Heya All!

I have only been surfing (on a 9'3" dibben longboad) for the last 9-12 months after windsurfing for the last twelve years. I'm absolutely loving it!!

I got a sore ankle after eating it for a set or two at Gallows (yep, I probably shouldn't have been out there but, there was nobody else out, and it looked so good from the carpark etc, etc) with the board yanking me backwards through waves at a rate.

Q = A mate said the legropes for longboards are sometimes worn just under the knee.
Is he pulling the proverbial? Anyone else had ankle problems from legropes?

My legrope may not be as elastic as it once was, so will be replaced as soon as bank acct allows...

Yeh you can buy specific calf/knee legropes.

I agree with obct, you definitely get less tangles in the toes. I also find it's a lot nicer being dragged from my knee than my ankle.

On the topic, I've also seen Norman Twight sporting a legrope around his waste. Didn't get a good look at it, but he used it in last years State comp at Surf beach.

62mac said...

I swear by Ocean and Earth ankle legropes with swivels on each end.

kecksoff, was your ankle strap loose when you injured your ankle
if so I think it may have slipped over your ankle joint which coursed
the injury,if this is the case tighten the strap and give it another go

The calf straps are great for people with ankle problems.

Happy Surfing

The strap may well have been loose.
I'm booked in with the physio that visits work so hoping to get it back up to scratch real soon.
I will definately hunt down a calf strap so not to miss any sessions & look out for a new ankle strap
Maybe after I try the calf rope I will never look back
Thanks heaps for your replies Guys!!!!!!!!

Wogboy1 said...

I find with a calf strap you are less likely to step on the leash when moving foot position on the board

Welcome wogboy, any chance of posting some photos of longboarding in Italy,always good to see whats going on around this planet

obct said...

I've heard that the island of Sardinia is about the best on offer in the Mediterranean.

yes but the girls are hot

However on the legrope topic - very personal choice whether you go calf or ankle, just make sure you know what you have bought before you leave the store. Personally I hate calf leggies and get tangled up in them constantly. People tell me they are better for walking the board - NOT CONVINCED. I walk my mals like someone with ADHD and rarely if ever get tangled in my ankle leash, and just outta interest I use the cheapest leggies on the market and have also never broken one. (no makaha it isnt cos I am a pussy and only surf 1ft waves). I do however get new legropes any time I buy a new board and also usually change them every year.

Many years ago about 1972 my brother fashioned himself a board in the backyard
The result was pretty good for a first attempt i,m 10 yrs his junior so i was
thrilled that he was carving out his own stick anyway,
In lieu of a retail legrope he also made his own .
He used nylon cord and a large hanky tied around his ankle
The cord was fed through a hole drilled through the fin and spliced back onto itself
the result was crude but effective

Around the same time my first ever board,single fin had a hole in the fin,we had no money so I tied rope around my leg and into the fin,bad mistake dam rope burn/cut

This board copped a huge fin chop and on my first ever go at repairing boards I nearly set the house on fire,too much hardener the thing stated smoking and melting the foam.Mum came running in with a bucket of water

thommo 000 said...

after the sock came the....

Love these old reminiscing (?) stories. 62 Mac's story of fixing his first ding reminded me of the two boards I built from scratch. Both were a bit dodgy but funnily enough went pretty well, even if they were ugly.
The 7'6" single fin (this was about 1978) had a semi keel fin I made from Plywood and covered in glass. The board was about 3 and a half inches thick ( I don't know how to do half on the computer). Despite the fact that it should have been an absolute pig, it went really well at Hole In the Wall at Lancelin (1 and a half hours north of Perth) on a solid 8 foot day. This was in the days when I was too stupid to realise that big waves really do hurt.

i reckon that everyone should have a go at making a board at least once in their lives if only to appreciate the skill involved in shaping a good board.

Next thing I would like to do is have a go at building a timber board.

martman said...

