When Wheelbase Matters

[@JuicyGodzilla]

We didn't know any of this in the 90's. We dealt with whatever setup we happened to have, none the wiser.

[@markprice2225]

I was lucky to get trucks from a sponsored skateboarder that fit the width of my Vision double kick back in the early 90s, 93 prolly. The trucks that were on it before were bad bro. Wheels too, and I had to ride em for a while after too. 51mm were like vert 🛞

[@tikotiko5328]

I have the 9.5 egg. It’s amazing!! So comfortable to ride. Kickflips are even easier. lol. Popsicles feel so silly to me after writing my egg. Never going back.

[@thorgoodlife1865]

I’m 6’6” with a size 15 shoe. Professor Schmitt’s episode made me realize that my whole skateboard life, I’ve been riding too short of boards. So, after much searching, I about have it dialed in. I have a 33” 8.5” popsicle with a 16” wheelbase. Three matching 33” 9” directional (early 90s kind of fish shape) boards that I re-drilled the front trucks from 15” to 16” wb. And I just got a Dog Town longboard (made by PS Stix) that I rounded the nose and re-drilled the front trucks from 18” to 17” wb. Hallelujah!

[@Keprion]

6'6 size 13 with a 8.75" x 32.9" board Just started and it works decently well, got the ollie within 2 hours!

[@fuckmyego]

can i ask where you got the 8.5 pop with the 16" wheelbase? sounds heavenly.

[@robertblackmore703]

Damn. I was complaining about my size 12 feet… I was not comfortable back in the day when the boards got below 8 inches… did you run any of those 7.5 boards? Must of felt like balancing on a ruler.

[@ST3PH3N89]

This guy lies about his shoe size and beats off stalefish, can't do a real one in the air tho.

[@m_ism]

This is something that I think Creature does better than like any other company in the industry (at least for 8.0 and up). Al Partanen is the biggest shape nerd I've ever seen and they'll consistently offer like the same width with 2-3 wheel bases, and some get real short

[@zipfps4622]

havent skated since 2012 ish. Hearing that a size 8 is the new 7.5 is insane. I remember riding my friends 8 and it felt soooo big.

[@Skankhunt-hl9zj]

I definitely feel you on that I remember one of my friends bought an 8.5 back when 7.75-8.0 was the norm and a few years later I went to 8.25 skated better than I ever have and I took a few year break because of life things and now I just ordered an 8.38 and an 8.5 because they feel great. Now 8s feel way too small almost un skateable.

[@zipfps4622]

@@Skankhunt-hl9zj so interesting, I was thinking about buying a board again but have no idea what size to go with. I used to skate 7.75 but not sure

[@pneuma6421]

​@@zipfps4622 get an 8, you'll be comfortable

[@WolfKrime33]

​@@zipfps46228.5 it's magical

[@sr7olsniper]

I ride 8.75 or 10 from the old school ones. Depends on your size Im a big and tall dude, anything bellow 8.5 i might as well be riding a toothpick.

[@adamschwartz1677]

I’m 6’4 I wear a size 14 shoe 230 pounds i street skate mainly ledges and rails. I realized for tall people with big feet like mine 14.5 too 15inch wheel base is beautiful. I ride 9.13 Andy Anderson flight deck with 54mm or 52mm wheels. 166 or 169 independent trucks are great but Indy’s slightly shorten wheel base so have that in mind or if you want 8.75 truck on the 9inch board that works well too Thunder trucks sit further away from each other unlike Indy’s doing the opposite. For you tall riders looking for a street setup go with Indy’s because the slight shorter wheel base will help with flip tricks for transition throw on some thunders but overall they both will work great with just miner tweaks.

[@connorappleby]

Short, wide boards with a 14” wheelbase changed my life 🏄‍♂️

[@alecolson9169]

Does the shorter wheelbase make it easier when it comes to flip tricks? Really thinking about making the jump

[@botapatineta]

@@alecolson9169 it does, right now im riding a Santa cruz 7.8 x 31 and it has a 13.5 wheelbase...Even tho I always skate 7.75, I find this one easier to flip it just because of the shorteness of the wheelbase (and not from the width of the board as I used to think)....Also take in consideration your weight..Im a short and thin kind of guy, so with a board like that I've got a quick response from flip tricks....

