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| Q&A: Slalom Pro Mike Maysey (2489 Posts)
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On 9/1/2006 sully
wrote in from
United States
(67.155.nnn.nnn)
I tried to spell- raiders
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oh lord
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On 9/1/2006 sully
wrote in from
United States
(67.155.nnn.nnn)
"......holiest of grail hills", is that like the raders of the lost ark or something?. How is the traffic(I mean life) down there in so-cal these days?
Kick some serious butt at LaEncinitas & Bicknell alright!
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Wheel bases and stuff
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On 8/30/2006 Paul Howard
wrote in from
United States
(64.5.nnn.nnn)
Hey, Nice frontside wheeler!
Thanks for the info, I'll have to play with my setups some more and see what I get. Adios-P
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Bicknell?
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On 8/30/2006
mike maysey
wrote in from
United States
(69.178.nnn.nnn)
...rode the holiest of grail hills last night for the VERY first time with the likes of Tim, Floyd, Atilla, Gorman and Heggie...fast, fast, fast
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Cross Training w/Mike Maysey...
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On 8/28/2006
Dave - Skaterbuilt/SSS
wrote in from
United States
(72.130.nnn.nnn)
Maysey's been cross training pretty hard-getting ready for Bicknell Hill TS and the Encinitas Open!
...who ever said slalom champs couldn't grind?
SICK, SICK, SICKNESS!
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schtuff
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On 8/27/2006
mike maysey
wrote in from
United States
(24.182.nnn.nnn)
"What did you do about your footing?"
I only moved the front truck so all I had to do was adjust my front foot. I kept my back foot the same as it ever was. When I stepped on the board the first time and rode 5.5, it felt like I was able to turn way faster. I actually got AHEAD of the course. I thought of it like I 'choked up' on my board kinda like when you 'choke up' on a bat to get the swing around quicker.
"I also shorted my wheelbase awhile ago on my regular tight/hybrid setup from 19.25" to 18" and battled it out with Brad Jackman at one of our CSA Northwest races on a pretty tight and sorta techy course. It did make it easer to make it through the course but it felt like I might have lost some "torque" or something in the pump(on a non-cambered stiff deck with concave."
In a situation like that, you might consider riding a little longer wheelbase, like 19.5-20.5 but narrow the trucks up. That way you have the quickness of a narrower set up with the wheelbase of a hybrid board allowing you to draw your turns out when necessary." I've been experiementing with wood decks that are slightly thinner so that they have a little pop for things like hybrid and GS.
"Did you ever lose anything in the pump (after gaining in manueverability) by shortening your wheelbase?"
I don't think so. Although I did tighten both trucks up slightly compared to what they were before.
"I found in G/S(I also now use a noncambered stiff concave deck for that most of the time as well), that lengthening the wheelbase helped to about 22" and after that it seemed like I was still plenty stable but started LOSING traction with bigger wheelbases than that. My theory is the trucks have to turn more and thus put the wheels less close to perpendicular to your line of travel causing them to lose traction earlier. Any thoughts/experiences on that one?
Yes and yes. I have done the same thing with my GS stick. I started long and found it didn't hook up well. It seemed like the back end constantly wanted to come 'round on me. I have since shortened it to 22" and now it works unreal.
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Wheelbases and Stuff
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On 8/24/2006 Pauliwog
wrote in from
United States
(64.5.nnn.nnn)
Hey Mike, Q: When you shortened your wheelbase, what did you do about your footing?
A) Shorten your foot-to-foot stance according to the new wheelbase.
B) Leave it the same but have your back foot further back relative to the back truck(like Luca).
C) Leave it the same but have your front foot further forward more over the front truck(like Mollica).
D) Leave it the same with your feet more over the trucks or something completely different?
I have recently shortened my super-Tight Flat setup from 19.25" to about 18" and it does help for all the flat Sub-5' courses.
I also shorted my wheelbase awhile ago on my regular tight/hybrid setup from 19.25" to 18" and battled it out with Brad Jackman at one of our CSA Northwest races on a pretty tight and sorta techy course. It did make it easer to make it through the course but it felt like I might have lost some "torque" or something in the pump(on a non-cambered stiff deck with concave).
Q: Did you ever lose anything in the pump (after gaining in manueverability) by shortening your wheelbase?
Also, I found in G/S(I also now use a noncambered stiff concave deck for that most of the time as well), that lengthening the wheelbase helped to about 22" and after that it seemed like I was still plenty stable but started LOSING traction with bigger wheelbases than that. My theory is the trucks have to turn more and thus put the wheels less close to perpendicular to your line of travel causing them to lose traction earlier. Any thoughts/experiences on that one?
