pavedwave longboarding

Nam · Joined: 16 Oct 2008 Posts: 16

My apologies for the very late reply!

The hole in the quiver is a nice, somewhat flexy (under my 173 lbs), responsive, versatile ride. As tempted as I am to get another pumper, I've found that my quiver no longer has anything I'd really trust to both carve down hills while also being able to pump across those inevitable flats and push up the even more inevitable hills, and I see G-Bomb being able to adapt to all of these quite nicely.

As of now, I'm leaning toward the Dark Matter with two adjustable brackets, just like the one pictured above me. I think I'd appreciate the longer platform, additional stability, and shape (with front leverage) but there's the part of me that is really attracted to the portability of the Cambiar. I'm also wondering if you guys still offer that convenient twist-on/off hardware.

You'll be getting an E-mail from me soon. : )

_________________
http://www.freewebs.com/smcmlongskate

gboom · Joined: 29 May 2008 Posts: 57 Location: Vancouver WA

You are right in the sweet spot for the weight of the Dark Matter. Lighter than you, then I recommend it as more pump oriented. Heavier than you, then we start thinking a bit more carve oriented. We are working on how to communicate this to our customers at the website. It is hard to just slap a weight recommendation on it. The deck is robust and great for most weights from light to heavy...just different functions in the light guy vs heavy guy's quiver.

Stability is an area where we shine. The bit of drop that we offer trades off leverage with stability. We don't pride ourselves as being about speed. We want to make exercising and getting around as fun as possible. We need to communicate this better. To this we want to embrace all the advantages of the brackets. Sorry, off topic. Yes, stable.

At 175, I recommend the medium flex brackets.

I do like the pump bracket on the front of this deck, but if you are looking for a little less pump and more carve, then doubling up the GBombs is the way to go. We also can fine tune the drop for you on the double GBomb. How much of a trade-off in leverage are you willing to take to get the deck down low for pushing?

Mark

_________________
Ride your skateboard, save gas, sleep well.

SoloRider · Joined: 14 Aug 2009 Posts: 45 Location: Seattle, WA

How much does the pump bracket cost? The website only shows the G-Bomb bindings(unless I'm missing it).
_________________
I roll my own.
forty2longboards.blogspot.com

Nam · Joined: 16 Oct 2008 Posts: 16

Considering that I've gone from riding boards that are quite high, I think a slight amount of drop will be just fine. I'm used to riding boards that are very responsive; reverse kingpin feel klunky by comparison to torsion or wedged Bennett's, but to be fair, I haven't tried wedging or dewedging Randals all that much. It's been years since I've ridden them. From the looks of the pictures I've seen, the drop looks even lower than that of drop-thru boards (which is nice!).

I'm not a big fan of the noodle-like flex of the Loaded boards which have become so popular; their turn feels very delayed and sloppy for my tastes, something I'm hoping can be remedied by increasing the wedging when I need to. I think ultimately, I won't know exactly what'll be right for me until I try it out myself.

I am looking for a board more on the carve/push side because like I said, I'm happy with my current LDP. Additionally, I need a tad more stability in my quiver (which LDP boards do not specialize in), but nothing on the level of 45+ mph DH runs. If we're talking bike terms, what I have in mind is a hybrid, a board that doesn't do one thing especially well, but can fair well in many areas. In other words, if I were to head out for an all-day skate trip with just one board under foot and no knowledge of what kind of terrain I'd be facing, I hope to see the G-Bomb as my go-to board.

And in terms of interface and interacting with your customers, in addition to a write-up of your recommendations for weight on the website (with the expressed understanding that it varies from person to person and his/her riding preferences), what also may be helpful is to have a topic on Silverfishlongboarding dealer forum so that you can be very much in touch with your customer base. That'll also give those who have your boards the ability to answer others' questions on one consolidated space. Daddiesboardshop has a review section for their components they sell and will respond right under the comments. That way, if other people have questions, they can see what the dealer said before sending an E-mail with the same question.
_________________
http://www.freewebs.com/smcmlongskate

gboom · Joined: 29 May 2008 Posts: 57 Location: Vancouver WA

Happy Labor Day. My family is still asleep giving me and my coffee a chance to respond. If you don’t mind, I am going to break up your email and address it point by point. You have given me some great opportunities to clarify some FAQs. By the way, this is a good discussion and I am not worried about making a sale here so don’t feel obliged.

"Considering that I've gone from riding boards that are quite high, I think a slight amount of drop will be just fine. I'm used to riding boards that are very responsive; reverse kingpin feel klunky by comparison to torsion or wedged Bennett's, but to be fair, I haven't tried wedging or dewedging Randals all that much. It's been years since I've ridden them. From the looks of the pictures I've seen, the drop looks even lower than that of drop-thru boards (which is nice!). "

The 15mm drop is equivalent of positioning the truck between a drop thru and a top mount. Think of it as being able to adjust the angle with the truck in the middle of a non-drop deck. The 20mm drop does put you a couple mm below a drop thru. When I started playing with the design I got obsessed with drop, but then as my skating improved I had more fun with less drop and more leverage. I skate the RIIs less and less as I want more responsiveness. For me the responsiveness allows me to pump some and SPEED CHECK to keep my skating under control in tight areas and on trails. This safety and control aspect of speed checking does not get as much attention as it should.

