If you are a novice skateboarder, you probably won't know what to buy. This article will help you. Note that all prices listed are for illustrative purposes only, as they may vary from when the article was written
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Part 1: Choose what to buy
Step 1. Decide what you want to buy
If you want a good table cheaply, you will need a complete one. If you want a better one by spending more, you can customize it.
Step 2. Decide if you want a longboard, classic or street / stunt skate
- Longboards can range from 90 to over 280 euros
- The classic skate from 30 to 100 euros
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The street / acrobatic one from 40 to 150 euros
Choose a Good Skateboard Step 2Bullet3
Method 2 of 3: Part 2: Purchase a Complete Board
Step 1. If you intend to buy a complete skate, you will need to do it in a specialized shop
Buying online can save you some money, but try the store first. That extra money you spend supports the shop and the local community of enthusiasts. Bond with the merchant so you can save money in the long run. Complete skates aren't as good as custom ones, but they'll cost you less.
- A complete skate can range from 30 to 150 euros.
- One customized from 80 to over 300 euros.
| Complete (right to left) | Prices | Brand |
|---|---|---|
| Mini-Logo Red | 85, 00€ | Mini-Logo |
| Classic | 125, 00€ | Surf One |
| Twisted Dragon | 40, 00€ | Powell Golden Dragon |
| Sunrise Wave | 125, 00€ | Surf One |
| Kickflip Red | 40, 00€ | Angelboy |
| Andy Mac Fist | 55, 00€ | Andy Mac |
Method 3 of 3: Part 3: Custom Skateboarding
Buy the board
Step 1. How much to spend?
Normal tables without graphics usually cost less than professional ones but are just as good. If you'd like to have a board like your favorite champion's and have money to spend, read on.
Step 2. Buy a quality board
The ones you find in department stores are usually of low quality and have drawings and images of comic or cartoon characters. If you want a whole board but don't know exactly how, buy a complete skate or go to a specialist shop and ask whoever works on it. If you want to go on the street, take a board from 19 - 20, if you want to do the acrobatic skate, from 20 to go up.
Another tip to keep in mind when choosing your board width is how tall you are in addition to the style you want to practice. Most technical skaters (those who do complex twists and tricks like Rodney Mullen) tend to prefer boards between 19 and 19.5 at the expense of height or build. One of the good things about having a thin board is a quick spin. The other side of the coin is that of skaters who go 'great' (the classic example is Jamie Thomas). Most types that go big choose sizes 8 to grow. The advantage of a wide board is the greater stability under your feet when you are in the air and when you land (especially if you have big feet). If you are a kid you stay at 19, 5 or less
| Boards (left to right) | Price | Brand |
|---|---|---|
| SuperLight | 25, 00€ | Mini-Logo |
| Silver | 55, 00€ | Powell |
| No Ka Oi Longboard | 65, 00€ | Surf-One |
| Hill BullDog | 57, 00€ | Powell Peralta |
| Street Issue | 45, 00€ | Powell Classic |
| Quicktail | 85, 00€ | Powell Peralta |
Buy Trucks
Step 1. Trucks are the second most important component of a skateboard
When buying them, you will need to consider these characteristics.
-
A length that is not greater than 25 cm.
Choose a Good Skateboard Step 6Bullet1 -
A width that is suitable for the board, so 19 trucks on a 19 board.
Choose a Good Skateboard Step 6Bullet2 - A design you like.
- Lightness.
- That makes a good grind.
Step 2. Choose a truck with no designs if you are on a budget
Step 3. While the design may seem strong, it is not related to quality
| Truck (left to right) | Price | Brand |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Phantom II Truck (White) | 10, 00€€ | Phantom |
| Grind King The Low Truck (Silver) | 12, 00€ | Grind King |
| Thunder Creepy Crawl Truck | 12, 00€ | Thunder |
| Randal 180 | 16, 00€ | Randal |
| Tracker 184 | 18, 00€ | Tracker Trucks |
| Tracker 129 | 12, 50€ | Tracker Trucks |
Buy the Wheels
Step 1. Choose the wheels suitable for the type of skate
One from the road, will not be able to have long wheels.
- Longboards are fitted with large, soft wheels.
- Street boards have small and hard ones.
- Choose the same brand of wheels and board (for example the Zero) - if they are different in fact, people may think that you are a fan. In short, if you have an Almosts, DGKs, etc. better to choose the wheels of the same brand.
| Wheels (left to right) | Price | Brand | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| S-3 Black | 12, 50€ | Mini-Logo | 50mm |
| Strobe Gold | 25, 00€ | Powell | 53mm |
| Wave Black | 27, 00€ | Surf-One | 65mm |
| Mini Cubic | 27, 50€ | Powell Peralta | 64mm |
| Ripper | 26, 00€ | Powell Classic | 56mm |
| G-Bones Blue | 26, 00€ | Powell Peralta | 64mm |
Purchase the Bearings
Step 1. Make sure they fit your board
The bearings are cataloged with ABEC codes from 1 to 9 (1, 3, 5, 7 and 9) where the higher values indicate accuracy and precision, long life, better rotation quality and speed; which will result in smoother, quieter and faster movement. For the first plate, the best gradation is probably 5 or 7.
If you start from ABEC 1 wheels (the lesser ones) to level up, it will be difficult to get used to because you will really go faster than before.
| Bearings | Price | Brand |
|---|---|---|
| Bones Red Bearings | 11, 50€ | Bones Bearings |
| Bones Ceramic Bearings | 85, 50€ | Bones Bearings |
| Bones Swiss Labyrinth | 25, 70€ | Bones Bearings |
| Bones Original Swiss Bearings | 25, 70€ | Bones Bearings |
| Bones Super Swiss Bearings | 30, 00€ | Bones Bearings |
| Mini-Logo Bearings | 5, 00€ | Mini-Logo |
Advice
- Before buying any board, take it and look on it to see if it is the right size and length. Wear the shoes you intend to use when skating so you will understand better.
