Skateboard Buying Guide

Skateboard was created around the 50s in California by surfers who were looking for an alternative to surfing on days when there were no waves at sea.
Over the years, the sport known as skateboarding has evolved and specialized in various disciplines, even becoming Olympic.
But, what type of skateboard is the most suitable for you? In this guide we will try to give you all the necessary information so that you can buy the best skateboard to enjoy skateboarding to the fullest.

What is a skateboard or skateboard?

A skateboard is mainly a wooden board with two trucks and wheels. Everything and that longboards and surfskates would fall within the definition of what a skateboard is, it is popularly understood that a skateboard is a board designed mainly to do tricks, that is, jumps and grinds. The deck of a skateboard has at its ends what we call kicktail, that is, an elevation of the board that is symmetrical on both sides of the board. This elevation allows you to do various tricks. It is also distinguished by having both rounded or circular ends.

Skateboard, longboard and Surfskate, what is the difference between them?

Skateboard, Surfskate and Longboard are very similar to each other but they also have big differences. They all consist of a table, generally made of wood, two axles and 4 wheels. The big difference between the three is in their use and behavior:

Skateboards: The skateboard or skate mounts a relatively short board, double kicktail (the board is bent up at its ends) and mounts short, fairly rigid trucks and small, hard wheels. This design allows you to do ground tricks, jumps, slide down railings and curbs and, in short, do all kinds of stunts on the street or skatepark. On the contrary, it is not very suitable to be used as a means of transport.

Longboard: Everything and that there is a great variety of longboards, with very different characteristics between them, they are generally longer than skateboards, they have wider trucks with more mobility and larger and softer wheels. Its use is mainly to be used as a means of transport, to slide at high speed or simply to walk enjoying the ride. Therefore, they are much more stable and faster than Skateboards and have a better turning radius.

Surfskates: As we indicated before, the Surfskates are designed to imitate the movements of surfing on the asphalt. If we compare them with a skateboard or longboard, they have a much larger turning radius, they are more agile "carving" and they even allow you to move without pushing yourself by pushing your foot on the ground. Its use is designed to rotate at medium speed on smooth or slightly rough surfaces, making rhythmic movements of tight turns.

What size of a skateboard do I need?

This is one of the most common queries. In general, the width of a skateboard deck is the measure that will interest us the most. A skateboard that is too wide or narrow in relation to our feet can make performing tricks much more difficult. Below we show you a size guide to choose a skateboard. This size table is approximate and may vary slightly, so you have to take it as an approximation:

Skateboard parts

Skateboard deck

The deck of a skateboard is the main part of a skateboard. Normally they are made of 7 sheets of wood, although we can find them made of other materials such as bamboo, plastic or having more sheets of wood.
As we explained before, the width of a skateboard is the most important factor when buying a skateboard. Follow the instructions above to choose the correct width for your skateboard.
We can distinguish two types of skateboard decks:

Oldshool Skateboards: They are wider boards than normal with a squarer tail. They are normally used to skate in skateparks, pools and ramps.

Conventional skateboard decks: Also known as street skate decks, they are the most common decks today in which they are symmetrical in front and back.

Skateboard trucks

The trucks of a skateboard are responsible for turning the skateboard. They can be made of different materials, but usually they are made of aluminum with the main axle made of steel. Skate trucks are made up of several parts:

Axle

It is the main screw that crosses the axis from end to end and in which we place the wheels. When we talk about the width of an axle, we mean the length of its Axle.

Hanger

The hanger is the piece through which the main axis (Axle) passes and holds it.

Kingpin

It is the screw that joins all the parts of the shaft. Depending on your tightening, the shaft will rotate more or less.

Bushings

Bushings are urethane cylinders placed around the kingpin and make the spindle smooth.

Baseplate

The base or baseplate is the base of the axis that joins the axis to the table by means of 4 screws.

Skateboard wheels

The wheels of a skateboard are what determine the speed and feel that the skateboard will have on the ground. They are normally made of polyurethane, they are available in various diameters and hardnesses. The smaller the diameter, the lower the speed but the more stability to do tricks. The most common measurements are between 52 mm and 56 mm.
On the other hand, wheels are also classified by their hardness. The less hardness, the more grip but less speed. On a skateboard, the usual thing is to skate on very smooth surfaces, so hardnesses of 88A and up are usually used.

Skateboard bearings

The bearings are responsible for the wheels of our skateboard rolling as thin as possible. There are various types and qualities, however, and taking into account that we are going to give our skateboard a rough treatment, the ideal is not to buy high-level bearings since they could break more easily and the extra speed that we could notice will be negligible.

