When you first start skateboarding, it can be hard to know where to start. You can choose from Skate Shop, sizes, colours, wheel options, and wood combinations. Here are some suggestions that might help you choose the right skateboard for you "How to choose the right skateboard for you?"
If you're just starting out, but chances are you won't enjoy it as much as you could. Why? If it has cheap wheels that don't turn well or if things break quickly, you may have to buy another one, which ends up costing you more.
Buy a good skateboard so you can start off right and enjoy skating right away. There are a lot of good, long-lasting boards in the middle price range. Beginners should get a skateboard that costs between $50 and $100. It should have good wheels and trucks and be easy to turn. What you want is this. Riding on a cheap board is very different from riding on a good board.
Ok, here's what's going on...
You'll find it easier to choose a skateboard if you know a little bit about it, so let's look at the parts and put it all together.
Skateboarding tricks can be hard to learn at the beginning, but that's a story for another time.
Deck:
The board is the first thing you see. Most skateboard decks are made of hard rock maple and have between 5 and 9 layers of wood. The board will be heavier if it has more plies. 7-ply boards are the most common and are great for beginners. If you are just starting out and need to buy a skateboard, it is best to buy one that is already put together.
There are many decks on the market, but you have to choose the bearings, griptape, trucks, and wheels on your own to make a complete skateboard, which can be hard. For a beginner, that might be too much. Most shops that sell skateboards and longboards already have a good setup for you to make things easy. When you know your skateboard and its parts well and want to upgrade, it will be much easier to choose new wheels and trucks.
Board size:
A "mini" skateboard is small enough for kids to ride. Most of the time, these are 7.5-inch skateboards "narrow or less. Most skateboards are measured by how wide they are instead of how long they are. If you are older, a wider board will probably make you feel better. The length of most skateboards is between 28" and 32".
Wheel size:
Most street skateboarders use wheels that are 54 to 56 mm in size. If all you want is a cruiser skateboard, you might want to look for one with wheels that are 58mm or bigger. The bigger the wheels, the smoother the ride and the less likely it is that you will feel rocks or cracks in the road.
The wheels:
Bearings are the little rings that go inside the wheels. This gets you thinking. There are Abec3, Abec5, Abec7, and Abec9 bearings. The Annular Bearing Engineers' Committee, or ABEC, is an American way to rate how accurate and precise something is. The more exact and precise a bearing is, the higher its ABEC rating. Most skateboards have bearings that are either Abec5 or Abec7.
Before you start skateboarding or when you want to buy a new one, here are some tips for your gear:
- Go for a 7-ply or more deck
- Look for bearings that are abec5-rated.
- For kids, look for boards that are 7.25"–7.5" or less.
- Choose soft, big wheels for a smoother ride.
- For tricks on a skateboard, choose harder and smaller wheels.
- Wear a helmet and other safety gear at all times.
Choose your board carefully to get the most out of it, then go shred and have fun!