Carbon GT - learning how to slide (wheels recommendation).

Got my Carbon GT last week and been enjoying it on AT wheels. Installed some Venom / Khiro bushing. I am very interested in learning how to slide or freeride on the GT. Wondering if anyone can suggests wheel recommendations between Orangatang Kegel 80mm / 80a orange or 80mm /83a purple or evolve original 83mm 76a or Abec 11 76mm/78a flywheel?

What's the advantage of one over another?
What would you use?

Got my safety gears and ready to start learning how to slide. (187 pro elbow and knee pads, Bell super 2r full face helmet and g-form crash shorts and shirt for hip and shoulder protection). Yea probably going over board but since this is my first time learning.

 

Well the Abec 11 Flywheels have rounded edges so it should be easier to slide compared to Evolve's flywheels and also the Kegels. A smaller contact patch would also make it easier to slide as well. I have both the 83mm Evolve and 83mm Abec flywheels and I naturally slide on the Abec's when I'm deep carving. The Evolve's on the other hand just stick and refuse to slide.

The thane is also different as well. At my weight (100 kg) the Abec thane is softer and also tougher (75a vs 76a) compared to Evolve's, which chunk hardcore, and they also slide very predictably with no chatter.

Sorry, I have no experience with Kegels.

 

Thanks. I just got my 76mm Abec flywheel 78A duro today. Man that thing is really low so I need to watch what I go over or I end up scratching the motor mount. Since the wheel is still new. It's really still sticky. I put about 7 miles on it and still need more time to break it in. I hope to spend tomorrow learning how to deep carve and hopefully it will start sliding naturally. Never done this so it's going to be a long learning process. With the 76mm, I definitely feel every single tiny bump on my Carbon GT. It's really low and fast but it's fun. Crazy acceleration and braking. Take some getting use to.

 

Yea, usually you stick with 80+ mm specifically because of motor and motor mounts, but I still think you can make it work if you're careful.
Good luck with your sliding endeavors. Should be smooth once you break that sucker in.

 

I've used the stock Evolve GT black 83mm Flywheels and they slide fine after you've worn them in. Yes, it is starting to chunk a little on the edges and it is coning very slightly as well. I may need to reverse the wheels after a few months or so. The duro 76a is a bit soft so it does not make the most pleasant slide sound (sounds like wooden table legs moving on the floor). I may purchase some black higher duro clones later or the 82a versions Evolve sells and test them out. Have not tried Kegels or ABECs but curious about their sliding capabilities.

 

I finally had a chance to take my Abec 76mm / 78a duro out to try to learn how to slide. I have never own a long board and never done any tricks. In the beginning I started in a concrete parking lot just to get use to tight turns with me left hand sliding on the ground. I found the traction to be too high on concrete. So I decided to move to an asphalt parking lot and that was much better. Less friction. Since my 76mm was new it didn't want to slide very much. After a few hard turns I started to slide a little. I learn that I have to be going at least 12-13 mph to sufficiently break away. Long and short after two hours I was able to consistently slide 180 deg coming to a stop or even do an aggressive sharp turn with a control slide without stopping. I found that going 15-16mph works even better. By the end of the day the Abec 76mm was broken in and slides quite well. It sure was fun and scary at the same time. I am nearing half a century in age so doing all this is a bit out there for me. Invigorating.

Looking for some advise on Coleman slide. Currently I have to grab my board with my right hand between my knees and my left hand sliding on the ground to generate enough turn torque to break free. Is it possible to generate enough turn torque without grabbing the board (with right hand in the air to continue accelerating with the controller)? Is it possible to do a standing Coleman slide on an Evolve?

 

Be careful with those abec 11 76. I tried them on the GTC and they were fun but an inch or more lip on a sidewalk or driveway well scrape the motor mount. Advon is correct the stock 83 will slide fine but it isn’t as nice as the abecs and it is a loud slide. I really liked how low the 76 were and the carving was great but it just wasn’t a practical setup so I ended up with the 97s. Cheers

 

Yes, agree on the low rider minimal clearance. I am trying to find anyone who is willing to sell me their 97mm but so far no luck. It seems to be out of stock everywhere. Looking for the 75a duro for software ride.