OK, I'll not overload you any more with questions so I don't end up on question probation.
Adios-P
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wheels and trucks
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On 8/17/2006
mike maysey
wrote in from
(71.92.nnn.nnn)
Hey man, what do you think you're doing...coming in here and claiming all this stuff???
I'm kidding...
I think it's great to get two different perspectives on solving the same problem. Hell, get as many as you can. Find one that works and stick with it. I've tried many many different combinations of gear over the last few years and have landed on something that works for me for the moment. I am always open to new ideas. Why, I just shortened up my wheelbase on my tight board from 18 to 17.5. Huge difference. Makes tight feel like a cake walk. I ran 5.5 today with way more ease than I ever did with my wheelbase at 18. Anyway, my point is...find what works but don't ever be too stuck in your ways to try something different. You never know when you might hit on the perfect combo for you and your riding style.
Ran cones tonight with Evo...I'm tryin to pick it up a little for the mother of all slalom races...La Costa. It hurts kindof a lot when you're outta skate shape. All those muscles that haven't worked for me in a while are getting the dust blown off.
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Pauliwog's 2 Cents on wheel and truck and deck width
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On 8/16/2006 Pauliwog
wrote in from
United States
(64.5.nnn.nnn)
Hey Mike, Here's been my experience and Deep Thoughts(but everyone rides something different so take it with a grain of salt):
Wider wheels on a pivoting hanger have more a bind of traction between the inner edge of the wheel wanting to spin slower than the outer edge of the wheel wanting to spin faster as both edges travel in an arc on a pivoting hanger. This effect increases with the quickness of the turn/tightness of the course. And it will have a greater bind effect on a narrower hanger than a wider hanger. The wider the wheel, the greater the bind effect as well.
This will result in the wheel differentially grinding and sliding and thus losing traction somewhere on it's surface. The back wheels are generally less prone to this since generally most riders ride with the back truck turning much less than the front. The back wheels do cone faster but that is largely due to greater weight placed on them and more force put on them in the turn.
A wider truck and a narrower wheel will lessen this effect. But, since the entire setup is rolling forward, this "bind" effect is greatly diminished as demonstrated by turning your steering wheel in your vehicle when it is at rest vs when it is rolling it is much easier to steer largely due to the same factors. Probably diminished to the point of insignificance in fact. So in the end, this effect could be so insignificant it becomes a "angels dancing on the head of a pin" sort of thing.
But, since I started trimming my front wheels significantly more than the back, It HAS definately made it easier to turn fast and quick on the tighter courses.
When I did use narrower trucks, I did use a correspondingly narrower deck appropriate to the edge to edge width of the wheels and and for whatever reason of my weight and leverage, etc, it just did'nt work for me as well as a wider hanger. Obviously You, Richy, Barker, and others do get an advantage and are faster than I am in the tight using narrower hangers and decks than me, but for whatever reason, I personnally still get a better result with a wider deck(8.75") and a 100mm-107mm truck, and narrow front wheels.
Again, I'm not trying to say any approach is right or wrong(except doing "the Twist" is wrong), or that my Deep Thought theories are correct, just stating my observations, theories and experience. Glad to have a forum to talk about such things. Adios-Paul
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truck width and bushings
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On 8/12/2006
mike maysey
wrote in from
United States
(71.80.nnn.nnn)
I prefer narrower trucks to cutdown wheels. You can have a narrow track and still have all the traction of a full sized wheel. I don't find my setups tippy because my boards and truck widths are basically the same. I know from past experience that if the nose of the board is too wide and I try to run a narrow truck the additional leverage of the wider deck caused the truck to feel too narrow.
As far as the Radikal bushings, I have two main ways to cut them. I have one way that I like to use them on the bottom of the bushing stack...I call it the 'barrel.' Reason being, well the bushing looks like a wine barrel when it's done. Wider in the middle than on the edges. I really like how the greens feel in the rear of my boards. I use Tracker rear trucks and the cutdown bushings are awesome. For the front, I like to make 'cones' outta the bushings. I have a couple clears and a couple reds cutdown into the shape of a cone. All cutdown bushings are the original height, I simply change the shape with a dremmel and angle grinder.
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More bushing stuff
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On 8/11/2006
Pete
wrote in from
United States
(68.230.nnn.nnn)
Hey Mike,
Tell me about the modified Radikal bushing. Do you turn the outer diameter to fit the Tracker? And, what about the height? Do you leave the height alone or is there some modification there as well?
