Post by The Cell on Feb 15, 2009 16:12:47 GMT -5
FAQ's
1. How do I learn to street luge?
There are several ways to learn the art of riding a street luge. You can hook up with experienced street luge riders and learn from them or you can start by reading the StreetLuge Survival Guide by X Games medalist Darren Lott. You can find out how to contact riders in the How do I contact other street luge riders? section of this FAQ and you can find out how to order the Street Luge Survival Guide by checking out the link provided. Ultimately you will gain the most knowledge and skill by riding with others.
Another cool book out there is called simply "Street Luge". It's meant for younger readers but gives a nice introduction to the sport.
There are two active groups in the US that teach new riders how to street luge. On the east coast is Gravity Sports International (RRGG) and on the west coast is SLED (Street Luge Education and Development). They all teach new riders the fundamentals of riding, safety and racing.
Just released (2004) is an instructional DVD called "Street Luge 101". The video teaches the new rider about safety, road selection, board design, Internet resources, ride techniques and more. Learn more and order.
2. How do I get or build a street luge board?
There are several resources on the Internet for building a street luge board. If you would like to build your own luge I have gathered construction information from all over the web. Check the construction list out by clicking here. As always, use your best judgment before getting on a luge made from plans found on the net. Try them out on a slow safe hill first before bombing the fast twisties.
If you just want to purchase a street luge be prepared to spend between $500 and $1,800.
3. Wood or Metal - what should I use to build my board?
I love this one! Wood or Metal? As usual, it depends.
Wood boards are easier to build as they use more available tools and materials. They can also be much less expensive to build (I built my 1st wood board for less than $200). The flexibility of wood boards can be changed rather easily while changing the flexibility of a steel board (especially making it MORE flexible) is tricky if not impossible. The down side of a wood board is the durability of the finish. Paint chips and the soft nature of wood make gouging and scratches a real issue.
Metal boards are.... well I guess more accepted. On the plus side, if you get or build an aluminum board, the finish is durable and easily fixable. You will also be race ready in most organizations. Most tend to look at materials more than craftsmanship.
Bottom Line: If you're comfortable working with wood then build a wood board. If you're comfortable working with metal, use metal.
4. Where can I get street luge specific gear?
There are only a few places to get Street Luge specific gear but any skateboard, leather, Home Depot or motorcycle shop can get you 95% of the way there. Trucks & truck accessories, wheels, bearings and lubricants can all be found at your local skateboard or sporting goods store. Motorcycle shops sell leathers, gloves, pads and helmets. The local home improvement center is a great place to get hardware such as nuts & bolts, gloves, tools, padding for bumpers and your butt, and flashlights (night riding anyone?).
Street Luge specific gear can be found at the following:
Rogers Brothers
Roger Bros. Boards
Complete Street Luge boards with traveling case and many other options. Wedge Helmet Visors!
Randal
Luge trucks including extra wide free floating axle design. Randal Trucks
No Fuel Racing
Rick Wilson
Rick Wilson sells durable rubber soles for shies and the new pegless luge made by X Games medallist Steve Fernando.
IRS Sports
Tim Cayer
Complete Street Luge store with everything you might need. Also selling the Street Luge Survival Guide by Darren Lott.
ABEC 11
Chris Chaput
Chris Chaput's been busy designing new wheels for all downhill sports. Very popular and successful since the 2002 season. Biltin Bearings now available!
Dregs
Dregs Skateboards offers trucks, wheels etc.
Gravity Publishing
Darren Lott
Street Luge Survival Guide. The book that teaches. A must have for beginners (and a few "pros" too!).
HAE Fun Lab
Nova X
Street Luge wheels and accessories. Also selling the Street Luge Survival Guide by Darren Lott. On-line ordering.
TRSstreetluge
Steve
Steve Fernando has started building luges again! Solid aluminum "sleds" that perform well. Steve is constantly looking to improve the design and mods are the norm.
Wild Fro
Steve Pearl
Wild-Fro Luges, Sno-Rider face shields, tire retread for brake shoes and glue.
Andy Lally
Rew Sports Luges
New Pegless Luges.
eXkate
Info
Wheels & trucks.
Moe Speed
Chick Mokracek
Accessories for your trucks - splitters and trucks. (Purchase from IRS Sports)
NJK Leathers
Kelcey Gordon
Kelcey makes very cool & unique Street Luge leathers.
5. Is street luge illegal?
Yes and No. Sorry, but it's the truth, it all depends.
Going faster than the speed limit is speeding regardless of what you're riding. You are a pedestrian. Pedestrian laws apply. You can get a ticket for being in the roadway or blocking traffic. I've heard a recent story about a rider getting a ticket for being a pedestrian on the wrong side of the road (supposed to be on the side that opposes traffic!).
The only specific California law that we know about is in LA county and they prohibit riding a skateboard on a grade greater than 3% and faster than 10 MPH. Some riders we talk with have discovered that riding a street luge on public roads is totally legal, others find that it is totally illegal (Wisconsin for example). Check city, county and state laws. Most states have their vehicle codes posted on the Internet.
