helmets. Dual certified helmets (ASTM and CPSC) are your best bet. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://vimeo.com/55624399">This</a> video is an absolute must watch on the impact difference between certified and non-certified helmets. <u><b>Please watch it</b></u>.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Below are few other links to information about certified helmets. <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p><a href="https://helmets.org/skatepam.htm">https://helmets.org/skatepam.htm</a> </p><p><a href="https://helmets.org/dualcert.htm">https://helmets.org/dualcert.htm</a> </p><p> <a href="https://www.cpsc.gov/safety-education/safety-guides/sports-fitness-and-recreation-bicycles/which-helmet-which-activity">https://www.cpsc.gov/safety-education/safety-guides/sports-fitness-and-recreation-bicycles/which-helmet-which-activity</a></p></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Second, helmets do NOT prevent concussions</b>. No helmet design has been proven to prevent concussions. The materials that are used in most of today’s helmets are engineered to absorb the high impact energies that can produce skull fractures and brain injuries. However, these materials have not been proven to counteract the energies believed to cause concussions. Beware of claims that a particular helmet can reduce or prevent concussions.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Third, is fit</b>.
Heads all come in different shapes and sizes. Moreover, all helmets fit
differently. So, what works for me, might be horrible for you. If you
want a helmet, you are strongly encouraged <i>to go try
them on somewhere</i> (if possible). A good fitting helmet you will hardly
notice. An ill-fitting one will either give you a pounding headache in
less than 10 minutes (e.g. it’s too tight), or float around on your head
and provide inadequate protection
(because it’s too loose). A properly fitted helmet shouldn't feel much
different than wearing a baseball hat. Can’t find the exact style and
color you want?
Simple, just go try helmets on somewhere, and determine the brand/size
that most comfortably fits you. Once you have that info, just order the
exact one you want on-line somewhere (or have your local skate shop
order it). Make sure to cover it with
stickers. Also, if you haven't tried a helmet on before, and you're going the on-line route, make sure the retailer has a good return policy (e.g. so you can do an easy return/exchange if the helmet doesn't fit well). </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div></div><div style="text-align: left;">All this said, lets move on to the helmet reviews. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>(1) PRO-TEC CLASSIC</u></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The <a href="https://protecbrand.com/collections/the-classic-1">Pro-Tec Classic helmet</a> has been around forever. I am sure it is name you recognize. Their pads have been shoddy for years, but their helmets have been on point. Tons of people wear and love Pro-Tec helmets. I am not one of them. Before I get into what I don't like about them, lets look at some of the tech specs. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Price<br /></u></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">$50-$55<br /><u></u><b><u></u></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Certifications</u></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">ASTM 1492-15/1447</div><div style="text-align: left;">CPSC 1203</div><div style="text-align: left;">CE 1078</div><div style="text-align: left;">AS/NZS 2063:2008 <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Weight</u></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">429 grams / 15.1 oz <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Sizing</u></b> <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Pro-Tec sizing can be seen <a href="https://protecbrand.com/collections/the-classic-1/products/classic-gloss-white">here</a>. My head measures about 56.5cm (22.25") around. Thus, their information says I should be a solid size Medium. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Vents</u></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Two circle vents in both the front and back. The top looks like this:</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXVsF9DM1Fbl1p1BEJp6Y_v6YvlhvmU0xb_RlHeBRTk1oUgPgHkfMLeUelvy7QMGCchhHcGhruoDphqHSUO3mNFJlu0u-pT5OzN09_rX7qAWoU-xBliEbAMst4Uqe4M6p_wO8e20ukZ8PJ/s382/Pro.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="382" data-original-width="313" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXVsF9DM1Fbl1p1BEJp6Y_v6YvlhvmU0xb_RlHeBRTk1oUgPgHkfMLeUelvy7QMGCchhHcGhruoDphqHSUO3mNFJlu0u-pT5OzN09_rX7qAWoU-xBliEbAMst4Uqe4M6p_wO8e20ukZ8PJ/s320/Pro.jpg" width="262" /></a></div> <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Lining</u></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">This is a weird one. I looked at two different Pro-Tec Classic helmets. One was white, the other matte grey. Both sized medium. They seemed to have two different sized liners, as can be seen in the two photos below. Note that the liner is the "same" but the way it fit within each helmet is very different (most noticeable in the dead center). This caused them to fit a bit differently, but more on that in the "fit" section (also below). </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnIPZJiqgLqWK0tG6tZ2gLmKs1W2NFZ41V4MfGrpSNsJ8TxrFzq8W14SIAnJXnIUL2lp4XYpuPxzEmseu_L49lJffyDznvhETg_vz8LFcrGHiEkNjrfd0d8GOmLaMKK8Ilu4vt-5VT8WSR/s613/01.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="613" data-original-width="573" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnIPZJiqgLqWK0tG6tZ2gLmKs1W2NFZ41V4MfGrpSNsJ8TxrFzq8W14SIAnJXnIUL2lp4XYpuPxzEmseu_L49lJffyDznvhETg_vz8LFcrGHiEkNjrfd0d8GOmLaMKK8Ilu4vt-5VT8WSR/s320/01.jpg" width="299" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSQhPr06g8BKZ5sZgGwn87ZInsaAkO0z26qpCjpyuGoyMfSEDqIBLhceTjrWnQRhQI_rNu0VkeqRuQ7LbiYsG43yX-TTKlpKo84stkGBma-BoBy4ue5zIZNVBqwCneAlgE4wGX0rPsQsg8/s611/02.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="611" data-original-width="566" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSQhPr06g8BKZ5sZgGwn87ZInsaAkO0z26qpCjpyuGoyMfSEDqIBLhceTjrWnQRhQI_rNu0VkeqRuQ7LbiYsG43yX-TTKlpKo84stkGBma-BoBy4ue5zIZNVBqwCneAlgE4wGX0rPsQsg8/s320/02.jpg" width="296" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Straps</u></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Standard issue straps buckles. Basically these were exactly the same on all three helmets. <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Appearance | Cut | Profile</u></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Of the three helmets, Pro-Tec was the most "curvy." The others hard harder angles on their profile lines. Here is a side profile of the Pro-Tec, Bell, and Triple 8. Personally, I was not really a fan of the curvy Pro-Tec lines, but that is totally a subjective call. <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYIhP-Ouhy5HxQ5J0y3kqnNa_UeHYOjfzkuT3HwhOr_ynekAtbEfv5WbUZhXoSC-lQ_-rItFChrIhrJnsbLIp8EohxFaxhtzPVy8x9TfZ9vZxwlcCkGSUVshkvZ73BB5DXqLk-6c2FeybY/s640/01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="514" data-original-width="640" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYIhP-Ouhy5HxQ5J0y3kqnNa_UeHYOjfzkuT3HwhOr_ynekAtbEfv5WbUZhXoSC-lQ_-rItFChrIhrJnsbLIp8EohxFaxhtzPVy8x9TfZ9vZxwlcCkGSUVshkvZ73BB5DXqLk-6c2FeybY/s320/01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pro-Tec</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Uv_liVXnlpEh19V3m7hRSdPn2DoPuGJZTEvWQn5k2OB5SOrg0f2YCKOW40W-fxB0aEvwNGIKnQrobmQ7kN2u5wDCL85NdsInXbLu7V2ttn_4hJo8WYNTnHdlaZ5gUEopqtFemks0S9dX/s640/IMG_8996.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="511" data-original-width="640" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Uv_liVXnlpEh19V3m7hRSdPn2DoPuGJZTEvWQn5k2OB5SOrg0f2YCKOW40W-fxB0aEvwNGIKnQrobmQ7kN2u5wDCL85NdsInXbLu7V2ttn_4hJo8WYNTnHdlaZ5gUEopqtFemks0S9dX/s320/IMG_8996.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bell</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc4dG5cB_51eAFw3RLCuYLwfZP1pnr0X2KQRSz30DtBckCOO2a_wgGWE3yTvVfahoTCU6_VRnmJ2KuKcbbmLAXkmOJr5VAZ4cR8yXsmd_f0nO6fbpHbW-jH8gFyTeGuLoaGGt9Tw5radRn/s591/02.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="591" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc4dG5cB_51eAFw3RLCuYLwfZP1pnr0X2KQRSz30DtBckCOO2a_wgGWE3yTvVfahoTCU6_VRnmJ2KuKcbbmLAXkmOJr5VAZ4cR8yXsmd_f0nO6fbpHbW-jH8gFyTeGuLoaGGt9Tw5radRn/s320/02.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Triple 8<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Fit</u></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">The Pro-Tec helmet did not fit me well. It felt quite tight on my temples/side of head, but very loose on the front and back of my head. In fact, I could easily rock it back and forth (e.g. front to back) on my head. This indicates that is was too loose. It felt like the helmet was "egg shaped," but my head was round (my head just might be "fat" in the middle and "short" on the ends. Given that this was a medium helmet, and it was too tight in some spots, and too loose in others, I feel like dropping down to a small would be way too tight on temples/sides, and still a questionable fit on front to back. In any event, it did not provide a snug, consistent fit around my entire head. I skated with this on for about 30 min. I fell on my ass at one point, and felt the entire helmet shift on my head. That should NOT happen, so it was game over for the Pro-Tec. I also felt like this thing kept riding-up on my head, and ended-up sitting too high-up. Even before it started "riding up," I found Pro-Tec to sit higher up on my head. Here is the Pro-Tec and the Bell for comparison. Note the distance between top my eyebrows, and lower brim of the helmet. There is a dramatic different between the two. I didn't take a pic of Triple 8 while wearing it, but it sat lower like the Bell helmet does. <br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOY3hsW1DqzyP8JHkweIpiiSHD72lOrGh2ldt1I2R5Ydr3J1pE7oAtunyRahj51MRrUhyphenhyphenTZJeGBItaPrpeK8SmZEQj2Di8a52XL1e-W7pf44FltX-HK2cz77UiELIV9LZ274pgNoksq27i/s640/IMG_8997.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="471" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOY3hsW1DqzyP8JHkweIpiiSHD72lOrGh2ldt1I2R5Ydr3J1pE7oAtunyRahj51MRrUhyphenhyphenTZJeGBItaPrpeK8SmZEQj2Di8a52XL1e-W7pf44FltX-HK2cz77UiELIV9LZ274pgNoksq27i/s320/IMG_8997.jpg" width="236" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pro-Tec<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnQdjHQDJf5LwJj9L8lLXusu43-vgn7N7AJL4-lCky0D-mTfGOz32_5CxYcIFPgt7nfCjCcNCyeNs7oBc8bZG37h89FdVp43RyTyPR9KCXYHibY7CXEo_tjH7Ar-RAz3KnF5Uw5OP0-pdH/s640/IMG_8998.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="498" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnQdjHQDJf5LwJj9L8lLXusu43-vgn7N7AJL4-lCky0D-mTfGOz32_5CxYcIFPgt7nfCjCcNCyeNs7oBc8bZG37h89FdVp43RyTyPR9KCXYHibY7CXEo_tjH7Ar-RAz3KnF5Uw5OP0-pdH/s320/IMG_8998.jpg" width="249" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bell</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Final Verdict </u></b><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Not the helmet for me.<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>(2) TRIPLE 8 DUAL CERTIFIED<br /></u></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Triple 8 has been around quite awhile now, and they have become a well-known name. They have some big name endorsements like Tony Hawk. Of the three helmets in this review, the <a href="https://www.triple8.com/collections/skate/products/dual-certified-brainsaver?variant=32223289245833">Triple 8 dual certified helmet</a> was the most painful to wear. From the first second I put it on, instant discomfort. But first, lets cover those tech specs. <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Price<br /></u></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">$60<br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Certifications</u></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">ASTM 1492-15/1447</div><div style="text-align: left;">CPSC 1203</div><div style="text-align: left;">CE 1078</div><div style="text-align: left;">AS/NZS 2063:2008 <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Weight</u></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">429 grams / 15.1 oz <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Sizing</u></b> <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Triple 8 sizing can be seen <a href="https://www.triple8.com/collections/skate/products/dual-certified-brainsaver?variant=32223289245833">here</a>. Again, my head measures about 56-57mm (22.25 - 22.5") around. Thus, their information says I should be a in the Small/Medium sized helmets. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Vents</u></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">The Triple 8, like the Pro-Tec, has two round vents in the front and back. These, however, are much further apart than the vents on the Pro-Tec, and they are also a little higher-up. Up top, the Triple 8 has a similar vent pattern to the Pro-Tec.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghFKwRGgHsynqh4rtqKvZFqLPiVaOtpTHt3CLqs4fTV53jKOv7BFJqG3FeFXedLTH01c4Mm5WcBVFOKX1Z7VpwiC0X50SdI-Yhyphenhyphen7zufOR-xHeOXx39HxI778Ov1zZZ_hwHHrbVSn7qyxhm/s495/Triple.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="495" data-original-width="449" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghFKwRGgHsynqh4rtqKvZFqLPiVaOtpTHt3CLqs4fTV53jKOv7BFJqG3FeFXedLTH01c4Mm5WcBVFOKX1Z7VpwiC0X50SdI-Yhyphenhyphen7zufOR-xHeOXx39HxI778Ov1zZZ_hwHHrbVSn7qyxhm/s320/Triple.jpg" width="290" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Lining</u></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">This helmet came with two sets of lining. One is thicker than the other. The thicker one is for "small" heads. The thinner is for "medium" heads. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWVt4DJWeBpf3e7uyX7eNL3D2gvFppFiiv4VOxMgVTSFARENP_LPaFMyr82AebwWFWB-ypi9_i6AM8ybwq-QCFj6qsO9x_h8RgB6uMEz85iwYHd09GNsRD8mVCbfdWJkDPinhe0ds06EqJ/s640/IMG_8851.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWVt4DJWeBpf3e7uyX7eNL3D2gvFppFiiv4VOxMgVTSFARENP_LPaFMyr82AebwWFWB-ypi9_i6AM8ybwq-QCFj6qsO9x_h8RgB6uMEz85iwYHd09GNsRD8mVCbfdWJkDPinhe0ds06EqJ/s320/IMG_8851.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Straps</u></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Again, standard straps. <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Appearance | Cut | Profile</u></b></div></div><div style="text-align: left;">See pics above. The Triple 8 was the most angular of the the three. It even has a little "flair out" in the back. <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Fit</u></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Holy hell. Instant headache as soon as I put this torture device one. This thing would be nightmare if I had to wear for more than 10 minuets. Very tight on sides of head, and felt like a few parts of my crown (top of head) pushed up against the harder foam core of the helmet (e.g. as if the softer padding did not fully "cushion" my head). This creating some really painful pressure points towards the back top of my head. This helmet did <b>not</b> rock forward and backwards like the Pro-Tec did, but it was literally like wearing a circular vice on my head. Now, I clearly fit within Triple 8 guidelines for a size medium helmet. Is their sizing off? Would size large/extra-large be better? Is my head just that weirdly shaped? Unknown. But what is known, is there is no chance in hell I am wearing this helmet. Well, maybe that is unfair. Someday I'll see if I can try on a size larger and report back, but somehow I have a very strong feeling that would just be too big on me. <br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Final Verdict </u></b><br /></div>I am running away from this thing <i>as fast as I can</i>. Thank god for a good return policy! HOWEVER, the Triple 8 Certified Sweat Saver is a GREAT helmet. See the "End Notes" that are at, well, and the end of this post. <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>(3) BELL LOCAL </u></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Bell Helmets are not really known in the skate world, and that is shame, because the <a href="https://www.bellhelmets.com/bike/p/local-bmx-helmet/100000000600000020.html">Local helmet</a> was the <b>CLEAR</b> and <b>DECISIVE</b> champion amongst these three helmets. This helmet is GREAT, and I can't say enough good things about it. But again, first, the tech specs. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Price<br /></u></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">$55<br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Certifications</u></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">ASTM 1492-15/1447</div><div style="text-align: left;">CPSC 1203</div><div style="text-align: left;">CE 1078</div><div style="text-align: left;">AS/NZS 2063:2008 <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Weight</u></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">431grams / 15.2 oz.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Note this is tid-bit heavier than the other two. Mine has lots of stickers on it, and I do have a really sensitive scale. That said, did not notice a weight difference when wearing this compared to the others. <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Sizing</u></b> <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Bell sizing can be seen <a href="https://www.bellhelmets.com/bike/p/local-bmx-helmet/100000000600000020.html">here</a>. Again, I am in the medium range with my head being 56-57mm (22.25 - 22.5").