Thanks
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My Narrow Truck Experiences
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On 8/10/2006 Pauliwog
wrote in from
United States
(64.5.nnn.nnn)
Hey JBH, I tried a BUNCH of modified narrow trucks for slalom and even on 4' cone distances I still do better with 100mm- 107mm hangers and shaved front wheels. But that's me, obviously narrow trucks work for some dudes faster than me with T/S but all my 80mm-95mm hangers of all brands just didn't work, I also ride wider decks than most and weigh 170 lbs. ?????? Adios-Paul
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Bushings and tippy trucks
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On 8/10/2006
JBH
wrote in from
United States
(165.134.nnn.nnn)
Hey, Mike, along similar lines: Do you ever have trouble with your narrow front truck being "tippy"? I've got a cut-down Radikal in front on my TS board, and even with a white Khiro and a cut-down clear Radikal bushing, it still feels too tight, and when I lean the board over, the front wheels tip up on edge. The only way it turns enough is if I loosen the nut so much that the hanger wobbles and the washer underneath the nut rattles around.
When I use wider axles, I don't have the same problem, at least not to the same degree. Any suggestions?
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bushings??
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On 8/9/2006
mike maysey
wrote in from
United States
(71.9.nnn.nnn)
Paul - No worries on the barge...I don't have the kind of time to get in here like I have in the past. Besides, I think it's always better to get at least a couple perspectives on any problem before deciding which way to go or what to do.
Bushings...ah, a very good question indeed. I would have to say that getting your hands on some Khiro bushings will be a good start. I would say a couple bushing kits if possible. Personally, I also have an array of Radikal bushings I've custom cut...but that's another story. Anyway, as far as the Khiro's...I'd actually go harder in the back. Me, I ride equivalent to double yellows in the back and whites or blues in the front. I rde my front truck very loose and my back truck very tight (hardly moves when you cup the wheel in your hand and grab the deck and try to move the truck). I weigh about 190 and this is how all my boards are set up. Loose, loose, loose in front and tight, tight, tight in back. This way, when you get on your board it turns due to the loose front and with that tight rear truck, it doesn't wob out at speed.
As far as truck set ups go, I would certainly ride the front steeper wedged that the rear. This is probably something you'll want to mess with to dial your boards in so that they feel good to you. Which, incidently, may not be what your buddy says works. I never modified my king pins when I rode Trackers front and rear, what I did do is get a cut down hanger for the front because, for me, the narrower front end dives into cones better than wider setups especially for TS. For Slalom and GS, stock 107mm or whatever the hanger is will work fine.
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all natural & stuff
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On 8/7/2006
sc
wrote in from
United States
(68.105.nnn.nnn)
Hey Mike, I'm back from the mountains and want to skate, you in town this week?
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Bushings
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On 8/6/2006
Pete
wrote in from
United States
(68.230.nnn.nnn)
Paul,
Thanks for the tip on bushings. I've been recently experimenting with Khiro. Maybe once I get the right combination, I'll have what I need.
Thanks again.
Pete
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Sliding
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On 8/5/2006
Guto Jimenez
wrote in from
Brazil
(200.165.nnn.nnn)
As far as sliding goes, we can use a sexual analogy here: the harder, the better. I don't mean slow-moving, bearing-cover, stone-hard 99A durometer wheels, even though the King of Downhill Slide (Sergio Yuppie) has a 92A / 62mm model on Gravity. If it's not your case and you just want to control your speed, I'd suggest you some wider, "less softer" wheels. I guess it'll depend on what kind of terrain you're riding, if it's a smooth or a steep hill or if the pavement is sweet or rough. Even the climate can be a factor, for wheels grip much more on hotter grounds. Bottom line here is, you should regard sliding as your very last option, to be used only when it's too hard to air or footbreak.
Just don't forget about the gloves, unless you don't mind losing your digits. Remember: the only way is down - FAST!
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Pete's Bushings
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On 8/5/2006 Paul Howard
wrote in from
United States
(64.5.nnn.nnn)
Pete, if your aren't already using Khiro's try one of the bushing kits they make. Make SURE you get the ones with the FULL HEIGHT top conical bushings with the metal insert and FULL HEIGHT bottom barrel bushing.
For your weight, I'd recommend starting with the white's in front and blues in back, maybe reds if blue is too squishy. Maybe mix red and blue top and bottom on the back. You probably won't need yellows in back unless you're riding a bigger faster course.
A useful trick is to get extra barrel bushings from Khiro, put one on a dowel and cut it circumferentially with a very sharp thin blade into 3 "donuts" about 1/8" thick for each "donut" mini-bushing. Add one of these above and/or below the hanger so you have even more bushing to squish around and get more turning.