Since 1994 I have encountered numerous police officers but have never received a ticket or had my board confiscated. If a law enforcement officer asks you to leave the road you are on, leave. There's always tomorrow.
To get specific legal info about your state check out Find Law
6. Do I need to join a street luge organization and if so how?
No, but some organizations do require membership or a guest fee in order to race. As of 2004, the only US organizations putting on events are the IGSA (International Gravity Sports Association) and G SI(Gravity Sport International). The NSLA (National Street Luge Association), EDI (Extreme Downhill International), and RAIL (Racers Association of International Luge) have put on events in the past but have not done so in several years. The yearly membership fee is about $50-$150 but most organizations will let you race in their events by paying a guest fee (usually about 1/2 of the yearly fee).
The links above should allow you to join the aforementioned organizations.
The IGSA recently (2002) and GSI (2004) updated their race fees.
* The IGSA now requires an IGSA fee at IGSA Organized Events but not at events sanctioned by the IGSA. Organizers that put on events that are sanctioned by the IGSA may request race fees independent of the IGSA. For example, both Hot Heels and DHX are IGSA sanctioned events but do not require IGSA fees. Hot Heels does charge an independent race fee but DHX does not.
* Joining RRGG is required before you will be allowed to race any RRGG events. Fees for the 2009 season are $75 for the year or $25 per race.
7. Where can I practice?
Finding practice hills is usually a bigger challenge then getting ready to ride. Many factors are involved in choosing a practice hill. The most important of course is safety. Look for hills with low traffic, no side streets, no reflectors and smooth pavement. The ultimate practice hills are dead ends into idle weekend businesses (dumps, prisons, power plants etc...). The Street Luge Survival Guide has a complete chapter on scouting practice hills.
In general, you will find most street lugers keep their favorite hills to themselves. Sounds selfish but their reasoning is "If I tell people about my hill and some knuckle head rides it and gets hurt, that road will be unrideable." Similarly, if a favorite hill gets really popular and the local inhabitants start complaining, then law enforcement will make that road unrideable.
Having said that, Gravity DB has started a listing of rider submitted roads. Every road is submitted by Gravity DB members and includes information about road speed, grade, distance, surface condition, contact info and a map & directions.
8. How do I get into the X Games and other televised events?
If your ultimate goal is to get on TV, be warned. The road will probably suck. TV's goals and rider goals are rarely the same and since TV has the money, they usually win. Televised events have been memorable not because the course was cool but because riders are generally treated very well ( for instance volunteers loaded and unloaded your boards from the truck during the X Games!).
Entry into televised events is almost always by invitation; usually through qualifying at other races, knowing the right people and being respected as a safe rider.
ESPN's X Games entry was based solely on your IGSA World ranking and your finish in the X Games from all prior years. Alas, as of 2002, Street Luge is no longer an event in the ESPN X Games. There are entry fees to most if not all of these events and some will require a organization guest fee.
There are other events that are televised (specials, TV shows like Off the Wall, Adrenalina TV and California Kinkin') and contacting organizers is the best way to tell if an event will be televised. Other televised specials are usually organized by contacting news organizations, sports shows etc. Get to know the top riders in the sport and you will begin to hear about these outings.
9. What are the rules of street luge racing?
The rules of street luge racing differ slightly depending on the sanctioning body but there are many similarities. The IGSA (once sanctioning body at the X Games) re-posted their rules for 2003, and the Gravity Sports International (GSI) rules can be had by contacting the other respective organizations.
Even though these rules seem pretty restrictive, you will find that most organizers are fairly liberal. Wooden 2x4 board have been ridden at EDI races and a short wooden board was ridden at the 2000 X Games qualifier. Check with the organizer about the rules that mean to most to them.
10. Is there an age requirement for street luge?
No. If you want to start riding a street luge, age will not stop you. If you would like to race at organized events then age needs to be discussed.
* The IGSA limits competitors to those that are 14 and older.
* Gravity Sports International (GSI) not only has a junior class but three groups of them! One goes as low a 6 years old. Read about them in their rules section.
There have not been a lot of young (under 16) riders at other events so I do not know exactly how this would be treated but if you can demonstrate your ability and have raced a couple of amateur races, I believe you would be allowed to race. Of course, the ultimate authority would be the individual event organizers so contacting them is your safest path.
11. Where are all the races?
There are street luge races all over the world from Switzerland, Sweden, Great Britain, South Africa, Eastern and Western US & Canada. Others have compiled a complete yearly listing of these events, just google it.
12. How do I contact other street luge riders?
The best way to contact other street luge riders is to attend an event and introduce yourself. It really is that simple as we are a friendly bunch and enjoy sharing the information we have gathered other the years.
If you cannot get to an event but would like to practice with other riders there are several on-line methods. Checking out the three most active message boards (StreetLuge.net, NCDSA & GSI) will expose you to numerous street luge riders from around the world although mostly US. The UKGSA site has an active message board for riders in Europe.
Gravity DB is in the progress of gathering rider profiles that is shaping up to be a good way to contact other riders. The listing has 174 rider as of 7/2004.
