DECKS

Choices...choices...choices...So you're buying a new deck and aren't sure what size to get. Well, size does matter. To narrow the choices, first decide what kind of skating you like to do... These answers are NOT set in stone . The most important thing is that the SKATER is comfortable with his or her choice. You may like a smaller or larger size deck, steep or mellow concave. Or you may choose your deck for the graphic alone. Eventually, skaters will be able to find a personal preference of deck to match their own style. If you are not sure, you can't go wrong with the average setup. Remember its all about FUN.

Street/Technical

This involves manipulating the board with flip tricks and riding ledges, stairs and rails. These skaters are usually found at your local schoolyard or downtown area. Most boards for this type of skating are around 8" in width or smaller. A board bigger than this may be cumbersome for doing the flip tricks that street skaters are doing now. Most boards that Australias Favorite Boardshop carries are in this size range. Most skaters are fine with any deck right around 7.75 give or take a quarter of an inch.

Transition

This involves skating on vert ramps or in pools.  As more and more skateparks are opening, kids are having the chance to ride the ramps. Generally, a little above 8" wide (8.25" to 8.38" ) with medium to steep concave is recommended. If the skater is going to be doing big air on a vert ramp or carving around in a big backyard pool, a little extra width comes in handy.

All Terrain

So you want to skate it all...well, smaller boards may be more difficult for ramps or transition oriented skateparks, and bigger boards may be harder to do flip tricks on. The best bet for the all-terrain skater would be to choose a board that is right in the middle-7.75" to 8"in width.  Australias Favorite Boardshop carries a variety of shapes and sizes that will be excellent for all types of skating.

Cruising

If you just want a board for transportation, the bigger the better! A wide board gives more balance and control.

Deck Construction

The average deck is made from laminated veneers (plys) of hard Maple, which is a relatively durable wood. The standard 7 ply lay up has five of the plies' grain running the length of the deck (nose to tail) and the third and fifth veneer grain run from side to side (rail to rail). The cross grain lay up adds strength. Most of the stress fall across the width of the deck, but the two cross grained layers help to prevent the board from splitting down the middle and or warping.

The veneers receive even coats of industrial wood glue as they are fed into a glue applicator. The veneers are stacked and prepared for the hydraulic press. Several decks can be pressed at one time. The press forms the concave, nose, and tail, but no shape. After the freshly pressed veneers set, which can be several minutes or hours, the stack of blanks are drilled for truck placement. The skateboards begin to take shape on a band saw. The blanks are individually routed and sanded smooth around the edges. At this point they are ready to be coated with sealant or paint and are ready for graphics. For a wood deck the graphics are screen printed one color at a time. Slick bottom decks have a layer of PBT plastic that have the graphic printed on. The plastic is actually applied to the bottom veneer during the lamination process. Freshly printed decks are stacked individually. Once dry, they're packaged and ready to ship to a company like Australias Favorite Boardshop.

TRUCKS

Most of the trucks Australias Favorite Boardshop carries can be adjusted to the skaters turning style simply by changing to harder or softer bushings. The exception being Seismics which require replacement of the trucks springs.

Trucks are typically made from aluminum, with hardened steel kingpins and axles, and urethane bushings. Depending on riding style, the skater may want softer bushings for easier turn, harder bushings for more stability, or medium for all around. Size is a factor when choosing a set of trucks. Generally, the axle length of the trucks should be within 1/4" of the width of the deck (slightly larger or smaller o.k.). pick a truck that fits as closely as possible. The heights of different trucks also vary. Turning ability and wheel compatibility varies with the height of the truck (ie: higher trucks allow you to use a larger wheel).

WHEELS

The average skateboard wheel is made of Urethane. This is a plastic like material that is both resilient and very durable. Most wheels come in a variety of sizes, shapes, colors, and hardness. The average size wheel is 55mm. (diameter or height of the wheel). The bigger the wheel is, the faster it will roll.

The durometer is the hardness of the wheel. Australias Favorite Boardshop carries medium to hard wheels -approximately 99a. Most skaters prefer a harder wheel for durability, speed, and controlled sliding ability. A slightly softer wheel (anywhere from 78 to 95a) may be preferred if the skater is riding on rougher ground. SIZE does matter. It is up to the skater on how they want to use it. Here are a couple questions to get you going in the right direction. First, what kind of Skateboarding are you planning to do?