Many years ago about 1972 my brother fashioned himself a board in the backyard
The result was pretty good for a first attempt i,m 10 yrs his junior so i was
thrilled that he was carving out his own stick anyway,
In lieu of a retail legrope he also made his own .
He used nylon cord and a large hanky tied around his ankle
The cord was fed through a hole drilled through the fin and spliced back onto itself
the result was crude but effective

HA, i wasn't even born in '72.
you're old dude...

calf leggies are good if you surf tiny waves, walk the plank, hang five, know what you're doing or want future medial ligament damage.

stick to ankle straps and like mac says, do it up tight above the ankle... and don't chuck your board at the sight of the first white wash set like the rest of the mal kooks. pay attention to the guys who flip upside down grabbing their rails and burying the nose of the board, they cop a flogging i'm sure but they don't lose anywhere near the ground that those that chuck thier boards do...

i'm sure there is some faggy longboard name for the manouvre they pull, but its just as effective as a duckdive....


.... except your a fag on a mal

Hey doc i doubt if you would have a good duck dive in you.After all you missed it doc,born too late.

I personally always use an ankle leggy and have tried calf leggies a coupla times but always get tangled in them. I mainly use O&E but only cos I get them cheap at my local board shop. I don't know that any brand is any better than another - it's all very personal. My only little quirks with leggies are: I always wash them out after every surf in fresh water and hang em up to dry and I replace them at least every year. When I used to sell surfboards I would always suggest to customers that they get a new leggy with their new board and either heavily discount them or throw them into the deal because a legrope is the cheapest insurance policy you will ever purchase and if you are gunna spend $1400 on a new board you are insane if you dont spend another $40 on a new legrope.
One other thing - looking back through this topic I noticed a couple of people get red-thumbed for their comments WTF !!! This is not the sup forum and I thought we were adult enough on this forum to speak our minds and be completely open to others thoughts and views and have the bollocks to give and take criticism. In my opinion if you wanna use the red thumbs ##ck off back to the sup forum where you belong - they aint welcome in longboards.

obct,i'm with you wtf.... are you talking about?

billboard said...

I personally always use an ankle leggy and have tried calf leggies a coupla times but always get tangled in them. I mainly use O&E but only cos I get them cheap at my local board shop. I don't know that any brand is any better than another - it's all very personal. My only little quirks with leggies are: I always wash them out after every surf in fresh water and hang em up to dry and I replace them at least every year. When I used to sell surfboards I would always suggest to customers that they get a new leggy with their new board and either heavily discount them or throw them into the deal because a legrope is the cheapest insurance policy you will ever purchase and if you are gunna spend $1400 on a new board you are insane if you dont spend another $40 on a new legrope.
One other thing - looking back through this topic I noticed a couple of people get red-thumbed for their comments WTF !!! This is not the sup forum and I thought we were adult enough on this forum to speak our minds and be completely open to others thoughts and views and have the bollocks to give and take criticism. In my opinion if you wanna use the red thumbs ##ck off back to the sup forum where you belong - they aint welcome in longboards.

Great post billboard,I agree whole heartedly
Yes I have heard that many a time,new board new leggie however I have not been offered this as part of the deal for a while now,it may have something to do with the great trades I am getting.
I took the Redline out on its maiden voyage and after catching a couple of waves without coming to grief (no tension ) on the leggie I noticed the cord had given way from the strap.This leggie was an old one

Dam,there goes my ,self imposed 24 hour ban

I think our little group knows to ignore them, we all seem very comfortable with our posts and know each others likes and dislikes (in macs case that's any board without a dirty big "M" on it).

And best of all, most of us have a healthy degree of distain for SUPers, without being overtly homophobic

There you go, that should get me a nice bunch of red thumbs from the girls

obct said...

I think our little group knows to ignore them, we all seem very comfortable with our posts and know each others likes and dislikes (in macs case that's any board without a dirty big "M" on it).

And best of all, most of us have a healthy degree of distain for SUPers, without being overtly homophobic

There you go, that should get me a nice bunch of red thumbs from the girls

I'd call Mac and BB supaphobic .....


edit ... damn can't give myself a green thumb