13. Where can I get street luge photos and movies?
This is sort of a self serving question so I apologize in advance. I believe there complete street luge photo collections (over 1,000 photos from over 40 events) on various personal luge sites. . Other sources of photos can be found at Kent Kochheiser Photographic, Officer Sherms Photo Gallery and Chris McBride's site.
14. Are there any street luge races or organizations outside the United States?
There are several street luge organizations and riding groups outside the US. The table at right lists organizations and clubs that gather riders or actually put on events. You will need to explore the web sites to discover the goal of each.
15. Can I make money by riding a street luge?
Yes but don't plan on making a living at it. You can get paid by riding a street luge several ways.
Racing:
Most major races had pay outs and they get bigger every year. The 2000 Gravity Games paid out $15,000 for 1st and the X Games $10,000. Red Bull usually pays the podium finishers of their events but the value is considerably less.
Sponsorship:
Just like other sports it's possible to get paid by a sponsor. While this is getting more and more prevalent in the sport, it's still pretty hard to come by (in terms of big dollars). It seems that most sponsors are more willing to pay for travel and equipment then salaries (the do exist). Big name products such as Converse, Snapple, Mountain Dew, SoBe, STP, Vans, Die Trying and Red Bull have all sponsored riders.
Be a star:
There have been several TV shows, commercials and movies involving street luge. Participants usually get paid. See the FAQ titled How do I get into the X Games and other televised events for more info.
Putting on events and covering the sport (books, photos, announcing...) can also get you a paycheck but the title of this FAQ includes the word riding!
16. What's the best way to travel with my street luge?
There are many ways to transport your luge. Some folks have been known to put it on the plane with number plate, wheels and all. Some have wrapped it, others have put it in cardboard (still as one piece). One advantage to this is that you now have a wheeled instrument to move the rest of your equipment with.
Keep in mind that if what you check is more than 72 inches around (longest dimension) the airline may not let you check it, you may have to ship it freight (I've done this, it's not cheap!). Otherwise they may charge you an excess baggage fee which is normally $50, each way! Also, without proper protection, there is more of a chance that the luge will be damaged.
If you plan on flying regularly I recommend that you build a luge that breaks down. You can use a snowboard bag, golf bags, or custom made bags or cases. There are three advantages here. They are easy to carry, they are slightly more protected and most airlines won't charge an extra fee for "normal" sporting goods (skis, snowboards, golf bags). Another advantage is that you can pack other things in the luge bag such as wheels, leathers and such. Another point, most airlines fuss when you try to check more than two bags.
Since 9/11, most airlines will now generally charge you if the bag is over 50 lbs.
And from Pete Love...Traveling with your luge...
....is a ton of fun. I used to have a foldaway job that went in a 1m bag and was super easy to carry about. Quite often they'd make me pull it out of the bag just because it looked like a missile launcher on the x-ray machine. I never got charged however. Now I have a stupidly long one (luge, that is), and just carry it about unpacked. The really great thing about that is EVERYBODY wants to talk to you. Buy a T-shirt that says `Street luge. 70mph. With your feet. Mountain roads. Motorcycle leathers. Not yet.' which takes care of the 6 questions you'll be asked about 250 times. The customs guys love you, but the baggage handlers hate your guts.
The only time I got charged was flying out of Denver, and that came down to the fact that so many skiers fly through there they make a point of charging anyone who goes outside the rules by a millimeter. We had a lot of fun getting every single person in the airport hierarchy down there and going through the six dumbass questions with them, though.
International flights tend not to care about size (they use the big planes), but are really pissy about weight (overshooting the runway in a 747 makes a lot of work for the guys who mow the grass). The cool thing here is that the normal check in scales won't weigh luges unless you balance the luge on your baggage cart (in which case you move the cart until the reading on the scales goes below the limit). I once had a check in guy ask me what my luge was made of given that it was six feet long and only reading 4kg's. 'Carbon fibre, of course'. Sometimes they make you take it to outsize baggage, but the guys in outsize baggage assume that its already been weighed and are only there to run the super big X-ray machine, so you're sorted again.
The other rule used to be that they would assume your hand baggage was light as long as it was small, so all your trucks, tools, spares, lead weights etc. could go in there and you just had to walk through the gate nonchalantly trying not to show that you've just dislocated you shoulder carrying the bastard. However, in light of recent events I don't recommend that anymore unless you feel like being escorted off the plane by a swat team.
Good things to say
1) I'm an international athlete
2) I spoke to your head office (especially if you can get a fax out of them)
3) I fly with this all the time
4) Can you give me the first class weight allowance
5) I got here especially early so your staff could deal with the extra hassle
Bad things to say
1) It's a missile launcher (it's illegal to joke with customs guys).
2) I'm British, these rules don't apply to me.
3) You're pretty, will you marry me?
4) You remind me of my Butchers dog.
5) Talk English for gods sake, this is an airport, not a bloody sauerkraut factory.
6) Drugs are legal here, right?
7) Vous etes un gros pede comme Manu Antuna.
the mgmt