Who here does both skateboarding and unicycling? I’ve been looking into getting involved with it. Any tips on boards, trucks wheels, etc? Do you that engage in both enjoy skateboarding or unicycling more? Why?
Just some questions haha. (:
I don’t skate myself but I know a lot about it. Matty Porter must skate a bit because he (almost) tre flipped while holding a unicycle…
Yes I do both. and love both. Get a longboard and just mellow out cruising your neighbourhood. It’ll compliment your uni riding perfectly.
I love to longboard, but I haven’t done it much since I got into unicycling. I should. Longboarding is a lot of fun. I also skated when I was younger. When it comes to skating, you want lightweight, small-ish, hard wheels. Also, I recommend bones reds bearings. They are extremely good for their price. Trucks come in different widths and heights with different bushing hardness. It’s all about preference. But, your trucks should outlast many different boards, a few sets of bearings, and maybe a set of wheels, so choose a good pair. And go name brand, and buy from a skate shop. Otherwise, you’ll get crap.
I used to skate ALOT. I stopped though because unicycling is more fun (in my opinion). If you’re looking into longboards Original Skateboards is a great company. If it’s anything else though I would recommend Element Skateboards, (that is, trucks, weels, and boards). I have ridden lots of decks, but Element is the best.
I forgot to mention that have a pretty nice longboard that I assembled myself to be of good quality and really inexpensive. It’s a Bustin ‘Spliff’ deck with 180mm Randal II trucks, Bones Reds bearings, some decent Sector 9 wheels my friend gave me, and soft Khiro bushings. I mostly use it to get to the highschool down the street to unicyle. I just wheel my unicycle along side me while holding the saddle handle and cruise down the street. There aren’t really any good hills in my neighborhood but it’s fun when the streets are wet to do some small power slides.
I love skating. 
Been doing it for eleven years now, and (much like unicycling) I never wanna stop. 
My favorite kind of skating is difinitely freestyle because it requires quite a bit of balance, coordination, and focus. (just like with unicycling) If you wanna see me skate, here is the only skate video i have ever made. 
Skating is a great source of inspiration for unicycling. For example, street unicycling has been around for only about 11 years, while street skating has been around for 30+ years. I still feel like we unicyclists have a lot of catching up to do. For example, when we gonna see a half-cab flip into grind on a handrail? Hmmm?
But anyways, back to skating. Basically anything from a standard skateshop should be great for a beginner. Indepenent makes good strong trucks. Bones makes great bearings. Your board should be just a bit narrower than your feet. I like to have the trucks line up with the width of your board. Remember that trucks take a bit of time to break in, so if they feel sloppy at first, its normal. If you are going to ride loose trucks, big wheels are not a good idea, although riser pads can solve that problem. Knee and elbow pads are not a terrible idea either. (i never use them anymore, but i used to all the time.) When riding, keep weight centered over the board, and don’t push mongo. Its a bad habit to get into.
I unicycle just as much as I skate, and love both equally.
Longboarding! It looks like so much fun too. I’m wanting to get into that too, and, like jojoxie said, just mellow out. For sure.
Eleven years? Woah. That’s intense. Haha. Yeah, I totally see myself loving both of them too! You’re video is pretty sick by the way.
The tips on geting a board are great, I totally appreciate it. I was talking to one of my friends that skateboards and she said I should get an ATM deck with Phantom 2 trucks. Thoughts on that?
I’ve been skating since 1966 and am currently training for longboard marathons. I got back into unis for the ability to get a gentle workout on days between hard workouts on the longboard. Skating and uni riding compliment each other well. Long distance push skating is a great workout and is is much more enjoyable to me than running.
Chosing a board will depend on how you want to skate. I prefer long distance push, carving and reasonable downhill. I’d be happy to give a recommendation if you like similar disciplines.
Check out www.centralparklongboarder.com - this guy has an interesting site.
Phantom 2 trucks are really good. They were my first trucks, and although I never really use them anymore because they are too small, they still roll and turn beautifully. Ive never owned an ATM deck, but i tried one once for a few minutes, and i liked it. Couldn’t find anything wrong with it. It’s a solid board.
Ahh so you use it like a source for working out. Awesome.
Hmm. I may have to go check out a skate shop! Haha.
I have another question. How much would it cost for me to get a decent beginner board? I looked into it some and by custom building one it was looking like $100. Is that normal? Or should I just get a cheaper already made one since I’m beginning?
You are not going to get a decent new longboard setup for $100. Check out Criagslist - lots of used stuff for good prices.
I’m actually going to get a skateboard now, and a longboard in a few months.
I would definitely go with the custom one. Pre-made ones normally are made entirely by one company, and that company may be very good at making decks, but is rarely good at making trucks or wheels or another part of the board. If you want a quality skateboard that will last you a while, custom is definitely the way to go.
And yes, 100 dollars is normal for a beginner board.
Well, I went down to my skateshop and I was looking at from $130-$150 for a board. Money I don’t have haha. So my dad talked me into just getting a very beginner-like complete from a different place. The deck and trucks are pretty good, the wheels are okay but the bearings suck. So I’m just gonna get some Bones Red bearings to replace them. It’s a lot of fun though!
When I turned 16 my mother said I should give up skateboards cause they are only for kids.34 years on I’m still skating.
john