My inside skateboard.

This is ridiculous, but you know.  Sometimes you need to skate over to the fridge for another beer or skate to that bathroom in the middle of the night.  Here is my new set up for that.

Cadillac Wheels that I have had forever, mostly because my floor is smooth and these are too small for me to ride a lot outside.  Also the slowest, cheapest, genericest bearings I had.  Mostly because I dont want to go to fast.  Its a tight turn between the bedroom and bathroom through the kitchen and the slowness will help me not crash into the refrigerator when half asleep.

GFH little trucks.  These things are adorable.

GLOBE!

Globe Traction pads on the top.  It took 2 to cover the whole thing.  Makes my feet less grumpy if I happen to be barefoot.

Flexdex Retrodex deck.  nice and short, but wide enough that there is no foot bite with the narrow wheels and trucks.

Silly or not, I now have a dedicated inside the house skateboard.  Awesome.

Anyone get a new skateboard for Christmas?

I havent gotten anything new for a while, I need some motivation.  If you got anything go to the forum www.plasticskateboarding.com and post some pics.

Plastic Skateboard Forum

plasticskateboarding.com/forum

I have been thinking about this for a while and a few commenters have mentioned it so I went ahead and made a little plastic skateboarding forum.

Anyone want to come join?  Its pretty much just me hanging out in there right now and I am having fun by myself, but everyone is welcome.  

And please, invite others who skate, start some threads, post some pics and make suggestions.  I will add whatever boards we need, if we get some people active in there it should be lots of fun.

I finally got a Creature RipRIder

My buddy Charlie sent me some pics of a skate shop he was in in California.  In a corner of the pic I thought I saw a Creature Rip Rider.  I have wanted one for a while, but have not seen them for sale anywhere a couple years.  I immediately called him back and asked him to obtain and mail it to me.  Charlie being an awesome guy did just that and it showed up today.  While I was waiting for it I looked around online and it seems that Creature re-released a limited number of them after not making them for 3 or 4 years.  I still have not seen for sale at any local shops or online.

My first impressions were that it looks really cool and looks like it will have wheelbite like crazy.  I took it for a ride around the neighborhood.  I was already thinking about what risers would look cool in it, but surprisingly it was not bad.  I tightened each truck 1/2 turn and could carve fairly tight without any bite.  

The Bullet trucks feel okay, I think this is the first set I have ridden so Ill hold my opinions until I get some more time in on them.  I will say that the bushings feel really good for stock bushings.  

The no name bearings and OJ IIIs felt awesome.  I like OJ wheels and the bearings felt smooth and fast for not even being broken in yet.  

The Coffin shape seemed just for style at first but after riding it is a really functional shape.  The wide part up front makes a comfortable platform with lots of leverage for such a small board.  

The deck is about 2" longer than a Penny and almost that much wider up front.  It feels noticeably bigger than the Penny when riding.  Its dimensions are more like the Globe Bantam but the Creature feels longer, probably because it tapers to be pretty narrow.  

The RipRider seems a little more flexy than the Penny, closer to the Bantam.  I am impressed with this board.  I can't wait to get some more time in on it.

For more discussion please check out plasticskateboarding.com/forum 

I hate when this guy is at the beach.

Although I do have to admit, I don't hate his mohawk.

Penny Vs. Stereo Vinyl Cruiser Comments

The comments act funny when there are over 200.  On the original Penny Vs. Stereo Vinyl Cruiser page ( http://libertyfl.blogspot.com/2011/12/penny-skateboard-vs-stereo-vinyl_27.html ) we have been over 200 for a while and I have been deleting 5-10 a week just to be able to see the new ones.

For more discussion please check out plasticskateboarding.com/forum 

Please Comment here if you want to comment on that page so I don't have to delete as many peoples posts over there.

Sorry this is a boring post, Im waiting on a buddy who picked me up a new board so as soon as it gets to me I promise a more interesting post (:

Thanks

Cut Down Bennett Vectors

#skateboarding #Pennyskateboards #Fishskateboards #Bennett #Vectors
The other day I finished my cut down Bennett Vectors.  I wanted some that would fit a Penny or Fish deck.  I have a purple Fish Skateboards deck that I think I will put them on but for now I threw this setup together because I wanted to ride them and didn't have the panhead hardware I wanted to use with them and the purple deck.

This setup is a Fish deck, the Vectors, cut down to have a 3" hanger and 6" axle, Penny wheels, Bones Reds and Riptide bushings.  It felt tall and tippy.  I feel like some less restrictive bushings will help that.  I already changed the Riptide chubbies and barrels to a set of medium nipples.  It feels much better, really quick.  I might even go softer with the bushings, at least in the front.

