How to Make a Hip Skateboard

Skateboarding is a creative and individualistic past-time, so the customization of your equipment is very common. You can use different styles of boards, trucks and wheels to make a statement about the kind of skater you are. But branding is also important in skateboarding; this seems unusual for a sport that identifies itself so strongly as a counter-culture movement, but skate companies and teams often have a particular theme or ethos designed to attract a particular person, identifying with them says something about you.

Instructions

    • 1

      Watch skate videos and read magazines. Try and find the style niche that appeals to you most. The two most talked-about schools are "hesh" and "fresh." Heshers usually possess a fast, flailing street-style and are associated with punk and metal music and fashion. Their skating is often high-speed, high-risk and involves large drops and stair sets. Fresh or tech skaters are generally associated with Hip-Hop music and clothing. Their skating typically features a smooth-relaxed style that usually takes place on low ledges and benches. However, the complexity of tricks performed by tech skaters is often much greater. Vert ramp skaters also have their own style and trick sets.

    • 2

      Determine which style best suits your skating. Ultimately the way you dress and the music you listen to are minor considerations, and you shouldn't change them to try and fit into a particular group. But if you identify with a particular style of skating, there are equipment choices and configurations that can make achieving that style much easier.

    • 3

      Look at the available boards when building your setup. Tech skaters generally use smaller boards, often called "minis," as their focus is on technical accuracy and smooth flow. Heshers will often opt for a longer and wider board, as they are easier to land on when riding hard, and they are usually thicker, allowing them to stand up to more punishment. Vert skaters always use the largest board sizes available as it makes performing grabs and catches much easier.

    • 4

      Select your trucks and wheels. Trucks are available in different heights and can be raised further by inserting spacers. Tech skaters use low trucks as most of their tricks are performed onto reasonably low objects. It also requires less vertical "pop" to lift the board from the ground, keeping the style smooth and fluid. They also use smaller diameter wheels for the same reason. When tech skating first began there was a "small wheel craze," where pros used wheels of increasingly smaller diameters. Vert and hesh skaters will generally use larger diameter wheels as this helps retain momentum. They will often use higher trucks with shock absorbing spacers to absorb big impacts.

    • 5

      Build an appropriate skateboard for your style. You'll be able to emulate the flow of your favorite skaters much more easily and take on the properties that you consider "cool" or "hip."