</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Vents</u></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">While Pro-Tec and Triple 8 have very similar vents, the Local has ones that are a bit different. It has two rectangle vents in the front and back (front vents can been seen in pic above). On top it has six rectangle vents.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtMWGCdAKuRSKmiCjyK4h2nsgGOPMAYuC_VYZkCc4AIoAwtvkGvNQjr-BwsNY5E5eavoibPehTxtzAqndf66x8z4fsFPkcX8YF-wuiZinxRz5dxqkOJMQtK6SJZt9VgOInGzUaFs_NCzi-/s376/Bell.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="376" data-original-width="309" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtMWGCdAKuRSKmiCjyK4h2nsgGOPMAYuC_VYZkCc4AIoAwtvkGvNQjr-BwsNY5E5eavoibPehTxtzAqndf66x8z4fsFPkcX8YF-wuiZinxRz5dxqkOJMQtK6SJZt9VgOInGzUaFs_NCzi-/s320/Bell.jpg" width="263" /></a></div> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Lining</u></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Nothing too much to note here. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIzyAOCY55ByJRFLyViHmfJVF1tL6kgCRw01eKqWGcuD8N3HC6gUeifEnLEMDGDE_2Qhw95c8geoPoFWM7bKp4vuiL_1-DZ5Riolx7qzqcTlQXk2QTneLu6AX1jPNMj1Zhr1t8cThRPEhJ/s640/IMG_8999.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIzyAOCY55ByJRFLyViHmfJVF1tL6kgCRw01eKqWGcuD8N3HC6gUeifEnLEMDGDE_2Qhw95c8geoPoFWM7bKp4vuiL_1-DZ5Riolx7qzqcTlQXk2QTneLu6AX1jPNMj1Zhr1t8cThRPEhJ/s320/IMG_8999.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Straps</u></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Standards straps, just like the others. <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Appearance | Cut | Profile</u></b></div></div><div style="text-align: left;">The Local has more hard angles than the Pro-Tec, but are not as extreme as Triple 8. See pics above. <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Fit</u></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">The first thing to note about the Bell Local helmet is this dial adjuster in the back. This thing rocks. It allows for fine-tuning your helmet's fit. This means that you can get the EXACT snug/tightness you want. That is a <b>huge</b> advantage over the Pro-Tec, Triple 8, and S-One. This "adjuster" is now pretty much standard on all bicycle helmets, and it's a brilliant design/concept. Why the skate world hasn't picked-up and/or caught-up with this is utterly mind-blowing. <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8r5V8ycGV-nXwVw-2K0rrV6i5k4omXPBuYDymoqBcKV1Cx8UV2GD0gRGKD1f1CiaBWQRvb3il46tO9Zt8ROsyeFgf_4Nc92G9Tee6sPLY54HbLgf9o-83QzAKC-xaUtRSfK0rtwPsa96s/s640/IMG_9001.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="424" data-original-width="640" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8r5V8ycGV-nXwVw-2K0rrV6i5k4omXPBuYDymoqBcKV1Cx8UV2GD0gRGKD1f1CiaBWQRvb3il46tO9Zt8ROsyeFgf_4Nc92G9Tee6sPLY54HbLgf9o-83QzAKC-xaUtRSfK0rtwPsa96s/s320/IMG_9001.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Overall, the Bell helmet had a perfect fit for me. Snug all the way around my head. No pressure points. Nothing floating around. it basically feels like I am wearing a well-worn baseball hat. As I said at the top, the "fit" of helmet is different fro everyone, but the Bell Local is absolute perfection for me. <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Final Verdict </u></b><br /></div>An absolutely fantastic helmet. I wouldn't wear anything else. <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>END NOTES / OTHER HELMETS<br /></u></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">(1) Another certified helmet with a good reputation is the S-One Lifer, seen <a href="https://shop.s1helmets.com/s1-lifer-helmet-black-matte/">here</a>. The S-One has similar "lines" and vents to the Pro-Tec (S-One even has a curve across the front brow, which is weird, IMHO). The S-One Lifer shell is a bit larger than other helmets, because the only "size" different between a small and XL is the thickness of lining (e.g. the shell is larger to accommodate all size heads with liner swap-outs). S-One also seems to run larger than than other helmets. In most others I am a medium. In S-One, I was closer to an XL. Cost wise, the Lifer is about $70, which is a bit more expensive than the others. Last, to me, the S-One looks a little like some weird 1960's sci-fi movie helmet (it's the curvy lines, and slightly larger shell). I just like the looks of the more angular Bell and Triple 8 helmets. The S-One is certainly a quality product, but the Bell Local just <b>ticks all the
boxes</b> for me, and the S-One misses the mark on a few. It also just didn’t fit me as well. Again, thank god for a good return policy. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">(2) Triple 8 also <a href="https://triple8.com/products/the-certified-sweatsaver-2-helmet?variant=32724681293961">makes a certified "sweat saver" helmet</a>. Goes for about $70. For the purpose of this post, I mostly wanted to keep things in the same "price point," so I didn't include this (or the S-One) with the helmets reviewed above. That said, <b>the Triple 8 Sweat Saver is a GREAT helmet</b> for helping keep sweat from waterfalling down your face in hotter months. It fits me well, but not quite as perfect as the Bell helmet. I'll post more stats/details on this helmet in the future. Due to the highly effective sweat saver element, this has become my favorite “hot weather helmet” out everything I've tried. <b>Highly recommended</b>. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">(3) Killer 187, which makes great pads, also makes helmets which are <u><b>NOT CERTIFIED</b></u>. Considering how well-know 187 pads are, it is basically criminal that they sell non-certified helmets. What is even more insane, is that on their web site they sell a non-certified Lizzie Armanto helmet. However, if you read the description of the helmet it says, "For a certified version of Lizzie's hemlet, go here.<b>" </b>When you click the link they provide, guess where you are redirected to? To the Triple 8 web site! How ironic is that? Anyway, it's real lame that a company like 187 does not make certified helmets. Shame on them. <br /></div><b></b>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4972748909341489743.post-57537913124432590142021-08-26T22:49:00.018-07:002022-07-04T07:35:46.155-07:00The Big Four: Ace vs. Indy vs. Thunder vs. Venture<div style="text-align: left;"> I recently revisited the four major trucks brands. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Ace. </div><div style="text-align: left;">Indy.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Thunder.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Venture. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Below is a ultra stripped-down product review/comparison of each. But don't take my opinion as dogma. Try them and find out what works best for you. <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u><b>Ace 44 AF1 (8.25")</b></u></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">"Squirrel Tanks." These are <i>heavier</i> than <i>standard</i> Indys. I could not get passed this. I constantly noticed it. The stock bushing are mush. Combine that with Ace's shorter wheelbase, and these things ride like "squirrel tanks." Due to non-standard sizing of Ace bushing, there is no easy swap-out for aftermarket bushings.* Some fawn over how Ace trucks looks. I am not one of them. I think they look like something you'd get on a Wal-Mart board. Oh, the sound. How could I forget that? Something about these trucks (the pre-oiled pivot cups??) made my board sound like it was just pulled out of a swamp--a horrific water-logged, deaden, thud. I can't deal with that. Oh, they are really expensive, too. And I'm not even going to touch on the fiasco with with their sizing catastrophe. Different is one thing. Dumb is another. Lot of the latter going on over there. All this said, Ace trucks do turn really well, and have a nice surfy feeling. I can see why people like them. I, however, am not one of them. I should also note that since they have the shortest wheelbase of the group, they have the "worst" pinch (e.g. krooked grinds). <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Heavy.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Squirrel turn.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Ugly.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Sound like Swamp Monster.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Over-priced.</div><div style="text-align: left;">A lesser pinch. <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">*Ace now makes a "hard" aftermarket bushing if you want your trucks a bit tigher....but they still ride quite loose. <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Thunder 148 Team Hollows (8.25")</u></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I didn't totally hate these. Wait. Yes, I did (but not as much as Ace). They are tad lower than my Indys, and have almost the exact same wheelbase. The turn, however, is very different. It's a much stiffer turn (at first), but then goes kind of quick at the end, and then snaps back to level. Even with softer bushing my trucks felt "tight." I found myself doing lots of tick-tacks. No fun. I tried a few different bushings types and hardnesses in these. Nothing felt really good. They had a decent grind. The slightly lower truck height made my pop feel a little more...flat. These might be better suited for a deck with steep kicks, but I am not about to switch out trucks based on the deck I am riding. The <i>real</i> deal-breaker on these is <a href="https://vatorat.blogspot.com/2020/11/the-secret-defect-of-thunder-trucks-and.html">the baseplate issue</a>. Even if you were to assume that I could make these turn/pop like my Indys, I'll never get passed the Thunder baseplate problem. Yeah, you can nose/tail slide on Thunders. That said, there is less room for margin of error and/or you need a lot more wax, and it becomes a lot more like a power slide (e.g. wheels rubbing) than a nose/tail slide. Hard pass for me. Thunders, however, have some of the best pinch on the market. <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Souless turn.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Wonky pop.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Absurd baseplate.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Killer pinch. <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Venture Hollows 5.6 (8.25")</u></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">The lightest of the bunch (but only by a tad). Oddly, I liked these more than Thunders, despite Ventures also having the longest (by far) wheelbase of the group. I put stock 90a Indy bushing in these, and they felt...meh. Certainly not a super-quick turn, but a turn that felt decent. Venture are notorious for a stiff "turn." Weird grind. Metal seems harder than any of the others. Ace, Thunder, and Indy all have a round metal encasing around the axle. Venture does not. Theirs is more of a "straight wall" of hanger. I feel like the rounded axle encasing of the others helps with grinds, whereas the "wall" of Ventures has a tendency to catch more (esp. on chunky ledges/curbs). Best kingpin clearance of the bunch for Feeble/Smith grinds. I also think these trucks look a little...weird, almost 1960s SciFi-ish (which is normally a great look). And again, weird baseplate issues. There are two problems with Venture baseplates. First, is the outermost hardware mounting holes are so far <i>under the hanger</i> (or the hanger is so far out over the baseplate) that it makes its really difficult to get a skate tool on the mounting hardware bolts. This is just absurd. Second, is the exact opposite problem of Thunders; Venture baseplates stick quite far out*--more so than any other truck on the market. Thus, the extended baseplate gives you a <i>smaller</i> effective nose/tail (e.g. less space to balance on). I mean, we are talking small amounts here, but it's enough that (a) I can notice it, and (b) it occupies space/causes mental doubt in my head about nose/tail slides. Last, Ventures with their long wheelbase also have great pinch. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Weird grinds.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Meh turn.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Meh-er looks. <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Baseplate calamities.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Good pinch. <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>*</b><u><b>NOTE</b></u>: The <i>forged</i> Venture baseplates are the ones that stick out kind of far. The <i>cast/regular</i> baseplates are about the same size as Ace/Indy (e.g. normal). Also, the <i>forged</i> plate Ventures have a <i>longer</i> wheel base (.25" longer) than the cast plate Ventures. There is also a height difference between the two. I think forged was around 52mm and cast was around 54/55mm. <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u><b>Indy Titanium (or any forged Indy) 144 (8.25")</b></u></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">I saved the best for last. No baseplate issues. Not too heavy, not too light (these are actually a few grams <i>lighter </i>than the Thunder Team Hollows). Smooth consistent turn (with lots of aftermarket bushings to get exact turn feel you want--super loose, to super tight). Mid-sized wheelbase. Mid-sized height. Every truck listed above has some kind of "problem" with it (weight, turn, grind, baseplate, appearance, etc.). Indy has <i>none</i> of those, at least for me. Everything else always gets compared to Indys, <i>for a reason</i>. A friend said it best, "If you are trying to get your trucks to ride like Indys, then just ride Indys." Pinch is better than Ace, but not as good as Thunder/Venture. <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Note</u></b>: Forged Indys are 53.5mm tall. Standard Indys are 55mm tall. Standards are too tall for me, and get a little ghost-pop at times. The forged ones are a great mid-level height, on par with most other trucks. The mid-Indys (mIndys) are 52mm tall, but those things have a host of other problems I'm not getting into here. <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4972748909341489743.post-87676449186535954282021-02-17T20:50:00.003-08:002021-02-17T20:50:34.715-08:00Ankle Update, Feb 2021<div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2">This below clip is a little outtake from last night's session. The angle iron was a tad sticky. Didn’t go fast enough/lean back far enough to compensate. Front end dipped down. I stepped-off onto the bad ankle...and down I go. <br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='394' height='328' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwoRmoHlbdmKq0EwdmL60gRAOL05fuJ7wWtZfa8cBKtKM6qKfvUmiUDveKCUFM63RXDPC1y1VprVotSGxjR_A' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2">Almost two years after the initial broken bone, after two surgeries, after almost a year back on the board, and after significant recovery, my front ankle <b>STILL</b> betrays me on occasions...and sometimes even on very simple/low impact things such as this little 5-0 grind. I never know when it’s going to happen. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2">Fortunately, this doesn’t occur <b>nearly</b> as often as before, and when it does, my ankle doesn’t hurt <b>nearly</b> as bad. Things like this used to be a session-ender. Now I just get up and keep going. That’s awesome. The pads continue to be a real life-saver when it <b>does happen</b>, because I usually go down straight to my knee (sound on to hear the plastic scrape). I don’t foresee loosing those anytime in the near future—it’s just not a game of Russian roulette I want to play with my kneecaps, because eventually I will loose in a serious way. It's just not worth it. <br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2">The other major improvement is that I can now control my falls <b>much better</b> than before—I don’t go down <b>nearly</b> as hard. That’s also great news. So, despite occasional floundering, my ankle doing pretty good. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2">Keep pushing...I certainly am. <br /></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4972748909341489743.post-49611352370941349832021-02-02T10:53:00.004-08:002021-02-02T11:01:06.452-08:00Diminish, Fade, and Wither: The Inspiring Delcline of Tony Hawk<p>I am an old, broken, skateboarder. My balance is not what it once was. I don’t react as fast as I used to. I don’t heal as quickly as before. Every year skateboarding becomes harder. Every year I become more susceptible to injury. I like my pads a hell of a lot more than I used to. These are hard facts of biology, time, age, and life.<br /><br />Recently Tony Hawk <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CKiOZhNpz78/">posted</a> about his recent struggles doing a 720. A trick he invented long ago. He said he could not spin them as fast anymore. He said previous attempts ended badly and did not inspire confidence. He said they were much harder now. He battled it for awhile, pulled one, and said he may never do it again. Albeit vastly different scales, these battles are ones many of us already know quite well. I certainly do. They are also battles <b>EVERY</b> skateboarder <b>WILL</b> know, provided they stick with it long enough. There is no escape.