i read this comment at the start of the video and had no idea what this meant. now im in the car parking garage and what a strange phenomenon. that must be so tripping inside there
Skating in the late 90s and early 00s I always skated very thin boards, 7.5 to 7.625 decks. Lots of pros put out very small sizes then. Recently I went to buy and set up a new board after having stopped skating for a long time and I was a bit surprised that the smallest they had was an 8 and even that was considered "thin" by today's standards. Back in the day an 8 was considered a "vert board" lol
I'm riding an 8.25 right now. I'm getting used to it. I can't flip it as easily but I have so much more control for everything else I'm willing to sacrifice some flip tricks.
That's what my friends tell me, that the wider boards feel much more stable and they're able to land things easier. Will probably just go bigger with my next setup.
I skated in the mid to late 80s and back then, pretty much all boards were huge - over 10 inches. There wasn't really such a thing as wide or narrow - just slight variations of what was considered normal. I can't believe how skinny skateboards are these days. I recently stepped on an 8.25 board in a skate shop and it was so narrow, it felt like a toy.
Holy shit... I'm 33 and I walked into a skate shop for the first time since I was 16 the other day. I'm looking at decks... (Every deck is 8.25+) Me: "do you have any decks for STREET skating? " Guy at counter : " what do you mean? Those are all for street skating " I thought the guy was an idiot 🤣🤣🤣 Nope... I'm the idiot! 🤣🤣🤣 Man last board I skated was a 7.5! These new ones all look like surf boards🤣🤣. This was fun to watch, I swore I was going crazy.
Hell it looks like I'm not the only one.. 32 and couple days ago I was thinking you know what I haven't done in almost 20 years? Skateboard. So... now I'm shopping. I've found that mini logo carries every size under the sun and in varying lengths. They're not flashy graphics boards but I'm not out to impress so a cheap no graphic board was right up my alley.
yeah there's a parking structure in my city that does that sound but security rolls through every hour or so and they recognize me and give me the mandatory kick out. Still hearing cool sound efx for an hour isn't bad when bustin trix
My daughter is currently skating a 7.625" deck and she has moved up from an 7.5". Here in Sweden I never need to struggle to find any deck ranging from 7.5" and upwards, which is fortunate or I would have been forced to invest in a powertool like that! :-) I myself ride an 8.25" deck, but I am considering moving down to an 8.125 just to get the flip tricks easier. I am currently struggling with the treflip and it was inspiring to see how much easier it got you to land them with the skinnier deck. :-) Nice video!
I think people who are shorter would benefit from a narrower deck because their legs aren't as long, it will be harder to get as much air time during your tricks, so a deck that flips quicker will be easier to work with given less air time. In addition to this, a shorter person has a lower center of gravity giving them an advantage in stability, so a shorter person wouldn't need as much surface area to land on. Imagine a ten foot person trying to land a trick on a 7.5 inch deck. You can just imagine their body swaying too far forward or backward and them having to jump off. That same concept applies to regular sized people and is less of an issue the shorter you are. Im 5, 5, and Ive been trying to learn kickflips. I switched from a 8.25 to an 8 recently and it feels so much more comfortable for me. My Ollie's are alright so I can't get very high in the first place so the narrower deck makes getting that flick to happen quick enough feel so much easier.
No, you should be shocked if you couldn't ollie as high as on an 8.5. Of course you're gonna ollie higher, its lighter and the pop is less dispersed from the tail.
You should be able to Ollie the same height on both boards, the 8.5 should just take some extra effort to get to the same height, if you’re struggling to get the board up high it’s probably too big for you
i remember my transition from a penny 6'' to a skateboard 8'' i felt so confident. Popping ollies always felt like i had a safety net. The only drawback was the board definitely had a little more weight to it but the trade off was indeed worth it.
Thanks for the info. I used to ride 7.9 back in the late 90's and my buddy's who rode 7.75 thought I was crazy for a big board. Now days I've settled on a 8.25 with indy's and 54mm spitfires.