- Some stores sell neutral boards with good friction ability that last quite a while. They are also usually cheaper than branded boards.
- Before to buy a new board, make sure you can really practice a lot, otherwise it's not worth spending that much to assemble something you won't use.
- Don't buy a board just because it's 'strong', get one that gives you good vibes.
- The best thing when buying a new board is to go to the local shop and talk to those who work there or potential customers - usually the advice you get is all very helpful. The guys in the shop will be able to tell you which table best suits your needs. Remember that people have different opinions on brands. Some will say that B is good while others will object. Some love DGKs, others hate them. Try the board and see if it suits you. Better check it twice when you choose.
- A few good brands: Spitfire, Ricta, Bones, and Autobahn.
- Buy a rubber to remove the grip. It is quite expensive though, over 13 euros.
- If you want to customize a neutral board, use the spray. A stencil will work perfectly. If you choose this option, your board will have a personal style of your own.
- Grind King, Independent, Krux, Thunder and Silvers are probably the best trucks on the market.
- Skate motion doesn't require the same precision as that of a machine or mill, so you may never need a higher ABEC number for your bearings. Some firms, like Bones for example, don't even categorize them. As a general rule when it comes to bearings, quality affects cost - you pay for what you get.
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If you want to practice street skate (without longboards), a great combination is:
- Deck: any Powell-Peralta (old school) preferably 12.5x70. You can find them at powell-peralta.com.
- Truck: 169 mm by Independent.
- Wheels: 90a or 85a Rat Bones. For a street skate you don't need small and hard ones (by 'hard' we mean from 92a to growing, by 'small', under 60mm). The soft ones don't get stuck in the cracks and the 90 / 85a ones are dense enough to go fast.
- Bearings: Any from Bones or Red if you don't have much to spend.
- Grip tape: that MOB IS HARD!
- If you want to do some stunts, you will need a board that is concave and has good friction, a good pair of trucks, quality bearings and smooth wheels. If you don't like stunts, try a long board.
- Most of the boards you will buy will range from 30 to 65 euros. This difference is not the quality but the brand and what it implies. High-quality boards usually last longer and are more expensive but regular 7-ply boards will do just as well. The average cost of a complete skate will range from 120 to 190 euros. Try to find the best board if you are a beginner, so that it will last you a long time.
- If you want to pay a little more for the bolts, go for the Lucky ones. Shorties are fine if you want them to last a long time.
- Some good boards include: Flip, Zero, Baker, Almost, Plan B, Girl, Chocolate, Alien Workshop. Any well-known brand is fine because they are made roughly the same way.
- Bones, Flip HKD, Black Panther, and Speed Demon are some of the top brands for bearings.
- If you want to buy a second-hand skate and you're wondering, "Do I want the street or stunt one?" Here are some recommended combinations:
- Deck: Chocolate, Girl, Almost, or Flip. 19, 5 (basic format for a combination.)
- Truck: Royal, Thunder, Independent, or Grind King from 19, 5
- Bearings: FKD, Element, or Destructo. ABEC 7. ABEC indicates the accuracy class of the bearing. 3 is the lowest, 9 the highest. For a stada-acrobatic combination better 7.
- Wheels: From 52 to 54 mm of any brand. 97 of hardness is perfect for not feeling too much pebbles and bumps.
- Bolts, etc.: Shorties of any kind. They have the best grip.
- Griptape: Whatever you like. Avoid the colored one because it collects dirt and becomes ugly after a while.
- DO NOT expose your skate to the elements. The board would begin to separate and you would find yourself on the ground.
- Skating takes time and a lot of practice. Don't do extreme moves like Hardflips or a Front Flip 360 until you've mastered the basics: the Ollie, the Kickflip, the 10 sec Manual, the Boardslide and the Heelfip.
- Department store bearings are the worst there are and can easily unscrew after a couple of weeks, even if you tighten them well. They are cheap, but if you want to become a pro skater, you have to buy a better board.
- Remember not to buy those boards recently at the hypermarket. They would even break up with a normal Ollie. They are cheap, it's true, but two cheap boards a week for a few weeks will get you the price of 2 or 3 of the good ones. These boards are also heavier and slower, which makes tricks more difficult.
- If you don't have the money and time to practice, don't go skateboarding. Boards usually last from 5 to 6 months and if that's not your thing, choose another sport.
- Practice daily for at least an hour.
- Skating is dangerous. You'll need a helmet to avoid head injuries as well as knee / elbow pads.
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Remember: no skate lasts forever. Each board has a different duration to the detriment of the brand. Flips tend to break easily if you use them a lot. Almost and Girl usually last longer. If you want a board that lasts longer and you have the money, go for Uber. Almost sells three of the Uber signed by Mullen, starting from 50 euros up to 220 for a basic skate. If you want the perfect board, you'll have to spend a lot of money.
Ubers are pro boards, so if you're a beginner, don't jump into them until you've practiced for at least a year and feel the need to change. An Uber board is actually two boards with a third one inside, so it's more uniform for better balance
- Wear long pants so you don't hurt your ankles when doing spin tricks.
- If you can't, don't leave the board when doing a trick.
- The boards bought in stores such as hypermarkets, department stores, etc. they are bad and are usually called "show off" boards by those who are a skate fanatic. The best place to find good food is a specialty shop. The second best is a chain like Zumiez or Vans. BlackHoleBoards also owns several brands.