[@Tfujis]

Kelly’s mind melted at 6:07 😂

[@souperdave2009]

66 Bullets ...Too fast 🔥

[@arcvigaming8198]

As someone who is 6'8" and a size 13 shoe, long wheelbases are a godsend!

[@0verfiend]

I had @ set of 38mm from the hot spot. The owner warned me they were too small. I didn’t care. I rocked them. 1993/94 small deck, small teen.

[@BOARDPUSHING.]

Doesn’t matter the size, if the wheelbase is 14.25” 👌🏼

[@shayne.7770]

Lmao I rode a 9 inch creature with a 15 wheelbase for awhile

[@PatchesOHoulihan-hi2tb]

Dave Navarette deck?

[@dneck]

love 15" wheelbases. esp on a 8.75 to 9. I'm tall. i buy so many boards too. like i have more than i need so these guys are missing out

[@andrewkaminskas7721]

still ride 7.75 and venture lows after 20 years

[@keethums]

A refined gentleman of honor and valor. Or a stubborn bastard. Either way, cheers 😂 🎉 🍻

[@patrickthies8683]

hope you got that golden hardware too my dude.

[@EnjoiSweatshopMoney]

Same. With 48mm wheels like the 90s intended.

[@DeadHandX]

Respect!

[@johneapleseed6876]

Awake is the only way to be

[@lamambas9390]

went through this dilemma a few weeks ago. all 8.25 boards have a 14.25 wheelbase but wanted to try something wayyy shorter than that. Found an Anti-Hero true fit mold that has a 13.8 WB and it skates like a charm. Feels a bit stubby but you can really control it better than a standard 14.5/14.75 WB

[@darkwingduck7212]

Primitive and April have 14 inch wheelbases on their 8.25 decks

[@vancouverbill]

Real makes some sub 14 inch wheel bases.. I'm 6ft and it felt super restricted to me but I can see the appeal of a smaller swing weight for sure

[@namcox40]

since i skate thunders, 14.25 to 14.5 always felt a little heavy sided when popping and i guess that's because thunder trucks set the axle far back so it makes a 14.25 board feel like a 14.5 or something. Definitely going to try a 14 inch WB deck to see if it will be the perfect it

[@TheLuckyone760]

14-14.25 is perfect. Length to me is just about important as WB. A board that feels too long is shit.

[@skait174]

I'm 6'3/Size 15 shoe (US), but my my legs are shorter. I tried wider boards, and they felt better, but my skating suffered and i didn't understand. Turns out i prefer a wb around 14.5, and wider boards usually came w/ 15. It's not in your head, a fraction of an inch MATTERS. I just copped what i THINK my dreamboard would be: a 9.89 Knox Punk deck w/ Cruz Missile concave and 14.25wb 😍 However, i do prefer wider wb for hills, so i love my 10in Lucero w/ 15.5wb, even tho i can't do flatground as easily on it. 😏 Build a quiver tho kids. Try it all and figure out what works best for what kind of sk8n u're doin 💪🏾👍🏾

[@kevinmorrice]

im a 9.75 inch with my roskopp face reissue, thing rides like a dream, almost identical size and shape to the cheap board i had as a kid in the 90s

[@mattanderson6457]

Im 32. I’m only 5’6 and wear a 9 shoe and even I ride an 8.25 nowadays. Way better in my opinion. I can’t imagine going back

[@RatSewage]

Similar age and size here and I went from 7.75 as a teen, to 8 in my late 20's, to 8.25 a couple months ago, to an 8.75 egg recently, and the egg is the best board I've ever skated. All of my flip tricks improved and I love having the extra space for my feet to land/catch the board. 14.25 WB

[@freerunner02]

30 5'6 and 3/4 lol size 9.5 and ride a 8 almost wanted to get a 7.75 or 7.5 see how easy it would be to throw around but I went up because I landed primo too much rolled my ankles alot when I was younger and seemed to help and I stopped jumping off of stuff kickers and stuff

[@RIPTurhaAKACryptidHunter]

I love how he answers questions on Instagram comments. I just randomly told what I'm riding and what I'm thinking of buying and he just answered 😂

[@AlexNiedt]

8.25" width + 14" WB feels pretty perfect to me now, and I skated 7.75" or 7.88" for a couple decades

[@joshhathaway7853]

I grew up skating between 02-10 in a small town but none of the skaters including me ever thought about all this. There was no internet and I don’t ever remember seeing articles in the magazines talking about all the different sizes.