<br /><br />It’s not often someone in skateboarding, especially someone at Hawk’s level, openly talks about (and shows) the impact of aging. It’s almost unimaginable to hear <b>TONY HAWK</b> talk about battles with <b>CONFIDENCE</b>. Hearing and seeing his own battles with declining skill and ability certainly make our own battles with the same that much more universal and...humanizing. <br /></p><p>Much respect for making that 720, Tony. But even more respect for the honest vulnerability. Every session is a gift. It won’t last forever...and even Tony Hawk knows that. <br /><br />We diminish. We fade. We wither. And that, at least to me, is a gift. The impermanence of it all is what makes it so special. It’s what makes it so hard to take anything for granted, and what reveals how profound the simple really is (and I’m not talking about just skateboarding here). As I knowingly roll into my own twilight, I do so with a gratitude brighter than a thousand Suns.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPXWvzei-Oqdi3BAGnuAlQFx2882DI-hP5nNIFRaRxvNqPanFPDiGwAgOvJDx2wizKxIwecGKKY5QQtda91Zjwl53XcXhdcbTYBvAKewl5zpYOu-UCbCEiijjBT9rcnU54eL-QDPpiRrjg/s687/IMG_1681.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="372" data-original-width="687" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPXWvzei-Oqdi3BAGnuAlQFx2882DI-hP5nNIFRaRxvNqPanFPDiGwAgOvJDx2wizKxIwecGKKY5QQtda91Zjwl53XcXhdcbTYBvAKewl5zpYOu-UCbCEiijjBT9rcnU54eL-QDPpiRrjg/w400-h216/IMG_1681.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hawk, battling to land a 720, one last time.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4972748909341489743.post-15412632993248614692021-01-30T08:32:00.000-08:002021-01-30T08:41:37.739-08:00Well, My Arm Isn't Broken...(2021 is off and running)<br /><p>Well, 2021 is off to an interesting start. On Jan 4th I badly hyper extended my elbow. I gave it a few days to see how it was doing, but started to think it might be broken???? However, I had to hold off on going to the doctors. Why? Well, I got Covid. Fortunately it was not a very bad case. That said, almost three weeks after the first Covid symptoms appeared, I still have ZERO taste or smell. <br /><br />Once out of quarantine I was able to see the doctor about my elbow. X-Ray showed no break. That is good, but almost a month later it still hurts in some situations. The Dr. said to come back in 2-3 weeks if it’s still causing some problems. I have a feeling it will be. <br /><br />Just as I was again feeling almost 100% post-Covid (aside from no taste/smell), and ready to do some mellow skating again (with an elbow pad on bad arm), the weather took a turn for the worst. We are in the middle of a bad cold snap right now. It is currently 10 degrees outside. Wind-chill is well below zero. The cold is supposed to end in two days, to be immediately followed by a large snowstorm. By the time I am back on the board it will be over a month since I last skated (and will probably still have the elbow injury when I start rolling again). That sucks. <br /><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4972748909341489743.post-67700459571215396372021-01-05T20:56:00.008-08:002022-01-07T00:06:42.729-08:00Big Wheels Might be a Big Problem (or Don't Let the Past Ruin Your Present)<p>Often people who cling to <span><span>sentimental notions of </span></span>the past do not realize how much their
set-up is actually holding them back (especially when deck/truck/wheel
ratios are WAY off). This is not only true for those wrapped up in nostalgia, but those who may not be aware about the so-called "proper" ratios of a modern skateboard. I say it all the time, but equipment evolved <b>FOR A REASON</b>. Below is a post someone made on Facebook after they had serious equipment epiphany. I am not, by any means, saying there is a "correct" way to set-up your skateboard. There simply isn't. That said, there are <i>consequences</i> to the way your board is configured. Some may not be fully aware of those consequences. Thus, I am <b>ONLY</b> trying to share information, which may make for happier skateboarding. </p><p>__________________<br /><br />“Since returning to skating after several years off, I have been focused on getting back <br />everything I used to be able to do, within reason (which was not much to begin with). I then hit a plateau, and stopped progressing. Most of it was admittedly out of fear of getting hurt, but the rest was centered around never feeling stable and balanced on my board. I always felt like I was going to tip over and fall off. I couldn't get my wheels over the coping to grind because I felt like I was going to fall off. I couldn't roll-in because I always felt like I was going to fall off. I couldn't ollie because I would actually fall off every time I bent my knees.<br /><br />It was miserable. I went skating every day this week. Each time, instead of feeling better afterwards like skating always does to me, I felt increasingly depressed. When I got home from the park yesterday, I was pretty much disgusted with myself. I made a sandwich, cracked open a beer, put on some sweats, and sat in my recliner, moping over the fact that I am a washed-up has-been, and generally being whiney. I was blaming it on my weight, my age, my joints, etc.<br /><br />Then as I was watching a show on TV, something was mentioned about fulcrums, levers, and pivot points, and, my brain exploded...my board is too tall.<br /><br />I am constantly analyzing, engineering, and tweaking things to make them work better in pretty much all aspects of my life. In skating, I am always trying new equipment and changing combinations, to find that optimum configuration.* A lot of times it is just me doing retail therapy to compensate for sucking, but sometimes I find something useful.<br /><br />I love innovation, but sometimes I get stuck in the Old Man mindset where I have false assumptions that everything from “my time” was better. I realized that while I have a modern board, my configuration was completely stuck in the 1980s; my wheels, trucks, and boards...all huge.<br /><br />There was a logic behind it: Tall wheels go faster and are easier to get over coping, sidewalk cracks, rocks, and other obstacles. Wider wheels have more surface area. Wider trucks and boards offer a more stable platform and turn easier. But there is a tradeoff. All of that big tall Monster Truck mentality has side effects. Besides the instability just rolling, I was having muscle injuries in my pushing leg, because I couldn't get that foot to make solid contact with the ground. I was hitting every push with the toes, and that was causing a chain reaction strain from my Achilles to my thigh.<br /><br />So, today I went to my local skate shop, and bought a new set of wheels; the smallest wheels I have ever owned. I drove to the skate park, broke out the tools, and stripped my board down. I took my riser pads off, and switched my wheels from 60mm to 54mm.<br /><br />I hopped on my board to take a test run, and it was literally night and day. I instantly felt completely stable and in complete control of my board. Instead of constantly feeling like I was falling off, I felt like it was glued to my feet. I was instantly going 2x faster, doing ollies, grinding, and generally just playing catch-up for the last two months.<br /><br /><b><u>The Lesson</u></b>: I was completely stuck buying top of the line stuff, but always top of the line Retro Reissue stuff. I kept subconsciously equating anything “smaller wheels” with the early 90s "bearing cover" wheels. I knew there was a difference those and modern “small” wheels (e.g. under 60mm), but I just couldn't get it through my head that I can still skate AND use modern equipment, let alone that I would actually be able to skate better. So, don't let yourself get stuck in a rut because you have "always done it this way." You might only be diminishing your own ability.”<br /><br />*<i>Be careful falling too far down this rabbit hole. Yes, an 8.75” deck with Indy 159s and 56mm wheels is going to ride VERY different than an 8.0” deck with titanium Thunder 147s and 50mm wheels. Getting into extremely minor equipment tweaks (e.g. 52mm vs. 53mm tall trucks) will often lead you to an OCD-induced madness without any real substantive performance benefits</i>.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl7MoB1R-hr8K2OKGGl9PrCSOZitwHm794cx8Vf8qU6S2XL6kg693tgAXYXQyTohCW0HljTyDbFdLnbLC3_AxVRheUnKmAtqjuOvrMbq_-BQ_OU8rKXveJdIIyTBR0MkXJEUTEoAK10AnI/s300/s-l300.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl7MoB1R-hr8K2OKGGl9PrCSOZitwHm794cx8Vf8qU6S2XL6kg693tgAXYXQyTohCW0HljTyDbFdLnbLC3_AxVRheUnKmAtqjuOvrMbq_-BQ_OU8rKXveJdIIyTBR0MkXJEUTEoAK10AnI/s0/s-l300.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4972748909341489743.post-57852808870043159352020-12-19T11:25:00.006-08:002021-01-05T20:58:16.930-08:00Popsicles v. Shaped-Decks<p> <br />This article was written by someone who religiously rode shaped boards, and then decided to give popsicles a try. His analysis is below. It is worth a read. </p><p></p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhashMgf0veovPyKJOY7TTEx5owA6ITE0a8ASSqAY4RG6uPppk93RD6oqzy4NITtN3WEy_NBBWiUxWzPkkxMrbvded-XBrmGYpcI21OpkEPhglKTdspQLtCOlH0_7BqcxYCDt907kcF56bE/s548/20.tiff" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhashMgf0veovPyKJOY7TTEx5owA6ITE0a8ASSqAY4RG6uPppk93RD6oqzy4NITtN3WEy_NBBWiUxWzPkkxMrbvded-XBrmGYpcI21OpkEPhglKTdspQLtCOlH0_7BqcxYCDt907kcF56bE/s320/20.tiff" /></a></div><p><br />[<i>I did not write this article, Kyle DuVall did. I wanted to link his blog post to someone on Facebook, but it seems something has gone askew with the Blogger formatting on Kyle's <a href="http://parkingblockdiaries.blogspot.com/2015/12/the-popsicle-experiment.html?m=1">post</a> (I see white typeface on a white background when I view it). Hence, I copied and pasted the text here</i> <i>for easy reading</i>.] <br /><b><br />The Popsicle Experiment <br />December 7, 2015<br />By Kyle DuVall</b><br /><br />For the last two years I have been one of the thousands of skaters who has embraced alternate skate deck shapes. I've ridden shovel heads, punk points, curvaceous, wide bodied hybrids like the Street Plant Street axe, and I’ve had custom shapes made to my own specs, The whole time I've been pretty vocal about how these shapes can be more than just nostalgic, stylistic affectations.<br /><br />About 3 months ago, for the first time in 2 years, I set up my first popsicle deck. It was my attempt to come full circle with all my experimentations, and see how my perceived preferences stood up against the baseline of modern skateboarding. <br /><br />Even in light of all of my shape advocacy, I would be lying if I said that I didn’t notice immediate advantages with the popsicle. There are good reasons to ride a standard shape, just as there are good reasons to ride a well-designed alternate shape. Teasing out what advantages come from the actual popsicle shape and which come from other factors like a shift in wheelbase size and width is a more subtle matter.<br /><br />For my return to the standard shape, I doubled down and went with a Chinese-produced, mass manufactured deck: an Almost Chris Haslam resin 7 model with a 8.38” width with a 14.25” wheelbase. I picked Almost because a friend of mine, who has a tendency to snap decks as if they were the proverbial popsicles of the shape’s name, has been extremely lucky with their wood, and the dimensions and slightly blunter contours on Haslam’s model seemed ideal. <br /><br />At the heart of my popsicle experience was a healthy drop in the length of the wheelbase I was riding. <br /><br />A number of designers, brands and retailers have created their own recommendations for matching wheelbase sizes with riders, recommendations I have, in true skate anarchist fashion, usually ignored (I’M NOT GONNA LET THE MAN TELL ME WHAT WHEELBASE I SHOULD RIDE!!). I have been riding 14.75” to 15’ wheelbases for the last couple of years. The Haslam’s 14.25 wheelbase size actually lines up with the wheelbase I am ‘supposed” to be riding according to most of these recommendations.<br /><br />Knocking half an inch off the WB changed the whole dynamic of how my front foot slid and how my back leg compressed in an ollie. When I ollied the Haslam, the tail of the board sucked right up against my feet as my rear knees bent, giving a very controlled, very level and snappy ollie. This effect improved my ollie even more once I altered my front foot slide to actually scrape beyond the front bolts and partially into the nose, a technique a lot of guys who learned to ollie on the tiny-nosed decks of the 80s, have neglected to learn. All in all, the shorter wheelbase (in combination with a shorter and more rounded tail, more on that later) had me popping ollies higher, in a shorter arc. The advantage on ledges and in popping off skatepark banks was dramatic.<br /><br />Of course, you could put a short wheelbase on a shaped deck and gain some of these advantages, but very few brands offer shapes in the smaller wheelbases. Finding a stock 14.25” shaped deck is almost impossible and 14.5” is very rare. If there is one thing I have learned from my switch up it is that a lot of guys who love riding the shapes may be ill-served by the long wheelbases that come with them, especially if they are street skating. Brands might do well to branch out with their shaped deck designs.<br /><br />The shape and the dimensions of my popsicle’s tail also played a role in that new snappier pop. The Almost Haslam had a 6.5” inch tail with the standard rounded shape. I’ve been riding 6.75 and 7 tails. The shorter tail definitely let me channel more power straight down much easier, this combined with the short wheelbase meant I could place my front foot farther up the board and still pop a good ollie. On a small wheelbase with a short tail, you can pop an ollie with the edge of your front foot practically touching the mounting bolts. This translates to much more stability setting up for a trick, and it makes it much easier to set up for the next ollie in a line. In a park setting it means there is a lot less sliding your foot around to adjust from pumping down a transition and popping an ollie on a pyramid or to a ledge. On the street course at the skatepark, the popsicle, or at least, the snappy tail and reduced wheelbase of that popsicle, was supreme. <br /><br />The signature round shape of the tail can be a mixed blessing. The round tail design of the modern popsicle is designed for instability. Applying pressure to the rounded corners will essentially tip your board sideways, a motion at the heart of a lot of flip tricks. In fact, on the modern popsicle, the rotation of a kickflip or 360 flip comes just as much from the pressure of the back foot as it does the flick of the front foot. In the case of the modern 360 flip, the back foot “scoop” is often doing most of the real work. Once again, a lot of guys who struggled to nail kickflips and tre flips on the long-flat tailed decks of the late eighties find themselves stymied when it comes to getting the proper rotation on a popsicle. That's because, on those old tanks, the front foot was the engine that drove the flip. Apply the that technique to modern pop and chances are you will never get enough leverage in your pop to get off the ground, or at best, you will get a clumsily executed “rocket” flip. Kickflips on a popsicle are essentially a completely different trick than the flips we learned on fat boards in the 1980s.<br /><br />Since the popsicle tail is basically built to tip, it means to get the most stability and pop on a plain old run of the mill ollie, foot placement on the tail must be more precise. If your foot is not well balanced and centered on the tail, the deck is going to pull sideways in one direction and tip a bit, meaning you will lose a lot of the power you are trying to put in your ollie and lose a lot of control as well. A flat, square-cornered tail shape, however, means you can apply pressure out of the “sweet spot” in the tail and still get a fairly solid, stable ollie. <br /><br />Of course, even on a square tail you are going to pop better when you apply pressure to just the right spot in the center of the tail. One advantage of the rounded popsicle tail is that it essentially forces you to make sure you are always centered in your pop. It is a sort of conditioning tool in a way. You may start out less consistent on a popsicle tail, but the ollies you do will be cleaner and higher. The difference is a matter of consistency and on-demand stability versus versatility, improved vertical pop and the potential for cleaner flip tricks. There really is no “better” option. It's your call in accordance with your own style.<br /><br />Another point of contention with modern decks is their durability. Veteran skaters often swear up and down that “they don’t make 'em like they used to” and single out Chinese production decks as especially suspect. On the whole, my Chinese popsicle took a pretty good beating and maintained a pretty good bit of elasticity and pop right up until the end. In terms of the longevity of aforementioned pop, the Almost Haslam certainly couldn’t compare with the eternal stiff snap of a workshop board like a Fickle deck, but it certainly stayed snappy up to the point where tail wear and other factors made a deck change necessary anyway.<br /><br />The final verdict on this experiment: mixed.<br /><br />I am definitely dropping my wheelbase from now on. Although the 14.25” size was definitely not optimal for bowl riding, splitting the difference and bumping up to a 14.5” wheelbase might work out well. A shorter tail than the 6.75” I have been riding is definitely better for me, although I’m thinking a squared 6.5” tail may be my best strategy. It's possible a square shape with a short length will mediate stability with the increased power the better leverage of the shortened tail gives me. The popsicle experience has certainly made me more wary of “punk point” noses. Nothing beats having a full sized nose, not just for nose slides and other ledge tricks, but also for ollies and, yes, even slappies. Cutting a 3rd of the real estate off your nose off just to get a “punk” look to your shape is not worth it. I’ll look more “punk” locking better backside slappies and more properly tweaked ollies. I think the Grosso-style “shovel’ nose is the way to go for me.<br /><br />The big take-away from it all: ride what you like, but don’t write anything off you haven’t tried in a while. “Just because everyone else does” is no reason to ride a standard shape. Then again, it's no reason NOT to ride one either.</p><p><i>[Now that you've read about modern technology with decks, <a href="https://vatorat.blogspot.com/2021/01/big-wheels-might-be-big-problem-or-dont.html">here</a> is another article about wheels and deck height!]</i><br /></p><p></p><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4972748909341489743.post-5029672966784565632020-11-27T20:52:00.038-08:002022-07-04T07:46:05.026-07:00The Secret "defect" of Thunder Trucks (and why your nose/tailslides may be suffereing)<p>
