Understanding Your Skateboard
A skateboard is more than just a board with wheels—it’s a combination of carefully designed components that define your ride. Whether you’re into street skating, park tricks, or cruising, choosing the right deck, wheels, trucks, bearings, and hardware is key to matching your style and skill level. This guide breaks down each part and offers tips to pick the best setup for you.
With the Skate Tricks app, you can explore gear recommendations and tutorials to level up your skating. Let’s dive into the anatomy of a skateboard!
Choosing Your Components
Here’s how to select each skateboard part for performance and comfort:
- Deck: The wooden board you stand on, typically made of 7-ply maple.
- Width: 7.5–8.0 inches for street skating (better control); 8.0–8.5 inches for ramps/parks (more stability). Beginners often start with 8.0 inches.
- Shape: Popsicle shapes are versatile; cruiser shapes suit relaxed riding.
- Tip: Check for concave (curved edges) for better flip tricks.
- Wheels: Made of polyurethane, affecting speed and grip.
- Size: 50–54mm for street (fast, agile); 55–60mm for parks/cruising (smoother on rough surfaces).
- Hardness: 83A for speed on streets; 99A for slick park tricks; softer 78A–83A for cruising.
- Tip: Smaller, harder wheels are great for tricks; larger, softer ones for cruising.
- Trucks: Metal T-shaped parts connecting wheels to the deck.
- Width: Match truck width to deck width (e.g., 139mm trucks for an 8.0-inch deck).
- Height: Low trucks for stability in tricks; high trucks for cruising with larger wheels.
- Tip: Lightweight trucks (e.g., hollow kingpins) improve pop for ollies.
- Bearings: Small metal rings inside wheels for smooth spinning, rated by ABEC (Annular Bearing Engineering Committee).
- ABEC Ratings: ABEC-3 (basic, affordable); ABEC-5 (balanced speed/durability); ABEC-7 (fast, for tricks); ABEC-9 (pro-level, pricier). Higher ABEC doesn’t always mean better—skate-specific bearings (e.g., Bones Reds) often outperform high ABEC ratings.
- Tip: Clean bearings regularly and avoid over-lubricating to maintain speed.
- Hardware: Bolts, nuts, and risers securing components.
- Bolts: 1-inch bolts for standard setups; 1.25-inch with risers. Allen or Phillips heads are common.
- Risers: Rubber pads (1/8–1/4 inch) to prevent wheel bite (wheels hitting deck during turns).
- Tip: Use lock nuts to keep bolts tight during heavy sessions.
Your setup depends on your skating style—street, park, or cruising. The Skate Tricks app offers gear guides and slow-motion tutorials to help you tweak your board. Download it now to build your perfect ride!