I started skating in 1989 and by 1995 I settled down on a low, flat 7.5 x 31 street board with venture lows and 53mm spitfires (their urethane seems to resist flatspots the best). Once boards started getting wider in 2008 or so, I was having way more trouble finding flatter, thinner boards. By 2012, finding anything smaller than 8 was really difficult. I made the transition to 7.75, but the length was actually more of an issue. I don't really like a longer nose and tail with a steeper kick. I like short and snappy. For me, the biggest difference with a bigger board is actually being able to ollie higher. I've always had decent pop, and it's way harder to ollie a trash can or fire hydrant with a slim, low street setup than it is with a 8" board with higher trucks and 55mm wheels. I did a local high ollie contest back in 1998 or 1999 and broke my board at 34 inches. I asked my buddy who rides similarly wobbly trucks if I could use his board for one more try and cleared it easy. He always liked big, flat boards that were 7.75 or more and I cleared it no problem. I got all the way up to 34.5" before clipping the bar three times and got eliminated. He won with the same board at 36" when the other two dudes got three strikes each, but I've seen him ollie much higher stuff and noseslide a ledge that was at least 40". He had incredible pop and could easily BS ollie a jersey barrier.
Nice vid man as always. I learned my tricks originally in the late 80s so with 9" + boards. Then I skated a bit in 2004 and I have 7 3/4 " Flip (Arto Saari) deck still left from those days. Now I'm most comfortable skating with 8 1/8 or 8 1/4
Make a concave vs flat board. I feel that concave makes a big negative difference when doing flip tricks. I used to love concave but now that i’ve skated a foundation flat shape i love flat shapes.
i'm amazed that your videos are SO MUCH helpful ! Such an informative channel, i mean, whenever i need to know something about deck size, truck size, wheel size and their effects on skating in general i come here. Seriously i cannot stress this enough about how much ur channel is awesome and helpful
All of the tech skaters all use smaller boards such as PJ Ladd who swears that using a smaller board with low tricks and smaller wheels help him get a more controllable and faster flip while skaters that use big ass boards typically are big rail and stair/gap skaters who like the big room for them to land on and have more control even when their foot isn’t in the perfect positions. I remember Antwuan Dixon in an interview where the interviewer was shocked that Antwuan used a board bigger than 8 which back then 7.75 was still the gold standard with super pros like Prod using 7.75 still and Antwuans explanation made total sense as he said he uses the big boards because he is too big both in size and weight so he needs a big board to not only be strong enough but also have more board space for his big feet that helps him control the board on grinds while the bigger board gives him a slower more controlled flip while being better to catch a flipping board but like I said tech skaters like PJ to this day rides under 8 because he values a board that can flip and spin with less force and energy. Correct me if I’m wrong but when Prod increased his board size from 7.75 to 8-8.25 his style went from doin ALOT of switch super technical tricks to doing bigger shit for shit like Street League. In some cases like Ishod Wair skaters have different sizes for different and certain skating scenarios/styles/spots like he’d use a bigger heftier board while jumping down a double set but use a smaller board with smaller wheels for less speed but more control and faster flips when skating tech on ledges and shit. Just makes sense, using a bigger board used to be looked down upon as skaters would think the big size looked super odd so it’s crazy how 8 is considered small now and we got some dudes riding shit as big as close to or at 9 inches
i had a 7.75 and skated it for awhile, but i wear size 12.5 shoes so i GREATLY needed to move up. went to 8 element, (which doesnt feel like an 8 lol) and then 8.25 real, and then to 8.5. Currently skating a 8.5 Wknd deck. amazing, great pop, good flips, good slides. last one lasted me a month.
I just got back into skating because my son is into it now. I rode a 7.5 back in the day so when my board needed replacing I headed over to the skate shop and was shocked at the sizes available now. The smallest the shop had was 8. Online I struggle to find anything smaller than a 7.75. So I pulled the trigger on a 8 at the local shop to support the home team. Bottom line I miss the days of the smaller boards. Bring'em back. I feel like I'm skating a full sheet of plywood with these new boards.
Its the length man. Width is not whats the problem, boards are much longer now. 2-3cm makes alot of difference. Look for a 30-31inch board, thats what they used to be. The extra 1cm on the width has not much to say
When I was a teenager I think I was mostly riding 7.75. When I got back into it a few years ago (now in my early 30s) I grabbed an 8.25. I had a very hard time getting this thing to flip. Partly because I am old, but recently grabbed an 8.0 and I am having a much easier time with it.
Great vid bro. Not gonna lie, I cringed a bit when you planed that deck. Literally probably trimmed off the whole lip on that decks concave. Haha! Imagine how easy to flip (or over flip) it could have been if it was a real 7.75 or 7.5!!!! I used to roll 7.5s back in the late 90s and early 00s. Same as everyone else commenting here I was shocked when after 15 years everyone rides 8.5+. Dude at the shop was confused when I asked if he's got anything under 8 haha! Bought an 8" and not gonna lie, it works for me now. Mid 30s and nowhere near as agile as I used to be the wider deck is comfortable to skate now.
