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| Q&A: Going Downhill with David Rogers (858 Posts)
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sully
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On 5/6/2005 ross the boss
wrote in from
Canada
(68.147.nnn.nnn)
Dave, john.
i know you came to Canada to race in Kimberley. you know the road i'm talking about. I’ve bent a my Randal DH trucks on that road. 83 mm abec 11's last year. my axels were so F#@$ed that the two wheels were both on an angle. The other rider said they have never seen axels bent so much. i have since upgraded to a 10mm titanium axel. this has changed everything. i don't know if 10mm is the way to go but titanium is for sure. take to chris thats what he is riding. oh ya when i talk with you guys in Montréal you were thinking of running 10mm in your luge to experiment to see if they would work. did they work? see you in Canada next time.
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Justin
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On 5/6/2005
David Rogers
wrote in from
United States
(66.14.nnn.nnn)
Justin: Glad I could be of some help. Keep at it and stay safe! Keep looking for those DH's..you will really like the feel when you start going faster.
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Where is the draft?
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On 5/6/2005
David Rogers
wrote in from
United States
(66.14.nnn.nnn)
Good question Aaron. If there are no cross winds, the "wake" or swirling air follows the path of the rider. Your best bet is to follow the line of the rider you are drafting. This holds true in the straights and in the turns.
If there is a cross wind, the "wake" moves with that wind and will drift off the line of the rider in front of you. The further back you are, or the stronger the cross wind, the further the wake moves off the lead rider's line by the time you get there. I usually don't think about it when riding, but adjusting your drafting line due to a cross wind can make a difference. The hardest part is keeping tabs on the wind direction while riding down a twisty road, and not adjusting your line too much.
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David RE: Speed Mgnt
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On 5/6/2005
civilian2b
wrote in from
United States
(140.185.nnn.nnn)
David,
Thank you for the response. i took your suggestions and together with a buddy of mine, we found a few hills and felt confident and comfortable bombing the snot out of them.. which is a HUGE DEAL !!!I'd say we were hitting the low 30's..(31..32), i only say that because my buddy clocked me on a slower hill doing 25 a little earlier in the day.
and yes, i AM desperatley looking for Randal DH's..(you know they're a good truck when NO ONE has them for sale/instock :)
Connection:close
i just wish i could hit the hills with a little more regularity ...if only i was unemployed and a dead-beat dad...yeaaah...that's a the ticket
--justin--
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Physics 101
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On 5/6/2005
David Rogers
wrote in from
United States
(66.14.nnn.nnn)
Marcus writes..."The rule change was made to eliminate the theoretical advantage that a rolling axle provides."
Theoretical advantage? Who's theory? What theory? Einstein's Theory? Gerhard's Theory? What engineering or physics class do they teach that in? I must have skipped school that day.
Ha Ha Ha! Now that's funny stuff...I don't care who you are!
The last time you told us it was all about the cost....or was that "theoretical" cost? Ha Ha!
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IGSA Rolling Axle Trucks in Classic Style Luge
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On 5/5/2005
Marcus Rietema
wrote in from
United States
(63.206.nnn.nnn)
I just want to clear up a statement that was made regarding the IGSA's rules on rolling axle trucks. In an effort to keep the playing field as level as possible in the highly restricted Classic Style Luge (Buttboard) class the IGSA made rolling axle trucks illegal in 2002. This ruling did not make the Randal luge trucks illegal. Many competitors continue to use the Randal luge trucks in the class by freezing up the rolling axle feature. This is very easily done. The rule change was made to eliminate the theoretical advantage that a rolling axle provides.
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Peanut's truck questions
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On 5/5/2005
David Rogers
wrote in from
United States
(66.14.nnn.nnn)
The "fancy" trucks you have mentioned have one thing in common..a good axle. The Randal "floaters" have an axle much different than what is put in the Downhill or RII trucks. The quality of the axle is the main reason I prefer the Randal "Floaters" for my downhill boards.
A high quality axle is typically made of higher quality steel to resist bending. Some guys prefer 10mm axles for the ultimate "bend-proof" solution. I've bent only a few Luge floater axles in the years I have been racing...never have I bent a floater axle on my speedboard. If you plan on doing slides and hard riding on wheels over 80mm, you might need a good axle to avoid problems with bending or breaking. If you want to slide 97mm or 101mm wheels, you might need the 10mm axles to keep everything straight.
