So you've decided to start skateboarding. Good for you. You've probably seen some cool skate videos, played a bit of Tony Hawks pro skater or just hung around with other skaters at your local skate ot, and decided it's time you got in on the action yourself. By it's very nature, skateboarding is a very creative and individual ort, and you can take it in a lot of different directio , but there is one thing you will need and that's a skateboard.
I'm going to run through the major things you need to co ider when buying a skateboard so you can make a better decision about what you buy and where you buy it from. This information is aimed at budding street/flatland skaters. I am not familiar with the requirements for vert skating.
After reading this guide, why not check out Board Crazy to read about some skateboarding tricks?
1. Cost One thing you should know straight off is that skateboards can be extremely expe ive. Straight off the bat you can pay triple figures for a pro deck and that doe 't even include wheels, trucks and bearings (all of which also come at a premium if you want quality gear).
You should try and blank your mind to all that great stuff. To begin with, you need something basic and functional. Something fairly di osable is ideal so if you decide skating i 't for you or you end up ruining the skateboard in the proce of learning (which you probably will) you haven't paid the earth for no reason.
Aim to pay around 40 for a complete brand new begi er setup - any more and you're paying for something you don't need, much le and you are buying junk.
2. Deck By far the best kind of deck to go for is a 'blank' - a deck with no graphics. The graphics and the branding are what make pro decks so expe ive, and if you do any decent amount of skateboarding on it they will scratch off pretty quickly. You will usually get these with grip tape already on, or you can get any skate shop to do it. It's not even very difficult to do yourself.
Try and get a 7-ply deck - this mea it's laminated with 7 layers of wood. 9-ply decks are heavier and more unwieldy, and a good sign that they are cheaply made. Try and also pay attention to the shape of the deck. If it's quite flat and straight it's no good - you need a decent amount of curve to the kicktails.
3. Trucks The trucks on the first deck I bought a ed the first time I tried to ollie. Watch out for this - buy from a proper skateboard dealer (whether online or in a shop), not a high street orts shop/department store! If you look at the trucks on skateboards in these kinds of shop you can tell that the metal is of bad quality because it seems overly shiny and light. As tempting as the prices may be, walk away.
4. Bearings and Wheels Bearings are what keep your wheels i ing when you stop pushing - they determine how fast your skateboard is. Bearing eed is measured by the ABEC value. The slowest bearings are 'AA' bearings, skateboards from high street sho come with these and they are BAD! With AA bearings, you will probably not be able to roll down a hill let alone on the flat. From there, you've got various bearing ratings including ABEC 3, 5, 7 and 9.
Go for ABEC 3 or ABEC 5 bearings at the a olute maximum. Though you want to be able to roll quite freely, getting bearings that are too fast is a bad idea for begi ers. It makes riding more intimidating and landing tricks much more difficult as the skateboard is more likely to slip from under your feet.
Fore begi ers, wheels are le of a co ideration. Fairly standard wheels of 55mm will suffice until you decide which direction to take your skating. The wheels that come with a basic complete set are fine.
Summary To summarise your ideal first skateboard will be a complete co isting of a blank 7 ply deck, strong trucks, basic wheels and ABEC 3 or 5 bearings. But before you go out and buy brand new, ask around among skaters you already know - often, a second hand deck from an experienced skater will be even better, as it will have been comfortably worn in and there is a fair chance you can pick up a bargain.
Adam is the author of Board Crazy Skateboarding.
BY:VooFox.net
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