Kingsalojr from Instagram asked what tools I used so here we go.  I will say that I did not do this the easy way.  Better tools would make it easier, but I have done 3 sets of trucks this way so it works.  THe only things not in the photo are a Dremel, sharpie and a c-clamp.  Below is an idea of the steps I use.
1.  pound axles out of hangers with hammer(make sure they are pressed in axles, not cast in)
2.  cut axles and hangers down to size.  I have used the dremel for this in the past but I think it is just as easy and makes a nicer cut with the hacksaw.To get the hangers cut straight I put them in the vice and cut across the top of it.
3.  Hard part.  Threading the axles.  I taper the end of the axle with the dremel(if no dremel, use a file for this, will work the same just take a little longer) then put the axle in the vice really tight.  Then take the 5/16ths 24 tpi die and sweat and curse and lean and turn until I have about a half inch or so threaded.  I don't have one of those 2 handled wrenches for the die so I used a big c-clamp to make it easier to turn.
4.  With a file, I flatten and clean up the ends of the hangers.
5.  Pound hanger back in.
6.  Assemble truck, you are done.
Some of those steps might be a little over simplified but you get the idea.  As you can see, you cant get a much more haphazard set of tools to do this with than I do so this should be easier if you have access to some better stuff, but is completey doable with next to nothing.

Skateboarding is fun.

Cut Down Bennet Vectors in progress.

I want some Bennett Vectors that will fit on a Penny sized board.  The smallest they make are 4.25" hangers so I guess I have to make them.  I am in the process of cutting some down to make them have 3" hangers and 6" axles.

The other day I pounded out the axles and cut the hangers down to size.  That part was very easy.  then came the cutting and threading of the axles.  That was not so easy.  I have done this with 2 other sets of trucks.  I have cut down a set of Randals and a set of old school G&S trucks, both to about 110mm.  On both rethreading the axles wasn't easy, but I was able to do it by hand without too much trouble.  Not so with these axles in the Vectors.  I even went and bought a new die to see if that was the issue, but still couldn't get it.  I ordered some bar stock so I can make some from scratch and as soon as it gets here I am going to finish these up and see how they ride.

I will eventually use them both together, but I think I will pair one up front with a Midtrack in the back for a tiny slalom inspired setup and see how that feels for a while first.  

Now I am getting to excited to play with these, I hope that bar comes soon.

Penny Time Prize

@pennytimegame @pennyskateboard #pennytime #thanks

I have posted about Penny Time before, it is a very fun iPhone game.  It has only been out for a few months and already had a contest where you could win a real Penny for doing well in the game.  To get one of the Pennys we had to be in the top 15 scores for the contest level.  I barely squeaked by and was 14th in the first Penny Time Competition.  After a few verification steps, and a little wait on shipping and what not, I received my new Penny yesterday.  It was raining like crazy, but I still got across the street between bursts of rain to take some pics.  

Thank You Penny and Penny Time.

My current Penny is a 2011 model, so I was excited to get the 2012.

And it is a great color combination too.

I cant wait to get out and spend some time on it once this bad weather breaks.  

Thanks again Penny Time and everyone reading this should go grab their app.  Im not so good at video games and I just practiced a little bit and now have a brand new Penny.

Globe Bantam

It has been raining a lot here so I put some new grip tape on my Globe Bantam yesterday.  It didn't take as long as I thought to cut the edges along the decks pattern.  I had this idea for a while and kept putting it off.  I like how it turned out.

For more discussion please check out plasticskateboarding.com/forum 

Holes

To fit standard old school drilled trucks like Tracker Midtracks on a Stereo Vinyl Cruiser, Fish Skateboard or a Penny, there is a little drilling that needs to be done.  Some people say they have been able to just force the bolts through, but I have not experienced this, I have drilled all mine.  

A comment on another post asked for some pics of the holes drilled.  Here they are.

The Left is the stock hole.  Right is the drilled hole.  As you can see, we are not drilling a whole new hole, just opening up one side of the existing hole because the standard mounting hole pattern is just a little bit longer than the Penny / Vinyl / Fish mounting pattern.

This opens up our choice of trucks to anything really narrow and drilled for old school mounting.

Penny Grip Tape

The other day I picked up a piece of the Penny grip tape that I have seen around lately.

It was a little pricy at the local shop, but looking around its not very expensive online.

Penny has a cool idea, marking the bottom in a diamond pattern so you can cut out shapes that will match the diamond pattern of the deck

I finally got around to putting it on today.

