Jennifer goes skateboarding

[jennifer]

I have never rode on a skateboard, so, I decided to do it (dont expect much fancy),  I could have just went to W/mart and bought one, and rode it I supose, But that ain't the kind of girl Jenn is. So we are going to build one first, As we wait for the parts to show up, here is the base project, A vintage board, not all beat up, but showing signs of age, should clean up nice....So very EXCITING!

[SlammedNiss]

Does Jennifer ride a ramp or is Jennifer more of a street skater?

[jennifer]

I have never even stood on it yet, not even sure how to go/stop or turn , But thinking ramps?, ya probibally not so much...Parking lot over at the church maybe.

[SlammedNiss]

I have never even stood on it yet, not even sure how to go/stop or turn , But thinking ramps?, ya probibally not so much...Parking lot over at the church maybe.

Who is this "I" person you speak of? I dont think I've ever seen you speak of yourself in 1st person.

[jennifer]

Giggle...Whatever...Jennifer is so NOT amused.

[pbj]

I’m pretty good at sitting on them and rolling down hills.  Been awhile.   

[jennifer]

The parts seemed reasonable, However there are quite a few of them...And in total The board 100.00, and new parts 170.00...That stupid W/mart was only 50.00, just saying...It seems really scary However, sitting on it might be a good way to learn.

[jennifer]

Here are the fancy wheels, ordered...So excited to see them!

[pbj]

Wear a helmet.  My friend our age fell off a skateboard, hit his head, had a seizure on the way to the hospital, had another one a few months later, had his license suspended, and permanently lost his sense of smell.

[jennifer]

OMG, that sounds horrible, I will look into a helmet too, I don't want to get hurt.😬...I do want to go really, really fast like on "Back to the future"...That does look fun.

[Mike A]

What could go wrong?

[pbj]

If you break your neck, can I have your pinball machines?

[Howard_Casto]

I've learned that at 40, my body is no longer able to cope with new physical activities.  I pulled my back tying my shoes the other day. 

[jennifer]

Omg, you guys are horrible...After I know how to go and turn, My plan is to go zoom through the mall until the security guy starts yelling and chasing after me, But Jennifer will outwit even the best of the mall cops with her prowess, and her new go fast skills.

[jennifer]

I've learned that at 40, my body is no longer able to cope with new physical activities.  I pulled my back tying my shoes the other day.

You know what they say..."Get busy living, or get busy dieing ", I know what you mean though, This Princess is a liitle scared.😬

[bobbyb13]

Wheels are a little on the smallish side for a first build but 83a is a forgivingly soft durometer- nice choice.
But still, take pbjs advice about the helmet and find a flat dry lot with no sand or gravel.
Even really small pebbles at low speed act like heaving a big anchor off the stern.

[jennifer]

Sand and rocks, never really thought about the world in such a way before but yes thats real, and can see how that could be very bad, And while thinking about it, cracks in the cement too...I wonder how flat concrete actually is, it looks flat, and acts flat when you park a car or walk on it, but on a skateboard if it had slight variation possibly not good?

[nitrogen_widget]

I’m pretty good at sitting on them and rolling down hills.  Been awhile.   

isn't it called skeleton when you do that?

[Mike A]

Sand and rocks, never really thought about the world in such a way before but yes thats real, and can see how that could be very bad, And while thinking about it, cracks in the cement too...I wonder how flat concrete actually is, it looks flat, and acts flat when you park a car or walk on it, but on a skateboard if it had slight variation possibly not good?

Have you ever been outside?

[jdbailey1206]

...Parking lot over at the church maybe.

Doesn't work.  Just ask NOFX.

[DaOld Man]

Remember Jennifer... when you go for a spin on that, if you dont have pictures then it didnt happen. LOL

[jennifer]

Good grief Jc, that NOFX rocks, Whooshing down a hill at night, on a skateboard with the wind in my hair and that on the Walkman, Yes life is good...😘

[jennifer]

These are the axels I picked, there were no reviews, and seems a little overkill...However, The problem we may run into in this project, is the width of the board (7.75) the width of those axels, and the offset of the tires, they may stick out a little...We shall see.

[jdbailey1206]

...if you dont have pictures then it didnt happen.

Are real pictures of jennifer allowed on the interwebs?

[jennifer]

I am not sure how to make a video of this, Even uploading project pics I struggle with, crazy sideways, file too big, screenshots seem to be the right file size,, But I will give it some thought, I got a web cam thing on a stick I use for inspections, perhaps that may work...Anyway yes, if I can figger it out.

