Skateboard Features

Skateboarding was created by California surfers in the early 1950s as a leisure activity. Skateboarding is popular with extreme sports fans and young adults who participate as a hobby. Various features of the skateboard aim to give you the smoothest ride, while providing durability after jumps and other tricks.

  1. Wheels

    • Skateboard wheels are composed of urethane. The wheels are durable and lightweight. Skateboarders slide their wheels across pavement to slow their skateboards down; it is their braking system. The wheels vary from between 52 and 56 millimeters. Ramp riders generally use larger wheels because of the added weight, which keeps them on the ramp. Various graphics are often printed on the wheels and they come in many colors.

    Bearings

    • Each wheel has two ball bearings featuring a plastic shield to protect them from residue and moisture. Before bearings are sold in stores, they receive a speed rating from the Annular Bearing Engineers Committee. Bearings that receive a high rating provide greater speeds. The bearings have a metallic body and a cage securely holding the internal balls. Skateboarders can customize their boards with colored bearings.

    Trucks

    • Two metal trucks are fastened under the skateboard deck, holding the wheels in place. The trucks are made from aluminum and are surrounded by two circular rubber bushings that absorb the impact after skateboard tricks. The rubber also prevents the wooden deck from breaking.

    Deck

    • The wooden surface of the skateboard where the rider puts her feet is called the deck. It consists of multiple sheets of paper-thin plywood that are fastened together with heavy-duty adhesive. The deck ends are given a concave shape and are rounded. The deck ranges from 7.5 to 8.5 inches. Big-footed skateboarders use the larger decks for more stability. These decks are usually 30 inches long.

    Board Types

    • Short skateboards, or traditional, are typically chosen for executing tricks. Short boards include streetboards and snakeboards; both can execute challenging jumps and tricks. The curve of the short board makes it ideal for tricks, with the sharper curves more appropriate for challenging tricks than shorter curves.

      Long skateboards are more often used for cruising. They have high-quality bearings that makes them more stable than their short counterpart. Long skateboards include slalom boards, downhill boards and regular cruising boards.