How to choose a skateboard for a child and an adult - tips from professionals

Choosing a skateboard is a difficult task for a newbie. Experienced athletes know what they want from the board (speed or maneuverability) and how to achieve this. In extreme cases, they assemble the skate themselves for themselves. But beginners will have to understand the details and look for ready-made complete solutions. First, decide for what you need a skateboard - for getting around the city and simple pokatushek or for tricks. Next you have to immerse yourself in the study of the characteristics of the materials of manufacture and a variety of designs. And only at the very end you will be able to please yourself and focus on design. Complicated? Then we offer a simpler way - our guide on the choice of a skateboard.

The best skateboard manufacturers - which company to choose

If a skey is needed urgently (say, as a birthday present), and there is no time to understand the design features, you can simply look at the board from a well-known manufacturer:

• Zero
• Razor
• HelloWood
• Penny
• Oxelo

The best models of these and other popular companies are represented in ours. ranking skateboards and longboards. And for those who want to buy the perfect board for themselves and not to suffer afterwards with alterations, we advise you to get acquainted with the peculiarities of its design.

The principle of operation and device skateboards

Today, the skate family has seriously grown and divided into several groups for different styles of riding. Depending on the type of the board, its silhouette and some technical characteristics change, but in general the design remains the same:

• Deca - the basis of any skateboard, can be straight, with concave (side bend), bent on one or both sides, solid or segmented.
• Trucks is a cushioned suspension, which is attached to the board through a special gasket under the platform.
• Wheels and bearings - a running gear.

The main thing that distinguishes one skateboard from another is the shape of the deck. Long provides good stability, wide - comfort on the road, and curved thanks to the nose and tail (nose and tail) allows you to do different tricks on the board.

Skate maneuvering is provided by tracks. They are designed in such a way that, when pressed laterally, force the wheels to turn in the right direction. And vibration mitigation is provided by adjustable suspension dampers.

Types of skateboards

Classical

A small board with curved edges and small wheels. Such skates have almost the same length and width with minor deviations of 1-2 inches. Classic models are rarely taken as a transport, they are mainly needed for tricks and tricks.

Pros:

• Good safety margin of the deck;
• Ability to do any tricks;
• Excellent stability;
• Cool design.

Minuses:

• Good models are expensive;
• Not really nakatistye, but for them the speed - not the main thing.

Longboard

“Long board” is the most accurate name for a skateboard whose deck can reach 100–140 cm or more in length. Here, the front and rear axles are spaced as far apart as possible, and the wheels themselves are large and soft, often looking at the sides of the board.

With this design, the longboard becomes particularly stable, it shows itself perfectly at high speeds, although its maneuverability is significantly reduced. But on such a skateboard it is good to overcome long distances and long descents.

Pros:

• Develops very high speed;
• The most stable and stable on the highway;
• Can be used as urban transport;
• Serves for a long time.

Minuses:

• Expensive and rare goods in our stores;
• Heavy;
• Tricks on this board can only be performed by a professional.

Freeboard

Professional skate with 6 wheels, which are somewhat wider than usual, was developed on the basis of longboard. Here, in the modified suspension, weighting agents are used, which give the whole structure greater stability and in fact turn the board into a “snowboard for asphalt”.

A pair of additional wheels serves the same purpose - they rotate freely around its axis through 360 °, thanks to which the skate can go in any direction.

Pros:

• Comfortable skating;
• Maximum stability;
• Develops decent speed;
• Super maneuverable.

Minuses:

• Requires special skills - at least snowboarding;
• The length of the deck must be selected strictly according to height.

Streetboard (or snakeboard)

It looks like a classic skate, but it is not. A streetboard deck consists of three parts: the main fixed and two non-rigidly attached segments. This projectile is used for the same tricks as the classic, but due to the peculiarities of the board it has great maneuverability.

Pros:

• Original appearance;
• High maneuverability with good stability;
• You can perform more tricks and tricks.

Minuses:

• Short-lived;
• Not suitable for beginners.

Wavebord and Ripstik

Two-wheel models, whose decks consist of two independent parts, connected in the middle by a special torsion mount. On these shells, you do not need to push off with your foot - the speed on them is gained due to body movement (as on a swing).

Pros:

• Fast acceleration;
• Very high maneuverability;
• Convenient for performing tricks and tricks.

Minuses:

• Unstable.

Mountainboard

Skateboarding for extreme "mountain" skiing. Such models have huge inflatable wheels up to 8 ″, which allows them to freely ride on the grass and off-road. The length of the deck reaches 1 m, width about 30 cm.

Structurally, these boards are almost the same as others, but have a powerful spring suspension, leg mounts, and sometimes a motor.

Pros:

• No restrictions when choosing trails;
• Extreme stability;
• Perfect depreciation;
• An opportunity to take rises in the presence of the engine;
• High speed.

Minuses:

• Great weight;
• Price.

