How to choose the right skateboard. Description of skateboard parts. What a skateboard consists of and what to look for.
If you’ve decided to build a high-quality, tricky skateboard but don’t know where to start, this article is for you! We will take a closer look at all the components and figure out what they are and what they are for.
This article is about high-quality and professional skateboards and their components. Whatever the temptation to buy a cheap “market/bazaar” skateboard, we want to warn you that the materials, proportions and quality of such skateboards are very low and cannot withstand even basic loads, riding such skateboards is like playing sports in bad and unsuitable equipment, which can be fraught with consequences. It’s very likely that you won’t even be able to find out what size skateboard you bought, which is extremely important, especially at the very beginning.
Details. A skateboard consists of the following parts:
1. Board (board / deck )
The most important and basic thing in any skateboard. There are a lot of different sizes and shapes depending on your needs, proportions and skating style. Most professional decks are made of 7 layers of wood veneer, which is glued together with a special glue. Brands specializing in decks regularly develop new technologies, both for the glue and wood materials, for example, add carbon inserts, make the boards thinner but no less durable, etc. All this is done to maximize the life of the board, so that it can withstand maximum loads and last as long as possible.
2. Suspensions (trucks)
Suspensions are attached to the bottom of the board and are responsible for turning and tilting. And at a higher level of skating, they are needed to perform tricks (sliding over various obstacles).
It is worth noting that the tracks are spare parts made of several components:
Metal parts
This is the “baseplate” and the upper part is the “hanger“. They are connected to each other by a kingpin bolt, the center bolt with a nut on top. This is the nut that controls the turning force and the “pliability” of the skateboard. The tighter it is, the less the skateboard turns.
Rubber elements
“Bushings” – a set of 4 shock absorbers that are responsible for turning. They come in different stiffnesses, depending on your preference, the stiffer the bushings, the less agile your skateboard is.
The “pivot cup” is a rubber cap at the end of the axle that is used to prevent the suspension axle from rubbing against the base.
All trails are sold fully assembled and all you need to do is install them on your skateboard. But in case you need to replace some part, we have a large selection of all small components in stock .
3: Wheels
This is what makes your skateboard go. All wheels have two main gradations, size (indicated in millimeters) and stiffness (indicated by the letter “A”).
Standard wheel proportions for a classic trick skate are: size from 50mm-56mm and stiffness 98A-101A. The wheels also vary in width. But this is a matter of taste and skating style, for a beginner it is enough to be guided by size and stiffness.
The small wheels are perfect for smooth and even surfaces: skate parks, flat asphalt, granite, marble, polished concrete, etc.
Larger wheels are more tractable and suitable for poorer surfaces, old asphalt with cracks, tiles with gaps, etc. The bigger the wheel size, the higher the speed and cushioning, but the taller your skateboard will be (it is harder to learn tricks on very tall skateboards).
The most commonly used wheel size is 52-54mm. With stiffness from 99a to 101a. For beginners, we advise you to take wheels in this range. And you can choose the wheels here.
There are also wheels of larger size, but with lower hardness (sizes from 55 mm and more), hardness from 70A to 90A. These wheels are called “cruiser”.
They have a greater cross-country ability and can safely travel even on the ground. The less harsh the tire is, the more smoothly you will ride even on the worst surface.
A great option for those who use skateboards as transportation and move around the city. It’s harder to learn and do tricks on these wheels, but your skateboard becomes a full-fledged vehicle.
Many experienced riders have several sets of wheels or even assembled skateboards and use them as needed. Trick boards and a separate “cruiser” for moving around the city.
4. 4. bearings
They are responsible for the speed of the wheel and, in fact, for the speed of your ride. There are 8 of them in the set, and 2 bearings are inserted into each wheel.
What is ABEC?
In the past, skateboard bearings were labeled with the abbreviation ABEC (American Bearing Engineering Committee) and then a number. ABEC 3, ABEC 5, ABEC 7 and ABEC 9. The higher the number, the higher the manufacturing accuracy. But now, more and more often, professional brands are moving away from this abbreviation, and all their bearings are made of high quality a priori. They may differ in materials and technologies (for example, there are ceramic bearings that are considered the best on the market and serve pro skaters for years even under the most severe loads), but in general, any professional bearings will serve you for a long time (with proper care).
For beginners, we advise you to take a relatively budget option, because at the very beginning of skiing you don’t need great speed and high shock absorption (as when jumping from high heights). So feel free to choose a budget option here.
5. Bolts (bolts)
In fact, it’s the link between the bottom of the skateboard (the suspensions with the wheels) and the deck itself. By default, there are 8 bolts and nuts in the kit, but some brands may include a few more spares. The main difference between professional bolts is the way you tighten them. They can be Phillips (screwed in with a screwdriver) and hexagonal (a hex key is always included with the bolts). There is no big difference here, it’s more a matter of taste.
In addition, the bolts are available in different lengths (7/8″, 1″, 1.25″, 1.5″). The standard is 7/8″ and 1″. Longer ones are needed if you ride with spacers (between the bindings and the board) and then you need longer bolts.
6. Griptape (sandpaper)
The sandpaper is glued on top of the board and is responsible for gripping the foot to the skateboard and performing tricks. Skateboard emery is made in the format of a sticker, its underside is adhesive. You remove the protective paper and stick the griptape on the top of your board. Most professional skate sandpapers are very similar in terms of their characteristics and they all have high adhesion. Here you can even choose it by the pattern, because we have a lot of interesting griptape with art that you can choose here.
Optional (at the personal discretion):
7. Pads (pads / shock pads or raiser pads)
Inserted between the bindings and the board. They can be used both for additional shock absorption and to increase the height of the skateboard.
There are 2 types of substrates.
- Shock pads are used for additional shock absorption (for example, when jumping from high heights). They help to reduce the damage received by both the board and the skater. (Despite the obvious advantages, pads are not very popular and most experienced riders do not use them).
- Riser pads. They are made of harder plastic and are used to narrow the distance between the wheels and the deck itself. They are most often put on cruiser skateboards with large wheels. They are used to prevent friction between the board and the wheels during fast riding and turns, which can lead to unexpected braking of the skateboard and subsequent injury. Riser pads come in different heights depending on how much you need to increase the height of the deck. You can order pads here.
8. Board rails (sliders / rails)
Plastic long pads that are screwed onto the bottom of the board. They are used by experienced riders for various creative tricks, most often for sliding. It’s worth noting that some people claim that rails add strength to the board, while others say that, on the contrary, the screws increase the likelihood of breaking the board. In reality, rails are only for tricks and have no other function. If you think that your skating level allows you to try something new, you can choose boardrails here.
If you still have any questions about choosing a skateboard, don’t hesitate to contact our chat. We will help you find the right board for you!