Quality axles are typically closer to a true 8mm size in diameter. Slalom and downhill racers claim that this change alone accounts for an increase in traction that can be felt. Typical truck axles are usually made from relatively soft 5/16" steel bar stock. A 5/16" axle is a bit small in diameter to give the precise bearing fit many racers are looking for.
I think that speed thru the turns is where you will see a difference when using quality axles...not so much in a straight line when wheels and a good tuck dominate the equation.
Most of the downhill racers prefer the Randal geometry or something similar for stability while going fast. Many of the aftermarket hangers are designed for use on the Randal baseplate and have similar geometry. Other trucks hitting the downhill market seem to be following the Randal geometry as well.
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Drafting
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On 5/5/2005
AaronW
wrote in from
United States
(24.52.nnn.nnn)
For Dave or John
I think that most of us understand the basics of drafting in a straight line, but I am a bit fuzzy about high speed sweeping turns that allow you to stay in your tuck. What happens to the "wake" in a turn and where is the most effecient spot to be when following thru a turn?
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HH
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On 5/5/2005
Yorck
wrote in from
Germany
(82.83.nnn.nnn)
No sponsor. Hot Heels needs a lot of money to be realized. Impossiple without a sponsor.
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HH cancelled?
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On 5/5/2005
david
wrote in from
United States
(67.100.nnn.nnn)
thats super lame, why is Hot heels cancelled? no sponsers?
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HH
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On 5/5/2005
Yorck
wrote in from
Germany
(82.83.nnn.nnn)
Looks like Almabtrieb is taking the HH date. More news soon !! Stay tuned .
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HH cancelled
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On 5/4/2005
panda
wrote in from
France
(82.225.nnn.nnn)
looks like hot heels 05 will be cancelled... that's too bad, most of the french speedboarders are now heading to sweden, 2.5km road they say it's 85km/h standup and 120km/h streetluge, parties and all that good stuff...
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P.S
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On 5/4/2005
Andreas
wrote in from
Sweden
(83.226.nnn.nnn)
And THANKS for the help
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BUTT truck
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On 5/4/2005
Andreas
wrote in from
Sweden
(83.226.nnn.nnn)
John
I have to agree with you that it is a joke that we cant even start with straight axels if you go for randals that is but if you buy some other 250 euro per set trucks it´s super cool and ok even buy the rules.
As they say in South-Africa SWAK
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Trucks, spinning axles & more......
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On 5/3/2005 Peanut//
wrote in from
Netherlands
(62.163.nnn.nnn)
Hi,
The more often I read several online meeting points for racers the more confused I almost get about axles.
What is the specific advantage of spinning axles?
Read the message of John Rogers, that he is not riding buttboards in a race because spinning axles is not allowed. See lots of racers running on downhill randals, RII hangers, hey even Independent trucks...
They are fast, scary fast.......Looking to fancy trucks like Jim Z's, Geezerized customs, Maguns, Floating randals: What is the specific advantage I am supposed to gain when I ride a $100+ truck?
I am riding since years regular Randals, before I discovered these, I rode Indies: They worked fine for me...
Isn't a proper tuck, wheels (duro, size, shape etc) more important for getting really fast (competetive fast) then wich hanger you are riding?
I mean, I have this deck, completely pimped up with carbon, triaxle glass, solid golden threads, dropped, powder coated baseplates... Its fun to have, tho I am not slower as when I ride my good old, powell kreski tribal deck...
Personally I think it might be of some use, but not as much as people tell.
Think precise trucks are more useable or logic to have with "precission" style of skateboarding like slalom.
Or can someone finally convince me to get on of those dammmm sexy high polished Jim Z's or floating Randals?
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Der assengeplank
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On 5/3/2005
John
wrote in from
United States
(207.200.nnn.nnn)
Andreas,
I would go with the R-IIB 180's and the 50 degree plates. I would probably flip the hangers as well. I measured the wheel base on my buttboard and it is approximately 79cm. This is measuring the distance between the inside truck mounting holes(old school). Axle to axle length is around 83.5cm.
David and I both use the luge trucks with 60 plates and the hangers flipped for less angle. Our trucks are dropped thru our decks as well. We have always used luge trucks(with rolling axles)since we first raced classic style. I believe it was sometime in 2001 or 2002 that IGSA changed their rules and banned these trucks for buttboard use. This is the reason you don't see us racing in this IGSA class anymore. Our set-up was banned!