Skateboard Options

So that the skate doesn’t spoil the riding experience, and a year later I didn’t have to look for a new projectile, I’ll have to literally “assemble” it in parts when buying:

Deca

With rare exceptions, it is made of pressed wood. The number of layers varies from 6 to 9, but the most running are seven-layer decks - there are 90% of them on the market. Here an important role is played by the selected tree species:

• Canadian (he is American) maple is the best choice for a skateboard. Especially appreciated by professionals for their strength with relatively low weight and perfect elasticity.
• The Chinese maple is quite a bit inferior to the Canadian “brother”, but if there is not enough money for a cool deck, this option is fine.
• Hardwood is actually not a grade, but a common name for hardwoods that have sufficient strength to make regular pokatushki in the city.

Also, the deck may have additional layers, for example, a smooth plastic coating that allows sliding along the railing. But this is an optional element of the skate, in contrast to the griptape - skin, similar to sandpaper, which does not allow the legs to slide off.

Trucks

Here we need strong, but light suspension. Alas, this combination of characteristics is impossible to find. You have to compromise: strong and heavy steel or light, but less durable aluminum.

Also pay attention to the dimensions of the tracks - they must be made to the width of the board and have a length of no more than 20 cm.

Wheels

In all models, except for mountainboards, they are made of polyurethane of different hardness:

• Soft (from 73A to 79A) - designed for a comfortable ride and a better control of the board, but wear out quickly.
• Medium (from 80A to 84A) is the “golden mean,” which is most often found on komplitah.
• Rigid (from 87A to 101A) - they gain and maintain speed well, are resistant to abrasion, but do not dampen vibrations on an uneven road at all.

As for the diameter of the wheels, then choosing it, you choose the speed of your skate, as well as the ability to ride on difficult sections of the road.

Standard sizes and wheel features:

• 54–60 mm. Very fast and go well even on cracked asphalt, but you cannot lay steep turns on them - they rest in the deck.
• 51–53 mm. Not bad show yourself on a rough road surface without cracks and potholes.
• 48–50 mm. The smallest and “slowest” wheels, demanding on the quality of the surface. Suitable only for riding on concrete or special areas for skateboarders.

The width should also correspond to the quality of the road surface - the worse it is, the more massively needed wheels.

Bearings

Inside each wheel, when putting them on the tracks, 2 bearings of ABEC standard are inserted. They differ in the class of precision manufacturing, and hence the speed of acceleration.

The following types of bearings are put on the skates:

• ABEC1 - the cheapest and most crudely made. Installed on children's boards and budget shells for beginners. They are not designed for long use, moreover they do not allow to accelerate too much.
• ABEC3 - standard bearings of middle class with good indicators of strength. Developed speed is enough for novice skateboarders, amateurs.
• ABEC5 - ideal for daily skiing and allow you to easily disperse the board. Most good projectiles come with just the "five".
• ABEC7 - have an increased complexity of manufacturing, therefore, belong to a higher price category. Such bearings have maximum accuracy and reliability, and also allow to develop high speed, for which they were called racing. "Seven" is chosen by experienced skateboarders and professionals who are able to squeeze the most out of any board.
• ABEC9 - the most expensive bearings, but in our case - not the best option. When this design was created, the developers did not take into account the needs of athletes and the high loads experienced by the board. "Nine" was simply unable to work in such harsh conditions - under the weight of the rider, it quickly deforms and fails.

Which skateboard to choose

1. For beginners, the classic skate is suitable, as it is the most convenient for learning. It is better to take the board easier - from 7 layers of any solid wood (beech, ash, birch), it is possible with layers of maple.

2. Pick up the wheels soft, within 78A – 84A, so that they keep well on the road and do not slip. Their width will determine the quality of the coating on the site where you will learn to ride. Here you need bearings of class ABEC3 or ABEC1, if the board is intended for a child.

3. For everyday skating and working out tricks experienced skateboarders also fit the classic. But here you will need a more reliable and elastic soundboard made of Chinese maple or with Canadian layers. Bearings can have 3-5 accuracy class, the wheels should be chosen slightly higher than average rigidity - up to 95 A.

4. For high-speed driving and getting around the city, get a longboard. Due to the large size of the board and wheels, you can quickly get to the place. Just look for a good cushioned suspension with wheels of medium hardness and maximum width, so that unevenness on the asphalt can easily pass, and at the same time extend the life of the skate.

5. Experienced riders can even choose a freeboard or street - their maneuverability in the city will be just the way.

Skateboard cost

1. Classic shells cost from 1,000 to 18,000 rubles. Children's models can be taken much cheaper (in the range of 500-2000).

2. Longboard prices start at 1500 rubles and can reach 25-28 thousand.

3. A good streetboard can be bought for 2000–3000 rubles, steep imported models will be more expensive - up to 25 thousand.

4. The cost of freeboards ranges from 13-15 thousand rubles.

5. Wave and ripsticks belong to the same price category - from 2,000 to 15,000 rubles.

6. For maunting models, be prepared to give a minimum of 3,000 rubles, if you choose a board without a motor, and from 30 to 60 thousand for a self-propelled version.