[@memorysometimers3067]

Same here dude. Started around ‘97. Was given advice by a shop owner on how to pick a board. Just set it on the ground and stand on it. If it feels right then it’s the one. Also to never pick a board based on thee graphics because they’ll be erased in a couple days. 🙃

[@MikeMuellnerMD]

I briefly Went to 8.25. Now I’m back on 7.75 with puffy OG Accels. it just feels right 😅

[@kenosabi]

When I first started skating in the 2000s as a teenager the boards were tiny. I remember people regularly riding 7.5 some even 7.25. Crazy narrow boards. Got back into it recently and bought an 8.5. Honestly it's nice. I'm not a giant nor do I have huge feet but I am a chunky bro. The board just feels more sturdy. Even just riding feels better. It's definitely a couple inches longer then I used to ride as well.

[@sonnyrico]

Ive been riding an creature 8.5 for a long time then jumped on an egg 9. I was amazed on how more good it felt vs the long wheel base

[@cheputydief7317]

Love how DLX makes True Fit boards, 8.25 with a 13.88 wheelbase

[@sallgood4461]

Current setup is the new creature Stubbs 8.0, 30.5 “ length, 13.25 wheelbase. Skate them with 52 spits and venture lows. It’s crazy what a difference. Night and day. I’m 5’0, 106 lbs and have been skating for like 20 years. My whole life I’ve been trying to find a wider board with a shorter length and wheelbase because I’d watch my friends be able to do tricks that seemed impossible for me. After watching the professor episode i bought one of shecks sandlot times smalls boards but it was just a half inch short (maybe bc I wasn’t used to it) but I kept going off the front. But I noticed such a difference in how high I was popping. I searched everywhere to find a board in the middle and found the creature Stubbs models they just started making. Literally landed tre flip for the first time. Catching higher. Stuff I couldn’t do with a 7.5 duck bc they were still 31 inches. Just wow. Amazing to me that the industry seems to only just recently be catching on. Go on any site and you won’t find a board under 13.75 wheelbase unless it’s a mini

[@Sktdez]

8.25 crew

[@urdad9853]

I remember riding a Wes Humpston Dog Town board that I think was 12" wide with Tracker fulls and Alva wheels....of course this was 44 yrs ago

[@skatermark420]

775 is my sweet spot. but currently on a 8 because it was on sale lol. but i forever run thunder trucks i did get bigger wheels this time around and its a learning curve slows flip tricks down allot but i am starting to like it allot. I am also the kinda rider who has white bushings the hardest you get can and have my trucks as tight as possible for ramp riding and high speeds lol

[@SweetAndSourPlums]

I remember skating with FOS when the heroin team came to my local park; this must’ve been somewhere between 2010 - 2012. We were doing grind on grinds together. Rad dude; super nice.

[@0verfiend]

I just found out the magic of soft wheels and cheap ceramic bearings, and I just can’t believe the roll. I’m 42. But yeah, 29 years ago I was riding hard 38s.

[@Adam-wt5id]

I just got a 8.31 after starting back up on 8 and it basically feels exactly like 8.25. I put my indy hollows from the 8 on it and to keep it light and it feels great. Im getting older and the bigger board is definitely more comfortable

[@MenekiNekoMusic]

Skated Tampa Am for a number of years Element was hooking up boards and was able to pick my boards every month which gave me the opportunity to grab 5 of my regular 7.625 X 32 and 3 more that I'd experiment with. Over the years 7.6 went to 7.825 then 8.25.. but had to be 32 in length. They would call me the nollie-lama. Ha just checked, and my SPOT profile is still up. A couple photos on their nollie back noseblunt the small rail DamnAm Costa Mesa. Had a clip of a nollie bigspin back tail down the rail at SPOT filmed by.. filmer Sara, I believe, but no longer available.

