Noob in Key West, Carbon GTR A/T

Hi guys! Proud new owner of a Carbon GTR at 53 yrs old. Haven't gotten on it yet, but can't wait till this weekend!

Old School skater/BMX Freestyler here. Still do some flatland stuff on the bike. Been a long time since I've skated though. Still an active surfer, kite boarder, technical SCUBA diver, roadrace motorcycles, accomplished Photographer

Any and all tips, tricks, and general knowledge that y'all may have, please feel free to share. First time in this forum as well, so I'll be doing a lot of reading.

Thanks!
Shane

 

I’m 51 and have been esk8ing for 3yrs now. I came from a surfing/skating/snowboarding/motorcross background. My biggest advice for you is SAFTY GEAR!!!! Helmet, gloves, elbow&knee pads, and some padded shorts. . My first bad spill was a nose dive off the board around 10pm has. Off course I put my hands down to catch myself. Ended up jamming my shoulder which took almost a year to heal. We just don’t heal like we use to.

I found that paved bike paths was the best place to learn. Kicking off from a stop is much easier to get going than accelerating from a dead stop. I do this especially at traffic intersections. Another simple tip is don’t hold on to the remote till you are ready to go. Had the board shoot out from under me while I was adjusting my helmet, I accidentally hit the trigger and on my tailbone I went. (Hence the padded shorts.) Tried the wrist protectors but it made holding/operating the remote awkward.

There is an esk8 ride tracking app that can track your ride. It even works on my Apple Watch.

When in doubt don’t go faster than you can run!

 

Thanks a ton Tdman. I agree with all of that. Makes sense!

 

Glad to help. One mistake I made right away was tightening the trucks. I had never been on a board with double king pins and thought they were too loose. After lots of research I got stiffer bushings for the upper (closest to the board) and stock on the bottom. Set at 3 threads showing on both top and bottom. The board might seem floppy but in a few sessions you will get use to it. Once you get comfortable you will be amazed at how hard you can carve with DKP trucks.

I’m in Orlando if you ever make it up this we we could meet up for a skate.

 

That sounds great! Same here. If you ever come down to Key West, let me know!

 

Hi old man carving, I am 64 years old and bought the carbon hadean board, I've never set foot on a skateboard until last week. I've been on it 6 times and I am loving it, my suggestion is to start in the eco mode and go real slow at the start kinda just get used to it at first. You'll find it is easier than it looks, most of all, HAVE FUN!!!!! Cuppycat