Skateboard Hardware

Los tornillos o tornillería de un skateboard son 8 tornillos (4 por eje) que se encargan de unir los ejes a la tabla. Los hay de varias longitudes, dependiendo del grosor de la tabla y los risers, y de cabeza de estrella o allen.

Skateboard Griptape

The sandpaper or griptape is hooked on the top of the table so that the feet do not slip on it. They come in various colors and roughness.

Skateboard Riser pads

The risers are rubber or plastic bases that are located between the base of the trucks and the table. Its main functions are to separate the axles from the board to gain some height and so that the wheels do not touch the board when turning and, also, to cushion the impact of the axle on the board a bit so that it lasts longer. . They come in various thicknesses, materials and even inclinations. We will use one or the other depending on our tastes, type of skating or skate configuration.

What brand of skateboard to buy?

There are countless skateboard brands and the choice between one brand or another will depend on factors such as budget, personal tastes or level of skating.
Each brand manufactures boards with similar technologies and some have models with technological details such as the inclusion of fiberglass to give them more elasticity and robustness or have more sophisticated wood pressing techniques.
From here, depending on the axles, wheels and bearings that the skate mounts, the price and quality may vary.
Our selection of the best skateboard brands would be:

Enuff: Enuff complete skates have a very good quality/price ratio and are ideal for beginners.

Rocket: In a similar vein to Enuff, Rocket's complete skateboards are cheap for what they offer.

Speed Demons: With a long tradition in the industry, it also offers more than adequate complete skateboards for beginners and average skaters.

Rad:  A true classic with its square designs that never go out of style.

Aloiki:  Sub-brand of Jart, which competes in the segment of cheap skateboards for beginners and intermediate levels.

Tricks:  Another Jart sub-brand for intermediate and advanced skaters who don't want to spend a lot of money.

Blueprint: Skate brand that competes in the mid-range. Good quality of components and wood.

The Heart Supply:  With a long tradition in the world of skateboarding, it has mid-range and high-end models.

Verb:  Mid-range skateboards with very good finishes.

Birdhouse: One of the legendary brands that has both mid-range and high-end skateboards.

Globe: Australian brand of skateboards with exceptional finishes and designs.

Miller: Spanish brand of great prestige with high quality skateboards.

Hydrophonic: Spanish brand very involved with the national skate scene. It has very our designs collaborating with local artists.

Madrid skateboards:  Another internationally recognized legendary brand.

Ocean Pacific: A well-known brand in the world of surfing that also has complete mid-range and high-end skateboards.

Cruzade:  High-end skate brand with some very striking designs.

Zoo York:  Skateboard brand with a lot of tradition founded in New York.

Z-Flex:  Another brand of a lifetime and with a lot of prestige.

Jart:  One of the best national skate brands with manufacture in the north. High-end and highly appreciated skateboards.

Plan B: Top skate brand with great involvement in the scene.

SK8Mafia: High-end skateboards and highly recognizable designs.

Flip: Another internationally known skate brand.

Impala: Skate brand manufactured by Globe designed for advanced skaters.

Recommended accessories and complements for your skateboard

To practice skateboarding in a much more complete way, there are various accessories and accessories that can help you enjoy your skateboard much more.
These are the main ones:

Protections

For us, essential! All protections are important, although the helmet would be the most important for obvious reasons. Also wearing knee pads, elbow pads and wrist guards, especially if you are a beginner, will make you not afraid of falling and therefore, you will be able to take more risks and learn faster.

Keys and tools

You have to periodically check all the screws of your skateboard. For this, a T-Tool or T-key will be essential to adjust the hardness of the axle or to change wheels.

Backpacks

Many times the path to the skatepark is not skateable or, simply, you prefer to get there on foot, by bike, public transport or by other means. In that case, carrying the skateboard in your hand is not comfortable. That is why it helps a lot to have skate backpacks that allow you to place the skate outside and carry it comfortably, apart from allowing you to carry many more things, such as protections, water, clothes, etc.

Sneakers

To practice skateboarding you can use any type of closed footwear. Now, if you don't wear proper shoes, you can wreck your shoes in just a few skating sessions. There are brands that make specific skate shoes, with reinforcements in key areas.

How do I know what skateboard I need?

Once you know the difference between different types of skateboards, their components, the most appropriate size and the material you need to practice skateboarding with guarantees, it's time to decide which skateboard to buy. As you have seen, there are many brands and models on the market and what will ultimately make you decide on one model or another is really your budget, the size and the graphic design of the board. Obviously, there are more differences such as the diameter and type of wheel, the quality and model of axles, etc. But unless you are an advanced skater, the factors described above will be decisive.
At Inertia, both in our physical and online store, we have a large number of skate models