A skateboard is made up of various different parts, the basic parts of a skateboard are:
- Deck
- Trucks
- Wheels
- Bearings
Deck
The deck is the most important part of a skateboard, as they greatly affect how you skate. Over the years decks have not changed an awful lot and for the last 5 or 10 years, the standard 7 ply deck has remained more or less the same.
Skateboard decks are made by pressurising separate sheets of ply together with very strong glue in between them. This process is done by machines, like the cutting and shaping of most decks. Normally 7 layers of ply are used to make decks, although you can get 6, 8 and 9 ply decks on some of the stronger boards. However, seven ply is strong enough for most people and is not too heavy, which is why it is so popular. A lot of decks also have crossing beams, where instead of making the grain of each ply sheet go the same way, they change it so the grain goes in different directions.
You get different size decks, the smaller boards tending to be a little easier to control and do flip tricks and the larger boards are easier to carve and give you a more stable feel when skateboarding. The width of a deck is measured in inches and can range from about 7 1/4″ to 8 1/2 inches. The most popular size is around 7 3/4″, but you will have to decide which width suits you personally the best. The length of decks also varies, although not as much, between about 30.5″ and 33″
All skateboard decks have a concave, which is where instead of the deck being flat, it curves up slightly. This makes the deck stronger. You can get different concaves and I personally prefer a deck with a large concave, as it seems to grip my front foot better when ollieing, although you might like a lesser concave, everyone has different preferences.
Finally skateboard decks would be hopeless without grip tape. Grip tape is the sandpaper like black material on the top of skateboards, which gives grip so tricks can be carried out easier. You can also get graphic grip tape, which can have various pictures on, although if you ask me this is just a bit of a gimmick.
Trucks
Trucks have also remained fairly similar over the last 5 or 10 years. The trucks hold the wheels on and act as a kind of axle. They also allow you to turn and when you lean in a particular direction, e.g. if you lean to the right, it turns right.
Here is a picture of a standard truck:
Most trucks are made from an aluminium alloy nowadays and they are very strong. The two red bits on the truck are the rubbers or bushings, which enable the truck to turn. These are held on by a bolt called the kingpin with a nut on the end. The four holes on each corner of the base plate (bottom of truck) are where the screws go through the truck and deck to hold the trucks on. There are 8 bolts altogether.
Trucks come in many different shapes, sizes and colours. There have been many different designs, including the Webb truck, which is fairly small, but very strong and the Grind King Kre-Per truck is one of my favourite designs. You can adjust how much your truck turns by tightening or loosening the num on the kingpin. The tighter it is, the less your trucks will turn and the more you loosen it the more they will turn, so it is best to find out how tight you prefer it.
Wheels
Skateboard wheels are made out of polyurethane and come in different sizes and harnesses. The wheels affect the smoothness of the ride on a skateboard and the speed. If you have hard & large wheels you will go faster than if you have soft, small wheels. A typical wheel is about 54mm and about 97A. The 97A is the hardness rating of the wheel. The larger this number, the harder the wheel is. Most wheels are one durometer, but there are also “dual durometer” wheels. These consist of two different harnesses, usually a harder centre, or core, surrounded by a softer outer-riding surface area. If you want to just skate street though then you are better off with a 94A durometer, but if you are mostly going to be skating in parks, on smooth surfaces, then a 100A would suit you better. It is best to try out different wheels for yourself, to find out what you like best.
Bearings
Bearings are what enable the wheels to turn and these also come with different types. The standard bearings are normally 608Z or ABEC1. Most bearings today are between ABEC1 and about ABEC7. Basically, the larger the number, the faster the bearings normally go, but I think ABEC 3 are fast enough and the difference isn’t very noticeable. You can also get spacers to go in between the bearings to keep them in place.