</p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">(I apologize for some weird font/text formatting issues on this post, and for the misspelling of "axle" in the first photo!) </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">What you are about to read may forever change the way you view Thunder trucks. Depending on who you ask Thunder trucks may, or may not, have a "serious design flaw." Moreover, this flaw may impact your nose and tail slides. If you ride Thunders and you read the rest of this blog post, from this point forward, any time you “catch” on a nose or tailslide, you might forever be doubting your equipment. Once you “see” this design "flaw," it cannot be unseen.<br /> <br />If you ask me, I say there absolutely IS a design flaw. Just what is this flaw? It is related to the length of the base plate that sticks out beyond the outer most mounting holes/bolts (and the position of the axle in relation to that). And yes, that simple little issue may be fucking-up your nose/tails slides, but more on that later. While this design issue is commonly known among hardcore skate tech nerds, it isn’t as common knowledge among those who aren’t super fussy about their equipment. However, that does not mean the "problem" goes away if you are unaware of it.<br /> <br />For starters, let’s look at this tracing of an Independent and Thunder baseplate.</span><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxVdZGUeDaHDJr1YTn23TIU7UgSg4ypae1G3YdyxMKImE3-hB1Nm8WyNZsco0ZYn0AOrldGIkmO9ORQh1QtKgkKQU7209x2lM_x_03HIgVJQSwcEiOXfJH3OM44EEgsbp6nEx2hy_pPop4/s640/IMG_9982.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="640" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxVdZGUeDaHDJr1YTn23TIU7UgSg4ypae1G3YdyxMKImE3-hB1Nm8WyNZsco0ZYn0AOrldGIkmO9ORQh1QtKgkKQU7209x2lM_x_03HIgVJQSwcEiOXfJH3OM44EEgsbp6nEx2hy_pPop4/w400-h293/IMG_9982.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"></span><p></p><span style="font-size: small;">There are two significant things to note here. First, is that Thunder baseplates sit further <b>inward</b> on your deck than Indys. Conversely, Indy baseplates stick further <b>outward</b> towards the nose/tail than Thunders do. See that “Note this difference” arrow? That is distance that Thunders are “shorter” than Indys. The second significant thing to note is where the axle sits in relationship to the baseplate. The red lines marked “center of axle” are (duh) where the center of the axle (on the hanger) sits over the baseplate. Note that Indy axles are closer to the center of the board than Thunders. Nothing of surprise here. Indys have a shorter wheelbase than Thunders, so it makes sense that Indys would have an axle closer to the center of the deck (and Thunders would be further out). Now, where all of this gets interesting is what happens when put wheels on your trucks...and then try doing a nose/tailslide.<br /> <br />Let’s start with Indys. When you do a nose or tailslide with Indys, the outermost end of the baseplate “grinds” along the vertical edge of what you are sliding, and the wheels<i> do not come in contact</i> with that same vertical edge. The reason the wheels do not contact the edge is <i>because the baseplate sticks out further</i> t<i>han the wheels do</i>. I think you may now see where all this is leading to. With Thunders <i>the opposite is true</i>. Thunders have a “shorter” baseplate than Indys. Moreover, the axle (and thus the wheels) sits further toward the end of that baseplate. So, when you do a nose/tail slide with Thunders, <i>the baseplate often never touches the vertical edge</i> you are sliding on, <i>but the wheels do</i>. These two photos will help visualize the difference (both trucks have the same set of 53mm Spitfires on them).<br /> <br /><b><u>Indys</u></b>. The baseplate touches the “ledge,” but the wheels are free and clear. </span><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigfIkx30fv7kmIKCGC9EtYPCsL-4qSGNAJfOvXW4uVXJCMY8Nl5YOUKGaSEM3ZAigECr2KIMUOCqypf_pUlOaTQCto6XAN0nmWr7A5yDLf8QygwbhTlkbm5la-Ijn-3wa9CaZ10LTMP_v_/s400/Indy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="248" data-original-width="400" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigfIkx30fv7kmIKCGC9EtYPCsL-4qSGNAJfOvXW4uVXJCMY8Nl5YOUKGaSEM3ZAigECr2KIMUOCqypf_pUlOaTQCto6XAN0nmWr7A5yDLf8QygwbhTlkbm5la-Ijn-3wa9CaZ10LTMP_v_/w400-h248/Indy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><u><b>Thunders</b></u>. The baseplate does NOT touch the "ledge," but the <i>wheels rub against it</i>. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYrp16xGGBqhxdcXmgWf0xwh7d45Ox22ve8UgHUVBA1WSV3uWLNogqKCl0MytyuVVnDj0s5GyhSxBrSsk9LF1olZ_Xu2mds2SOBVjG_ZgqfO1fr3WqPziLyixFQNMQpUh7Acv9oE9IHqt3/s400/Thunder.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="223" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYrp16xGGBqhxdcXmgWf0xwh7d45Ox22ve8UgHUVBA1WSV3uWLNogqKCl0MytyuVVnDj0s5GyhSxBrSsk9LF1olZ_Xu2mds2SOBVjG_ZgqfO1fr3WqPziLyixFQNMQpUh7Acv9oE9IHqt3/s320/Thunder.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Thus, there is a much greater chance to “stick” when doing nose/tail slides on Thunders because the wheels will “catch.” Ben Degros also often mentions this issue on his (fantastic) YouTube channel when talking about Thunder trucks (as can be seen in <a href="https://youtu.be/6krPg6hVt4k">this</a> video around the 2:47min mark). It's also commonly discussed on the SLAP Forum. Now, this is not to say that nose/tailslides are impossible with Thunder trucks. Clearly such a claim would be demonstrably false. But what it <i>does mean</i> is that (a) you probably need a lot more wax to compensate for “catching wheels” if you’re running Thunder trucks, (b) your margin of error is much thinner, and (c) nose/tails slides on Thunders are often more akin to a<i> power slide</i> (e.g. wheels rubbing) than on any other brand of trucks. Next time you are at a park, and you see someone over-waxing the fuck out of a ledge for nose/tail slides, look what trucks they have. Usually it is Thunder skaters that are doing this, and the reason why should now be obvious. Of course, the secondary problem with this is getting too much wax residue on your wheels (sketchy landings), and pissing everyone else off at the park who doesn’t want turboclown amounts of wax on a ledge to compensate for a poorly designed truck (e.g. Thunders). Further, Thunders are the <i>only truck on the market</i> (that I am aware of) that have this “problem.” Indy, Ace, Venture, Krux, etc. all have baseplates that stick-out beyond the wheels. Only Thunder has “catching wheel syndrome.” When something is designed radically different than every other product on the market, that often says something. Sometimes it's good. Sometimes it's bad. Here, I side with the latter. </span><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>All of this I find very disheartening. Deluxe is such a rad company. I just wish they could make trucks as good as everything else they do.* Until then, I am stuck on Indys…they nose slide great!</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><br /></span></span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;">*For some reason DLX can not figure out how to make a proper baseplates. Everything else they do is top-notch. Their baseplates, however, leave me utterly confused. The Thunder problem is explained above. Ventures have that inane design where the outer most mounting holes are so far under the hanger that it is next to impossible to get anything but a combination wrench on the mounting hardware. Absurd. What is going over at DLX that they can rule at everything else, but are still producing nearly XR-2 level baseplates?<br /><br /><b><u>POST-SCRIPT:</u></b> Here is another example that shows how much of an "outlier" Thunder baseplates are. Here is a Thunder truck, and an industry standard shock-pad. Look at how much the shock pad sticks out beyond the baseplate when the holes are lined-up. This does not happen on any other truck, only Thunders. Any other truck, and the end of the baseplate and the shock pad (or riser) would be almost flush. <br /></span><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl9o_QLfVbgtUVTMQxeRTAu_BVuqJwYaXbTMndpagdewJmDWC0hH8YSF_OIfJV0lxRatcTGauciV4fQemdF6ePrdhQiPwUE2ETufrV8XQV1emEJ6lZsnkOYJD4VE_X6CR4dzudvoHO4WxG/s640/IMG_9983.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="523" data-original-width="640" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl9o_QLfVbgtUVTMQxeRTAu_BVuqJwYaXbTMndpagdewJmDWC0hH8YSF_OIfJV0lxRatcTGauciV4fQemdF6ePrdhQiPwUE2ETufrV8XQV1emEJ6lZsnkOYJD4VE_X6CR4dzudvoHO4WxG/w400-h328/IMG_9983.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPgo-5IpLa2CorJczmVGSNgQYZR_sveN5nmrMDceyCjwDEkdbXiwNaNBSGa2nmviyhOhXVBrlfYSQgVPg93H2Qa4onoAcpsxxHicFVtr1X-yzt20pkH76pFxaNfIUCJI2amVO_i2n9axw4/s640/IMG_9984.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="617" data-original-width="640" height="385" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPgo-5IpLa2CorJczmVGSNgQYZR_sveN5nmrMDceyCjwDEkdbXiwNaNBSGa2nmviyhOhXVBrlfYSQgVPg93H2Qa4onoAcpsxxHicFVtr1X-yzt20pkH76pFxaNfIUCJI2amVO_i2n9axw4/w400-h385/IMG_9984.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"><br /></span></p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style> <br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4972748909341489743.post-49180231425885527002020-11-12T19:36:00.013-08:002022-12-17T13:04:38.984-08:00Knee Gasket Reviews: Killer 187 & Old Bones Therapy<p>
</p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Killer 187 & Old Bones Therapy Knee Gasket Review</u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This post is a review of both Old Bones Therapy and Killer
187 knee gaskets. </p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><u>Disclaimer:</u></b> I am <b>not</b> associated with either of these companies in any way, shape, or manner.<br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u><b>First, why would one want a knee gasket</b></u>? They basically
serve five purposes. First, is to add some compression support to the knee
area. Second, is to add a touch of padding to prevent against simple abrasion
if don’t want to wear full-on kneepads. Third, if worn with kneepads, they can
help prevent the pads from slipping down during knee slides. Fourth, if worn
with kneepads, they can add a bit more padding around the kneecap area. Last,
when worn with kneepads, gaskets help keep the pads from getting too nasty
because the (easily washable) gasket will soak-up most of your sweat, rather it
going directly into your pads. I wear my gaskets (with kneepads) for reasons
three (3) through five (5).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Note: Lots of pics at the very end of this post. <br /></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Killer 187s</u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> I’ll start the review(s) with the Killer 187 gaskets. I’ve
had these much longer than my Old Bones, so I have a longer-term perspective
with this product. Killer 187s make the following claims about their gaskets; </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">- Curved
ergonomic design <br />
- Thick padding surrounds the patella <br />
- Two layers of neoprene encase <br />
- Super absorbent EVA foam <br />
- Ventilated mesh sewn in for breathability on back of knee <br />
- Non-irritating side seams for comfort <br />
- Top and bottom stitching for durability</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">All of these claims hold true. Additional comments are that
these gaskets are thick (but not too thick), and they have a good amount of
padding around the kneecap area, including the patella tendon area. They fit
snuggly (and neoprene can be rather warm/hot, esp. in summer). Some many not like the snug fit as
much, other might (esp. if you’re going for compression support). That said, no
knee gasket should fit loosely, as that would defeat almost any reason for
wearing one. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I have found two drawbacks to my 187s. First, they seem a
little “short.” By that, I mean that I’d like the overall length of the sleeve
to be a bit longer. They certainly cover the entire contact-area of my kneepad,
but just barely, and <i>a tad</i> longer would be better. Second, and this might be a
big one for some people, is the stitching on the back of the gasket that
connects the neoprene and the ventilated mesh. On mine, that stitching started
to fail not longer after I got them. This might have been because, when I first
got them, I was pulling them up from the top when putting them on, which is the
incorrect method. I should have been “rolling” them a bit more. In any event, I
reinforced these areas (sewing them up with waxed dental floss). I have not had
any problem since. Would this problem have happened if I had been properly
putting the gaskets on? Who knows. We’ll find out if/when I get my next pair. </p><p class="MsoNormal"></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In the end, the 187s knee gaskets are a good product. I’ve had mine for a
few years now. They’ve gotten good use, and have otherwise help up. They
definitely make my kneepads feel a bit beefier, they have never slipped down,
and they do a great job keeping sweat out of my pads due to the thick-ish
neoprene. <a href="https://187killerpads.com/collections/knee-pads/products/knee-gasket?variant=32862205575308">$45.00 for a set</a>. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><u>2021 FOLLOW-UP</u></b>: My 187s finally died. They served a good
long life, and I got plenty of use out of them. I got another pair, and
unlike the previous ones, I was bit more careful with how I put them on.
I have had no problem with the stitching like I did with the previous
set. </p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Old Bones Therapy </u></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Next, we move on Old Bones Therapy (OBT). This company seems
to have a very dedicated (almost cult-ish??) following. I had some money to
burn, and I love trying out new skate gear, so I decided to give these a-go to
see what all the hype was about. The owner(???) often posts on social media
circles I run in, and he even offered a standing discount code to one of the
groups I’m in. That is really cool. Direct involvement with the community is a
big plus in my book. Their products are targeted at the older crowd, which is also,
well, “my people,” so that resonates, too. To these ends, Old Bones had some
“pluses” going for me before I ever even had product in my hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Let’s take a look at some of the claims made by OBT on their
web site about their knee gasket. I am not going to cut and paste all of it
here. You can read that material on the product description page, <a href="https://oldbonestherapy.com/products/compression-knee-brace">which can be found here</a>.</p><p class="MsoNormal">The OBT gasket is notably different from the 187s on several
fronts. First, they are much longer than the 187s. Too long, IMHO. They extend far up my thigh, and far down my shin. Wearing them, at least for me, makes it feel like there is HUGE knee
pad on my leg, which covers the my upper leg, knee, and part of my calf. I'm not really a fan of
that. Second, the OBTs are not made of
neoprene. They are made of some type of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“breathable knitted fabric.” The OBTs are thinner, and more “light
weight” than the 187s. These don’t feel quite as “snug” or “tight” as the 187s, and that’s a good thing (for me). I am curious to see how the fabric holds-up over time. Will it loose its
stretch? Will it wear out? I’ve not heard of anyone reporting this happening.