It seeems ludicrous that they would allow these trucks for use in luge and speedboarding, but then ban them from the buttboard class after they were initially allowed. You can, however, spend as much money as you want to have someone create a one-off truck that is unproven in strength and performance, as long as the axle does not turn.
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buttboard
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On 5/2/2005
Andreas
wrote in from
Sweden
(83.226.nnn.nnn)
Dave or John
I´v just finnished me assplank and was woundering what would be the best truck set up? Should I use R-II(50degres) trucks and the flip the hanger on the rear or should I go with the good old DH 35derge.The wheel base is 85cm is the good or should i get the drill out again?
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Speed Management
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On 4/28/2005
David Rogers
wrote in from
United States
(66.14.nnn.nnn)
civilian2b: Sorry it took a while to get back to your questions...
The first thing you need is a good helmet. I find that the more safety gear I wear, the more confidence I have when riding fast. I think a helmet,leathers and slide gloves are a must for any serious speed runs. Confidence is what you need to safely increase your speed. With the right equipment and plenty of practice, wobbles should be the last thing you are worried about.
As far as your speed setup goes, you should get some Randal Downhill trucks or the downhill baseplates to make a real speedboard. The 50 degree baseplates of the RII are a designed for carving and not for high speed riding. The RII’s can be ridden at speed, but will require a much tighter set on the bushings to make them “stable” above 30 to 40mph. My brother John rode the 50 degree 180 RII’s for a few years before switching to the 35 degree downhill baseplates.
When adjusting your trucks, remember that a board that feels “tight” at 20 mph could be very “lively” at 50 to 60 mph. I run my back truck significantly tighter than the front and tighten both up a turn or so if the hill is really fast or has rough patches that make my board twitch beyond my comfort zone.
Keep your weight on the forward foot when bombing, airbraking and foot braking…leaning back and tensing up because of apprehension is a major cause of the wobbles. Stay loose, low and calm …make no sudden or drastic changes in your body position….work up slowly when increasing your speed. Learn to tuck, airbrake and footbrake at 20mph, then 25mph, then 30mph and so on to develop your skills and confidence. Make truck adjustments as required to keep the board stable. Trying to make a big jump from 25mph to 50 mph is asking for serious trouble. It’s good to be a little scared!!
Forget about opening a jacket (you should be wearing leathers) at speed to slow you down…spreading your arms and smoothly standing up out of your tuck will usually slow you down fairly quickly from higher speeds. Unless the hill is very steep or you have a big tailwind, airbraking can be used to bring you down to a speed where you are comfortable footbraking.
Sliding: This is one technique you should learn as soon as you can. Sliding is a great method for speed control and stopping. Ask Cliff and others your questions on the Q&A Forum next to this one.
David
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Chris chaput
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On 4/28/2005
Andreas
wrote in from
Sweden
(83.227.nnn.nnn)
I think this is why Chris has been ells were
http://www.retroskateboards.com/
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HH
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On 4/26/2005
Yorck
wrote in from
Germany
(82.83.nnn.nnn)
There will be news regarding HH next weekend.
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Hot Heels
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On 4/25/2005 Muzzo
wrote in from
United Kingdom
(62.190.nnn.nnn)
There is a lot of mentions of Hot Heels on various forums , but still nothing on the web site. What is going on with this race ?
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hh
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On 4/25/2005
andreas
wrote in from
Sweden
(83.226.nnn.nnn)
David
If your going to HH then come to race in SWEDEN 26 june-1 juli and then HH from the 3rd-
Andreas
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hot heels/maryhill
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On 4/25/2005
david
wrote in from
United States
(67.100.nnn.nnn)
david, thanks for the info on hot heels. stay away from the jager before race day. got it!
on another note, just got back from the most epic 2 day session at maryhill ever. got there saturday to skate a half wet/dry hill with a nice tailwind. ended up drying off completly and we skated all day. then we chilled out for a bit, had many group safety meetings, then proceeded to bomb maryhill from the top @ 1:30 in the morning under a full moon. unreal. looking forward to racing this june!
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GMR
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On 4/22/2005
Andrew Mercado
wrote in from
United States
(66.229.nnn.nnn)
David
Im down for GMR sunday. Ill call up a few heads and see who else is down. Is your brother gonna go. I live in tustin now so if anything ill hitch a ride with him. I got your number so ill give you a call tomarrow for the details.
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GMR
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On 4/22/2005
AaronW
wrote in from
United States
(24.52.nnn.nnn)
You guys know im in. Give me a call or send an email with the meet time.
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