@@NHSSkateDirect I had the guy at my local shop install my rails… now I have a deck with 10 screw holes and no rails (thanks to his excellent craftsmanship)… you want something done right, you gotta do it yourself (Hank Hill voice)
It's hilarious how rails were the norm and now nobody's heard of them.🤣 they used to make small ones for your nose and tail. I just realized this youtube channel belongs to the same company I just ordered a deck from!🤣
Crazy right? I almost put in a part talking about the 2 decades when skateboarding was too cool for rails. Curbs and rails are bringing generations together.
@@NHSSkateDirect i just wanted to say the first video I saw of you was indy advertisement. I said not nice things. I tealy dis like indys. But my comments were directed at your person. I'd like to apologize. I've since watched other videos and your just hands down awsome as humans go. At least you seem like it enough that it made me feel bad so... I'm very sorry. Indys still suck though.
Super stoked to see this video! Being 43 , i just bought my 1st pair of rails in 25 plus years. hopefully i can slide some crusty blocks. thanks for going into detail about the installation and trick detail. i'm still riding my santa cruz VX mccoy board(best and most durable board i ever owned) . 200 lbs and its still 360 flipping. good to know you guys are still pushing decks through this time of uncertainty. THANKS SANTA CRUZ. Will/IS there a documentary about the company? would love to know the history/riders/story! MAHALo/ALoha FAT BOB
VX decks are amazing. Hope you haven on the rails! Here's a little tour through the NHS skate museum for some history: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-P7D30brTDG0.html
Super super helpful video. That duct tape trick is money as well as the info about stripping the screw head. Also there shouldn't be a dislike button for this video.
Hey man, im loving your channel its a real diamond. just a tip: dip the screw threads in kerosene, makes it easier, and it absorbes into the wood. THANKS AGAIN!
Those HSR rails look good. Some of the design features remind me of the old G&S rails I had once, but it looks like Santa Cruz have an even better design & material.
Great video. You really covered everything except how long rails last in general before needing a replacement. But thank you for your time and extremely insightful video.
Depends on the brand. I find Santa Cruz/ OJ Juice Bars to last longest and are the most slick. Followed by Rib Bones. The Enjoi rails were really the only ones that sucked. Much softer, grippy material.
@@vorpalblades are Creature rails the same material as the Santa Cruz rails? And can I fit 14.5" rails on a 14.25" wheelbase deck? Creature Stump 8.5 to be exact
Was contemplating getting rails for a while but I am definitely getting a set now. Never knew they had so many benefits. Another use for rails is to put them in the very centre of your board to give it higher inertia making it flip faster. Board slides will be very scary though if you do put them in the very centre haha
I've never really thought about how they affect the flip rotation but they must have an effect. Makes sense and there's another thing to consider when deciding whether to put them more in the middle or closer to the edge. Thanks for the insight!
I like 4 hole rails that come with double-sided tape. This video also didn't mention rail or wheelbases in inches. What's a good rail length for a 14.25" wheelbase? Which brands carry that length of rail? What's a good length of rail for a 15" wheelbase? What brands carry those lengths of rails? Etc. One question about rails: Do they weaken the deck any?
Will 14.5" rails work on a 14.25" wheelbase deck? Creature Stump 8.5 to be exact. Or do I have to trim the edges of the rails off? Looks like they will fit if I keep them moved inward a bit, but I just want to make sure b4 I drill any holes.
I'm sure I will still try them out when they're released, but I'm not sold on the HSR taper design. The less rail material touching the slide surface the less friction there is. Sliding on the edge of a normal rail is going to be faster than sliding on the flat surface area of a tapered profile.
Interesting take. Makes sense for sure as far as more material in contact on a slide. So far, to me, they seem to slide just as fast as our Slimline rails. Might be worth it to try to turn them outward. That would make the sliding surface touch the least... and some people like the way look reversed as well.
