Gear for Classic Style
Boards and gear used for classic style longboarding projects
Walking tricks, Reef: Lines, Drop Knee Tribute
Project Dates: 1999 - 2007
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Gravity Hardwood 54" and 48" boards
Showing stock traction paper placement and custom foam rubber tail brake pad and tape reinforcement
For the classic style, the skateboard you use must be long and heavy in order to simulate the feel of a longboard turn. I would suggest starting with a 48" wooden board. It can have some flex, but leave the kicked tail and any other modern features and purchase a flat, surfboard shaped board that is nice and wide. The kicked (or rockered) tail would make it easier to turn, but that's not necessarily desirable. You want some resistance. For surf classic style skating, a big flat board will force you to smooth out your style.
When I started working on my cross stepping and longboard surf based style, I had a 48" board, the Gravity Hardwood 48. After a few months of riding it, I found it to be too short. I wanted to be able to take two long steps or four short steps to the nose, and I was cramped on the 48. I also wanted more weight for more swing and glide. The 48 is no longer made, but Gravity now has a 50. This I think is too short as well.
The board used in most of my classic style projects is the Gravity Hardwood Classic 54". This is the board you see in the surf style, drop knee, footwork, and wide slide projects. The weight is 11 pounds complete.
Gravity Hardwood 54
Trucks and wheels
The wheel set up is pretty stock. Trucks are stock, Tracker B-2s. Wheels are 66mm, 78 duro. Risers are 1" high, non-angled. Wheel bite is minimal. There are wheel wells on the Grav 54.
Surf style modifications
Truck set up
I made a couple of modifications to the stock board. Usually, I have the rear trucks very loose while the front trucks are tight. The rear trucks actually have some play around the bushings. The front bushings are snug. There is a noticeable change in feel as you walk toward the nose with this set up. It gets stable when you get off the tail.
Tail skid
I stuck an adhesive foam wedge shaped kicktail underneath the tail. Then I trimmed it so it's the same shape as the tail. I put some strong tape, actually film gaffer's tape, to help hold it on. You can see the shape and angle of the tail pad in the picture.
If you're trying to figure out what I mean by a kick tail, I think they carry them in most skateboarding stores for about $8. Most skaters put these things on the deck at the tail so their foot won't slip off when wheelie-ing or ollying. My purpose for putting it underneath is so I can fully weight the tail. I drag the tail all the time and don't want to scrape the wood away. I use the skid to turn quick and also as a brake! It slows the board just like a rollerblade heel brake.
Permacel P665 Gaffer's Tape, Nitto Denko Co.
I use gaffer's tape for all kinds of purposes, from surfboard repair to reinforcing skateboards to sticking cushions underneath skateboard tails. One gaffed modification on the wooden tail has lasted almost three years. It's amazing stuff, a quality product. It's not cheap, but it's worth it.
Grip Tape or Traction paper
The Grav classics come with two strips down the length on either side of the stringer, as you can see from the picture at the top of the page.
As I got into complex board walking I needed a more customized placement of traction paper. There's traction paper at the tail and nose, and several patches on the sides up the middle where I put my feet.
With the back foot placed on the patch on the tail, the patch pattern represents a diagonal placement of the front foot in narrow tail stance, normal stance, wide stance, and extra wide stance. It can also be looked at as a placement of a narrow stance and three cross steps after, stepped right next to each other. Taping your board this way can make it possible to feel where you are on the board, so you don't have to look down at your feet.
The board has a lot of traction paper on it but enough of the wood shows to make it look nice. A little gaffer's tape under the nose is added to minimize nose wear from nose wheelies and nose kick turns.
Shoes
Rebok sneakers, black
I used really ordinary shoes for the classic style boardwalking projects. You don't have to use skateboarding shoes for classic style, because you're not ollieing or landing airs. I just wanted a sturdy shoe that would have some grip but would also allow me to pivot on the board. The shoe should not be wide like a running shoe. You will trip on wide shoes when walking on a skateboard, where space is much less generous than on a longsurfboard.
Tennis or basketball shoes work well. You might try high tops, as the extra support may help you stand on one foot easier.
Pads and wrist guards
Triple Eight Helping Hands padded gloves
World Wide Sports Triple Eight glovesEarly on, I used wrist guards like Rollerblade guards. Problem is, the wrist guard splint bends your wrist back, which doesn't look so great when you're doing arm and finger styling. You want to be able to relax your fingers. Later on I switched to gloves with padding. Triple Eight Helping Hands, shown in the picture alongside, is a good example of this type of glove.
Triple Eight wrist guards
Blades home page Search for pads and wrist guards here.For these projects, I practiced with wrist guards and used padded gloves or wrist guards for the shoots. Much of these turning and walking tricks are done at medium speed and are not as dangerous as ramp, slalom, or downhill longskating. Nevertheless, wearing padding for these sessions is a good idea. Wrist guards can save your whole body in a fall.
I like to wear at least one wrist guard on my right hand as a minimum. It is best to use splinted guards if you fall often or if the board tends to shoot out from under you.
Winter clothing for classic style
Patagonia synthetic under clothing
In the winter shoots I used polypro shirts. Sometimes I use polypro underneath a Hawaiian print shirt for style and warmth. That combination works well unless it's really cold.
In the Brooklyn Banks shoot, you can see I'm wearing a Hawaiian shirt with a Patagonia blue polypro undershirt. This combination was perfect for protection from the bad combination of sweat and cold. Also the splash of color underneath the button down shirt gives it a different style.