[@toneloke454]

Anywhere we can see footage of this? Sounds epic. I skated a 7.5x31, sometimes a tad bit longer but always 7.5. I fixated on that width for about 11 years, and now I skate a 8-8.25 on the street, and I skate a 8.9 egg board for bowl and mini ramp. Still gotta be no more than 31.5-32 inches long though, and wheelbase has to be 14-14.125 only

[@mofeece7256]

I had a samta cruz jaya bonderov slick topless girl graphic, pretty sure it had 39mm wheels - started on a vision john grigley with 62mm 92a slimeballs

[@mosmith3026]

Just set up an 8.0 FA KB with Indy 144's with Bones hard bottom and medium top bushings, 53mm FF wheels I loved the Dragon Formula but never tried FF so I wanted to compare. Been riding Bones wheels since Darkstar wheels died

[@taneltolsting2900]

Wider board means it's easyer to push it into wheelbite as well. Having 8.5 and + decks with low trucks = you'll need those smaller wheels with wheelwells.

[@therapscallion23]

damn... I am not a skater but I am now interested despite my age of late 30s. I am surprised that skaters cam go crazy about this "size chasing" just like "tone chasing" in music.

[@dreamjackson5483]

I like to mix it up. The more variance in skating the better

[@jadizzlemyniz]

I ride 7.87 lol . I feel Kelly 100%

[@B0SC0E]

Best size

[@emersonwozniak]

That is the reason i love heroin boards. Theyre bigger boards with a 14.125 to 14.6 wheelbase, which is what most bigger boards should be! 15 WB can feel like a longboard

[@Oldmonstrosityshop]

100%. I want 8.6 with a 14wb.

[@hvdd96]

Sounds great! Popsicle or shaped?

[@PaguroGhiliottino]

the problem with wide decks is flip in and flip out of slides and grinds! i start ride 8.75 to be able to skate transition and street! but 8.75 has longer wheelbase! this make me strugle with flip tail and flip out in general! with 8.5 with shorter wheel base i can do flip bs tail slide at 1st no problem!....the question is not´´ what size you like?´´ but what trik you need to do? to feel confotable on your board some times you need wide and longer deck and some times you need a standard street size or smaller deck like freestylers! i thik if you use just for ride you can put truks on a guitar and skate ! but if you need for some specific trik or spot, the size of your setup can mean if you land or not the trik!

[@jasonb993]

14" wheelbase gang

[@tracphonevirtualmagazine]

I like a 9.25 to 14 inch wheelbase.

[@AustinGarvelink]

My situation is 7.125" long... so I got that going for me.

[@guitarwi3rdo]

I prefer a 9+ deck with a 15+ wheelbase. That being said, I'm 6'3 with a size 16 shoe, so yeah, I kinda need it lol

[@hawkhughes8648]

I use to skate 7.5 to 7.75. my neighbor had an old skateboard that was wide. I tried it out and loved it. my homie aka bro that was a manager at the skate shop back then, I told him to give me an 8. He's like an 8? That's big. Years later he told me I started the big board trend in my city. I thought that was awesome that I started that trend in my city

[@MrJuice315]

We're slowly but surely getting back to the late 80s early 90s size and shapes and they are SO much better than popsicles! I grew up skating in the late 90s/2000s and the first board I rode was my older brothers old Steve Cab Powell Peralta late 80s board. Right when they started to have a little kick up on the nose. Then I rode everything from 7.5-8.25 as a little kid. As I started going back up in size I got better and better. Learning to 360 flip on a 8in board when you're like 12-13 and 5'3 was a struggle though! Had to muscle the shit outta it!

[@DunXstan]

33.25 long 15” wheelbase 9” wide Is perfection.

[@memorysometimers3067]

Yikes. Sounds like Neen’s double nose.

[@hvdd96]

You must be tall. I’m only 5”7 so if you change the length and wheelbase to much shorter and that’s legit for me..maybe like 9x31x13.9

[@61936]

Anti hero ?

[@mr.jamster8414]

7:12 I feel called out

[@mr.jamster8414]

Got a 10" Double-Kick Pig with a 14" Wheelbase and 50mm wheels I've gotten down to about 48, and that's my favourite setup, and then most of my other skateboards have 60mm wheels.

[@williamcanizalez3429]

8.5 all day

[@jann470]

8.0 with 14wb but going to a different deck with 14.25 next week, wish me lucky 😂😂😂

[@demon_3x]

31.75x8.25 shovel nose 14.25 wheelbase

[@B0NGERSON]

Thunders on a 14” or aces on a 14.25” feels good to me.

