| Archive for pavedwave longboarding distance longboarding, flatland pumping, cross-country adventuring, boardwalk cruising, and all things skateboarding and good times |
| model.citizen |
my shlong-ish pumperhi all,the other weekend i decided to turn a spare deck i had lying around (SMA Lil' Grimmie) into a pumper. the deck is 8.5" x 30.5", camber, kicktail, concave, and is 5-ply with the top and bottom being that composite material that Watson Laminates churns out (pretty tough stuff). the last time i rode it was around London last September. while fun, with me being 6'2" it was a bit short and the flex, while promising, just wasn't there. so i thought, what if i mount the front trucks on the kicktail, and lengthen the wheelbase overall? the results? fantastic! i haven't noticed the lack of concave too much, and the kick "nose" keeps your front foot from wandering. unfortunately on it's 2nd test ride i'd completely misjudged the riser height i needed...consequently one nasty wheelbite and i'm now nursing a massively sprained wrist 
anyways, she pumps sooooo well, accelerates nicely and holds speed up inclines almost effortlessly. downhill runs feel pretty stable too. wheelbase is 23.5". obviously i haven't tried real LDP on it yet. with the longer wheelbase the flex feels just about right. and if i get bored, the additional truck holes can be used to make a nifty city cruiser complete with kicktail! 
i still need to reshape the (now) nose, as it still feels like i'm riding the thing backwards. http://www.flickr.com/photos/14261230@N08/sets/72157613375782326/ |
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| jat. |
That looks like a fun little beast!
Clever idea mounting the front truck on the tail. |
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| pavedwave |
Re: my shlong-ish pumper
nice work! i think you'll find in general in that wheelbase zone (23--25) that the pumps are a lot easier up hills. the best "climber" i've been on was a libtech with a 24" base and both a nose and kicktail. the difference between that and yours though, is that it was hard as a rock. cool to build a little pumper like this that still has some responsive flex! |
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