Time will tell. I’m also curious to see how the OBTs do with keeping sweat away
from my kneepads. I got mt OBTs in Fall 2020, so I won’t be able to really test
that one out until summer 2021 (when it’s really hot again). OBTs also have
these really cool anti-slip “nobs” at the top of the gaskets to help keep them
in place. The OBTs do not have as much padding around the side area of the
kneecap as 187s do. They also do not have any padding directly over the center
of the kneecap (187s have a small layer of padding over this spot, but not
much). This is the one drawback of OBTs for me. I wish they added a bit more
padding in these spots. The one other “drawback” of the OBTs is that since they
are made of fabric, if it gets near Velcro (which is common on others skate
pads), the OBT fabric can get “stuck” to the Velcro. As soon as I realized this
was an issue, I’ve been careful to keep the OBTs away from the Velcro on my
other pads. I don’t want to find out if repeated “separations” will cause any
structural integrity issues to the OBT fabric (as is often the case when fabric
gets repeatedly stuck to Velcro). </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I like the OBTs. I just wish they (1) were a tad shorter, and (b) had
that extra bit of padding over/around the kneecap area. Once I have put substantial,
heavy, long-term use on the OBTs, I will post a follow-up about their
longer-term durability.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>$25 each (or $45
for both).</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><u>So, which product is better?</u></b> That depends on what you are
looking for. Want a gasket that adds some padding? Go for 187s. Want a gasket
that provides compression support to a larger area of your leg, is lighter, has
an awesome fit, and is from a company that has great community outreach? Then OBT
is your clear choice. Also, if you’re just looking for general knee support, with long wear times, you’re better off with the OBT, because they are bit more breathable, comfortable, and cover a larger area. That said, I have often seen claims about OBT that basically sound like, "I had all four my limbs severed in a car accident, and I started wearing OBT knee-gaskets on my severed legs, and now I can skate like I'm 18-years-old again!" It seems a lot of people credit OBT with some magic rejuvination ability. It's a just knee gasket. It's not going to make you walk on water. I read all those "cult" claims with a huge grain of salt. You should, too. <br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">And very last, and this probably a bit petty in the grand scheme of things...the OBTs are just really bad-ass looking. Great color scheme and design. They did a great job with these things. Oh, OBT comes with cool stickers, too. Who doesn’t like stickers?!?</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><u>2022 FOLLOW-UP</u></b>: Well, I've now had my OBTs for awhile. They are still going strong. They have stretched out a bit (making them even longer than before), which I still not really a fan of. Otherwise, they have held-up <i>very well</i> (much better than my 187 gaskets for that matter), and do everything a knee-gasket should. I still wish they had a bit more padding the knee area, however (like 187s do). Old Bones Therapy is an unquestionably rad company, that does a lot to directly support and communicate with the community. I am certainly proud to give them my support and endorsement. <br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"></b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeIDxO6a1-pxi0gtShIBbjCKWyM9bL3-sQt7dfdUcrgLoibVyKEWgqYcddNq7ZUV9JzNXheherNrVATKPUgKV1w1yjPYjEBVHtp78fP46Sm4AhdLYrUziMR33IE2tQsGsdTiOaAWzUMpz9/s491/01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="491" data-original-width="471" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeIDxO6a1-pxi0gtShIBbjCKWyM9bL3-sQt7dfdUcrgLoibVyKEWgqYcddNq7ZUV9JzNXheherNrVATKPUgKV1w1yjPYjEBVHtp78fP46Sm4AhdLYrUziMR33IE2tQsGsdTiOaAWzUMpz9/w384-h400/01.jpg" width="384" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As you can see, the OBT gaskets are much longer than the 187s.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Qc792dOurIKpjiy76QCYaE4_jBHeFhEtB6GCRjQIvPJCLGelp4TnXo_8cPiz3104pqdEXo5IJWRXIloKUgCeEMzG4F0siyiNQlW-6z6wxRfI2ARVliIisuFFMW0mWJ5ShBg6RULLN1N8/s474/02.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="474" data-original-width="472" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Qc792dOurIKpjiy76QCYaE4_jBHeFhEtB6GCRjQIvPJCLGelp4TnXo_8cPiz3104pqdEXo5IJWRXIloKUgCeEMzG4F0siyiNQlW-6z6wxRfI2ARVliIisuFFMW0mWJ5ShBg6RULLN1N8/w399-h400/02.jpg" width="399" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back side of them.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUw_Rgm3Lc8a6BUmYw-2FwfGnOl-Ey0U8vTnvW6zAWyG8GM4EcLmzmkXuzOBVcdYg8KJRA0vEI-bCjihkz86QxcUpGjBY3s99FdNcqOhicQ7QK_TLbQ0K7rT7g5541ml4TJyjr2nA477Qb/s640/03.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUw_Rgm3Lc8a6BUmYw-2FwfGnOl-Ey0U8vTnvW6zAWyG8GM4EcLmzmkXuzOBVcdYg8KJRA0vEI-bCjihkz86QxcUpGjBY3s99FdNcqOhicQ7QK_TLbQ0K7rT7g5541ml4TJyjr2nA477Qb/w400-h300/03.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ALL of the gray area on the 187 (right) is padded.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCVdkBes8z4ry0iyRzg_nSngtp6AVonVNXD46t3H8eQuk4aZiNNzfc7sAm1xX-GJ37fHxsjHAVMMw6YAAYsMS7TOrMxELVOMQ82oR_n8KdX1TbK9gycI-zZcSX5SZNbdWZbAMfnqf6BbYc/s640/04.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCVdkBes8z4ry0iyRzg_nSngtp6AVonVNXD46t3H8eQuk4aZiNNzfc7sAm1xX-GJ37fHxsjHAVMMw6YAAYsMS7TOrMxELVOMQ82oR_n8KdX1TbK9gycI-zZcSX5SZNbdWZbAMfnqf6BbYc/w400-h300/04.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Knee padding when gaskets turned inside-out.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPqxHJYjCtYZDg2_5SrHADof8VOzV8KAM06GAJgBOFMAdKWJt15WBYtOVaW0-QUtQ3-3PR_cBT7GS_zak0IslOD3EJhWA6RCHM3NGywoD4kZmx1Lwk6AZGNKV-sj0IamE2u8dWcvwnoA4T/s633/05.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="477" data-original-width="633" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPqxHJYjCtYZDg2_5SrHADof8VOzV8KAM06GAJgBOFMAdKWJt15WBYtOVaW0-QUtQ3-3PR_cBT7GS_zak0IslOD3EJhWA6RCHM3NGywoD4kZmx1Lwk6AZGNKV-sj0IamE2u8dWcvwnoA4T/w400-h301/05.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The anti-slip part of the OBT gasket.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTrG36EFx1kjv6oFPXw0p4PcR4L8jPxtoA5koRHjsK9L-NHcekHwr4T10M4dmGh_Gv7c3apSz0v7pFwqQuwgUKu9wpCEI9mrqZMHgWU_PsC-KNJbry0zw_82Dw5lMxcilriQw__TtryFNA/s615/06.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="507" data-original-width="615" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTrG36EFx1kjv6oFPXw0p4PcR4L8jPxtoA5koRHjsK9L-NHcekHwr4T10M4dmGh_Gv7c3apSz0v7pFwqQuwgUKu9wpCEI9mrqZMHgWU_PsC-KNJbry0zw_82Dw5lMxcilriQw__TtryFNA/w400-h330/06.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The stitching I had to redo on the 187s.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKI-rRPJeNL0yFuqknlOEjVTu7TdaTNQC8dFe_6KKq-wDzIr2z-FRkm-HEh7FiV8IeSTO2mDC3dIRP8XJq4BthxawAVUHRzPviyNN291BzX5aZ49SQB4P6TX6In2efPaV1Blh__F305Gwc/s563/07.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="476" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKI-rRPJeNL0yFuqknlOEjVTu7TdaTNQC8dFe_6KKq-wDzIr2z-FRkm-HEh7FiV8IeSTO2mDC3dIRP8XJq4BthxawAVUHRzPviyNN291BzX5aZ49SQB4P6TX6In2efPaV1Blh__F305Gwc/w339-h400/07.jpg" width="339" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here you can see the 187 gasket just barely extends beyond my PD knee pads.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUHV8jB2ZPqsP8-FjiOh00DpW6uKxgGrsZZ2Xq6CA9ioap2ty_Rc-hFKG_bwAzrWgb5BUWkjzEhGGr-cwAyivSJqeQ7z0nMhWrcH2kx0Lyu6kRyD9zGYu2H7dowPH4h9FPi3fiS96_UIjE/s581/08.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="581" data-original-width="475" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUHV8jB2ZPqsP8-FjiOh00DpW6uKxgGrsZZ2Xq6CA9ioap2ty_Rc-hFKG_bwAzrWgb5BUWkjzEhGGr-cwAyivSJqeQ7z0nMhWrcH2kx0Lyu6kRyD9zGYu2H7dowPH4h9FPi3fiS96_UIjE/w328-h400/08.jpg" width="328" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The OBT gasket covers much more of your leg above and below knee pads.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4972748909341489743.post-71660635055946087572020-10-29T08:18:00.006-07:002020-10-29T08:21:09.524-07:00A Few Updates from the Personal World<p>It’s been a bit since I’ve posted any personal updates. That is a good sign—it means I’ve been skating. So, here is what’s been going in my world.<br /><br /><b><u>I. Ankle Recovery</u></b>: It ain’t what it used to be, that’s for sure. Sometimes it hurts when I walk. Sometimes I don’t really notice. It’s still weaker than it was, and I don’t fully trust it. I still haven’t tried any serious running yet, but I feel like that might be coming soon. All this said, I able to do everything I did pre-break in a diminished, <i>but at least meaningful</i>, way. That is all I could really ask for. <br /><br /><b><u>II. Skateboarding</u></b>: Last sentence in the previous paragraph really sums it up. I am skating mini ramps again (but keeping it in the 4’ - 5’ range). There is still a lot of tricks I haven’t yet attempted again. Some of that is certainly residual physical limitation from the injury, but I am sure a lot of it is mental, too. That will be an on-going battle. I am making slow but steady progress. But most of all, I am having fun, and skating in a way that is meaningful to me. Again, that is all I could really ask for. <br /><br /><b><u>III. Skate Equipment Stuff</u></b>: <br /><br /><u>(1) Old Bones Therapy</u>: This week I got a set of <a href="https://oldbonestherapy.com/products/compression-knee-brace" target="_blank">Old Bones knee gaskets</a>. My old Killer 187 gaskets were getting a bit spent, and Old Bones seems to have a very devoted (cultish??) following, so I decided to give them a shot. In depth product review coming in the near future. <br /><br /><u>(2) A Bigger Set-Up</u>: I rode a friend’s board last week that was much bigger than my usual set-up. I was having some real fun with it. So, I ordered a bigger deck, and threw some old Indy 159s on it. Rain this week, so I won’t be able to really skate it for a bit. I’ve been down this road before, and I have <b>ALWAYS</b> ended up back on my regular set-up, and giving away whatever new/different equipment I am trying. Will this time be any different? Doubtful, but it’s always good to challenge your basic assumptions from time to time (if only to reaffirm them). I’ll probably post an update on this after I’ve skated the deck a bit. </p><p><u>(3) Rail Slide Bar</u>: I built this little railslide bar about 2-3 weeks ago. It was built to fit exactly in my car. I wish it was about 12"-18" longer, but it's good enough. I haven't been able to spend serious time on it yet, but it's certainly going to be a lot of fun. </p><p> </p><p style="margin-left: 160px; text-align: left;"> <iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/P7PhwSZHOZU" width="320" youtube-src-id="P7PhwSZHOZU"></iframe></p><br /><div><div><div><div><p><br /></p></div></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4972748909341489743.post-57608185657950022192020-08-29T11:26:00.101-07:002023-12-31T14:07:48.942-08:00Saftey Gear Buyer's Guide (UPDATED April 2023)<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: red; font-size: medium;">June 29, 2023: It was announced today that William "Wild Bill" Walker of Pro-Designed Pads has passed away. He was a legend, and will be greatly missed. It is unknown what the future of Pro-Designed Pads is, but it is a safe assumption that will never again be produced. Keep this in mind when reading the info below. Godspeed, Bill.</span><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>April 2023 UPDATE</u></b>: </span></p><p>I have written much about pads and safety gear over the years. Beneath (this April 2023 update) is an older, and rather extensive, "Safety Gear Buyer's Guide." With time and experience, I have come to think that the older post is just too much information. While I will leave that information posted, I have decided to streamline the material. Thus, with this "April 2023 update," we are cutting straight to the chase. <br /></p><p><b><u>HELMETS</u></b>: Only buy a certified helmet. Read that sentence again. Now read it one more time. Repeat, <b>only</b> buy a <b>certified</b> helmet. <a href="https://protecbrand.com/">Pro-Tec</a>*, <a href="https://triple8.com/collections/helmets">Triple 8</a>, <a href="https://www.bellhelmets.com/bike/p/local-bmx-helmet/100000000600000020.html">Bell</a>, and <a href="https://shop.s1helmets.com/s1-lifer-helmet/">S-One</a> all make good certified helmets. The Triple 8 Certified Sweat Saver is a great option during the hotter months. All heads are different shapes. Helmets fit differently from brand to brand. What fits me, might be horrible for you. If buying on-line, make sure the retailer has a good return policy (e.g. so you can ensure a proper fit). More detailed info on all of this can be found on <a href="http://vatorat.blogspot.com/2021/10/helmet-reviews-pro-tec-vs-triple-8-vs.html?m=1">this post</a> about helmets. Give the Bell a <i>hard look</i> if you are considering a helmet. Why? Because it has a dial adjuster in the back so you can get an <i>exact fit</i>. No other skate helmet has this, and it's a <i>huge advantage</i> over the others in regards to sizing. However, the <a href="https://triple8.com/collections/helmets/products/the-certified-sweatsaver-helmet-carbon-matte?variant=41022728044681">Triple 8 Sweat Saver </a>is <b><i><u>unquestionably</u></i></b> the best helmet to help keep sweat out of your face and eyes. No other helmet comes close on this front. <br /></p><p>*Pro-Tec has seemed to have had stock problem for quite awhile now (circa April 2023). They also seem to be gaining a ton of complaints about people ordering stuff...and then not receiving it. I would advise <i>against</i> ordering directly from their web site. <br /></p><p><u><b>KNEE PADS</b></u>: The best options for serious protection are <a href="https://187killerpads.com/">Killer 187</a> Pro knee pads, <a href="https://geertsen.com/shop/collection/Boneless-Skateboard-Pads">Boneless</a> Knee pads (slim or pro), and <a href="http://www.prodesigned.com/">Pro-Designed</a> knee pads. Killer 187 are readily available, and can be ordered with lots of custom colors (same with Boneless, but not quite as many custom options), and are <i><b><u>great</u></b></i> pads. Pro-Designed are also great pads (a bit large/bulky), but they are hand-made. If you need pads <i>now/soon</i>, Pro-Designed is <b>not</b> your best option, as there is <i>always</i> a long wait period to have them made. There are other knee pad options (see longer post below), but these three are straight-up your best options. You will not go wrong with 187 Pros or Boneless. I review a bunch of lower-end pads in the larger (older) post below, but pads are really not something you want to cheap-out on.<br /></p><p><b><u>KNEE GASKETS</u>:</b> If you are going to wear knee pads, I <span><b>strongly </b>advise adding knee gaskets. They will (a) help prevent pads from slipping, (b) alleviate any pressure points the pads might have, (c) make them fit better, (d) add a little more protection, and (e) most importantly, they help keep pads from getting too gross with sweat (e.g. the gaskets soak up the sweat, not the pads), and gaskets are MUCH easier to wash/clean than pads are. </span>Here again, the choice is clear. <a href="https://oldbonestherapy.com/">Old Bones Therapy</a> makes the best ones, and they are a great skater-owned company. A longer review of these can be found <a href="https://vatorat.blogspot.com/2020/11/knee-gasket-reviews-killer-187-old.html">here</a>. <br /></p><p></p><p><b><u>ELBOW PADS/WRIST GUARD</u><u>S</u></b>: Why are these lumped together? Simple, <a href="http://www.prodesigned.com/">Pro-Designed</a> makes the <i>best</i> ones on the market, <i>hard stop</i>. There is, however, a long wait time (again, custom made). If you want/need elbow pads or wrist guards, go order a set from Wild Bill (guy who owns Pro-Designed), and get something else while you are waiting for your PDs to arrive. Again look to Killer 187 or Boneless.<br /></p><p><b><u>HIP PADS</u></b>: If you are looking for <i>just</i> hip protection, look no further than <a href="http://www.rhipclhip.com/home.html">rHip Clips</a>. The Pro ones are the best choice. If you are looking for hip <b>and</b> tailbone protection, then you have three options. <a href="https://www.tortoisepads.com/shop/t2-impact-protection-shorts/">Tortoise Pads</a> offer the most protection, and the assorted pads can be removed to customize exactly as you need/want. Old Bones Therapy is now also making good <a href="https://oldbonestherapy.com/products/obt-impact-shorts">hip/tailbone pads</a>. Here is a quick break down of each:<br /></p><p><u>rHip Clips</u>: Do not require you to take-off shorts/pants, as they just clip into waist band. This is a huge advantage. Super fast/easy to put on/take-off as needed.<br /></p><p><u>Old Bones Therapy</u>: Not too bulky. Good protection. Can't remove/customize pads.