 

I hear you, the large abecs go fast when they are available. I saw some available here: ( 97mm Abec 11 Wheels - Complete Set - Metroboard Electric Skateboard ) but they are 78a and the drive gear would be throw away. I believe I have the 78a myself and with the warm summer like temperatures in the area over the weekend they were great. The 75a would be smoother but so far these have been great.

As for your previous sliding questions I do at times break free front and backside when aggressively carving large hills but I try to keep that in check to remain in control. I am somewhat concerned about trying the Coleman slide on this board probably because I’ve only had it a few months now and I am worried about what it might do to the motors. So I will be happy to hear what other more experienced riders say about that. Over the weekend I was working the frontside slide to include power through the trigger and I still have a ways to go. I use a trigger guard and have gloves with my trigger finger and middle finger cut out so I can feel the trigger better. After a few scrapes I ended up taping my fingers ;-). I am looking to get comfortable enough on the board to do some city night rides. Take Care.

 

I've done a few colemans on a street setup typically going downhill at around 30-40km. Motors are fine but I don't press the trigger at all. In fact I have a flatland trigger guard on my remote and have it slung to a larger retractable key holder so I don't use the remotes at all going downhill. Technically could hold the remote doing the Coleman but accidentally accelerating or braking could end up with scary results going downhill fast and when you're freerolling. I made that mistake of feathering brake on a long steep freeroll and it flung me off. So when I want to freeroll I commit to it using manual techniques.

 

Adovan – thanks for the slide advice. I will give the Coleman a try and I like the retractable key holder idea I might have to try that. I also use the flatland trigger guard which I purchased after accidently hitting the trigger. I was going from crouched to standing position and I was flung off the board. In my opinion the guard is a must if you want to ride even a little aggressively. I generally carve steep hills with intersections just so I am in complete control should a car or kid jump out but long straight sections I do the manual long board technics a well. Have a Great Day.

 

Adovan, are you able to do the coleman without grabbing the board? I can't seem to generate enough torque to break free without grabbing onto the board with my right hand while sliding on my left hand. Trying to figure out the right techniques. I am on 76mm wheels 78a.

 

Grabbing the board with your right hand is a good way to learn it as it ensures you roughly lean back the right amount without falling off your board. It also gets you to commit into the turn and plant the coleman. If you don't slide, and you just turn, you're not going fast enough As you practice it more, you figure that keeping your right arm raised as your left goes into the slide allows you to better control the weight into left arm (if you ride normal instead of goofy) and if you've positioned your weight and legs correctly should give you a more gradual 'graceful' stop and you can transition back into rolling more easily. I grab the board for abrupt tight stops.

You can see the difference here in this short video.

This other video is a good video on how to slide which i used when i first started out a several months ago (although it is quite long). It does go through fundamentals and a few useful practice things you can do but i think it's the best one.

Stay safe whilst practicing - i recommend full gear when you're starting out sliding. For example I used a helmet, elbow pads, kneepads, slideglove on the left hand/wristguard on the right remote hand, a slim canvas snowboarding backpack and heavily taping the ass area of my 'practice' cargo pants. It may be a little overkill but it had me covered for all types of falls. (I did fall alot). As i got better...I still use all the gear when sliding (i just hate roadrash).

The freerolling carving/sliding experience followed by electric uphill carving is unbeatable

 

Thanks Adovan for all the great hints and video links. I started my practice at around 12-13 mph which I found out that it's just at the minimum speed to slide. As I gain confidence, I tried a few times at 18-20mph but man that is a lot of asphalt going by me at high speed and found it at little scary. However, I did find high speed to work much better and more controllable. I also notice that from the video, I am probably grabbing my board too far in the middle and should be more on the back end.

Lastly, the one thing I have been struggling with is how tight to make the bushing. I found that for my long cruises that requires speed of 22 mph, I really needed to tighten down the bushing but that makes it impossible to lean quickly enough to slide. So to do slies, I had to loosen the bushings to easily lean and with less effort. I am now on a quest to find the right type of bushing and right tension to allow me high speed with no wobbles yet allows me to slide easier. Easy lean but comes rebound back to center quickly.

Thanks for the advice on safety gears.. and yes, I am fully "padded" including G-form crash shorts.