Before anything else, I had to stencil and spray paint my dogs logo on it for good measure.

The old grip came off easy.  Usually I will leave the deck in the sun for a little while to soften up the grip to make it easier to peel off.  That wasn't necessary on the Penny, I guess because there is just less surface area for it to stick to.  I had Jessup on the deck previously, and it did leave a little stick residue behind, no big deal its getting covered right away again.

The pre-cut holes didn't match up perfectly, but for the ease of not having to take the trucks off to apply grip tape, I can live with that.  I will update after a few weeks of riding when I have a feel for how well it grips and holds up.

Huge Penny Sticker

How cool is this...

It is life sized.  I just don't know where to put it.  The nice guys at Shoreline Skate Shop hooked me up with it after I had a long conversation about plastic skateboards with them.   

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Shoreline-Skate-Shop/208842342528169 

If you are in the Redington Shores area, check them out, they have a bunch of Pennys and Nickels there.

Penny Vs. Globe Bantam Vs. Nickel

Because there is a crazy storm over florida now I haven't been able to skate or take any photos for a few days.  So here are some old ones that i took around the time I got the Globe Bantam and never got around to posting.  Just some comparison pics of a Penny, a Globe Bantam and a Nickel.  THere is more detail on my thoughts on the Bantam on this post:  

http://libertyfl.blogspot.com/2012/05/penny-vs-globe-bantam-vs-stereo-vinyl.html

and a lot more detail on my thoughts about the Penny and Nickel in lots of posts.

All three are fun.  Since this pic, I have switched the Nickel's trucks over to 100mm Surf Rods and put Penny Wheels on it, just like the Penny.  This has made it ride just about perfect for me.  I have also swapped out the Bantams trucks a few times and am having trouble finding something just right.  I have Ace 00s hangers in Indy baseplates now and they are okay, but its still just not there yet.  

I did put a sheet of grip tape on the Globe as well.  I am of the opinion that grip tape is needed on any of these plastic skateboards.  Everyone I get I try it for a while without and it never feels right.  I do ride the Penny and Nickel more than the Bantam so far, but who knows if that will change when I find the perfect trucks for the Bantam.  

Penny Vs. Globe Bantam Vs. Stereo Vinyl Cruiser Vs. Fish Skateboards

For more discussion please check out plasticskateboarding.com/forum 

My thoughts after exactly one week of having the Globe Bamtam and much more weeks of having the 3 other boards.

From Left to Right: Penny Skateboard, Globe Bantam, Stereo Vinyl Cruiser, Fish Skateboard

The decks of the Penny, Stereo and Fish are all very similar.  The Bantams differences are pretty big in comparison.  The Globe is bigger, 6.5x23.5 vs the others 22.5x6.  It feels bigger that the difference in the number suggest to me, maybe because it tapers less towards the tail.  I have read elsewhere that the Bantam was stiff.  I do not find this to be the case.  I found the Bantam to be the most flexy, followed by the Penny and the Stereo and Fish to be the stiffest.  A factor is that the Globe has a little longer wheelbase, not by much though,  Most of the extra length on the Globe is in the nose and tail.  

The grip pattern is unique, but after riding it to the beach a few times and riding it home with wet shoes it will still need a sheet of grip tape before too long.  

I feel like the trucks are the biggest difference between these stock.  The slant trucks are pretty standard new school trucks, just narrowed to fit the board.  Much better in my opinion than the Penny or Stereo versions.  The Penny and Stereo boards did come with more appropriate bushings though.  The Slant trucks on the Bantam came with what I believe are 94a bushings.  These feel a lot stiffer than I would normally ride on a cruiser like this.  That will probably be the first thing I replace on the Bantam as I keep riding it.

The Bantams wheels I really like also .  They are a little wider, bigger, 62mm and harder, 83a than the Penny or Stereo.  I have been riding 62mm wheels on the Stereo and they might be my favorite size right now so these wheels are just about perfect.  The photos show them vs. wheels that come stock on a Stereo Vinyl cruiser.  Both good sized wheels if a little different.  The slightly harder Globes fit my preferences better though.

The bearings seem pretty good so far also, Im not sure if I will be swapping them out once I start to upgrade the Bantam.  

Hardware is standard, I was a little surprised that the Globe came with risers.  1/4"

This is the only board of the 4 with risers, the wheels are a little bigger, but with the hardness of those bushings a don't know if they are needed.  I may leave them on because I will go to much softer bushings, but I will probably try with out too for a while.

More thoughts to come as I get more time in riding the new board.

For more discussion please check out plasticskateboarding.com/forum