[bobbyb13]

Those trucks (axle assemblies) should be fine too as long as they are not a lot wider than the board itself.  If the wheels stick out a little bit no huge problem but more than a half inch and you will almost certainly trip on them while pushing/kicking until you get used to it.
You'll just have to adjust kingpin tension so they don't flex too much and you get wheel bite on the deck.

Make sure you mount them with the kingpins on both of them to the center of the board and not rotated out toward the nose/tail !
Easy mistake to make if you haven't built one already.

[jennifer]

Those trucks (axle assemblies) should be fine too as long as they are not a lot wider than the board itself.  If the wheels stick out a little bit no huge problem but more than a half inch and you will almost certainly trip on them while pushing/kicking until you get used to it.
You'll just have to adjust kingpin tension so they don't flex too much and you get wheel bite on the deck.

Make sure you mount them with the kingpins on both of them to the center of the board and not rotated out toward the nose/tail !
Easy mistake to make if you haven't built one already.

  Oh no, Well then we got our first problem...Those truck axels (already ordered) are already a bit wider then the board, but the wheels look kinda wide, I may have to reavaluate specs...I did the math on that thinking, wide and stable, not considering  to much of a good thing, and comprimised usability....Begining to think building one is not as easy as it looks.

[nitrogen_widget]

[jennifer]

Omg that thing looks scary to ride on, I bet it goes over the little rocks nice though, Those wheels look like the ones on my nephews little toy dump truck.

[Thenasty]

Where's the Video you Skate Boarding?

[jennifer]

The stuff is in the mail to build the board, and got to figger out how to make a vid...And get it uploaded, even some pics are "file too big" Jenn really struggles with pics.

[Kingcade]

As a 51-year old former casual skater who hasn’t been on his longboard in about 5 years, let me offer some safety advice, particularly if you’re over about 40.

- skateboards are harder to ride, faster, and less stable than you might expect. Most people above a certain age step on them and fall off within 10 feet, usually with the skateboard going one way and them going the other. Approach cautiously.
- start with some boards under the front and back wheels to keep you from going anywhere until you’re comfortable standing on the board and getting on and off.
- stay on flat ground until you can reliably control your turns, tail scrape, and get off while moving
- wear wrist guards, gloves, a helmet, and high top sneakers. Elbow and knee guards are optional.
- work on your flexibility. You should be able to stand on the board and crouch and grab the edge.

Good luck!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[jennifer]

That not only sounds like good advice, but all I ever plan to do on this thing, I know Jenn talks big, but reality is slow motion chaos, That and building one, because that just seems fun with all the choices available...But for you, I would be curious, "casual longboard" you say, After looking into what that actually is, I am thinking, (after watching some guy go down a hill at like 100mph, on U/tubes) that would have to almost addictive at some point, and potentially a lifestyle.😉

[jennifer]

As an update on this project, aparently, the board and the parts have  showed up, Jenn will, run out and get her mail today.. So very excited! 😬

[bobbyb13]

Stoked for you!
Kingcade offers sage advice.
In lieu of boards to stop your wheels you can also enlist the help of someone strong (and preferably larger than you!) to literally hold both your hands until you can get acclimated to standing on something so slippery.

Other than that...
Knees bent, ankles, hips and shoulders in the same vertical plane and eyes level to the horizon.

Look down, fall down!

You can do this.

[Titchgamer]

Never tried skating and prob never will (my hands are to valuable to me lol)
But good luck Jen, I think its really cool you are doing the BYO approach!

Hope you will get someone to film your first ride for us!

[jdbailey1206]

...Whooshing down a hill at night, on a skateboard with the wind in my hair and that on the Walkman, Yes life is good...😘

Downhill on a skate?  Naw.  Thats more US Bombs.

[Mike A]

I guess I am the voice of reason here. You will get hurt. Possibly badly.

If you are over 40 the chances for injury are much greater.

What kind of physical shape are you in?

If you are naturally athletic and have good balance then you may be okay.

I know a guy who was probably late forties and a fat ass. He stepped on a skateboard last year. Immediately when he put his other foot on the board it shot out from under him and his left arm folded like an

accordion underneath him when he hit the pavement. It was pretty horrific.

[newmanfamilyvlogs]

Not even 40 yet here, tried to show the kids how to play Dance Dance Revolution and ended up in PT for a month to un-crunk my back.
Remember, just because it doesn't hurt when you're doing it doesn't mean it won't hurt later.

[Kingcade]

But for you, I would be curious, "casual longboard" you say, After looking into what that actually is, I am thinking, (after watching some guy go down a hill at like 100mph, on U/tubes) that would have to almost addictive at some point, and potentially a lifestyle.😉

I skated on a street board when I was younger, and got a long board about 10 years ago. I never really road the long board much, since there weren't great places around here to ride them. I was never great at either of them, but I did manage to avoid getting hurt.