</p><p><u>Tortoise Pads</u>: Most protective option of the three. Can remove/customize pads. A bit more bulky, and hotter than other options. Super high quality product. <br /></p><p>While popular, <i><b>avoid</b></i> Triple 8 Bumsavers. There are large gaps in the padding, the padding packs down/compresses, and the fabric the shorts are made out of is a bit flimsy. </p><p></p><div style="text-align: left;">-Chris</div><div style="text-align: left;">April 27, 2023 </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">(Beneath the line below is the much longer/older Buyer's Guide)<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">____________________________________________________</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p>I’ve written a lot about pads on this blog, but I’ve never done any reviews of what’s available. The question comes up so often on various Facebook groups that such a post is long overdue. This post focuses on kneepads. Elbow, wrist guards, and helmets are all touched-upon, but not as extensively as knee pads. <br /><br /><u><b>Disclaimer</b></u>: I have not owned every single pad on the market. Nor do I intend to. Hence, there are some gaps in my direct knowledge. If there is something I have not directly dealt with, I state that. Any comments about those products are based on friend’s reviews of them, or other research I’ve done. Agreed, none of that is <i>as good as direct experience</i>, but it will help provide some context, and it is better than no information at all. I also know there are some brands I didn’t even touch upon (Paincheeters is one example). To be clear, this post is NOT meant to be an exhaustive review of every single pad on the market. It is, however, both (a) an overview of the pads you are mostly likely to run across, and (b) a starting point for your own research. Last, I will continually update this post if/when my knowledge base on this subject increases. Ready to go? Let’s dive in. </p><p> </p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQWTfoErKL2liYsZj7B1ETr7ZHWdmoqDzboQaK7szGkJHADUtXaXWqpfP8vnWqedcR7YDEux5Vz5RKK9wirRqbQoc4D1VdNmAAiNQYzjVf3mTg-qYwqtwef7PkQPehynfnW5BxhGJ9270Q/s1280/Hudson+02.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="856" data-original-width="1280" height="343" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQWTfoErKL2liYsZj7B1ETr7ZHWdmoqDzboQaK7szGkJHADUtXaXWqpfP8vnWqedcR7YDEux5Vz5RKK9wirRqbQoc4D1VdNmAAiNQYzjVf3mTg-qYwqtwef7PkQPehynfnW5BxhGJ9270Q/w512-h343/Hudson+02.JPG" title="My pads, saving my ass." width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My ass about to get saved by my pads.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: center;"><u><b>KNEE PADS</b></u><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><u><b>First Consideration</b></u>: <i>What level of protection are you looking for</i>? Do want something just to prevent small-scale abrasions and light impact injury? Are you going to skate mini ramps, and are thus looking for a bit more impact protection? Are you hitting bigger bowls, and vert ramps? Do you have any preexisting conditions that might mandate something more protective? Do want something that could reasonable be used on almost any terrain? The answer to any one of these questions will have significant impact (pun intended) on what pads you should be considering. <br /><br /><u><b>Second Consideration</b></u>: <i>How much do you want to spend</i>? If you are looking for minimal protection, then you don’t have to drop big money. Pads are certainly ones of those things that you get what you pay for. But suppose you are looking for serious protection. Then what? I always tell to people ask themselves this question: Assume that your kneecap is shattered, and you could not walk. How much would you be willing to pay to have that ability back again? Most people would pay far, far, far more for the ability to walk than they would for the cost of very top-end pads. Well, those pads might be what allows you to continue walking in the future. Think hard about that. Moreover, what is the cost of your insurance deductible, or a trip to the ER? I bet that deductible is close to same price as a good set of pads. You <b>do not</b> want to be in a position where you drop hard to your knees, thinking your pads are going to save you, only to find they do not. Moreover, pads are not just about saving your knees and elbows, they can indirectly save you from twists and tears, as can be seen <a href="https://vatorat.blogspot.com/2018/11/why-i-wear-pads-on-small-ramps.html">here</a>.<br /><br />The point I am trying to make here is that if you are <i>actually</i> looking for pads that provide <i>actual</i> <i>protection</i>, do <i>not</i> go the cheap route. You might pay dearly for it (in more ways than one) down the line. Remember, we don’t heal as fast as we used to anymore. <br /><br /><b><u>Other Considerations</u></b>: Do you want custom sizing? The ability to recap them? Is color and style a consideration? Slip-on or open back? What type of strapping systems? Fit? There is a lot more to getting pads than you may first realize. <br /><br /> <b><u>LOW-END PADS</u></b><br /><br />The typical brands in the low-end category are Pro-Tec, Bullet, and Triple 8 (note that Triple 8 also makes a higher-end pad). Pads in the ”very low end” grouping all cost about $25-$30 a set. That is cheap (notice I did not use the word <i>inexpensive</i>). These pads will not offer you any serious impact protection, even if worn with a padded knee gasket. If you drop hard to your knees with any of these pads on, I guarantee you will feel it. I would not really want to knee slide very low-end pands. However, if you are street skating, and want a low-profile pad to protect against some minor impact injuries/scrapes/abrasions/etc., these will absolutely work. That said, they just may not last long, for they are indeed <i>cheap</i>. Quality and craftsmanship at this level in minimal. Stitching isn’t very strong. Looking at pads at this price point, you get the feeling the pads might “break” before they even get “broken in.” With those considerations, let’s take a look at few specific brands and models. <br /><br /><b><u>Pro-tec Street Knee</u></b>: I have owned a set of these. Very low profile (e.g. not bulky). Slip-on (e.g. have to take shoes off to get them on). Velcro straps. Relatively comfortable. Very minimal padding. Cannot be re-capped once plastic cap is worn out, but whatever, they are $25 for a new set. Material and stitching seems like it would quickly fall apart with regular use. Pro-tec used to make a higher end pad called the “Drop In”. It does not appear as if those are in production anymore, and I know nothing about them.<br /><br /><b><u>Bullet Knee Pads</u></b>: I have not owned these, but have seen them in person. In every respect they are very similar to Pro-tec Street knee pads. Slip-ons. Strapping system is almost exactly the same as Pro-tec. Will not offer serious impact protections.<br /><br /><b><u>Triple 8 Street Knee Pads</u></b>: The <a href="https://triple8.com/products/street-knee-pads-grey-with-white-cap?currency=USD&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=Google%20Shopping&gclid=CjwKCAiAzrWOBhBjEiwAq85QZ_5IoRDuzcZpNguzwLmlykJ5E-eI4Vzo6cZJiPLgXX0oZNP6ModpGRoCB90QAvD_BwE&variant=32224960708745">Triple 8 “street pads</a>” are slightly better than strapping a single serve packet of Splenda to your knee. <i>Slightly.</i> I would advise anyone to <b>avoid</b> these, as they are just cheap-made junk. The retail for $30 bucks. A local shop had them on sale for $22, so I figured I’d buy a set just so I could review them. <br /><br />They feature and open back/butterfly design, with additional lock-down straps. The padding is incredibly thin. The stitching seems shoddy. The plastic on the knee cap felt…weird (more on this in a bit). Just handling these, everything seems to say, “These will last 6 weeks, if that.” <br /><br />Fit-wise, they are also bad. I am pretty skinny guy. I don’t have huge legs or anything. I wore these (size med, which is what I should wear according to mfg specs) with knee gaskets. The top velcro strapping was way too short, and I could barely get the strap to fit around my leg. The bottom one was sufficient, but also a tad short. The lock-down straps seemed too long. In some places the side paneling was loose. In other places it was tight. So, horrible fit. <br /><br />Next time I went skating I at my local park, the first thing I did was a “knee slide drop-in” on the mini ramp (e.g. just drop-in to a knee slide from the coping). I wanted to do this to (a) see how the pads slid, (b) see how secure they felt, and (c) get some sense of how much protection they provided. Well, I ended up getting pitched forward onto my hands, and almost hit my face on the flat bottom. Why? Because these pads <i>do not slide</i>, instead they <b>STICK</b>. Oh, I was on a metal ramp, too—which usually slide very fast. Remember what I said about the plastic feeling weird? I think it’s a super soft plastic, which just does not lend itself to sliding. Worse, one the pads started to slip down off my knee. I tried this a few more times, knowing that I had lean way back on the slide, and the exact same thing happened almost every time. <br /><br />After that I just cruised around the street area for a bit with them, and skated the smaller 1/4 pipes. They certainly fit weird, and were not comfortable. At one point a bailed some trick and fell slightly onto the side of my knee. The pad slipped down, and the nylon siding ripped-open. And at that point I took them off. After I took the photos below, I threw them in the trash. Pretty much any pad in the $30 range is going to be exactly like this; trashy-worthy. Oh, and this should be obvious, the caps on these are not replaceable. <br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">Last, I was blown away when I compared these (size-wise) to my Boneless Pro Slim pads (which I love). Yeah, the Boneless pads "stick out" more (because, well, they actually have padding),but otherwise they are almost the exact same size. See photo below. <br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi66-v0GB_ShNjMEsqPFzVgbvMWj1aXNkN17Vo81Qt_SAIAgTLcckjt0GZrizhH_0Bq86ZDoSB84Yho8lB7S3637tiQ2Z42gyFY34BvagmyiS0zO5Br_NnlnN3uZ7lvLI-SseLAsrX8cpoG5Ogn0cyLxk_7IUjGESK23D-tnCIIdskSQqxle0b0DxjaTA=s640" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="590" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi66-v0GB_ShNjMEsqPFzVgbvMWj1aXNkN17Vo81Qt_SAIAgTLcckjt0GZrizhH_0Bq86ZDoSB84Yho8lB7S3637tiQ2Z42gyFY34BvagmyiS0zO5Br_NnlnN3uZ7lvLI-SseLAsrX8cpoG5Ogn0cyLxk_7IUjGESK23D-tnCIIdskSQqxle0b0DxjaTA=w369-h400" width="369" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Where it ripped.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: center;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiyXFKZyTXRWInltbLqoGDgRNvuQ_j-H5onZPohLpdQWhPUDI-yuKxcN5q8H3CxQ2wO257vtqnn8ZJLJNg9aOXIlv0mhjk81x1Pq5Y5qrysf1Ve7iNmhtt2VSSus7RWulpRDpHc7RfOnXLC-eVJRaK0xJHYxCRIwSCBYmea5og3TaXDLsVQKFMTc2nwng=s640" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="372" data-original-width="640" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiyXFKZyTXRWInltbLqoGDgRNvuQ_j-H5onZPohLpdQWhPUDI-yuKxcN5q8H3CxQ2wO257vtqnn8ZJLJNg9aOXIlv0mhjk81x1Pq5Y5qrysf1Ve7iNmhtt2VSSus7RWulpRDpHc7RfOnXLC-eVJRaK0xJHYxCRIwSCBYmea5og3TaXDLsVQKFMTc2nwng=w400-h233" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The backside.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgMis5_YvCWonOFjAXmx5apE85guhJ9z1Edu0bAJFQ0c9xhs8QGJvLjhOPGmhSLFBF-7nwPm8hsFeNVr5nUZT2Tt8J8f7x4ILYxeyExEru65xGYQZ_p3T8vK9J_-shGMUu1nxZg3GDw1aX-ZiZqw6XkHlw0TGwE8KM3SK17SsvZP2hA3WbVaCJ8q_lEWQ=s640" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="421" data-original-width="640" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgMis5_YvCWonOFjAXmx5apE85guhJ9z1Edu0bAJFQ0c9xhs8QGJvLjhOPGmhSLFBF-7nwPm8hsFeNVr5nUZT2Tt8J8f7x4ILYxeyExEru65xGYQZ_p3T8vK9J_-shGMUu1nxZg3GDw1aX-ZiZqw6XkHlw0TGwE8KM3SK17SsvZP2hA3WbVaCJ8q_lEWQ=w400-h264" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">187 Street Knee (left), Boneless Pro Slim (right)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><b><u>MEDIUM & UPPER MEDIUM RANGE PADS</u></b><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">The low to medium range pads usually cost between $50 and $75 a set. These start to offer some impact protection, and don’t feel like they will fall apart after six weeks of use. <br /><br /><b><u>Killer 187 Fly Pads</u></b>: These run about $50, and they are certainly a step-up in terms of quality and protection from the “very low end” pads mentioned above. Slip-on. Cannot be recapped. I am not a fan of the bottom strap on these. Instead of using a typical Velcro strap, they have this weird lace-through thing. If you don’t double lace it, you end up with a large section of the strap flapping around. Dumb. They should have just used a Velcro strap like everyone else does (or a lace through that Velcros in place after tightened). <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSZlujPjciNrZqw-LqfAooXElAANRTgN6Uy0CP2KXnHt1jovnhsIYuTg85R6W_7TIWlIs9Z0B7MI2KKDmyC2GAFh4TV-fYcU6aQmaa4QTL7mVcpVQfDO_bCFZKaIDF00EYl3h2mYklyi_m/s640/IMG_7409.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="569" data-original-width="640" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSZlujPjciNrZqw-LqfAooXElAANRTgN6Uy0CP2KXnHt1jovnhsIYuTg85R6W_7TIWlIs9Z0B7MI2KKDmyC2GAFh4TV-fYcU6aQmaa4QTL7mVcpVQfDO_bCFZKaIDF00EYl3h2mYklyi_m/w410-h364/IMG_7409.jpg" width="410" /></a></div><p><br />All 187 pads stick out in top front part of your knee. This is because they are ergonomically designed to fit the best when you are actually in the knee slide position. Hence, they stick-out in a manner unlike most other pads. Viewed from the side, they have a distinct "scalene triangle" profile, as can be seen here on a 187 Fly Pad. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFMZmyUm6Bo3Nb_Iv_oU1KtIGYhRMODkn6cLM9oaLJKQ5NpkyX1GmYJyADLvhedWUEn8azqfmzC5PhODUckEGC3v5wtgjQluiUhgCQA0rojQNFDQ4d1ocyIgo0djVM8hAP4OuBDN_ZaA25/s515/03+Traingle.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="515" data-original-width="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFMZmyUm6Bo3Nb_Iv_oU1KtIGYhRMODkn6cLM9oaLJKQ5NpkyX1GmYJyADLvhedWUEn8azqfmzC5PhODUckEGC3v5wtgjQluiUhgCQA0rojQNFDQ4d1ocyIgo0djVM8hAP4OuBDN_ZaA25/s0/03+Traingle.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p>This design also causes some pressure points at the top and bottom of the pad when you are standing (which is less noticeable with a gasket underneath). They can be a little uncomfortable when in any position other than a full-on knee slide (or sitting in a chair). This design also makes them hardest pads to get on and off. The 187 Flys are a little thin for hard knee drops, but for $50, they are decent product (I would <b>not</b> want to do any serious impact/transition/knee sliding on these...they are more for avoiding some basic bumps and bruises). These tend to run a tad on the small size. Look at 187s sizing guidelines, but considering ordering <i>a size larger</i>. <br /><br /><b><u>Triple 8 KP Pads</u></b>: I have not seen these. They run $37 - $40 a set. Butterfly backing. They are certainly a step-up from the Triple 8 “street pads,” but just from looking at them on-line I can tell they wouldn’t offer serious impact protections. Considering the price, I’d assume these are comparable to the Killer 187 Fly knee pads. <br /><br /><b><u>Smith Scabs</u></b>: I have never seen these up close. So, again, that grain of salt. I crowd sourced some info on there, and watched several review videos. The Scabs are low-mid pad that run about $40. At that price point, I’d expect them to be on par with the 187 Fly pads or the Triple 8 KP pads mentioned above. These can be recapped, which is nice (and I believe they the only pad in the $40 rage which can be recapped). Butterfly backing. They also have a more color options at this price point any of the other manufactures. A note on Smith Products...these seem to have been in <b><i><u>very limited</u></i></b> production over the last several years (even pre-dating Covid suppy issues). You may have a very hard, if next to impossible, time finding size/color you want. <br /><br /><b><u>Smith Scabs Elite/Elite II</u></b>: The Elite and Elite II are step-up from the Scabs. These run about $65-$70 for a set. My understanding is that the only difference between the Elite and Elite II is that the Elite II has a replaceable cap. There is no price difference between the Elite and the Elite II. The padding itself can also be removed from the pad shell for washing. With most other pads, you can just throw the entire thing in the washing without having to remove anything (see manufacture specs). Butterfly backing. Lots of color options. <br /><br />Some people have complained that padding on Smith Elite pads does not extend far enough around to the side of the knee, which can cause some problems. Apparently some additional side padding was added to the Elite II. The Smith Elites and Elite II both have a slightly lower profile than the 187 Pro, but they also have less padding as a result. </p><p>An on-line shop had Elites on
