If you are a beginner skateboarder, chances are, you don't know what to buy. This article will help you with all of the above. Note that all prices listed are for comparison purposes only, as they may have changed since the article was created.
Method 1 of 3: Choosing what to purchase
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1
Decide what you're going to purchase. If you want a good board for less money, you're going to want a complete. If you want a much better board for more money, you're going to want to custom make yours.
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Decide whether you want a longboard, a classic or a street/vert board.
- Longboards can cost from $120-$500
- Classics can cost from $80-$400
- Street/verts can cost from $50-$150
Method 2 of 3: Purchase a Complete Board
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1
If you're going to purchase a complete, you're going to want to buy one from a reputable source. Buying online might save you a few dollars, but try your local skate shop first. The few extra dollars you spend support the shop and your local skate community. Developing a good relationship with a local skate shop often saves you money in the long run. The completes are not as good as custom made, but you can get them for a lot less money.
- A complete can cost anywhere from $50-$200 (USD).
- A custom made can cost anywhere from $90-$500 (USD).
| Completes (from left to right) | Price in USD | Brand |
|---|
| Mini-Logo Red | $99.00 | Mini-Logo |
| Classic | $149.00 | Surf One |
| Twisted Dragon | $59.00 | Powell Golden Dragon |
| Sunrise Wave | $149.00 | Surf One |
| Kickflip Red | $59.00 | Angelboy |
| Andy Mac Fist | $59.95 | Andy Mac |
Method 3 of 3: Purchase a custom board
Purchase the deck
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How much money do you want to spend on a skateboard deck? Blank decks, decks with no graphics on the bottom, usually run a lot cheaper than pro decks and ride just as well. But if you fancy having your favorite pro skateboarder's deck and you have enough money, go right ahead.
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Buy a quality deck. Decks available at your local department store are usually of low quality and have pictures of cartoon characters on the bottom. If you want an entire board, but don't know exactly what you want, buy a complete skateboard from a company or go to a skate shop and ask the employee about the products. If you want to ride on the streets, get a 7.5 to 8.0 deck, if you want to ride vert, 8.0 and up is probably best.
- Another tip to keep in mind while choosing a board width is how tall you are and also what kind of style you wish to skate. Most technical skaters (the ones who incorporate advanced flip tricks... like Rodney Mullen) tend to favor boards between 7.5 and 7.75 regardless of how tall or small they happen to be. The upper hand of having a thin board allows for quick rotation. The other side of the spectrum is the "go big" skaters (Jamie Thomas is a classic example of a "go big" guy). Most "go big" guys favor size 8.0 and up. The advantage of a wide heavy board feels more stable under your feet while in mid air and while landing (especially those who have big feet). If your a kid you might want to just stick with a 7.66 or smaller.
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| Decks (from left to right) | Price in USD | Brand |
|---|
| SuperLight | $37.50 | Mini-Logo |
| Silver | $49.95 | Powell |
| No Ka Oi Longboard | $75.00 | Surf-One |
| Hill BullDog | $62.00 | Powell Peralta |
| Street Issue | $58.00 | Powell Classic |
| Quicktail | $100.00 | Powell Peralta |
Purchase the trucks
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1
The trucks are the second most important part of a skateboard. When purchasing a truck, you want to look for these characteristics.
- A length that is no more 10 inches.
- A width that fits the deck, so 7.5 trucks on a 7.5 deck.
- A design that you like.
- Lightweight.
- [Grinds] well. #Pick out a truck that has no design, if you are on a tight budget.
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2
Design isn't everything - it might look cool, but that doesn't mean it's good quality.
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| Trucks (from left to right) | Price | Brand |
|---|
| Unit Phantom II Truck (White) | $17.99 | Phantom |
| Grind King The Low Truck (Silver) | $16.99 | Grind King |
| Thunder Creepy Crawl Truck | $16.99 | Thunder |
| Randal 180 | $24.00 | Randal |
| Tracker 184 | $24.95 | Tracker Trucks |
| Tracker 129 | $14.99 | Tracker Trucks |
Purchase the wheels
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1
Pick out wheels for the kind of skateboard that you have.want a street deck with long board wheels.
- Long boards use big and soft wheels.
- Street boards use small and hard wheels.
- Pick out the same brand of wheel as your deck (e.g. Zero deck and Zero wheels) - people might think you are a "poser" if the brands are different. If you have a deck (such as Almosts, DGKs, etc.) you can pick a wheel from any brand.