Love your videos, Ben, your channel is awesome. What I really like is how technically you break everything down and show how everything applies to real choices you would make about your skating...for someone like me who has only been skating for about a year, that information is invaluable. Thanks again man, skate on.
Epic echo! Great vid. I have no flip tricks but prefer a 8.38-8.5 as 8 and smaller just feels small under my feet. I even have a 7.75 and guess what? Squirrelly and puny! Maybe once I get my ollie down and start trying flip tricks I may move down in size. Cheers man!
I started skating again recently after a loooong hiatus and took out my 10 year old 7.75 I still had lying around and the youngers thought I was nuts. Haha.
I learned all my tricks on a small deck 7.75 to be exact then moved up to and 8.0 At first it was hard to do my tricks on the 8.0 deck But i got used to it quickly also i felt more stable on a bigger deck I also had some regular ventures on the small deck On the big deck i had some indy's hollows So really this time the deck was heavy but the trucks where light Great video by the way 😎
i started on 7,5 and now ive been at 7,625 for about 10 years. i wouldnt want anything bigger than 7,75. only when i go out cruising i take my other board which is an 8.625. which is more stable and nicer to ride on rougher surfaces
i advise anyone I usually see starting out to go skinny and then go fatter reason why they need to learn the control something that's insanely hard to control and uncomfortable once you learn to control a skinny board a 8 and above is a walk in the park youve gained the control the muscle strength balance and so on to step up to bigger. a bigger board will ruin new skaters in a heartbeat you have to build balance control and most of all muscle strength the old ''power in the legs'' quote the older experienced guys know about
I think new skaters should start with bigger boards that way when they learn to ollie and kickflip on it every other size will be easier. Also a wider surface area provides more stability (something a lot new skaters dont have). When you go small to big you have to develop the power to skate big but if u go big to small you just gotta be a little bit more gentle
@@urbanumbra6170 I am actually more on skinny to fat. Everyone told me is better to learn on skinny and move up. I managed to ollie in a week with the 7.75 and also to shuve. I think if I started with an 8 it would have took a lot longer. But I think is probably preferences.
Used to skate big boards all the time (25 years ago), found my old Santa cruz twin kick smooth which is about 9 3/4, just purchased some 148 thunder hollows to put on a new skinny board, well it will be skinny to me
Here cuz I wanna get into actually skating and not just cruising around on my longboard! My friend’s gonna give me his old 7.5 deck board soon and I was super nervous to be getting such a small deck especially when everything today is at least an 8, but this vid and comments are reassuring cuz it seems riding small decks used to be the norm back in the day! Thx for the vid man 😎
Hope you have tried it...I also skated a few bowls back in the day on a 7.75...I could get to coping on the high side about 10 feet with full control...It's all about getting used to it...Notice how all older skaters that swore by 7.75 say 8 doesn't work for them...And all newer age skaters say 7.75 is way too small no way...Don't follow trends just experiment
I skate alot of bowls, snake runs and ramps so a wider board is def better for me and makes me feel like i have way more control. Especially when pumping thru those corners and grinding the coping
Ben Degros its all in what your comfortable with, just like wheel size and trucks and grip. Thats what makes skateboarding so amazing..the variety the industry gives us
I remember going from 7.5 to 7.75 and being a heavier built person that really changed skating for me as I learned how to do tricks with the bigger board as with 7.5 I would always be unable to land perfectly balanced on the board as I’d be landing on just half my feet and if I don’t land perfectly balance then I can’t land anything but with the bigger board it helps you have generally more space to land regardless of foot position and now have way more control on landing things let alone controlling the board too
Zero still makes 7.625 , 7.75, 7.83. We have them in my shop. I started skating an 8 back in 99, moved onto 7.75, and eventually I stopped skating in 2008. By the time I started again, in 2011 - I had such a hard time finding 7.75!
I learned heelfips on a 7.5 went to a 7.75 and then bought an 8.0 and stayed. I can't go lower because the boards will flip to fast and I land feet barely on the board and bigger boards are just too much. All personal preference though.