sale, so I grabbed them out of curiosity...and promptly sent them back. There were four stand-out "problems" with these. First, as I said above I do not like butterfly-backed pads (e.g. I am not free of bias). The Elites have a rather involved closure system. To get them properly adjusted took longer than it would just my shoe off use slip-on pads (my preferred style). I felt this was way more complex and time consuming than slip-on pads, and I was never really comfortable with how they fit...they always seemed loose, even though they were snug. Second, holy hell do these things stick out in a really obtuse and strange way. The side profile on these things looks like a large tumor is growing directly out of your kneecap. Super weird. I wish I had taken a photo of them (on me) before I sent them back to illustrate this. Third, relative to other pads, they have a smaller, and rounder "cap."Te rounder part was a weird one. I got into a knee slide position with these on (on a rug), and I had a "hard" time "balancing" on them--because of how round the caps were,and how much the pads "stuck out." It felt like I was trying to balance my knees on a ball or something. I imagine this might get real weird during actual knee slides. Last, was they did indeed has less padding on the sides of the knees (as mentioned above). They did seem to have a good amount of padding over the knee cap area for impact protection...but these were just not the pads for me. As as said above, the supply issue. Good luck. <br />
</p><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Triple 8 KP Pro</u></b>: These also fall into the medium to upper-end range. I have also not seen these. They run $65 - $70 a set. Butterfly backing. When you look at the profile of the KP Pro, they also have that that distinct “scalene triangle” design like 187, but they don’t seem to stick out as much as the 187 Pros. <br /><br /><b><u>Killer 187 Slim Knee Pad</u></b>: These are new-ish product from 187. They run about $65-$75 a set. Slip on. Velcro straps, which IMHO, is a much better option than the bottom lace-style strap on the Fly and the Pro (see pics above). These appear to be a mid-range pad that falls between the Fly and Pro. The ergonomics are the same, so everything mentioned above about that issue should hold true for these, too. I have never seen these in person, or heard any reviews of them. </p><p style="text-align: left;"><u><b>2022 UPDATE / Destroyer A Series Knee Pads</b></u>: I recently picked-up a set of <a href="https://www.destroyerequipment.com/collections/skate-pads/products/a-series-knee-pads">these</a>. For $55 these are a <u><i><b>great</b></i></u> option. I'll post a longer review once I've had them for awhile, but first impressions of therm are great. MUCH better than ANYTHING in this price range. Butterfly backing. Replaceable caps. Lot of padding. Not too bulky (but certainly much thicker/more padding than anything else in this group). They remind me a bit the Boneless Pro Slim pads (see below). There is, however, one thing about them that I don't like. Take a look at this photo. Boneless Pro slim on far left, Destroyer in the middle, Pro-Designed Mini ramp on far right. </p><p style="text-align: left;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhixBui_UT16fAF4VBmvN6tQlFlCaScpvbh9bbL9CnYpYV0E4dfqrdNih2EFR0Kh9C_lvxDRAE1TF5GeEbcjhv6acpSyqSoPK034oboacwbhyF4oVE-RnBVBCMCWI8umrBpaCunk7g2VMkIfSleP--9TPlenDHFpLLCk2ef9bMruLmi-tw0oTKRSPO0bw=s640" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="389" data-original-width="640" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhixBui_UT16fAF4VBmvN6tQlFlCaScpvbh9bbL9CnYpYV0E4dfqrdNih2EFR0Kh9C_lvxDRAE1TF5GeEbcjhv6acpSyqSoPK034oboacwbhyF4oVE-RnBVBCMCWI8umrBpaCunk7g2VMkIfSleP--9TPlenDHFpLLCk2ef9bMruLmi-tw0oTKRSPO0bw=w400-h244" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: left;">The design, and fit, of the Destroyer pad is a bit more long and narrow. The Boneless and Pro-Designed pads have a better width/height ratios. This is actually has some performance ramifications. While knee sliding on the Destroyer pads, I almost fell over to the side a few times. While going to an extreme to illuminate the point, it was as if knee sliding on tight-rope. If you were not perfect, you could easily tip to one side. Again, I am going to an extreme with that analogy. That said, Destroyer pads do have a less "stable" knee slide than either the Boneless or the Pro-Designed, but the problem is not enough to be a deal breaker. I only skated these on mini ramps. I feel like with a lot more speed, height, and forced (e.g. bigger ramps and bowl), that "stability" issue might become more evident, but I am just speculating on that.</p><p style="text-align: left;">For $55, these are great pads, and they are quite comfortable, too. If you are looking for real protection at this price point, give these hard look. </p><p style="text-align: left;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi-sxk1NNDwrBqJVaMvQtRYOmS00Ehs3jyHR8-YbukXZE50Bo1eLe89_Ae5InzDU8rIuty9k5FGd5tOGsL_mmahFe7cL7ysuukUM2Qviyh4B09RfBcgCG_9JpBWHOGoig4VpPKAJdxFE76FBAQCtCqG89CrWF10VUG2muhZg8B9SLk6O_WVRULstaBxeg=s640" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi-sxk1NNDwrBqJVaMvQtRYOmS00Ehs3jyHR8-YbukXZE50Bo1eLe89_Ae5InzDU8rIuty9k5FGd5tOGsL_mmahFe7cL7ysuukUM2Qviyh4B09RfBcgCG_9JpBWHOGoig4VpPKAJdxFE76FBAQCtCqG89CrWF10VUG2muhZg8B9SLk6O_WVRULstaBxeg=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjzmqL0axXtpjYyihd1QxT2wvOu5oAjA8dwbmd6lZN6UnwuypnIVmUU8F_DVoPIu14zx1otyItzQoJTNZRHV93bcvLNUrDNlzJRG7q2kAvf62OSriLQSBTmMybGnT__zwU_xD0vb-VoKTMksfakgmb0JGEBEGJUeR00OOuntJGL1821FTRfgIuHl1X_zg=s640" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjzmqL0axXtpjYyihd1QxT2wvOu5oAjA8dwbmd6lZN6UnwuypnIVmUU8F_DVoPIu14zx1otyItzQoJTNZRHV93bcvLNUrDNlzJRG7q2kAvf62OSriLQSBTmMybGnT__zwU_xD0vb-VoKTMksfakgmb0JGEBEGJUeR00OOuntJGL1821FTRfgIuHl1X_zg=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiY0kyQ56fZJRvDzscMY61prbS423qKjsC9c51Xb6bkJc9vgWl4DsuxWKS65pKD6yuzoGWeYhkLwjhqQebm_2Ljxb40jVxG95m0fEkoNZYy13VPOgUTuFWZx_PyRzR_HcIZPUff9QHHjvza6mLoUXaihShcgwwlNNIyXFZW3RxiyyHgyJOdyCrdkig_ag=s640" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiY0kyQ56fZJRvDzscMY61prbS423qKjsC9c51Xb6bkJc9vgWl4DsuxWKS65pKD6yuzoGWeYhkLwjhqQebm_2Ljxb40jVxG95m0fEkoNZYy13VPOgUTuFWZx_PyRzR_HcIZPUff9QHHjvza6mLoUXaihShcgwwlNNIyXFZW3RxiyyHgyJOdyCrdkig_ag=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEglqznRQQOc1Uj2WlzMyLy3-XfnY_gsu333Fi4XGmgHBXaXDy0e-NKR0PeHbeybUIsD6KCuMftQ_yeknwFo5cF6GY2yeT-j_f-CZHpXWMUvD72eBmpnV6i_ORT3BqdIkBplsS4RF_DqdbL9E9sh3r5y3l08IeYSEV_ktopxWRMMnAsOReXze4M7cdnOxQ=s640" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEglqznRQQOc1Uj2WlzMyLy3-XfnY_gsu333Fi4XGmgHBXaXDy0e-NKR0PeHbeybUIsD6KCuMftQ_yeknwFo5cF6GY2yeT-j_f-CZHpXWMUvD72eBmpnV6i_ORT3BqdIkBplsS4RF_DqdbL9E9sh3r5y3l08IeYSEV_ktopxWRMMnAsOReXze4M7cdnOxQ=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>HIGH-END PADS</u></b></div></div><p><b><u>Killer 187 Pros</u></b>: These are very good, protective pads. I like these, a lot. They run about $110 a set. Butterfly backing. The Pro version has a lot more padding than Fly version, hence they stick out even more in the front due to that scalene triangle profile. All high-end pads are going to be bulky in some way (e.g. because they have lots of padding). There is no such thing as a highly-protective “low profile” pad. The two are mutually exclusive, as they should be for the obvious reasons. </p><p>These pads are "trending" right now, but I think that this because they are among the few "high end" commercially available pads out there (with some big-name endorsements). But they might also be trending because they are a <i>damn good product</i>, too. If you want good protection, these are a great option. One thing to note, I have seen many complaints about these pads slipping down a lot...and others saying they have no issue with slippage. I wear mine with an OBT knee gasket, and I've never once had any slipping problems. Unlike the 187 Fly pads (which run small), the Pros seem to run true to sizing. I take a medium in the Pros, and a large in Flys (had to order a size up, as medium in the Flys was too small for me). </p><p></p><p><u><b>Boneless Pads</b></u>: These are great pads, but like S-One, I just like 187s more (Boneless would be my second choice).</p><p><b><u>S-ONE</u></b>: Good pads (but I like 187s better). $100 for a pair. Butterfly backing. More info on these coming soon. <br /></p><p><b><u>Pro-Designed</u></b>: PDs have been around forever. Wild Bill has been hand-making pads for skateboarders since the 1980s. A small independent business at out Texas. Custom sizing at no extra cost. He makes a number of different versions from them from smaller ones to full-on mega ramp type shit. Different color options, and strapping options. Expensive. Bulky. Can take a very long time to get (he always has a large back-log of orders), but an absolutely great product. If you need/want something quick, Pro-Designed is <b>not</b> your best option, as you'll be waiting quite awhile for them to arrive. </p><p style="text-align: left;"><u><b>Knee-Gaskets</b></u>: I recently reviewed Old Bones and Killer 187 knee-gaskets. That review can be found <a href="https://vatorat.blogspot.com/2020/11/knee-gasket-reviews-killer-187-old.html">here</a>. <br /><br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>ELBOW PADS</u></b></div><p style="text-align: left;">All of the above manufactures make elbow pads to their corresponding knee pad price-point. This is to say that the Pro-tec “street elbow” pads is going to be the same quality and protection level as their street knee pad (e.g. cheap), and Pro-Designed elbow pads are going to be top-notch. One last thing to point out Killer 187 elbow pads also have that “scalene” design, which creates the same issues as their knee pads, but on your elbow. <br /><br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>WRIST GUARDS</u></b></div><p style="text-align: left;">I’d like to clarify that wrist guards are not designed to wholly prevent a broken wrist/arm any more than knee pads are designed to prevent a hyper-extended knee. Wrist guards are intended to help minimize sprains and similar soft tissue damage. Yes, they may help prevent breaks to the smaller bones in wrist/hand, but don’t think your hands are bullet proof if you are wearing wrist guards. Personally, I hardly ever wear wrist guards, but every older
skater should own a set. Why? Because if you hurt/sprain
your wrist (and you will), wearing a wrist guard will help prevent it
from getting worse (of course, you may not have gotten that injury in the first place if you had been wearing wrist guards). Fortunately I don’t do this that often, but when I
do, having wrist guards available is a god-send. With these, there is no
debate; Pro-Designed makes the best ones. Period. End of story. Nothing
better. </p><p style="text-align: left;">Last, there is some inane mythology around wrist guards that they "don't work" and/or can even <i>cause</i> your arm to break just above the guard. I have two things to say in response. First, if you fell hard enough to break your Radius/Ulna (arm bones), imagine what would have happened to your wrist. Second, do wrist guards work? Yes. You can read the science for yourself right <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0196064497701987?fbclid=IwAR1d80i6e_nuoJNcFYVpDDLGzslvS7epQEN3y01VCE-vlLON-q3uhf38R5Q">here</a>. <br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>HELMETS</u></b></div><p style="text-align: left;">There are number of different manufactures that produce good, quality, <b>certified</b> helmets. Pro-Tec, Triple 8, S-One, and Bell are all good. I wrote a more in-depth review those helmets <a href="https://vatorat.blogspot.com/2021/10/helmet-reviews-pro-tec-vs-triple-8-vs.html">here</a>. All helmets fit differently, and people’s heads all come in vastly different shapes and sizes. What fits me well, might be a nightmare for you. So, if you want a helmet, you are strongly encouraged to go try them on somewhere (if possible). A good fitting helmet you will hardly notice. An ill-fitting one will either give you a pounding headache in 10 minutes (because it’s too tight), or provide inadequate protection (because it’s too loose). Can’t find the exact style and color you want? Simple, just go try helmets on somewhere, and determine the brand/size that most comfortably fits. Once you have that info, just order the exact one you want on-line somewhere. Make sure to cover it with stickers. </p><p><b><u>IMPORTANT</u></b>: ONLY BUY A CERTIFIED HELMET. REPEAT. <b>ONLY BUY A CERTIFIED HELMET</b>. Non-certified helmets are useless, and do almost nothing for actual protection. They should be banned from sale due to their misleading nature (in fact, they are banned in California). If you have a non-certified helmet (or your kid does), throw it out, and get a real helmet. <a href="https://vimeo.com/55624399">This</a> video is an absolute must watch on the impact difference between certified and non-certified helmets. Please watch it. <br /></p><p> Below are a few other links to more information about certified helmets.</p><p></p><p><a href="https://helmets.org/skatepam.htm">https://helmets.org/skatepam.htm</a> </p><p><a href="https://helmets.org/dualcert.htm">https://helmets.org/dualcert.htm</a></p><p> <a href="https://www.cpsc.gov/safety-education/safety-guides/sports-fitness-and-recreation-bicycles/which-helmet-which-activity">https://www.cpsc.gov/safety-education/safety-guides/sports-fitness-and-recreation-bicycles/which-helmet-which-activity</a><br /></p><br /><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4972748909341489743.post-2676156076111064002020-06-12T21:25:00.004-07:002020-08-27T16:14:04.284-07:00A Moving Moment[A topologist studies properties of objects that are preserved when
moved, bent, stretched or twisted, without cutting or gluing parts
together.] <br />
<br />
My elderly parents are moving. Today I went to help them pack. I’ve had stuff in storage at their place since I was 19-years-old. I now have to get rid of most it, including these three toys.<br />
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I played with these countless hours as a kid. They are among the last tangible, direct, links I have to my childhood. Letting them go is sad. It feels like extinguishing a dim, but long burning ember that still kept part of my (childhood) soul alive. As long as I kept these toys, that part of my spirit would endure. Without them, my distant youth atrophies, fades, and disappears forever.<br />
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But let’s get real. <br />
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What purpose have these old metal toys really served? They have sat, mostly forgotten, in a dusty corner of the attic for decades. Every few years I would inadvertently unearth them, smile, and then cast them back to shadow of almost forgotten memory, until the exact same process repeated itself again. <br />
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I commented to my mom this afternoon that, “<i>It’s sad to let favorite childhood toys go</i>.” <br />
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“Y<i>es. Yes, it is</i>,” She said. “<i>But those were never your favorite toys. Not by a mile</i>.”<br />
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Her statement shocked me. Incredulously I asked, “<i>They weren’t? Then what was?</i>”<br />
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Her voice lowered, almost to inaudible whisper. She spoke with a quiet, but calculated and compassionate demeanor that was both full of conviction and truth. I stood, entranced by her words and tone. <br />
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“<i>Oh, you still play with it. All the time. In that respect, your childhood has never really ended. That is a gift. A gift very few ever know. Cherish it</i>.” And then she pointed. <br />
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My eye followed her old, shaking, crooked, arthritic finger as it motioned to the corner. When I saw what she was point to, a tear of joy, empathy, and understanding started to roll down my cheek.<br />
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Later in the day I dropped my old toys off at a Goodwill bin, in hopes that they would eventually find another soul to ignite. I stood there for a while, as if at a gravesite, and said my final goodbyes to a greater symbolism. I remembered there was a curb not far away. A curb I had skated for countless hours as a kid. A breeze came up behind me, and the glow of dying embers rekindled into a brilliant light.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin_NCULRIBASTzv0kwAiG1LZxsPccdD5VBemgK9pFxdPLOWLK7w1NEATIK7VXdaCSbMJyeufb80ekME77295gUY8mGA0-wpmnEhGAW-UhpO-73WHnkNnNitynHpsgP0N6ctIPWiucT9_fh/s1600/IMG_4520.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin_NCULRIBASTzv0kwAiG1LZxsPccdD5VBemgK9pFxdPLOWLK7w1NEATIK7VXdaCSbMJyeufb80ekME77295gUY8mGA0-wpmnEhGAW-UhpO-73WHnkNnNitynHpsgP0N6ctIPWiucT9_fh/s320/IMG_4520.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><u><b>EDIT</b></u>: I drove by this donation site after my curb session. They toys were gone. Someone had taken them to a new home. <br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4972748909341489743.post-59885128822107011052020-06-01T22:02:00.009-07:002021-02-28T11:31:21.419-08:00Dealing with Skate Anxiety, Part I (Injury)I previously wrote <a href="https://vatorat.blogspot.com/2019/11/welcome-back-starting-up-again-after.html">this</a> primer for people “returning to skateboarding after a long break.” It covered things like avoiding common old-guy injuries, equipment, and how to navigate the social world of skateboarding without making a turboclown of yourself. However, I recently realized there was one huge topic I entirely missed: <b>Anxiety.</b> <br />
