Ask A Freebord Pro With David Bickett

Rider Question: Joshua

Hey there,  i just had 2 last questions that i was hoping you could answer for me. So i’ve been riding for a few days now, not for long periods of time, maybe about half an hour a day. I’ve made progress and am just now trying to connect my slides but i’m still not very good at carving.

Anyways i was wondering, as i get better would i want to bring my center wheel closer to the deck, or leave it as close to the ground as possible? Do you pros leave it as close to the ground as possible?

And my other question was about gliding (i don’t know the proper term for it). But it’s when someones going down a hill in a straight line and they turn their board to the side…but is still going in the straight line? Every tutorial i look at, tells me to never keep my weight on the center wheels alone, and to always keep my weight on at least 4 wheels, so i was just curious.

Pro Answer: David Bickett 

Hey man! 

So first, about the height of your centers.. when I was first starting I realized that the lower your board is to the ground (least amount of rocker) is easiest to learn on.. rocker is definitely your best friend but until you understand how the board works it’s difficult to ride with a lot of rocker.. so maybe try riding with your centers on the second or third notch from the bottom. 

Secondly, if you really want to slide and connect your slides you will need to have most of your weight on the centers. It’s difficult to get used to riding with more weight on the center wheels but it’s the best way to keep a slide going.. the least amount of drag on the outside edges will give you the longest slide possible. I used to practice on flat ground at a low speed so I could just get a feel for the centers but honestly, it just takes time and practice. I wasn’t fully comfortable on my centers until I had been riding for about a year or even two. 

Here’s a couple of my videos that shows some slides and center wheel riding. Enjoy!