New at Slalom. Please help! ^^

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Calum Yardley
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Joined: Sun Nov 19, 2017 9:41 pm

New at Slalom. Please help! ^^

Post by Calum Yardley » Sun Nov 19, 2017 9:56 pm

Hey everyone, I'm totally new here haha.
I've always been impressed by slalom but always stayed doing downhill longboarding for over 5 years now, and I think its time to do something new over here.
I'm actually from Spain, just so you know when giving me other options to buy.

I saw this slalom complete board (http://www.pogo.biz/en/longboard-slalom-weazle-81.html) and I really like it, it has wheelbase from 18 to 22 inches and it comes with front bennett truck 110mm and rear RTS tracker 106mm with abec 11 ZigZag 70mm (pink and lemon, wich I think they are 83a and 78a) it also includes the wedges and griptape, bearings and nuts and bolts. I am not sure about the wheels though, maybe a bit bigger ones? And is this board good for starting? If it isnt which would you recommend me? I would also like to use the slalom board as a fun short downhill board as I did on this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GCS9oiFu1A) with a 16 inch wheelbase at near 80km/h haha

Besides that board/set up I've been looking for a similar set up for a friend of mine, although he would need to go as cheap as possible really but I'm still trying to get a slalom set up, not getting a cruiser board and done or a skateboard. So I came with this set up:
Board: Sk8kings Lynn Kramer Pro Model OR Olson & Hekmati SC85
Trucks: Same as mine. Tracker RTS 106mm for rear and Bennet 110mm for front.
Wheels: Same as mine too. Abec11 ZigZag 70mm Pink and lemon.
And some normal griptape, screws and bearings. Also 2 6º wedge pads for the back truck and front maybe, depending on how much the tail rises.

Is it all good for us to start trying slalom out?? Any opinions and/or tips?


Hope everything is good, cause we really would like to get on with it ASAP haha

Thanks in advanced!

Jani Soderhall
ISSA President 2011-2024
ISSA President 2011-2024
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Re: New at Slalom. Please help! ^^

Post by Jani Soderhall » Tue Nov 21, 2017 11:15 am

Hi Calum,

Good that you got some response on your post of FB.
With quite an active slalom community in Spain - at least in Madrid you should be able to get into contact with some Spanish riders too!

Bennet and Tracker RTX/RTS is what we all used for a starter, but now all the slalomers competing actively are using CNC cut precision trucks. The precision trucks are great but a bit expensive. If you're hooked on slalom you may want to upgrade at a later stage.

As for the wheels, it's pretty much what everyone uses. The 70 mm ZigZags are probably the most popular wheels at the races, so size is just right. Then I think you're right also to aim for the softer ones as you get started. That's more comfortable for everyday riding.

Have fun!

/Jani

Maria Carrasco
SK8KINGS - ISSA Vice President
SK8KINGS - ISSA Vice President
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Re: New at Slalom. Please help! ^^

Post by Maria Carrasco » Wed Nov 22, 2017 4:48 am

Hi Calum - Glad you are reaching out here and welcome to the slalom racing world.

We (at Sk8Kings) have been helping get new racers up to speed for many years now (along with keeping the current World Champions at the top of their game) and have complete solutions that are custom built for the rider - arriving ready to ride out of the box. We have two base versions of our completes - Ultimate and Woody. The Ultimate version features our carbon fiber composite construction decks along with the higher end build (features Oust Moc 5 bearings and premium bushings) and the Woody version features our all hard rock maple micro lam construction decks with Bones Mini-logo bearings and standard grade bushings. Both versions come stock with Bennett 4.3 front truck and Randal 125mm rear truck and our composite glass core Turbo wheels. Our Woody version completes are the most budget friendly at $189.99 -- and as mentioned above we have this for each of our pro series models -- Joe McLaren, Richy Carrasco and Lynn Kramer -- along with our Axe III and Maximus models too. Of course, there are upgrade options available on these builds which you can customize to suit your preferences and budget. Our website is being completely redesigned but you can still check out the full selection of completes here: http://bit.ly/2jdWams

We do ship to Spain and I can quote you specifically if you contact me at maria@sk8kings.com. Shipping two completes together can be more economical so keep that in mind. Look forward to hearing from you and happy to help.

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