5/19/20
I tried out the Waterborne Skateboards adapters today. Got up amped and early to go test them out at basketball court number 2. I loaded the adapters, a few wrenches and a screwdriver into my car. The idea was to ride around on the regular trucks for a bit, then put the adapters on and immediately hop back on to feel the difference.
Welp, I poorly managed my time, and did not expect to spend a full 45 min at a park picnic table mounting these bad boys. Insert generic, spiteful “well you’re an engineer, figure it out” comment here.
Anyway I had to get home to log into work so I didn’t really have time to give it a full go. Supposedly it’s like riding a surfboard, and you can pump through carves to build speed. I did ride around for a bit and try to pump. However, my rushed, half-focused effort left me unable to learn this new motion. And I’m a pretty lousy surfer, so there was no skill carry-over either. I headed home a little frustrated, but itching to give it another go.
At some point during the morning I thought I should turn the rear adapter around. I noticed that the way I mounted it set the rear truck forward, shortening the wheelbase. I thought a longer wheelbase and an effectively shorter tail might help. Longer wheelbase = stability, shorter tail = less likely to pop a wheelie when pumping off my back foot for speed.
I took a break for lunch and after eating went to the garage to make the adjustment. Feels to me like it made a difference! I rolled around the garage for a few minutes and started to get the hang of pumping. The first time I did it correctly I found myself hurling towards the wall in an instant. I was hooked, and all afternoon I was itching to get back to the park to cruise around on the basketball court.
I did exactly that after logging off for the day and I am amped. These surf adapters definitely make the list of top 5 purchases of 2020. These are gonna be fun.
MikeFundaro.com 