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need help buying skateboard for my kid


tangerine

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I haven't skated in over 10 years, my knees are shot.

My daughter (8 years old) has been skating on my old boards but she wants her own.

Mine were all bought and set up for Seattle where I mostly skated flat streets.

Now I'm in SF.

What do you guys recommend for deck, trucks, wheels, etc?

I used to skate on Indy trucks and Spitfires, I used all kinds of decks but have no idea who is making good shit now, or what works best in SF.

Lay it on me.

ask a cassowary

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Indy's all the way or your a fucking kook.

Seriously though, does your 8 year old daughet really need the "coolest" shit? I mean, how many 8 year old girls really stick with skateboarding anyway? I'm not knocking girls, but let's face it. Skateboarding is pretty male dominated. Is it because being bloddy and broken and rolling around on the ground is more of a boys territory? Whatevs.

Anyway, my 2 cents? Start her off like you start of someone who's just beginning to surf. Get her a longboard or something bigger that she wont just shoot off of. Let her work her way up to the "cool" shit.

http://www.tragicbliss.com

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Thanks for the input guys.

You are right, she doesn't need top gear, and her interest may be short-lived.

She has been using my old stuff but she wants something of her own, and I'm willing to get her something that's all hers.

I like the longboard idea, it makes sense, and she was looking at one a guy was selling at a garage sale and seemed interested. Gonna look into that some more.

That said, keep those ideas comin', I've got until Christmas.

ask a cassowary

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DLX SF

1831 market street

san francisco CA 94103

pop into deluxe, grab her a krooked deck, you should be able to get it for around 110 bucks complete(w/ thunders and spitfire classics). try to get a limited guest pro model and hey, if she doesnt like it, they are great collectors items(all original gonz art).

she'll be stoked on the bright colors, and youll be happy you got a board from the best manufacturer out there right now.

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Just buy one of those pre-made setups with the shrink wrap on them. Seriously. The bearings are shit so she won't go too fast, they are good to learn on. IF she manages to ruin the setup, then she's obviously she's interested in it and stuck at it long enough to warrant the damage (and they cost fuck all anyway). Then it's time to buy a decent setup.

The important thing before I report in... my position.

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Check out Sector9.com

They are known for their longboards but also have some

mid sized boards w/soft wheels. I think a true longboard

would be to cumbersome for an 8yr old and you want her

to learn how to manuever the thing.

I always have my longboard when I'm in SF.

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Quote: Wheels: Ricta

I WOULD STAY AWAY FROM RICA'S (FOR KIDS) THEY LOOK COOL BUT ARE WAY TO HARD FOR THE STREETS, YOUR DAUGHTER WILL BE SLIPPING ALL OVER THE PLACE. START OFF WITH BIGGER AND SOFTER WHEELS AND GET A 7.75 WITH A WIDER SET OF TRUCKS. ONCE SHE GETS DOWN ALL THE BASICS, YOU CAN FIGURE OUT WHATS REALLY GOOD FOR HER.

OH YEA AND I WOULD HAVE HER ROCK A HELMET (PROTECT YA NECK)

HOPE YOU GET IT LATER

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Thanks for all the great suggestions! Keep em' comin', still trying to figure it all out.

Tending towards the softer wheels to start with, keep the speed down and traction up.

Selegna, thanks for the reminder about the helmet, she is wearing full pads & helmet and she will continue to do so, Dad's Law.

Went into DLX and talked to Nick (I think), very helpful.

Much appreciation and respect ya'll.

ask a cassowary

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You may want to get her a "mini" board. Some companies make smaller versions of regular boards for younger kids. It's easier for a smaller person to control a smaller board.

They are usually just under 7 inches wide and 28 inches long, compared to the full sized boards that are 7.5-8 inches by 31-32 inches.

Pretty much any trucks will do. Independent would most likely be too heavy for her, and she doesn't need heavy duty trucks at her age.. I ride Krux, and I love them. Just make sure you get the right size for the board you buy. You don't want 8" trucks on a 7" board.

As for wheels, get something fairly big (55-58). Reason being small wheels are more likely to get stuck in cracks in the pavement or sidewalks. Once she gets more comfortable on a board she could downsize wheels. Soft wheels are good for riding around. Your daughter won't get tired out from pushing mad dog all day. But soft wheels are heavier than regular wheels, so keep that in mind.

Bearings, I'd go for Lucky bearings Abec 3. A lot of people might disagree, but to me all bearings that aren't Bones are the same. So many companies put out super gimmicky Abec-2398 bearings, but they are the exact same as $9.99 bearings. All bearings will roll and then eventually break. So why spend $20 on some super Abec rated (which means absolutely nothing in terms of performance) bearings, when you can Lucky's for half the price? They are the best cheap bearings on the market. I either ride Bones Swiss or Lucky's, and nothing in between. And since your daughter doesn't need to be going mach speeds, I'd recommend Lucky's.

Grip tape, and hardware are pretty standard. Anything will do, but I use Jessup grip and Shorty's original hardware.

Keep this in mind as well.. To a kid, the most important part of a skateboard is the graphic. You could get her a dope board, but she might not be as psyched as you are on it because the graphic is boring. My advice would be to let her look through a catalog, and ask her what boards she likes. Or bring her to a shop to look at boards. She's young, so I don't think she'll know you plan on getting her a board.

One more thing, stay away from any boards made in China. It doesn't really make a difference in quality to her as I can't imagine she'll be breaking the board, but don't support a company that outsources production to China or uses Chinese wood. I'm pretty sure boards have to say on them where they are made, but ask a worker at the shop if the board is made in the U.S. with Canadian maple. You gotta support the companies that support us!

Any more questions, feel free to ask!

Prefiero morir de pie que vivir siempre arrodillado

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eastcoast, you are right on about the graphic. She wants the deck to be camo patterned on the bottom.

I found these Maharishi decks http://www.psfk.com/2005/09/maharishi_dpm_s.html. Anyone have any opinion on these?

I think she prefers the old school 1940s-50s "european" or NATO camo but she might go for the tiger stripes.

ask a cassowary

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^lol

My description, not hers. She doesn't know NATO from tiger stripes, believe me, but she likes to wear camo shorts and they are all the NATO old-school pattern (though she has pink and grey ones that are pretty damn dope.)

I wish I could still do more than just push around, believe me. When knee transplants are perfected...

ask a cassowary

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