What Is the Most Preferred Skateboard?

Building your own skateboard is a time-honored tradition practiced by every skateboarder to ever hit a ramp. Because there is no "right" or "wrong" way to equip and set up your board, every skateboarder's board is a little different from the boards of his or her friends. To understand the common setup and prepare for your own preferred board, you will need to have an understanding of what each part of your skateboard does. Once you get an idea of what goes where, you will be able to determine what sort of board works best for you.

  1. Decks

    • The deck of a skateboard is the wooden part that everything else is attached to. Decks come in a variety of shapes, lengths, and widths, and determining which deck you prefer depends heavily on your skating style. Street skaters that perform a lot of flip tricks and technical maneuvers prefer skinnier decks, in the range of 7.5 to 7.75 inches. Vertical or "vert" skaters usually opt for the stability of a wider deck, from 7.75 to 8 inches. Pool and bowl skaters may opt for a classically shaped "fish" board that has a clear front and back as opposed to the near-symmetrical look of modern boards. Choose your deck based on what type of skating interests you most.

    Trucks

    • The trucks on a skateboard are what keep the wheels attached to the deck. Trucks can have a large impact on the way your skateboard performs, so speak with an expert at the skate shop if you are clueless about which will work best with the deck you have chosen. Trucks are measured primarily by height and width. Taller trucks provide room for larger wheels, which is great for bowl, vert, and pool skaters. Shorter trucks allow only for smaller wheels. Smaller wheels are preferred by street skaters because they skate short distances and lower trucks are easier to flip. The width of your trucks hinges entirely on the width of your deck, but as a rule your wheels should be about even with the side edges.

    Wheels

    • Like trucks and decks, wheels are available in a wide range of sizes. Smaller wheels are better for technical tricks but are terrible for cruising as they require more effort to keep the board rolling. Those interested in vert skating should invest in larger and wider wheels that provide more stability at high speeds. Wheels also come in a variety of materials with different levels of hardness. Vert skaters will be happy with hard wheels between 55 and 65 millimeters, while street skaters usually skate softer wheels around 50 to 55 millimeters.

    Bearings

    • Bearings are tiny devices placed in between your wheels and trucks that allow the wheels to turn. Bearings are one of the most important parts of your skateboard as they are what keep your wheels moving. Investing in good bearings can have a large impact on your overall riding experience. Bearings are rated via the ABEC scale, with values ranging from 1 to 9. Most bearings for skateboards are made of metal and land around ABEC 1, 3 or 5. Lower ratings are tougher but harder to roll, while high ratings are more fragile but glide more easily. Street skaters that perform high-impact tricks should stick with ratings around 1 or 3, while vert skaters can bump up to 5 or 7.