For you I am going to recommend the 20mm drop medium flex. I also am going to try to sell you both the bent bracket and the 20mm drop for the front. You can pick out either and go with it for starters, but I hope you eventually try both. Once this is decided, there are a couple more details to discuss regarding risers and also if you want the custom bushings.
We also offer a 25mm drop, but this is only available on the stiff flex bracket. When cantilevering the bracket to offer a 25mm drop. There is a lot more flex with the medium thickness/flex bracket, so we go to a thicker and stiffer bracket for this.

"I hope to see the G-Bomb as my go-to board."

We second that.

Regarding the Silverfish forum…we use this some and, like you say, we should get organized with it. I honestly am much more comfortable posting over here at Pavedwave. We like that there are fewer posts here, but with much more critical thought. We also like James, and his noble cause of getting skateboarding cultural accepted as a form of transportation. It amazes me how much more energy that posting at one site vs another can be. The customers that we get from this Pavedwave forum are very educated about our GBomb products and honestly more fun to deal with. Dare I say…like you, or would that be considered schmoozing the customer.
_________________
Ride your skateboard, save gas, sleep well.

Nam · Joined: 16 Oct 2008 Posts: 16

Now that I've successfully (apparently) highjacked this thread ...

I understand what you mean about the environment here! Pavedwave definitely is incredibly unique, fun, yet intellectually mature in its attitudes toward skating. So with a similar sentiment of schmoozing in sight, some talk on skating:

Responsiveness (and leverage) is definitely key, and like I said, I have yet to ride a reverse-kingpin truck (Randal, Paris, Bear, Gullwing, etc) that comes close to the responsiveness of Bennetts, Revenges, or even Carvers. However, stability is on my mind as some of the hills I've tackled are really quite scary for me on Bennett 5.0 + Tracker RTS 129's. I definitely have the ability to do speed checks on the setup, but it makes me sad to scuff and chunk those beautiful Blast Waves.

Bottom line: the only thing that I have worries about in terms of this setup (as I am willing to try both brackets if I can afford it!) are the trucks and how it will affect the ride (I'm fine with the wheels, bearings, deck, brackets, etc you offer). With the adjustable brackets, can I trust the Bennetts (6.0?) to help maintain stability at speed, or will I prefer the peace of mind of Randal 150/180s? Yes, a question that I have to answer for myself through riding, but perhaps something that your experience (and anyone else who can vouch) can help shed some light on. Since you also are seeking responsiveness in your own rides, what have you found works for you?

The 20mm drop and medium flex seems quite snug. As for risers, what do you have in mind? As far as bushings go, definitely soft (white, orange, or blue Khiro).

And definitely no pressure to buy on this end; I've already decided. It's just a matter of dialing it in and forking the cash when the wallet's ready.
_________________
http://www.freewebs.com/smcmlongskate

gboom · Joined: 29 May 2008 Posts: 57 Location: Vancouver WA

Ok, need to clarify some confusion about the front pump bracket and how we see ourselves relating to LDP…

First, I am getting a lot of emails and questions from people who are just getting into LDP and wondering if the Gbomb Illuminati or Dark Matter is a good starting point. I really want to be clear and honest about this.

We are proud that we have decks that are dropped a bit from traditional top mount LDP decks and are still very pumpable. Are they as efficient as a top mount LDP deck?…NO! But watch the video of Eric pumping uphill and you realize that they are pumpers. Dare we say “LDP Inspired?” Now, I sometimes think that Eric could get on a brick and pump it up a hill. He is so in tune with the deck. I do not want to step on anybody’s toes here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcuPkGIKFfw

We also are proud that the bit of drop makes the deck a lot easier to push and more stable for some sliding and speed checking fun. It is a trade-off that we are happy to make. We are obviously biased.

Second, why have the pump bracket front if you have the adjustability of the Gbomb? While the Gbomb adjustability can achieve the truck angles for pumping, the mechanism puts the truck further forward of the rider than the simple bent (pump) bracket. This makes pumping tougher. The bent bracket tucks the Bennett 5.0 in as tight as possible to the deck. We really went after tucking this truck in as close as possible to the Illuminati platform. We worked to get the deck shape aesthetically pleasing while addressing any wheel-bite issues. The chamfers (edge relief) on the bottom of the Illuminati deck are the final touches to add a couple more mm clearance.

Nam · Joined: 16 Oct 2008 Posts: 16

E-mail sent!
_________________
http://www.freewebs.com/smcmlongskate

skatesharper · Joined: 22 Apr 2009 Posts: 6 Location: houston

once the new website is up GBomb will be out to dominate and take over the world there will be no stopping us. I have been doing 180 slides and 1 footed speed checks on a reversible GBomb( and so has eric not to brag or anything Very Happy

) and have found that the weight on either ends of the board really help to swing out and around for any kind of slides. To help respond to nams questoin I have also takin a stiff cut GBomb out to a fast hill in Austin Texas and have taken it to 40MPH it had randals with venom downhill bushings in it and it handles great and the quick wedging always helps.
_________________
It's all about the pump

edp_swakakin · Joined: 19 Apr 2008 Posts: 189