Street/Technical=50-55mm, 97-100a

Most skaters that do a lot of street skating involving ollies, flip tricks, and bench tricks choose to ride a 50mm to 55mm wheel. The smaller wheel is a little lighter and lower to the ground . This enables a quicker response when manipulating the deck during a trick. On the other hand a smaller wheel won't last quite as long or ride as smoothly.

Vert/Transistion=55-65mm, 97-100a

Vertical skaters need a lot of speed for their style of riding. A larger wheel maintains its speed longer and actually will roll faster when it gets going. (Especially when dropping into a 12 or 15 ft ramp.) Most vert riders choose wheels larger than 55mm up to 65mm. If the skater is going to be riding a lot of ramps or backyard pools a 60mm wheel would be perfect.

All Terrain=52-60mm, 95-100a

Well rounded skaters are beginning to pop up all over the place. Along with all of the NEW skateparks opening all over. More individuals will be riding wheels from about 54mm to 58mm . This gives the skater a wheel w/ speed and durability that is still light and responsive enough for street tech.

Cruising=64-90mm, 78-90a

These are alternate wheels to conventional modern skateboarding . The BIG soft wheels available at Australias Favorite Boardshop are between 64mm to 105mm in size and usually around 80a hardness (extra risers may be needed). These wheels are designed mainly for cruising, transportation, and or downhill riding (not recommended for regular trick skating). This would also go for the Dirt wheels (112mm), which as the name describes are to be used on the dirt or cross-terrain. It is recommended to use these types of wheels on a longboard or old school style deck.

BEARINGS

All of the major brands of bearings Australias Favorite Boardshop carries are full-precision. Full-precision bearings are made of the highest quality components, and are designed to be durable as well as fast and smooth rolling. The skateboard bearing has only one available rating- ABEC. This rating only measures how precise a bearing runs. Unfortunately, these ratings were created for bearings that are used in equipment like electric motors, machine tools, and NOT for the abuse skateboarding does to a bearing. The ABEC system uses odd numbers 1 through 9 . An ABEC 1 being the lowest and slowest. ABEC 9, the highest rating, isn't necessarily the best for skateboarding. The higher rating only indicates a higher rating of precision. The bearings may spin faster, but the durability actually suffers a little. Because of the close proximity of bearing components, the higher rated bearing tends to break down quicker. Most skateboard bearings are rated ABEC 3 or 5. These bearings are perfect for skateboarding. They will roll well and are fairly durable. Some bearings like Powell brand Black BONES Swiss and Red BONES China have no ABEC rating at all. The best way to rate a bearing is just by skateboarding on it. Try out a few brands, ask your friends, eventually you'll be able to find the brand you like.

GRIPTAPE

This is the traction on the top of your deck. It helps to keep your feet gripped to the top of the skateboard. Most Griptape is a 33" X 9" sheet of fine grit sand paper with an adhesive backing. This sheet will fit the many of decks Australias Favorite Boardshop carries. Many old school/pool decks are a little big, but 1 sheet will still work. Longboards however need 2 sheets of standard griptape or griptape can be purchased by the foot.

RISERS

 These hard or flexible plastic risers are approximately 2 1/4" x 3 1/4" and are on average 1/8" thick. Risers are sandwiched between the truck and board and raise the truck to add space between the board and wheel. This helps to reduce wheelbite, which is a problem that occurs when turning or when too much pressure is applied to one side of the board. The wheel makes contact with the bottom of the deck and stops you dead in your tracks. Most 1/8" risers do the job for wheels from 52mm to 60mm. A wheel that is larger than 60mm should use a larger riser ( 1/4" to 1/2"). A set up w/ 52mm wheels or smaller may not require risers at all. It's up to the skater to make these choices. Wedged risers are used on longboards and slalom boards to alter the turning geomety of the trucks.

HARDWARE

A set of eight nuts and bolts is needed to mount the trucks to the deck. All of the harware that Australias Favorite Boardshop carries are made of aircraft grade machine bolts with lock tight nuts. Some brands do offer a few added features for a couple bucks more.

What if I don't know what kind of equipment I need?

Send us an e-mail or call, and we will be happy to help get you on a board that is just right for you! You can contact us at auction_australia@skateparkguide.com, or call us on
04 15883371 within Australia or +61 4 15883371 outside Australia.