Everything Santa Cruz is awesome.. Santa Cruz, Creature, Independent, Bronson, OJ WHEELS.. SLIME BALLS! It’s all good quality! THANKS NHS I ordered some stuff last week and look forward to ordering more..
Gonna try those HSR rails when they release. But every set of rails I ever bought came with really bad screws. Most of the time they are to big for the holes in the rails, or the heads are just to big overall. Went to a hardware store and bought a little box of tiny tx10 Torx screws. Solved all my problems with rails! Smaller size and head gives you longer lasting rails until you slide them down to the screws aswell as a better fit and no slipping when putting them on! And they dont break!
They'll have our new screws which are much better and won't break. Although it sounds like you've got the screws covered. Thanks for the tx 10 tip! Good to know.
Love all the details, I've tried them out and I think I'm a convert because it's so much more stable sliding on rails. Can you talk more about rails on the tail and nose? Is there anything made specifically for those?
They made tail rails in the 80's and I always wanted to try them. I cut these to make something similar but wouldn't suggest cutting up a perfectly good rail to do it. They made sliding on the nose and tail unstable. If you're looking for something to make nose and tail slides faster I'd suggest Everslick decks.
HSR rails is damn good idea!! I’ve been putting rails on my board since i started skateboarding, and have been facing those problems!! Can’t wait for them to be released and hopefully someone would sell them in Japan as well. If not I’ll just get them from NHS online for sure!!! Keep the awesome work NHS Factory!!
surfing with the railien ....I like the thought of having them for smiths and feebles. ....Also just had a marketable thought but can't describe openly cuz peeps in this industry are heavy biters.haha no joke
A few tips after skating slims this year: Get a cordless drill (not an impact driver) with a *torque setting.* It's usually numbered 1-23 with 24 being full torque. I usually use 7 or 11, but it buzzes and vibrates instead of stripping out the screw To line it up perfect, I start the screws in the rails with just the tip (lol) sticking out, then I press the rail down where I want it, making 5 little dents. Then I get a tiny drill bit, mark it 1/2" up with tape, and pre drill the holes Also, instead of a "shaving chamber" I back out the screw and shave off the excess with a razor I know it sounds really meticulous but I de-laminated a board after only 5 days I think because it had a gap between the rails and board (it was the exact same "8th dimension" board I replaced that I got 30+ days out of before) (maybe just my luck)
What about using a very small drill bit to create a pilot hole, thereby reducing the shavings pushed out by the screws, and easing their installation? Would this also help avoid any potential for delamination or weakening of the deck, or is that not really a big deal?
That will work and I know some skaters do that to get the screws going. Just make sure it's a really skinny bit (smaller than the screw for sure) and you don't go too deep.
When rails first came out in the late 70's they were made out of wood and they were primarily used for grabbing for airs (as you mentioned). But in the early 80's as board graphics evolved from basic logo's to bitchen art work your board felt more like a cool album cover and most kids used rails simply to protect their board graphics, because the average kid back then couldn't do airs or board slides. Also, back in the early 80's there was no stigma of being a kook because you had accessories on your board. I'm 54 so my board sliding days are over but I have a couple of boards that have carbon fiber on the top and bottom of the board. Have you ever tested how carbon fiber boards slide versus wood ? I'm surprised that nobody has designed a board where the entire bottom is a hard plastic veneer for board sliding (like laminate flooring has).
I tested some carbon fiber decks a long time ago but it was more a strength based test an d we didn't really test them for sliding. I remember there were some everslick alternatives back in the late 80's/early 90's. Maybe even pre everslick. I think Lib Tech made some decks with Ptex on the bottom that slid well. Everslick and the other brands slick bottom decks dominated that arena.
Great video, as always! I'm interested to know about VX decks because that is the only thing I ride these days. Because they are thinner and have these two Quad X layers, is it still OK to screw rails into those decks? Will the screws go all the way through even?
Great video 👍. Do they become less stable for slides if you put them farther in ? Maybe 2 inches ? Did putting them on the nose and tail make nose and tail slides more fun?
