For those of you out there who have not been into skateboarding that long or who are looking to get something for someone else listen up and I will tell you how to get them a good set up.

We will start with the deck. Boards range in size by width, length, wheel base, nose length and tail length. The main metric however is the width of the board. The most common widths you will find are 7.5” 7.75” and 8.0”. If you are to think of it like small medium and large you would be spot on. Smaller riders tend to go with smaller boards and larger riders tend to go with larger boards.

For a kid that is just starting out a smaller board would be the way to go. The wider the board the harder it is to flip it. So, start there for the little ones and let them grow into wider decks.

As for trucks, the only concern is to match the width of the deck. You can’t really go wrong with the brand as it is personal preference and a new rider will probably learn to like what ever they start with regardless of what they are. If in doubt go with Ventures.

On to wheels. Wheels are defined by their diameter and hardness. A good middle of the road diameter is 52-54 mm. For the hardness go with 98 to 101 durometer rating, if you don’t know the durometer rating don’t worry. Unless the wheels look like jelly you are ok. Oh, and do not buy dual durometer wheels! The salesman may try to sell you some cool new “technology” but do go for it.

That’s the skinny of it, if you have any questions let me know.

Technorati Tags: decks, trucks, what to buy, wheels

A good skateboard is a product of a few variables. The main things to consider are;

• Materials
• Shape
• Process

Materials
The materials involved in making a skateboard are the wood and the glue. The wood should be maple, more specifically hard rock Canadian maple. If anything else is used you will not like what you get. This is the case with boards purchased at large retailers. To skimp on the cost they will use a weaker wood such as pine.
I have made a few boards in my day and I can tell you the wood is everything. I live in the northwest and pine being indigenous to the area I though why not see how well it works.  Well, it doesn’t.  The grain structure is such that I had huge cracks right away
The other main material is glue. I don’t know a ton about the different glue types so I’m not going to pretend that I do but know that there can be quality issues her as well.

Shape
Obviously this is left to the opinion of the rider but the shape can make or break a board. If you don’t know what you want just ask someone in a lagit store and they should help you out. Key variables are length, width, nose and tail shape and oddly enough the center distance between the trucks.

Process
There isn’t much to pressing decks other then laying them up and squishing the crap out of em. The big guys do this with automated presses but it can also be done with a vacuum press.

So, as long as you buy from a reputable source you should be ok but now you at least can sound like you know what you are talking about next time someone asks.

Technorati Tags: Good skateboards

Pretty much self explanatory. I'm looking to pick up skateboarding, and I wanted to know what the price range was for a good one, and which stores sell the best ones. Thanks.

You should always support a local skate shop but if you don't have one, then you can shop on-line. Some GREAT stores are skatewarehouse.com, zumiez.com which is also a chain store found in malls so check if you have a zumiez around you. A good skateboard can range from $89 - $200 depending which parts you get. I listed some good brands below, these are top notch equipment for medium price. If you want to make your board AWESOME instead of Bones Reds which are excellent and popular, get the Bones Ceramics which are $100 instead of about $20. Again, what is listed is probably the best you can get for spending in between $89 - $200.

Deck - Zero, Blind, Almost, Element, Enjoi, Habitat, Toy Machine

Bearings - Bones Reds! Great and durable for a well reasoned price!

Trucks - Independent and Grind King mainly for skate parks and such, plus they are a bit heavy. I prefer Venture, Tensor, and Destructo for street skating.

Wheels - Ricta and Spitfire all the way! I prefer Spitfire but they are close. The bigger the wheel the faster they go but mostly used for skate parks unless you just want a cruiser. Smaller ones are slower but better for street skating.

Hardware - Shortys all the way!

Grip tape - Mob or Black Magic!

Risers (Optional) - Risers rise the trucks from the deck decreasing the chances of wheel bite. Not recommended for smaller sized wheels such as 50-54mm but optional for bigger ones. Risers are all the same so the brand you get doesn't matter, go for the cheaper ones.

Hope I helped! Ask me if you have any more questions!

Skateboarding magazines are great places to find reviews for skateboarding gear, which includes the boards themselves and skateboarding shoes. Discover what gear is needed to be a skateboarder with advice from a professional skateboarder in this free video on skateboarding gear.

Duration : 0:0:51

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Technorati Tags: skateboarding gear

This is what I am thinking of getting in your comments it would be much appreciated- PLAN B TEAM STENCIL DECK -7.5
BLACK MAGIC GRIP
INDEPENDENT 129mm GUNMETAL TRUCK
Spitfire  BLACK BIGHEAD 52mm black
BONES REDS SINGLE SET BEARINGS
ELEMENT THRIFTWOOD HARDWARE 1inch PHILLIPS(this i need alot of help on i don’t know anything about tools oh and should i get risers( i want to Ollie high (kinda know how to do) i also want to kick flip,pop shove-it,50-50,board slide (street i guess i like) sorry this is so long but i really need help =( ( another question what size hardware and risers should i get?)

The board setup is fine.

There is really only one thing you have to know about hardware. It has to go through the deck, truck and any risers or shock pads and still have enough of the bolt sticking out to securely attach the nut. Most people go with generic hardware. It costs less and does the same thing. The hardware you got should work even with the addition of a 1/8″ riser or shock pad.

Using a riser or shock pad is lame. You won’t be getting wheel bite, so the use of a riser is not necessary. It lessens the chance of the board cracking. It sounds like you are a new skater, so it is up to you if you want to get shock pads.

Get a skate tool while you are at it. It has everything you need for the hareware on your board.

Technorati Tags: buy skateboarding

I am looking into skateboarding, but i don’t know what gear to get. Can someone tell me what shoes,board,trucks,and bering to get.

Go to a local skate shop, not a big store that sells everything, but a store that sells only skateboards and skate gear.

They will usually have a complete skateboard for somewhere around $100, which is not only a great price, but also definitely includes good components that will work well for a beginner.

This will solve your problem of choosing different parts, you can be picky once you’ve been skating for a while and you find out what you really like.

Skate shops should also be able to recommend and sell you some good skate shoes. Any of their sale shoes should work great, as the griptape is going to destroy your shoes anyway.

Technorati Tags: skateboarding gear

I’m pretty much set on buying a Mini Logo board. But I am not sure about shoes. I need cheap ones. My parents are not interested in spending anywhere near $40 for my skate shoes. Also, if I buy skate shoes,are they okay for general use, say, gym?

Also, any random tips on anything to do on starting out skateboarding would be greatly appreciated.

You should practice standing on the board on carpet. Then, jump up, spread your legs apart, then land back on the board. This will help you get the natural movement on ollies unless u can already do them. When I got my first board I already knew how to ollie.

For kick flips, you should also practice on carpet. This made me feel safe because I always thought if I landed a kick flip the board would slip out from under me. So go on youtube.com and look on some how to kick flip videos. This will teach you a few different positions you should try out. I always put my back foot flat and in the middle on the tail and when you pop don’t push out or back because this will cause the board to rotate. I put my front foot behind thee front bolts ins a 45 degree angle from then edge of your board.

Technorati Tags: skateboarding gear