pavedwave longboarding

Odiwan

Here is some footage of the Oceanway on the Gold Coast. I pump along the boardwalk path past the beautiful southern points of the Goldy famous for the amazing waves along here (the longest waves ridden along the the Superbank are pretty much the length of this stretch that I ride Cool

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I am lucky to be living in such a nice area that this is a stone's throw away. I live a fraction south of here where it is lovely and green but the roads are pretty crappy.

In the afternoon I left Kirra (about the 7 minute mark on this) and did the northern stretch again (about 30 k's) which you can kinda see at about 5.30, in the distance. Funny you can't make out the high rises of Surfers Paradise, one of the biggest tourist Mecca's there is Surprised

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7GhxVpwEeE

Little Bob · Joined: 26 Jun 2009 Posts: 19

Man that place looks terrible, how can you stand it? Wink

Love the video - thanks for letting me dream for 10 minutes away from working at my laptop.

What's your bushing/wedge/wheel set up - is that a light flex Mermaid?

Did the camera Guy take a trip to intensive care after you'd finished filming?

pavedwave · Joined: 22 Oct 2007 Posts: 1120 Location: seattle wa usa

Endless pumps -- great stuff!!

( ...starts looking for retirement homes in Gold Coast Very Happy

)

Odiwan · Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2009 3:13 am Post subject:

Yeah, that is a light flex. I have wondered how a medium would go, though i only weigh 60 kg (132 lb), so i am probably on the right flex deck for my weight. I started on the longest wheel base, when i first got the deck, but at that time I could barely pump, so my bad rhythm meant that the board felt floppy. So I went to the shorter WB for a while, and now I am back on the longest WB again and feeling the added drive from the extra length. I love the mermaid so, so much Smile

My setup is
Front- Bennett 5.0, 15* wedge, 76mm Gumballs 78A, orange barrel Khiro top, bottom is white barrel khiro melted to a short white khiro cone, bones red bearings.

Back- Seismic 105 ST, red springs set to medium tension, 7* de-wedge, 75mm Avilas 73A, bones red bearings.

Plus I also have about 1/2" riser front and back.

My brother is fine after filming me. He is a very good skater (slides and bombs like a demon), needless to say his board (Demonseed with Randall 180's set very stiff) is not the best thing to be on when following a pumper.
That was fine though, we swapped boards for the return journey, and he had a cruise on mine (mainly pumping) while I struggled to keep up with him.

My God James, you aren't thinking of a retirement home yet? The thought of pumping around a retirement complex is quite funny though....

pavedwave · Joined: 22 Oct 2007 Posts: 1120 Location: seattle wa usa

Yeah retirement 'home' was not the intended meaning, bad choice of words!

But I am definitely thinking about "retirement" when it comes to planning finances and thinking about where we'll live. Which is part of the reason I haven't been updating this website much lately -- it doesn't pay the bills Confused

Light flex Mermaid is perfect for your weight. Glad to hear you got it dialed!

Little Bob · Joined: 26 Jun 2009 Posts: 19

Thanks for the info Obiwan.

I'm trying to dial in my medium flex Mermaid (I'm 168lbs) so it's really useful to her what you other Guys have tried.

I'm currently on a 5.0 Bennett with 19* wedge (blue cone superglued to orange barrell and then a white barrell) and a 129 RTS with 12* dewedge (red top, yellow bottom), doing OK and still learning.

I may reduce the wedging and give that a try.

Odiwan · Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2009 2:50 am Post subject:

Little Bob,

It definitely is a learning curve, the pumping process. i have only been pumping proficiently for about 2 months (maybe less?). i agree with something that comes up time and time again on here, which is that any equipment can be pumped on but some set ups are easier than others.

When I first got the Mermaid, i was running RTS/X 129 with the Gumballs all round, with about 22* wedge up front, and about 10* dewedge at the back. I could not pump on this at all. When I removed some of the wedging, my pumping improved a bit. When i removed some of the de wedging, my pumping improved some more. Then I got the seismic, and things started to fall into place, then I got the bennet and, zing! I could pump.

Here is the question: did my pumping improve because of the setup changes or because I was learning? I reckon a bit of both.

Experimentation is the best way to learn what works; both equipment wise and technique. For all the equipment changes, my pumping improved most when i tried playing with technique. For me, i really got the feel when I tried playing with my foot placement. Try pumping with both feet together (be careful!), try switch stance, try moving your arms a lot. Even if it feels weird, it can break you out of a rut. When you go back to regular foot placement, it is amazing how much more proficient you feel.

As far as equipment goes, maybe try knocking some wedging/ dewedging down a bit. My setup is a bet less angled than some on here, and a bit more angled than others. I find that less dewedging definitely makes slower pumping easier, which at the early stages is important. Also play with your bushings, I would be putting the harder bushing top (next to the nut) and the bigger, softer bushing on the bottom (works for me).

Anyhoo, that is my prolonged 5 cents.

Little Bob · Joined: 26 Jun 2009 Posts: 19

Appreciated Obiwan - haven't been able to get out for the last couple of weeks (work/decorating/bad back) but I'm itching to go now.

I'll tinker a little with the set up and see if it helps.