A little less stable, but it still slid flat until I wanted them to tilt. The nose and tail rails were very unstable though. They slid fast but the board kept going tilting into weird nose grinds. I think Everslick is the most fun for nose and tail slides.
Nice to have a new, different style of rail than the standard rectangular rail shape. A little lighter with that option of making that slide surface completely flat too.
It takes some practice. It is much easier with rails if you use that teetering trick. Also, you can learn the motion without even having to slide at first. I'd suggest trying it on something where your wheels won't get caught underneath in case you turn into the smith but your truck doesn't get on a grind. Curbs work great for learning them.
If you set them in a bit it might slow that down a bit. Right on the edge will make your tail hit the ground too early. It was an interesting experiment but skated sketchy. When I was a kid I knew some skaters who made this special paste out of wood glue and toilet paper. Use a disposable bowl, pour some wood glue in there and add a little toilet paper, stir it up until it makes a thick paste and you can use it like a wood filler to replace the worn part of the tail. Let it dry overnight. You could even put it on a new deck and wear that down before it gets to the deck. I tried it a few times and it even popped pretty well. It can look a little sloppy depending on how you spread it on and you can always sand it off. So try it at your own risk. They called it "Blorpie". I swear I'm not making this up. Shout out to those innovative Watsonville skaters: Chris Poole and Big D.
@@NHSSkateDirect funny, I actually thought of doing something like that but with something called plastic playdoh lol I ended up making a skid plate out of thin plastic. Just waiting for my board to get here to test out this experiment. If it fails I will definitely try the cut up rail method! lol
Soooo, that 'lighter design' (13:43) looks like it cuts a lot of the meat out of the rail. I wear rails down now just through regular use. Won't these wear through to expose the hollow part after a few sessions? Or is it just a small divot?
Great question. That's the cool thing about the new material. It's a lot more durable so it can have that hollow area. I haven't worn through them yet.
So these are held in with wood screws... any reason not to use a stronger steel screw? Seems like that would be better. Does it damage the board or something?
The wood screws work well. If you're worried about them stripping in the wood there are companies that make "sex bolts" where you drill a hole through the deck and and the bolt attach from both sides.
My favorite thing about Santa Cruz rails is that they're 14" long where as almost every rail from other companies are 14.5" or bigger. Why would I want a rail that's longer than a majority of decks with 14.25" wheel bases!?
Love these vids!! I recently bought some rails and a new Powell flight deck. Was going to go with the Santa Cruz rails but they were no longer in stock and thought I would tryout the psycho vision rails which I have never heard of. The installation went horribly wrong at ludicrous speed when I was drilling the first screw in and it snapped off in the deck. My second attempt I pre drilled a hole about the length of the screw and again snapped off inside the deck. I did this once more but drilled the hole through the deck completely with same result. Not sure if I have a quality issue with the screws or if the flight is just that hardcore and need something stronger. The Santa Cruz screws look a bit more durable. Any suggestions Ron!?
That's not an uncommon rail scenario. I'm not sure if it's the screws those rails came with or that's just the experience of mounting rails the for the first time or first time in a while. I put some on a few days ago and was like 'Here we go' even though I trust our screws and have installed many rails. It's just such a small margin for error since you only have like 1/16 of an inch between the screw not in the deck and 'oops I went too far and now I need to move the rail and make a new hole'. Screws breaking though. That shouldn't happen that easily. Sounds like hardware store wood screws will be better. Often they are sharper and make the process easier. Hoe that helps a bit.
@@NHSSkateDirect Def first time with rails and with a flight deck so I've decided to just see how much abuse the deck takes until I'm ready to retire it and then experiment with the screws I have left and some hardware store wood screws like you have suggested and hopefully through science I'll have some answers on my situation. But thanks for your time and responding, much appreciated!
I think some skaters would still say that it's harder to do a long slide without rails, which is true, but it shouldn't diminish the merits of a really long slide with rails.... if that makes sense.
