Skateboard Buying Guide
By Mark AndersFrom the August 2004 issue of Boys' Life magazine
Shredding down the street, sliding just inches off the ground on four speedy wheels — that’s why skateboarding is one of the most popular sports in the world. It’s easy to get started. All you need is the right board. Here’s how to pick one.
THE LOWDOWN
The type of skateboard you choose depends on the kind of skating you plan on doing. There are three main styles of boards: street, park/ramp and longboards.
The first two types are similar but with different sizes of wheels. Longboards are — you guessed it — longer and better for cruising and making big, wide turns.
To help you pick the right skateboard, we asked 14-year-old pro skating sensation Ryan Sheckler to fill us in on the ins and outs of shopping for a new board.
WHERE TO SHOP
“If you’re going out to buy a skateboard you should go to your local skate shop,” Sheckler says.
The local shop will have a wider variety of boards and the salespoeple are more knowledgeable about skating than at sporting goods or department stores.
“At the skate shop, they’ll just ask you what you want and if you don’t know, they’ll tell you what’s good.”
PRICE
Sure, you can get a skateboard for $35, but “you’ll be getting a board that’s heavy and that’s not going to be very fast,” Sheckler warns. “If you want to get a legit street board it’ll be in the range of $100 to $180.”
That’s the price for a “complete” or, in other words, a board that’s already put together for you. As you get more advanced you’ll probably want to buy the parts individually and put together your own board.
QUALITY
Besides being heavier, slower and less durable, cheap skateboards can be dangerous — parts can break and cause wipeouts. If you’re planning to just tool around the neighborhood, a cheap board may be fine. But if you’ll be skating a lot and you’re looking to learn tricks, it’s worth investing in a quality board.
DECKS
Most skateboard decks are make of seven layers of plywood glued together. Sheckler says all decks are similar, with the same shape, a length of 31 to 32.5 inches and a width of 7.5 to 8 inches. Smaller boards are better for tricks, wider boards are easier to carve in ramps. The big difference is graphics.
“Pretty much all decks are the same, so sometimes you just buy a board because it has a cool graphic on the bottom,” Sheckler says.
Most decks cost $50 to $60.
TRUCKS
The axles that hold your wheels to the board are called trucks. They let you turn the board, and they are the surface you grind on for tricks like rail slides. Sheckler says all trucks are similar, though some are lighter or more durable.
“You can make a truck work however you want to make them work,” he says.
Tighten the trucks for flip tricks, loosen them for carving. Expect to pay $30 to $50 for a pair of trucks.
WHEELS
The single most important part of your board is the set of wheels. Wheel size is measured in millimeters, and the bigger the wheel the faster you’ll go. For street skating, Sheckler recommends 49 mm to 54 mm wheels. For ramps and pools, stick with 58 mm to 62 mm.
The other thing to keep in mind is the durometer, or hardness, of the wheel. The softer the wheel the more forgiving it is. For instance, E.G. Fratantaro, Team Manager for Sector 9 Skateboards, says a durometer of 78A to 87A is best for rough surfaces with rocks and cracks; a 97A or higher is better for smooth surfaces like ramps and skate parks. Dual-durometer wheels combine a hard center and soft outer edges for all-around performance.
You’ll spend $25 to $40 for a set of four wheels. The total for your do-it-yourself board: $105 to $150.
DON’T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT THESE
Add these to your skateboarding shopping list (and always wear them):
- Helmet
- Elbow pads
- Knee pads
Comments about “Skateboard Buying Guide”
Write a comment about “Skateboard Buying Guide”
Not sure which gear to buy? Need tips for maintaining your equipment?
Just send in your questions and check back here for the answers.
>> Click here to visit the Gear Guy
Or check out his most recent answers:
I’ve got a Plan-B Ryan Sheckler as a first board and I got a new one for Christmas
and a Krytonics longboard for my birhday.
kryptonics make sturdy boards i got a do it yourself it is perfect
i have a tony hawk board and this helped in decieding!
stir, etnies are awsome i got some world industries and they tor in two months.
yo skater dude birdhouse is also a great brand i’ve had mine for seven years and works great.
umm element arent so great i had one they snap pretty easy i think girl, plan b, almost,zero,and alien workshop boards are good
Grab a baker or deathwish board. Skate or die.
get zoo yorks they don’t snap easy. i have had mine for 5 years and i got down 20 sets and i fell without anypads or helmet but the board didn’t snap. by the way, chaz ortiz is the best skater
KWITE FRANKLY, ANY BOARD YOU GET FROM AREAL SKATE SHOP IS GOOD KWALITY GOOD BRANDS ARE:,,,PLAN B,,,BAKER,,,ZERO,,,DARKSTAR,,
ALIEN WORKSHOP,,,VENTURE,,,RICTA,,,SPITFIRE,,,BONE SWISS OR BONES REDS,,,LUCKY,,,AND AIRSPEED. N THOSE R JUST SOME OF EM SO YOU WON’T HAVE MUCH TROUBLE FINDING THE RIGHT BOARD FOR YOU.
if your going to use a deck its gunna get scratched up but for help use risers. My favorite shoes are vans and dc. how are alien decks?
Have any ideas on protecting decks?
what about shoes which is best?
cool!
i have a board sined bye tony halk
I like it
this is cool finaly i found advice
its cool
you can buy all sorts of skateboards by tons of brands either built or build it yourself. i suggest going to a shop (sport or skate) and buying an already built board but i have heard that the one you build yourself might better and recommended. I have never bought one of the build it yourself skateboards.
enjoy decks are the best. the best wheels are spitfier and kruk is the best trucks
I like element boards right now I’ve got a foundation.
ARE ALIEN DECKS GOOD I JUST BOUGHT SOME GOOD TRUCKS AND WHEELS FROM MY FRIEND I WAS THINKING ABOUT GETTING A ROB DYRDEK ALIEN WORKSHOP BOARD ?
if u guys are thinking about putting together a good board i suggest that if u have money that u should get a name brand deck like element, girl, plan B, chocolate, baker, or something like that. if u don’t have much money blanks are really good boards and they’re basically the same except with out the graphics. for trucks i’ve only skated with venture and they’ve been really light and nice. for wheels i have spitfire on the board i have now and they’re really nice for street skating. i also had hubba and they’re really nice wheels too. for bearing i would go with bones but black panthers are really good too. and then for hardware i would go with shorty’s or something like that. i really don’t think that what kind of hardware u get matters to much. i suggest that if you’re just starting out skating that u try to buy everything at one place because most of the time they’ll put it together for you and that’s a really big time saver. one place that you can look for good deals online is at ccs.com it’s a really good site that has a good reputation of getting your stuff to you on time. a good place to buy a lot of stuff for skating is zumiez. if any of you guys live in central pennsylvania i suggest that u check out more skates in east pete. or if any of u live in rehoboth delaware a good place to check out is east of maui or liquid skate shops they’re really helpful and they helped me get some of my boards.
peanut, i used to have a walmart board and then once i really got seriously into skating it is so much better to have a good light board. when i got my element board it was amazing and i could never go back to a walmart board again
is a CBS board a good type to get??????
go to zumiez, everybody is nice there… ask for a sticker and they give u one.