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| Wheel (left to right) | Price (USD) | Brand | Diameter |
|---|
| S-3 Black | $16.80 | Mini-Logo | 50mm |
| Strobe Gold | $32.00 | Powell | 53mm |
| Wave Black | $33.00 | Surf-One | 65mm |
| Mini Cubic | $35.95 | Powell Peralta | 64mm |
| Ripper | $32.00 | Powell Classic | 56mm |
| G-Bones Blue | $32.00 | Powell Peralta | 64mm |
Purchase the bearings
1
Make sure the bearings are correct for you. The bearings are rated in ABEC codes from 1-9 (1, 3, 5, 7 and 9) with the higher grades being more accurate and precise, meaning they will last longer, spin more accurately and faster, and obviously make you move a lot smoother, quieter, and faster. The best grade for your first board will probably be 5 or 7. If you start with ABEC 1 wheels (which are considerably cheaper) and upgrade them in the future, it will be hard to get used to as you will move a lot faster than before.
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| Bearings | Price in USD | Brand |
|---|
| Bones Red Bearings | $16.99 | Bones Bearings |
| Bones Ceramic Bearings | $94.99 | Bones Bearings |
| Bones Swiss Labyrinth | $37.99 | Bones Bearings |
| Bones Original Swiss Bearings | $34.99 | Bones Bearings |
| Bones Super Swiss Bearings | $39.99 | Bones Bearings |
| Mini-Logo Bearings | $8.99 | Mini-Logo |
Video
| This video shows methods slightly different than those described in the text steps above. |
Tips
- A few good wheel brands are Spitfire, Ricta, Bones, and Autobahn.
- The best thing to do when getting a new board is to go to your local skate shop and talk to the people there -- they are usually very helpful. The guys at the shop will be able to tell you what board will be good for your skating needs. Keep in mind different people have different opinions on board brands. People say Plan B's are good, but I know others that say it's not. Some like DGK boards, some don't. Just test the board out and see how it suits you. You may want to double check this if you are being extremely careful with your selection.
- Some skate shops sell blank decks that usually have good pop and will last a long time. These are also less expensive than brand-name boards.
- If you want a great design on your blank deck, just spray it on. A stencil will work perfectly. If you choose this option it's all your style on the deck and you can make it look how you want.
- Buy some grip gum if you don't want to mess up your grip tape. They are expensive, at $14 or more.
- Skating does not require the precision of a machine spindle or mill, so you may never need the higher ABEC numbers for your bearings. Some companies, such as Bones, do not even rate their bearings. As a general rule with bearings, you get what you pay for, and quality costs money.
- Before you buy any deck, take it off the shelf and stand on it to make sure that it is a good width and length. Wear the shoes you plan to skate in, so you can tell how it will feel.
- Before you buy a new board, make sure you are going to skateboard a lot; otherwise its not worth it to spent $100+ on a setup that you wont skate.
- Don't buy a board just because it looks cool, get one that has good feel to it.
- Grind King, Independent, Krux, Thunder, and Silvers are probably the best trucks on the market.
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- Skateboarding takes time and lots of practice. Don't do any extreme trick like Hardflips or 360 Front Flips until you learn the basics: The Ollie, Kickflip, 10 sec Manual, Boardslide and Heelfip.
- Do NOT expose your board to elements such as water or extreme heat. The board will start to separate and you will be out a board.
- Retail board bearings are the worst bearings in the world and can come off easily in a few weeks even after tightening them to the hardest. Its cheaper but if you wanna become a professional skater you gotta get a pro board.
- Remember don't get those cheap skateboards from Walmart. They wont hold up to any skating and can break from a single ollie that is landed improperly. I know they are cheap, but 2 cheap boards a week for a few weeks adds up to the price of 2 or 3 expensive boards. These boards are also heavier and slow which makes them much more difficult to do tricks on.
- Don't get into skateboarding if you don't want to spend the time, or the money. You will usually go through a board every five or six months and if you don't want to go through that, find another sport.
- Practice every day at least 1 hour.
- Skateboarding is a dangerous sport. Especially if you're going to be trying crazy tricks and gaps, a helmet is recommended to avoid brain damage, and pads are recommended if you want to have elbows and knees when you are through.
- Remember, no skateboard lasts forever. Each board has different lifespan, regardless of the brand. Flip tends to break the easiest if you skate a lot. Almost and Girl boards usually have the longest life span. If you want a board that lasts really longer and you have the money, go for the Uber boards. Almost has three Uber boards signed by Mullen and usually start at $70 just for the deck, and completes range from $150-$250 just for the basic. If you want the perfect board, then you are talking a lot of money.
- Uber boards are pro boards, so if you are beginner do not get one until you have been skating at least one year and you got the feel of a regular pro board. Uber boards are actually two boards inside another board so its whole lot smoother so you gotta have balance!
- Try to wear long pants, because your ankles are going to get beat up if you do spin tricks with shorts on.
- Don't ever leave the trick if you can't do it.
- Boards bought at any retail store are really bad and are not good for skating and are called poser boards by dedicated skaters. The best place to get a good board is your local Skate Shop. The Second best place to buy a board is a chain store like Zumiez or Vans. Also BlackHoleBoards has every brand you name.
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