pdxtex

dont feel bad. i was cruising down a hill with a pretty steep grade probably doing 25ish mph.....i hear this whizzzing of some crazy freewheel and some teenager on a bmx bike passed me going at least 35 doing a wheelie!!!! i got a few more gray hairs that day.

NicholasThierry

Fastest I've ever hit on my speedboard is about 50 MPH, but we definitely did know how to stop, and we definitely did take risks, and I've definitely passed up a few bikers. Biking isn't any safer than DH skating, but I'll admit that I find it more mature, more strenuous, and more dangerous than DH skating. I figured I outgrew that sport and it was time to grow up, step up my game, and hop on the bike (biking is much more fun and healthy too!).





I'd get into a few crazy situations on my longboard too...

WhyFi

On a neighborhood board, a skateboarder claimed that he could not only go 40 mph on flat ground, but that he could jump off at 40 mph and stay on his feet. He was delusional.

theREEDeffect

Haha

SwingBlade

In Newport Beach, CA, Lots of us were doing 40 mph+ downhill on homemade foot long skateboards with steel wheels in the early 1960's long before there were helmets, pads or even gloves in the equation. When some newby got hurt the police would for awhile confiscate every skate board they saw being ridden. Then, in three months, it would all be back to normal.

Similarly, when one newby kid got killed body surfing The Wedge in Newport back in 1960, they literally barb wired off the first 200 foot stretch of The Wedge and arrested anyone body surfing in that area. We had 10-14 year old kids picketing with signs saying, "Free the Wedge." Four months later it was all back to normal and many kids have been killed and injured at The Wedge since. On a big day The Wedge is for experts only.

Bottom line, bureaucrats can't legislate youth into being overly safe in any sport.

Anyway, looking at the number of cyclists killed and seriously injured in California in just the last six months, I wouldn't be throwing stones at skateboarders about being unsafe.

pgjackson

That may be true, but most cyclists are killed by the recklessness of motorists, not by their own.

miwoodar

I'm only throwing one stone - bikes have brakes.

rooftest

I've followed them down GMR before. (About a 10 mile descent from the mountains here in LA.) I'm faster than them descending, although they did hit the lower 30's. These guys were standing up; which I was most impressed by.

Beaker

I'm thinking that this is the exact descent in question...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1a03...e_gdata_player

ADSR

I've been down that one. It's where I realized I needed new brake pads.

makeitso5005

Just wait til the richer kids get into this...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sx0s-92tXqo&feature=channel_video_title

But at least there's something more than an air brake on that.

rmr1923

^this

i have a longboard and i love cruising around on it every now and then, but there's no way in hell i'm going downhill on that thing. i did once, got up to probably about 30 mph, and i nearly schitt myself. those guys that can go 40+ have extremely good balance, anyone who's gone fast on a longboard knows how easy it is to get a "high speed wobble" and lose control. i did on my 30 mph downhill but somehow managed to stay upright, i was real close to going down hard.

boogoshea

I know it's irresponsible, reckless, etc., etc., but I can't help admiring the ballz and the skillz they have that I don't. I can't believe I'm the same species as them.

M_Wales

Those people on the longboards are nuts on the downhills.

Talking Aerodynamics and speed of something you think couldn't move that fast.
Here's a video of the fastest radio control models. And they don't have engines/motors.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oix6sHKzOLU

hhnngg1

The funny part is that all these 'safety' concerns about the longboard downhill would be echoed by noncyclists regarding fast cyclist descents on winding roads where we basically take the lane.

It depends on your level of expertise. I'd wager that a longboarder barreling down a winding road at 35+ mph has more than enough experience to know the risks/benefits, even at a young age. Going down on a longboard at that speed isn't necessarily worse than going down on a bike at that speed if you hit something.

boogoshea

But we have brakes.

cyanemi

I watched a couple of those videos. It looks fun and super dangerous. One of the kids missed the curve and went off the roadway into what or how far down I don't know. I am also super jealous of those smooth roads!!!

cyanemi

The grown man jumping on the bed is still living at his mom's house. He's got it all going on.

X-LinkedRider

Those roads are super smooth. You wouldn't be able to find a clean enough road to do that around here. I was thinking the same thing, here's a grown man whos mom lets him borrow the video camera, yet he is still jumping on the bed.

pgjackson

True. When done in a controlled environment it it quite impressive. But it's like watching downhill skiing in the olympics, then going to the slopes and seeing some jackass going 80mph straight down the hill like Peekaboo Street. Once false move and this guy is going to lose it and possibly hurt other people. I've seen guys lose it at the bottom of the slope and take out an entire line of people waiting for the chair lift.

I have no problem with the skateboarders, I just don't appreciate it when they zoom down my street.

maverick31210

I was expecting this to be a bunch of shirtless clowns but was surprised to see some leathers and a few full face helmets in there.....lol makes me wanna try it

pgjackson

I would wager that a bike is more stable and able to negotiate an obsticle better than a skateboard. Our wheels are much larger and we have brakes and handlebars.

zigmeister

Read the description of that video. Well, at least the ones that aren't injured. There you go. People think they are indestructible and do stupid things. This is just one example.

Won't be long before guys start turning up dead doing this like other extreme sports.

maverick31210

and "MotoGP compund" tires

BWWpat

I ride my long board down the hills around here, I do go faster on my board then i do on my bike when I dont pedal my bike.

Just hold on, bend your knees and let your body pivot. Its all in the hips.