The Ollie Challenge: Rebuilding Muscle Memory

If you have read some other post on my blog you know that my main problem is that I can’t really ollie. I can kind of ollie, stationary, or over a very very small twig. Most people learn the ollie pretty quickly, or without major problem. I don’t, it has been a long struggle and it is definitely not finished.

I watched millions of videos on Youtube, tried different trucks, wheels, decks, shoes. Practiced for hours on fake grass, on concrete, hanging to a gate. With different positions, the back foot either in the tail pocket or nearly hanging at the end of the skateboard. Same for the front foot. I tilted my balance in each and every directions. I tried to slide my front foot higher, lower, harder, softer, earlier, later.

And this is one of my best attempt:

An ugly ollie due to bad muscle memoryYeah, I lifted the four wheels, but it’s not really an ollie. My front foot slide is done with the sole of my shoe and so my board doesn’t really level and my back foot keeps hovering it. My back wheels don’t lift high enough to land farther than where the front wheels lifted from (so not really a “jump” as I wouldn’t even be able to ollie over a line). It looks ugly and awkward and as my back foot is not in contact with the board, I don’t have much control and usually land with my feet in wrong places.

Continue reading “The Ollie Challenge: Rebuilding Muscle Memory”

Bearing Spacers: Why I’m using them and why you should too.

The first time I used a spacer on one of my skateboards was after I received my pair of Surf Rodz TKP. They provide four spacers as well as eight bearing with their set of trucks. I usually wouldn’t have used them but as there was no “speed rings” on the trucks I though they must have been designed to be used with spacers. As I felt that Surf Rodz know what they are doing I used them. And now I’m using spacers on each of my wheels, here is why.

black bones bearing spacers
The spacers that are provided with Bones Swiss bearings are classy black but most spacers are only raw metal.

What are spacers ?

Bearing spacers are simply little metal tubes that goes on the axles, between the two bearings. They exist in different sizes, but most are 8mm long on street wheels and 10mm long on longboard wheels. They have a very simple function: they prevent the bearing from being squeezed when the nut is tightened. If they are correctly sized, they allow the bearing to sit parallel one to another.

Why is it nice ?

The best thing about it, in my opinion is that it is way easier to install wheels on my trucks. With no spacer, I’ll have to put the wheel and tighten the nut until the wheels doesn’t have enough space to wiggle but not too tight or the bearing won’t roll anymore. Sometime a wheel won’t be tight enough and then it will slide from side to side as you roll, or sometime it will be too tight and the wheel will be slowed down… With bearing spacers I don’t have to think, I put the wheel, tighten the nut and then It’s down. The wheel doesn’t wiggle at all and the bearing is rolling freely.

Continue reading “Bearing Spacers: Why I’m using them and why you should too.”

About the software behind this blog

This blog is self hosted

I spent days setting up this blog but for some good reasons. First I wanted to be independent and maintain control of my data, I had too many problems with services stopping and company closing. But I also wanted my blog to be SEO friendly and the fastest possible so I needed to have the most control possible on the software used to be able to tweak it like I want.

So instead of renting a web hosting service or to pay for a hosted blog I decided to use a VPS (virtual private server) and do everything on my own.

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DIY Surf Keeyz / Riot plugs alternative

What are Surf Keeyz ?

Surf Keeyz bushings
Picture from Surf-Rodz.com

Surf Keeyz are small nylon rings made by Surf Rodz to be used on their trucks. They sit between the bushings and act the same way as spherical bushings except it is not as radical and can be removed easily, but hey can also worn out. They are really hard to find in Europe and I was told by Sickboard client service that they were not being made anymore. I’m not entirely convinced that it is true, I really couldn’t find any when I bought my pair of Surf Rodz TKP trucks but now they are back in stock on Sickboard…

Anyway, I really wanted to try them as it is supposed to make the trucks even better but wasn’t ready to pay like 20€ for some small nylon rings. So I decided to make my own. Continue reading “DIY Surf Keeyz / Riot plugs alternative”