Guide to rails

I found this guide to Rails by Arlo Eisenberg in about 1998.

I found this guide to Rails by Arlo Eisenberg in about 1998. Hope you can use it:

Rails are more mental than anything else… The most important key in doing them is concentration, commitment, and confidence.

In a rail, you want to look for something that is not too fat so that you can get on it. You also want to look for something not too steep, so that you wont go flying once you jump on it. You can do the extremes, but they are much harder and dangerous to learn on. In addition to that, if you are using all big wheels, you may want to look into an all tiny wheels, or anti-rocker setup. This will give you room to grind, and your big wheels won't get stuck on the rail.

You really need to emphasize the approach and setup. Because once you are on the rail, if you have done your approach and you have your stance right, all you do is ride it out. You want to go parallel to the rail so that your momentum is going the same direction, then you want to jump and turn 90 degrees. That is the key. Just a 90 degree turn from facing forwards to perfectly perpendicular to the rail.

You also need a good stance. You want your feet beyond shoulder width, and you will ride mostly your inside edges. If your feet are too close, or you are putting the weight on wrong, they will slip out from under you, and you will go falling. And when you land, take a lot of it in your knees, and keep your body forward. Always keep your body forward.

As usual, practice on small and low rails/curbs first. Get the feeling for grinding, and then you will have very little problem in the transition to inclined rails. There is really not much else to say. Just do it!

  • by Arlo Eisenberg

Other Grind tricks