if i go eskate it’ll be for getting around the city, under 20mph most of the time, what gear would you use for this?
way i see it:
helmet: something full face but ventilated like a TSG pass or a ruroc. expensive but damn good looking. By far the most important piece so the more enticing/comfy it is to wear, the better
upper body: a used ventilated motorcycle or bike jacket with integrated pads and removable thermal liner. fast on/off and good overall protection, needs to not be a literal oven in the summer, also needs to be able to take getting door’d since that’ll probably happen.
hands: wrist guard is probably fine, maybe full fingered gloves but they’ll probably get way too hot
knees: those g-form soft pads seem great since you only put them on and take them off once all day, comfy enough to wear around. Hard shells might be overkill in this case, and also more annoying to get on/off
Of course gear is only as good as when you’re actually wearing it, so the less hassle to suit up/down the better in order to encourage usage. Total time to get everything on/off being under two minutes seems like the gold standard
If your going to be riding under 20mph a helmet should be fine, small scratches at most, what you should accutly learn is how to properly fall of a skateboard if u didn’t know since its low speeds. I only recommend full protection if you have a speed demon board that rides fast. But for commuting under 20 it would be a hasle. I personally just wore a helmet but after my 37mph incident, I have have bought full gear protection given that my board easily hits 40mph
This is spot-on and the difference between someone using an esk8 for a toy versus someone using one for a tool.
I commute all the time on mine and I always wear a helmet and usually cotton gloves. The #1 tip I have for you is “never try to rush”. When you are riding, just ride. If you’re late, you should have left sooner. It’s NEVER worth falling off the skateboard for. Rushing will cause a fall. That’s the one thing you should try to avoid. And yeah, I put a helmet on and GO!! – like 4 seconds.
40 miles an hour on a road sounds like the scariest shit
but i guess if you’re going that fast you can act like a car and go among traffic rather than having to dodge it and lane split out of necessity
Gform knee pads are a hassle you have to remove shoes to put on and remove. I got Fox knee and shin pads hard shell and they come on and off really easy.
Definitely a helmet and possibly gloves, but don’t forget that visibility is also part of your protection. You want to be noticeable, reflective tape on helmet, bright clothes, possibly lights on board.
helmet for sure, gloves might be good as well in case you take a spill and put hands out. winter time is great because im already bundled up and covered everywhere for a low speed fall…but we’ll see what summer brings for me and my wardrobe. for me the scariest variable is the fucking manhattan pedestrians.
Pedestrians are scary as shit because unlike a car, they can turn any direction at ANY time – almost always without looking first. And they fly out from between parked cars, likewise without looking usually.
Oh, and if you hit one, you look like the jerk, no matter how it transpired.
I agree with this too, people can walk weird - can’t really blame them though
First time I got on my longboard I bombed down a hill, with no experience and there was a guy walking towards me on this hill and i was forced to stop.
I’m a believer that wrist guards are crucial (especially when many of us make our living with our hands). I have the gashes/scratches on my wrist guards to prove it.
Ended up getting these, the demon flexmeter double sided D3O, for $80, which is some seriously spendy wrist guards. They’re tough as hell and still give decent flexibility, not even sure i need gloves with these
yes I have those flexmeter double side as well, and they are awesome ! But they will not protect your finger for sure, got some rash on it on my last fall… Now I am digging into the other demon united stuff, just afraid their padded short and upper body flexforce protection will be too hot for summer. If anyone tried those I am interested in any feedback