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Skate-related-anxiety usually comes in two forms. The first is injury or reinjury anxiety. This is simply fear of getting seriously injured. The second is social anxiety. Usually this stems from how you <i>think you will be perceived</i> by other skaters or anyone else for that matter (e.g. not doing “cool” tricks, being the “old guy” the park, wearing pads, looking dumb, out of place, poseur, etc.). <br />
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If either or both of these sound like you, please find some solace in the fact that you are <b>NOT</b> alone. Many grapple with these exact issues—and not just people starting up again after a long break. People who have skated continuously their entire life also face these two anxieties from time to time. I certainly have. You are not alone. This post is about dealing with both of them. Your anxiety will not be solved by the time you are done reading these words. However, I hope that you may walk away with some perspective, and a few mitigation strategies to make things more manageable. Again, you are not alone. <br />
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Disclaimer: I am <b>not</b> a psychologist, therapist, clinician, social worker, etc. <br />
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<b><u>Injury Anxiety</u></b><br />
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In May 2019 I broke my leg/ankle on a 6’ mini ramp. I had two surgeries, and now have a lot of metal in my leg. I was cleared to start skating again in March 2020. My ankle is weak, and not nearly as flexible as it once was. If I come down on it wrong, it hurts, and I collapse. I can no longer properly “run out” of tricks. My ability to do “controlled falls” is nowhere near what it once was. Because of this, I often now wear knee/elbow pads even when skating a curb (e.g. I collapse/can’t run out of bails). Not only do I have ankle reinjury anxiety, but now I also wrestle with anxiety about injuring some <b>other part</b> of my body because I can’t fall with the controlled manner I once did. Add to that, the fact that our reaction time slows with age, and the fact that we don’t heal as fast as we used…and, well, yeah, there <b>is</b> a lot to be anxious about. (UPDATE: My ankle is now doing much better. I no longer collapse on simple run-outs. It’s still weaker/less flexible, but much better than when I first wrote this. That said, my mental game has not fully recovered, and there is still a lot of doubt on some things.)<div>
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I share my story so that if you are reading this, and you have (re)injury anxiety, to let you know you are not alone. I know <b>exactly</b> what you are dealing with. I, too, have very real experience in this field. Much of what is written below is aimed at someone who is just starting-up again, or is just coming back from a major injury. However, this information is equally applicable to someone working on their first kickflip McTwist as it is to someone learning to ollie again. The specific trick here is wholly irrelevant, as it is actually nothing more than a mere variable in a larger, universal structure of injury anxiety. Danny Way, about to try something he’s never done before on a megaramp, probably has a similar (injury) anxiety that you may have acid dropping off a curb. Sure, the scale and scope of those two tricks may be vastly different, but the existential experience of that anxiety is often shared across all skill sets. So, what can be done about it?<br />
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Injury anxiety is an injury to the mind and spirit. Its origin stems from concern about injury to the body. Thus, we have to focus <b>on the mind</b> to overcome injury anxiety. Your primary goal is to do what ever you need to put your mind at ease (or to ease it as much as you can). Let me repeat that. <b>Your primary goal is to put your mind at ease</b>. Do this in <u><b>any manner</b></u>, and by <u><b>any means necessary</b></u>, that works for you.<br />
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There are many ways and approaches to putting your mind at ease. Use as many physical, emotional, and spiritual tools as you need. The list below is by no means exhaustive; it just touches on some basic concepts. Use what resonates with you, ignore what does not, and experiment with new approaches. <br />
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<b><u>Baby Steps</u></b>: Start with tiny baby steps. Just roll around a parking lot. Pushing. Kicktuns. Carves. 180s. Rock and rolls on small curbs. Acid drops off small curbs. Stationary tricks on curbs. Do what you are comfortable with. Do what is fun. Then slowly, as you begin to feel more comfortable, push the envelope a tiny bit. Find a slightly higher curb. Go a tad faster. Etc. Don’t go outside your comfort zone, but just stretch it a tiny, little bit each time. Allow yourself small victories—even if it is as basic as just TRYING something you had never tried before, or something you were too scared to (re)try. These are indeed victories. They are forward progress. The journey of thousand miles starts with a single step. Focus on those small, single steps. Each one is a victory. <br />
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<b><u>Keep a Notebook</u></b>: Write down your small victories. It can be hard to keep track of incremental progress when you are immersed in it. Having a log gives you something to reflect on. Writing something down gives it a more concrete reality. It transforms abstract concepts into something more tangible. It makes dismissal and repudiation a harder task. Moreover, it is acknowledgement and admission that something occurred, and it provides for recognition of your victories. <br />
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<b><u>Skate Often</u></b>: Skate everyday if you can. This will keep you mentally comfortable and familiar with what you are doing. Big breaks between sessions will allow uncertainty to creep back in. They also allow your muscle memory to wane. Go to the gym once a week, you wont see any results. Go three times a week, and you will be in a much better position. The same is true for putting your mind at ease with what you are doing. The more you do it, the more familiar it becomes. Familiarity provides comfort and solace. However, you can also overdo it. Sometimes it is good to take a break, and allow your mind to reset. You'll have to experiment and find which path, at what times, works for you. <br />
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<b><u>Pads</u></b>: If they would help your mental state, wear every damn pad you can get your hands on. Hell, wear full ice hockey equipment if it helps calm your spirit. I’m dead serious. Wear any and all gear you need to help put your mind at ease. Maybe with time you’ll shed some it, maybe you’ll add <b>even more</b>. It doesn’t matter which direction you go with it. All that matters is taking whatever steps you need to get out there. Safety gear helps prevent physical injury, but sometimes it’s not your body that really needs pads, it’s your <b>mind</b> that does. There is nothing wrong with that.<br />
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<b><u>Location</u></b>: Find a calming skate spot you like. We’ve all had our favorite spots, and we’ve all had spots we hate. It’s the energy and “mood” of a spot that either resonates or repels us. Find a spot that just “feels good.” Make that your home base. You don’t want to be at war with your physical surroundings, as this does not calm the mind. Find your “happy place” and skate there. <br />
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<b><u>Music</u></b>: This can give you something to focus your mind on while skating. Music is also great for setting a mood, too. Listen to something that helps put your mind at ease, and puts you in a good mood, no matter what kind of music it is. <br />
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<b><u>Name Your Anxiety</u></b>: Verbalize and articulate (to yourself) that you are feeling anxious. Once you name something, you can deal with it more effectively. Put it in as specific terms as you possibly can. Example: “I am anxious about sliding out on this 5-0 grind and falling on my (once broken) arm again.” Once this is done, you can decide how to deal with this trick based on your comfort levels. Just got for it? Stop skating entirely for the moment? Move on to some completely different trick that you are comfortable with? The choice is for you to make, but once you concretely state what you are having anxiety about, you can develop a roadmap/plan for managing it. </div><div> </div><div></div><div><b><u>Envision Success</u></b>: Hesitation and doubt can lead to problems when trying a trick. Going into a trick while thinking, "Oh, man, I really hope I don't bail this" is a bad approach. It assumes failure. Go into any trick (including something you've never tried before, or something you've already been trying for 15 minutes) thinking, "<b>I will/can land this</b>." Thinking about slams can often lead to slamming. So, envision yourself landing it and rolling away. This will put you a better mental place, and a more confident one at that, too. Confidence is our goal.<br />
<b><u><br />Know When to Hold ‘Em and When to Fold ‘Em</u></b>: There are three roads to the top of the mountain. <br />
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First, if you are skating and things don't feel right, stop skating. Maybe stop for a few minutes. Maybe stop for a few hours. Maybe stop for the day. Rarely does anything good come from forcing yourself do something, <b>that is supposed to be fun</b>, when you're not feeling it. If your mind is not in the right place, neither will be your skating. Be honest with yourself about what feels right, and do what ever that is. If need be, fight that battle another day.<br />
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Second, if you are skating and something doesn't feel right, go do some totally different tricks. Supposed you are trying backside tailslides on a bench, and suddenly they start freaking you out for some reason. Stop trying them. Move to something completely different. Something you are comfortable doing. Something you have fun with. Maybe it’s carving a bowl for a bit. Maybe it’s power slides. Maybe it’s switch 360 flips. It doesn’t matter, just do something totally different from whatever was causing the anxiety. The purpose of doing something different is to “ground” or "recenter" yourself, which will help calm your mind. Once that is done, then maybe try an ollie to backside axle stall a curb. Then an ollie to pivot. Then a pivot to tail. Then a backside ollie to tail. Then maybe a short ollie backside tailslide. Then repeat this process again a slightly higher curb, working your way back towards that bench, one baby step at time (bringing us right back to the beginning…baby steps). <br />
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Last, if you are skating, and something doesn't feel right, go for it! This approach works for some people. I am NOT one of them. The second way is what works best for me. I only include this third method because it<b> does</b> work for some. The theory is that if you push through (and assuming you come out alive), you have directly confronted the fear, and have proven it to be something that you don’t need to be afraid of. In short, you violently break the tension. If this works for you, great. <br />
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As stated above, the real thing here is to just be honest with yourself about what feels right—and to do whatever that is.<br />
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In closing I just want to remind you that (a) you don’t have to relearn everything from before, and (b) you will most likely never be as good of a skater as you once were. Age does that to everyone. Don’t let that discourage you. Focus on the present moment. Of course this is just another way of saying, "have no expectations from your past” (which I covered extensively in <a href="https://vatorat.blogspot.com/2019/11/welcome-back-starting-up-again-after.html">this</a> post). If you remember only two things from this post, it should be “baby steps” and “put your mind at ease.” Skateboarding is supposed to be fun. Follow the path that leads you there. If you do that, anxiety doesn’t stand a chance. <br />
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Part II will talk about social anxiety that may come up when skating around other people. That section has not yet been posted, but I will link here once it has. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4972748909341489743.post-7801457173653209682020-05-07T07:54:00.002-07:002020-05-07T21:56:17.506-07:00A Place on Earth<span data-offset-key="2o32-0-0"><span data-text="true">This a story of curbs, the afterlife, personal chaos, and finding a moment of sanctuary. </span></span><br />
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A ritual is an act regularly repeated in a set precise manner, often performed in a sequestered place and according to a set sequence. Meditation is harder to define. Suffice to say it may be used with the aim of reducing stress, anxiety, depression, and pain, and increasing peace, perception, self-awareness, and well-being. Some claim it can lead to enlightenment.<br />
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The older you become, the longer it takes to get “warmed up” on a skateboard. Some years back I developed a “warm-up” routine. It was around 20 or so curb tricks that are mirror images of each other. B/S ollie to tail. F/S ollie to tail. B/S blunt. F/S blunt. Etc. I could often tell how well a session was going to go based on well how the warm-ups went. After I broke my leg, these were no longer “simple warm-up tricks.” They had all been transferred into major goals to hopefully one day again achieve with some degree of regularity. Much of my recover to this point has been relearning these “warm-ups.” <br />
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My elderly, crippled, and financially insecure parents were told two days ago that their lease would not renewed on Aug 1st, 2020. They do not own a home. They now have three months to move. They have lived at their current location for 15 years. They will have to relocate into a substantially smaller place, and will likely be forced to shed about 2/3rd of their entire belongings. I will probably have to finance most of their move. Emotion and stress levels are running very high. <br />
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I went skating tonight. I arrived at a curb I often skate. They place was utterly deserted. Even the drone from the nearby highway was absent. Its abnormality was actually bit eerie. The Corona Virus has caused a blanket of silence to fall across the night. I was alone in a quiet world with my curb. <br />
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I started doing my warm-up tricks, and then realized that I was actually doing “an act regularly repeated in a set precise manner, often performed in a sequestered place and according to a set sequence. I was performing a ritual. One I had developed long, long ago. Skateboarding can be many things. Some of those are things like “reducing stress, anxiety, depression…and increasing peace…and well-being.” My warm up tricks. This wasn’t just a ritual, it also had aspects of meditation. Especially now. <br />
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I stopped skating for a bit, and just listened to that unusual, deep stillness that enveloped the land. My mind drifted. I’ve been thinking about that Grosso birthday tribute a lot over the last week. Towards the end of it, Lucero says something to Jeff like, “Make sure there is a nice curb for me up there in heaven.” I remembered this quote, and then heard myself say out loud, “Me, too. Me, too.” I surprised myself that I had done this. A voice from nowhere that shattered the silence. I looked around for brief second to see where it had come from. In doing so, a veneer was lifted. <br />
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Fifteen feet in front of me was a nice curb. The veneer wasn’t just lifted it. It was shattered. It was like flying through clouds, and then breaking into the endless blue sky. A wave of euphoria and deep understanding swept over me. I almost started to cry from joy. “<i>Make sure there is a nice curb for me up there</i>.” The object and intentions of eternal happiness are not some abstract utopian concept. There are here. Now. I was actually standing in paradise at that very moment. And for that moment, sanctuary was mine. <br />
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Some claim that ritualistic meditation, even in the midst of chaos, can lead to enlightenment. I (now) believe them.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0