Before I met my wife I used to skate. Not that I stopped after that point, but what had been an almost daily ritual naturally reduced over time until it became an sporadic session here and there, made all the more sporadic by the decreasing quality of my deck. These sessions have, however, remained consistent in that they've always been instigated by my long-time friend Elliot Gibbins. Ell currently lives in China and was consequently unable to attend our recent wedding. However, his present of a new deck and bearings ensured he was never far from our minds on the day. It was pretty obvious what lay beneath the wrapping paper and I opened it excitedly as soon as we got home from the reception. Now that I've bought a new set of wheels too, I have no excuse not to get rolling again.
All of this kit (including the used bits) came from Ideal Skateshop at one time or another. The folk at Ideal have served the Birmingham skateboarding community for something in the region of twenty years, proving a dedication to skating that has outlasted the faddy shops that popped up in the early and mid 00s. If you're a new starter (or a restarter) living in the area, Ideal are worth your attention and ultimately your money.
Assembling my new set up was a more complicated process than I expected. It had been so long since the nuts were last removed from the trucks that they had partially rusted together. This meant that I ruined the end of the threads by taking the nuts off and, rather than paying £45 for a new pair of trucks, I had to delicately shave fine pieces of thread off with a hacksaw.
Frankly, I can't wait to start! I've probably never told Nom this but I think about skating most days! Some guys fantasize about scoring for Man U, some wish they were the frontman of a band, I dream about being a half-decent skater.