Everybody has that trick that they are really good at, I am not super great at backside stuff, but have consistent clean treflips, and 360 double flips and I skate an 8.25, it’s crazy to see you always get them really good when going to a smaller size, I just find it interesting how different everyone skated
Ten years off a skateboard, and than I reestarted this year. I´m trying different setups to see what my body gets used to them. Started with 8.125, back to 8, now on 8.5. Each one have it´s pros and cons. But I´ll put an 7.75 setup together and see how thing goes. I have good memories and my best kickflips were on one of those, but I was ligther back then. let´s see how it will end. Will report later.
Really love how you go over various setups. Had I thought of this information in our heyday, probably would have prevented random months of mysterious trick loss and shit Ollie's lol.
Ben is such an influencer. From what I've seen there are lots of companies out there pressing 7.5" to 7.75" decks now. From shop decks to Toy Machine and April I've found 7.75" decks really easily.
flipping larger boards hurts my ankles.....I prefer 7.75 since the early 90's and still do......all my flip tricks are better on 7.75....I currently have a 8 inch deck and I hate it, I only got it because the shop here didnt have anything less, which was a bummer......I currently have a Alien Workshop 7.75 on order......great video!
using a power planer to get a skinnier board. i am astounded. it's almost like that one episode from spongebob, where patrick shaves spongebob round for his ghost costume.
I've gone from an 8 to 8.125 to finally trying 8.25, used to ride 10 down to 9 inches back in the 90s so anything under that is skinny to me lol. But looking for a happy medium of spin and stability.
Now i ride an 8.125 birdhouse, so long time i ride this size and this is werv good for EVERY tipe of skateboarding, but now this video makes me to try an 8 or skinnier board, I have at home an almost 20 years old tracker dart 129 trucks. And get a 51mm wheel, just for fun!
I've always rode 7.5-7.75 " so hard to find a decent 7.5" deck. Everything is in 8" or above. Back in my days in the 90s the largest were 8.1 or cruiser boards.
@@32srt32 I know dude .. Lucky for us in Europe... Mini Logo still makes some solid decks that are cheap and you can find them on basically any size you want
Are you a high school teacher?? You give off teacher vibes. Like a math teacher, scientist.. Professor.. A skate professor lol.. You would be the coolest high school teacher 👍😄
I average 8.5 but different shapes change that. Fuller boards can go down to 8.38 and tapered or early 90s style boards can go drastically up in size and still feel the same as an 8.5. 8.75 in an egg shaped deck is the same to me as an 8.5.
I used to skate a Carey Gets 7.5 habitat deck with low almost mid tensor trucks with the orange slider pads on them I like them decks that are more narrow
Great to see a fellow old guy (in skateboarding terms) getting back into it. Could you do a video on your ideal two board set up? I've been thinking about this a lot since I got back into skating.
I should have said, "what would be your ideal two board set up". As in how would the characteristics of the boards be different and how that might translate into deck shape, size, and wheelbase, truck hight/weight, wheel choice, etc. I've been surprised by the lack of info out there. Although I guess it wouldn't make a very good video if it was all hypothetical! Keep up the good work. Awesome videos!
Yeah good video. I have found I can get used to anything but there are massive differences between 8, 8.25 and 8.5-inch decks. Also I feel it’s very important to get the truck axle to match the deck width.
Good video..As much as I would like to get flip tricks easier..I'd rather go with the bigger deck.. I'm just now trying grinds and slides and I feel much more secure on a bigger nose and tail. I ride an 8in and I'm only 5'3"
I do frontside flips kinda like him, where it's just like a varial flip but the other way mixed with a 180. But I LOVE it when people frontside flip like really high and catch the flip facing forwards. That's the gnarliest looking trick of all time!!! Anyone know what i mean? Lol
So weird how size preferences change gradually and make a full circle like my older brother started skating when popsicles were like completely symmetrical with tiny tiny wheels and not so much concaving and stuff riding nothing but 7.5 then when I got into skating 7.75 was the gold standard with bigger but still small wheels but when skating started it was all giant over 8 inch boards with fish tail and pointed noses so you couldn’t really do nollie and nose tricks very well with giant wheels which in modern times things have reverted back to using bigger wheels for speed and shaped boards being the new cool thing such as companies like Welcome who really popularized and brought back the fish tail/ pointed nose style but still a popsicle board just the nose and tail slightly shaped.
What im thinking about is how is the difference between skinny and fat board on 5050 grinds on rails. And how is the difference between small and wider trucks when grinding 5050 grind on rails! Do the small trucks have better balance on 5050 grinds on rails.
Watch Ben's video called "where does your skateboard come from", he explains in that. I had a Girl deck back in the late 90s and loved it too! Used to watch Mouse on VHS over and over.