[@61936]

Just got a 9.75 Dressen egg and it feels amazing

[@mitch.w]

Ona 8 47x 31.98 with 14.25 wheelbase and its best all round ive skated

[@ivangutierrez7019]

I’m looking for a board with a mellowish concave with a steep tail to still get high pop any ideas?

[@hvdd96]

I was gonna say skate it backwards 😂 but maybe a twin nose baker/deathwish. They make mellow concave boards

[@MrWookieewonder]

Creature.

[@vorpalblades]

Flip Lance Mountain.

[@ryanrowe1975]

Skating in a 9.5 and decreasing the wheels trucks doesn't seem like to boardslide the grind of a standard wheel base

[@Scharfster]

5'4'' with 9 and a half feet, I ride an 8.5, anything smaller feels like a stick and anything bigger feels like a log, but the wheelbase on my 8.5 is a bit much, since I'm so short. There really isn't a good answer for my specific bodytype, i just gotta stick with larger boards because of my larger feet.

[@vorpalblades]

Creature Stump deck.

[@vorpalblades]

Or some Anti-Hero decks.

[@the_bait_shop]

Spitfire makes 50mm

[@youtubesux6361]

What about wheel bite?

[@Midnight.mycology]

I ride a 8.5 but am thinking about going to a 9.125 egg board

[@taneltolsting2900]

Since there probably lot's of setup nerds here, can you guys recomend me a really mellow kick twin-tail with at least 2,5 fingers of flat?

[@RatSewage]

The Girl Malto twin is pretty solid. 14" wheelbase though so a little shorter than average but with the mellow tails it gives you snappier pop

[@Hardcorestilllives]

10" board with Ace 77 is perfect

[@tgrtgr9286]

8,5 x 13,75, feels like a fingerboard

[@Gregory_tottie]

Lee Yankou rules.

[@_Chris390]

I am guessing Fos is pretty short, 5ft8 or 5ft9 (I saw a photo of him and Nick Cave who is 6ft2, and Fos is about half a head shorter), and that is why he prefers a shorter WB. For tall people with big feet and broad shoulders etc, a wider WB is appreciated. He can laugh at a 15 WB, but maybe if he were taller he'd prefer it.

[@ER_aka_RAM]

Grab a 775 when you want to learn something on the streets… 8125+ when you wanna SK8.

[@whizthesk8r]

Went from 7.75 on my come back to 8.25 now

[@ArchangelJuicy]

I don't even skate, but i remember back in the early days kids went from these big meaty wheels(standard) to smaller wheels. similar to what is used now. shocked me when i was a kid seeing people go to a smaller wheel size

[@sethcox3872]

7.62🫶🏼

[@billandhisboard]

I just picked up a DGK (josh kalis tuner) with the weirdest specs i've ever seen lol (which is why i bought it!) 8.25" 32.25" length. 14.5 wheelbase. Med concave. Pointy tail, kinda rounded nose. Was only on it for couple minutes Had to leave cause it started raining literally 2 minutes after getting to the park ugh! Got nice pop and can definitely seems longer than the 32" and 14-14.25WB. Try again tomorrow i guess😀🛹

[@_Maxten]

even freestyle boards are getting bigger

[@skate_kid_marty193]

I was skating a 8.1 then I snapped and stared using a spare that's a 7.75 it's torture

[@skatertrash4205]

8.5 14.62

[@johneapleseed6876]

Everytime I see a WB conversation I gotta stop and drop everything to hear about the opinions of others. Also I wish I lived near Tim if he skates a lot. I'm by myself all the time out here.

[@wilmerquiroz6668]

Rocking with heroin since 2018 favorite brand ❤

[@ze2004]

for me would be perfect large width 8 and short lenght like less then 31 with a WB arount 14 or little less. Im 5.47 feet so the lenght cant be that big. I like skatepark and transition not alot street. My shoe size its EUR 41.5 / 42

[@justin_your_cousin9273]

You should collaborate with Cocaine Energy Drink

[@kevinfletcher2198]

Heroin dead Dave mutant shape 10.1 with snot little boogers and Indy 215 . I'm 43 the only thing I'm flipping is bottle caps

[@amirstanfield]

7.75 is the perfect size

[@brentsanada6589]

Hell ya egg shape is becoming the norm like how snowboards are all the same. I ride that razor egg with Ace 77 hollows and titanium everything else it fkn FLIES ! WHEN WILL POWELL WAKE UP AND MAKE 10" SYMETRICAL FLIGHT DECKS?!

