SlamdanceCosmopolis

Way, way back in the 1980's.... I used to ride my skateboard everywhere. It was my primary mode of transport around the city in college. Since then I haven't bothered much with skating or anything really, other than watching TV and surfing the web.
Recently, however, I took my son to the skatepark and did a bit of playing around with his board and enjoyed it so much that I had to go and fully outfit myself in all the latest gear that modern technology and the local skate shop can provide. In exchange for a healthy dollop of my cash of course.
Don't make the mistake of going to a skateshop seeking expert advice. You won't find it. What you're likely to find is exactly what I found; a kid in his teens who likes to skate or a bit older person with no interest other than an easy job.
I picked my board based on it's width. Since I'm about 190 pounds and my feet are much bigger than my son's I figured I needed a larger board. There isn't a lot of size variety to be had so I settled on the widest standard deck available at 8". For trucks I chose Independent 129s. They were the same trucks I bought back in 1980 and again in the 90s so why mess with a good thing. We have history together for crying out loud. My wheels are ____ because they are a little softer than most of the rock hard examples out there, a little larger than typical, and the teenaged retail attendant behind the counter said, "These last forever." 'Nuff said. Bearings are Reds. They seem to be the most popular if only because they're the most widely available. They're fine, they roll, whatever.
So now, armed with $157 worth of maple, aluminum, and urethane, I set out to expand on my limited abilities from 20 years ago.
Wish me luck.