by way of introduction

Special Rider Blues · by way of introduction

i have really enjoyed this webpage and have learned so much about setting up boards for pumping. i would like to post some of my setups over the coming weeks and l look forward to any feedback that comes back.

had my first board in 1967, passed down from the uncle who taught me to surf, skim, ski, and skate. it was a double pintail painted blue w/old chicago trucks and clay wheels.

my first real board was a fibreflex henry hester w/half tracks and henry hester road riders. my brother had a fibreflex bowlrider with full tracks and oj's. we didn't have any cones so we painted spots on the road by our house to slalom. those boards worked great.

in the late 90's i got a 44" fibreflex fun shape set up with exkate trucks with the medium bushings which were red at that time. carved a lot of hills on that one including some moonlit runs down mt rose highway here at lake tahoe. that's a run of 8.5 miles at perfect pitch for constant carving. never did learn how to slide nor ollie for that matter.

the fibreflex is a pretty good flatland pumping deck i guess but thinking i will try a bennet up front and an indy 139 on the back. the exkate on back continues to turn so long that it can be difficult to drive off the tail.
the deck is also a bit narrow so foot fatigue is an issue. the 27" wheelbase setting is good for me on flatter stuff.

looking to upgrade my setup this year. i'd like a deck w/carbon fibre.

have been looking at the roeracing decks for a couple of years online and would love to get my hands on a mermaid or the 2006 ldp. i like a narrow stance just behind the front truck. my weight is 180 lbs.

realizing how long it takes to get one of these i am trying to get started early. any advice on which one of these decks might suit me better, basd on the small ammount of information i have given?

the subsonic pulse is also a contender for me, mostly because they are available more quickly. i feel like the hips might be a little far back for my stance. i guess i need to work on my technique on the rear foot anyway.

thanks in advance to anyone who cares to respond.

pavedwave

Nice to hear from you, and thanks for the comment on the site- this forum operates more like a 'message board' for now, so I guess it might take weeks before you see a response Wink

besides the fact it's actually been skateable weather these past weeks in the NW!

Awesome first setup-- mine was in the mid-late 70's, a Mattel Magnum with the stock Mattel trucks. They were actually boards my brother owned down in Redondo Beach, so my nephew and I rode up and down The Strand and we'd stay out all day just street and alley skating.

Your 44" is the most LDP-shaped (if there is such a thing) Fibreflex there is! I really like the snap in those decks, always have. Did you switch out the trucks since this post? It's definately a good start, then figure out more about what you like and don't like about the deck. Roe does take a while but I'm going to meet with him in the next couple days so I'll peek into his garage and see if he's got anything "on hand." The question if you're considering the Pulse is what majority of the time you're using the rear to drive off your pumps versus using the camber to spring out of your pumps-- the Pulse is flat with a nice, wide, gradual concave that really cups your feet, and the Roe throws a little camber in on top of that. I still ride a completely concave-less Roe because I like the snap of the camber and CF. When I ride my concaved Pulse, I actually ride a little differently, standing back a bit and pumping more off the rear.

Be interesting to hear how your stance and setup is evolving, and I'll try to respond a little sooner!

Special Rider Blues

thanks for your reply. have not changed the trucks off of my fibreflex yet. i am thinking now of keeping the exkate on front and putting a stable truck on the rear. i have had a lot of fun over the years on this setup and having a hard time messing with it. my biggest complaint is that it is so narrow that it hurts my feet after a while. we have had so much snow that i am only getting very short rides anyway.

just getting ready to hit an indoor park for the first time today. hopefully i can get some relief for my cabin fever.

i put my bennett 5 on front of my old libtech. not a great pump board but now will be a fun carver. the deck was a gift from a very good friend so i have wanted to make use of it. have never managed to set it up to a point where i actually enjoy it. with an old indy 129 on the tail it is turning easier than ever but i need more open road to finetune. it is an adjustment for me to get used to the height of these setups

i got a call from mr roe about 2 weeks back and i am pretty set on the mermaid for reasons described in your post. i think the concave/hip profile will suit my stance better than the subsonic. not sure how long i can expect to wait but i'm ready for the long haul. he is clearly a very busy man and was telling me that he has plans to farm out production to some able builders.

thanks again for all the helpful information on pavedwave. i have studied your setups at great length and am highly impressed with all the "work" you have done. good work if you can get it.