[@memorysometimers3067]

Currently trying Erik Winkowski’s SC board with Indy 159. 15 inch wheel base. Sorry Erik, I hate it. 🙃

[@billyburger100]

What does it feel like? Been curious about this

[@memorysometimers3067]

@@billyburger100 feels super heavy. When you’re used to years and years of somewhat equal weight dispersal then going to this is sooooo out of balance.

[@theraggededgeonboardfastes8461]

I ride that set up but I'm transition only...

[@memorysometimers3067]

@@theraggededgeonboardfastes8461 yes I will say it was nice for pumping and flying around bowls. Wheelbase is a no joke game changer. Sometimes good sometimes not.

[@emerica95023]

I just look for the perfect shape from Birds Eye view in an 8.0, wheel base and all that just sounds super foreign to me

[@FishermanProjects]

7.8 was the thing for me. Not anymore

[@Red1676]

I prefer the longer wheel base lol.

[@chrisXjosi]

🛹🛹🛹

[@fuckmyego]

My favorite size is impossible to find. 8.5 × 33.5. 15" wheelbase. Weird size but i love it.

[@SkateformaticsOfficial]

I have a mini logo board in this size. Discontinued now tho.

[@Skankhunt-hl9zj]

How are the tre flips on something that long I just ordered a 8.38 32.5 and I’m kind of nervous because I never went up that much.

[@fuckmyego]

@@SkateformaticsOfficial dude, i'm skating the same deck! i bought 3 a few years ago and i'm on my last one. they are discontinued and no one else makes that size.... i'm going to be so sad when this one is finally too soggy to skate.

[@B0SC0E]

🤮

[@johnsendor6202]

I'm early early

[@vasectomyfail442]

I have an Anti hero that has about a 13.75 wheelbase it’s 8.5x31.25 and it’s perfect. But I’m 41 and can only push and do nollie back 180s but it’s still my favorite shape.

[@hvdd96]

13.75 sounds amazing on 8.5 which anti hero board is this please?

[@Peter-ff1tp]

Is that 7.875 that Kelly rides the Crailtap G021?

[@bondalero0074]

In the 80’s decks were ALL 10”x32” so we were used to it as teens and I hated popsicle days of the past. I think the smallest I ever skated was 8.25 or 8.5” and it felt strange!#🛹❤️🤘🏻

[@matthewmeredith297]

Why are egg shapes so popular right now?

[@RatSewage]

Well I'll give you my input on why I like it so much. 1. It gives the "illusion" or security blanket of having more board space to land your feet/catch your board for flip tricks There is in fact more space toward the center of the board but typically we'd like to land bolts, right? 2. The wider board provides more stability while riding or doing ollies over big gaps. But that stability usually also comes with wider (therefore heavier) trucks as well. 3. Certain flip tricks just come easier. Varial flips tend to rotate easier because the shape of the board provides less resistance while applying pressure to the pockets of the tail and nose. 4. I personally have cleaner flip tricks now. You need to adjust your foot placement and adapt to that at first because the shape forces you to, but once I did, my kick flips and heel flips were cleaner and higher than they have been in years. 5. If you're into nerdy stuff like Caspers and primos, it's easier to get into and out of them due to the shape of the board. Rail flips are much smoother. 6. A lot of egg boards come in a symmetrical size, which is also quite popular today. Hope this helped answer your question. For reference, I skated 8" boards for years, moved up to 8.25" and the egg I'm skating is 8.75" which is ~8.25-8.38" width at the trucks. Feels like an 8.75" but skates like an 8.25".

[@61936]

@@RatSewage also people just have been riding different shapes

[@johnnysbodybag]

The older I get, the bigger everything else on my board gets.

[@stone-islay..74.50]

Agree with, Kelly...8 is too much for me. 7.5 too thin...8.0 too big. 7.75/7.875 Perfect for Size 7.5/8 UK Feet.