Most skaters will have picked up their first board in their teens, perhaps even earlier, and they will most likely be male too. So what is a 29-year-old female doing writing a blog post about buying your first skateboard you might ask? But here I am. Starting to skateboard at nearly 30!
There are so many forums online asking, ‘is it too late for me to start skateboarding?’, and the resounding answer (aside from the douchey 20-something sk8r bois that tell you otherwise) is that there is no such thing as an age limit when it comes to learning to skate. Need more convincing? Read Dean’s story here who started skateboarding at the age of 39!
I plan to write more posts as my journey into skateboarding continues but today’s entry is going to be more of a brief set of practical tips for buying your first skateboard.
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| This is me circa 2013 in New Zealand on a Sector 9 41.5" Longboard - I have only 'dabbled' in skateboarding before but loved cruising around on this baby <3 |
Best Skateboard For Beginners
There are many different shapes and sizes of skateboards to choose from when starting out, all of which have different pros/ cons and purposes to suit your needs. Here is a quick rundown:
Longboards: As the name suggests, these boards are longer than the average skateboard that you might see at the skate park. Within this category there are a variety of shapes that are designed for different purposes e.g. cruising, downhill, carving. This is the most common board for beginners to choose because of its stability (I’ll write a more in-depth post on longboards another time).
Plastic Mini-Cruisers: A much smaller board with the main purpose of getting you from A to B. Easy to transport due to their size and weight but less stable underfoot.
Double-kick or Trick Board: This is the board that most people will associate with skaters and is the type most likely to be found at a skate park. Size-wise, the board sits somewhere between a longboard and a mini-cruiser and has a double kick (e.g. upward curving end) at either end to allow for tricks.
(Please note that I’m a beginner skateboarder and the board that I choose to ride is an Osprey Wood Gradient 32” Cruiser which has the width and stability of a longboard but is short enough and has a kicker like a trick board.)
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| My 32" Cruiser |
Best Skateboard Decks For Beginners
Quite simply, the wider the deck the more stable the board will feel underfoot. Heavier and taller riders will need a larger deck too. For example, my board is 9.5” wide and has a maximum user weight of 100kg / 15 stone / 220Ib. The average width of a trick board is 7.5″- 8.25″ making it less stable but more maneuverable. If you’re completely starting from scratch, I really would recommend investing in a wider board first just to get used to cruising around on.
Best Skateboard Wheels For Beginners
Similarly to the deck, the bigger the wheels the more stable they feel underfoot. Larger wheels, in general, will ride for longer after each push and are less likely to get caught on stones, cracks or sticks in the road that might send you bailing over the top. Wheels are not only referred to in terms of size, but also in terms of durometer, meaning their hardness. Softer wheels have more grip and are more forgiving over rough surfaces but are less suitable for the skate park as their grip can be a hindrance if trying to do tricks.
Best Skateboard Trucks For Beginners
The trucks are the mechanism that attaches the wheels to the board and there’s a theme here…yes, you guessed it. The wider they are (let’s all say it together) the more stable they feel underfoot. The general rule of thumb is that the trucks should be around the same width as your deck.
This is a very basic rundown of how to pick your first skateboard with the overall message being that, the bigger the deck, wheels, and trucks the more stable the board will feel which is best for starting out. The best beginner skateboard advice that I was given, and that I shall pass on to you, is to go big at the start and just practice cruising up and down the street. There’s no fun in eating concrete on your first few attempts because you chose a board that is meant for high-performance riding.
I’d love to get some feedback on this post so leave a comment if you’re learning to skate, if you’re wanting to learn to skate, if you’ve just bought a board, if you’re the next Tony Hawks etc.
Also, check out my social channels by clicking on the icons on the right, I’m going to be updating my youtube channel throughout my skating journey.
Hello and welcome to This Ruth Is On Fire, a UK blog which is a haven for random thoughts and sarcastic observations.
I'm also into books, clothes and visiting places too.
Hi Ruth, I am 25 and I want to learn how to skate. I weigh about 166. What would be the best skateboard for someone myself who has no experience whatsoever.
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ReplyDeleteHey Ruth, I'm 42, around 75kg, no sense of balance, actually not very sporty at all. My son is forcing me to learn to skate, which skateboard should I go for to minimise falling on my face repeatedly?
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