Longer kingpins, especially in front help so you can use taller bushings and get more swing out of your hangers and a smoother turn in general. You can get grade 8 replacement 3/8" bolts in the fastener sections of most hardware stores, just be sure to get the same thread pitch and count as the current kingpin so the locknut fits. If you want to know about getting kingpins out and putting new ones in, I can write more on that later.
Also, I HIGHLY recommend using 15 degrees positive wedge on the front truck and 10 degrees negative wedge on the back truck if you are using the Tracker RT-X/S combination. Again, Khiro makes a great wedge kit also.
Again, I'm barging Maysey's forum since I'm at work not X-raying anyone at the moment. We'll see what Maysey says, he's faster. Good Luck, Paul
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Best Bushings
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On 8/3/2006
Pete
wrote in from
United States
(68.230.nnn.nnn)
Mike,
I've tried alot of differnt bushing combos. Seems I either end up with way to tight or to loose. Any suggestions? I'm 180 pounds and use mostly Tracker RT-S and RT-X. Anybody have better luck than me or ?
Thanks
Pete
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Poolside Favors...for sliding too!
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On 8/1/2006
Dave - Skaterbuilt
wrote in from
United States
(72.130.nnn.nnn)
The best wheels for sliding are sun-damaged Poolside Favors 63mm's...ask Michael Stride...he's using them over in the UK...they slide AND grip...when you need em' to...
dAvO
www.skaterbuilt.com
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Roger
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On 7/31/2006
mike maysey
wrote in from
United States
(66.214.nnn.nnn)
I honestly don't know what wheels are best for sliding. I generally am more concerned with traction. Although, having said that, I know Gravity makes some wheels that are great for sliding.
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Advice for "Fuzzy"
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On 7/28/2006
Paul Howard
wrote in from
United States
(64.5.nnn.nnn)
For starters, scroll through this forum back in time for all the advice Maysey and I have given to newbies.
In answer to your question about board construction: If ANY flex/cambered board is dialed in to your weight and wheelbase and the type of course being ridden, it is like magic, BUT Usually flex/cambered boards are finicky and each one will be best for a specific course. That's why you see some guys show up with an armload/caseload of different decks.
In contrast, a noncambered stiff deck is more consistent because it's always noncambered and always stiff, and you can change the wheelbases for the size/speed of the course and maintain that consistency. This is the "One-Gun" approach.
Actually I now ride 2 decks generally, One geared for Tight and Tight Hybrid, and the other is for Big Hybrid and Giant and Super Giant. Both are noncambered, stiff, concave and have wheelwells. I personnally like using the PocketPistol wedge foam kits so I can put an angled or canted "kicktail" under my backfoot(instead of the regular "straight" kicktail such as what is on the Sk8kings Axe-which is still a good deck).
My advice: start with a more inexpensive wood deck, figure out slalom and get a feel for it then start thinking about spending more money when you know what you really want in a deck. Same thing with trucks, start with stock Indy's or Tracker RT-X/RT-S Combo then go for the better trucks.
Hope this helps-Paul
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best wheels for powersliding
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On 7/16/2006
Roger
wrote in from
United Kingdom
(88.111.nnn.nnn)
Hi Mike...
How you doing
I've just bought a long board and i want to start powersliding because its pretty hard to stop when going down hills! I have the Krypto classics 76mm's and would like to find out if it would be better to use harder wheels and if so which ones? What kind of specs would i have to look for on wheels?
Cheers
Roger
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Hood River
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On 7/13/2006 Pauliwog
wrote in from
United States
(64.5.nnn.nnn)
Hood was a BLAST! Sunday's T/S was fast with the tailwind. I a-l-m-o-s-t beat Hollien which in and of itself was a big accomplishment, I've never whistled through a Tight course that fast before. Losing well and that close to Hollien was better than getting 2nd in the Am's at Morro Bay 2004 almost except for not getting a medal. OK, that's all I got for now. Adios-Paul
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Not Racing...
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On 7/9/2006
Miko
wrote in from
United States
(69.85.nnn.nnn)
I have to say this weekend work thing, along with going to school full-time is really getting old. No $$$ and no time! I really miss hanging with you guys... sounds like Maryhill was a blast, even with headwinds.
The real kicker is that I have that bitchin' new ICK... It's so dialed, and I feel more together on it than anything I've ever ridden. I want to use that sucker!
Had a great day yesterday with my son and about 5 others on sweet singletrack through the redwoods though! Awesome.
Good luck at La Costa Mike!
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