How to buy a kid their first skateboard.

You thought this was going to be easy, well… It’s not.

It’s Christmas and Chanukah, you want to buy your kids a good skateboard but don’t want to spend more then you have to. If this is their first board, you probably want to get them something safe to try out, to see if they even like it, right? If this is not their first board, either find out what the want exactly or buy them something else!!!

Beginners don’t know what they need yet.

Beginners have grand images of what they think skateboarding means, based on the influences in their life. But the reality is, they don’t know what kind of skateboarder they are, until they are doing it.

Buying a beginner board in one sentence:

The best board I can recommend for beginners is a board that gives them the most stability (7.5 size) when learning to ride, is easy to turn (soft truck bushings) and cruises over cracks and rough asphalt (bigger soft wheels). Remember that last sentence when you go to a skate shop and you might be ok with just that. If you are in New York City, Blades is a good place to buy a beginner board. They are very sensitive the beginner state of mind, dig?

If money isn’t a big issue here, then you should go to a skateshop with your child and ask lots of questions. But you will still want to do some research.

Do not buy a Tony Hawk skateboard at Toys R Us or Modells!!!!!

Please. For the sake of your kids well being, take a little time and learn about skateboards.

Toy boards are not skateboards, they are garbage and they are dangerous. Buy a blank CCS for $69.99 or any other brand name complete before these. Then you’ll have only been half screwed.

It’s a shame that Tony Hawk puts his name on said garbage, but he does. Do not buy his boards! Your kids will be laughed out of every skatepark and spot and will likely give up all together. (Yes. I said it. For all that Mr. Hawk has done for skateboarding, he has committed an act of betrayal with the boards he has allowed to be put on the market under his name. Shame on you Tony. I love you. But shame shame shame on you.)

Yes, when you were a kid skateboards were completely different, but technology has come a long way. And it is worth your time to ask questions, research and buy the right equipment.

About CCS and Brand Name "Complete" Setups

The reason they sell popular brand names, like Real, Blind and Almost as completes for as low as $69.99, is because they get stingy on the important parts like bearings and trucks. Companies are banking on your lack of knowledge and providing you with a cheap – sell out – solution. The irony here is that the part that you can be really stingy on, without losing a lot of the quality, is the DECK!!!!!!! BUT you are still far better off with any one of these then a board from Toy Board.

There is little mystery in the deck.

Sure, each deck has a unique shape and the quality of the wood can impact how much "pop" you get. But the reality is, the deck is free advertising that you pay allot of money for. Once a rider has some experience, they may find that they like the concaved shape of Alien better then the flatness of a Baker board, or vice versa. Or maybe they support a team or local business. There are plenty of options out there for beginner boards.

<- You can build a fairly decent (and I stress the low tone in which I say decent) complete set up at CCS for $64.99 here: http://shop.ccs.com/product/model:110525/sku:61-15845/CCS%20Black%20Complete?supercat=home&cm=skate#sku=61-15845&size=7.5

I HATE CCS TRUCKS AND BEARINGS – CCS has carries alot of brands, so you can build your own board fairly easily and substitute cheaper parts here and there. A few orders I’ve placed though, came with mismatched trucks, so.. you know.. like everything.. it can be a crap shoot.

A good idea to buy from a skate shop,

But sometimes they take you for a ride.

So read up a bit. Here are two articles by my favorite skateboarding advice giver Steve Cave, Buying the right Skateboard and FAQ Cheap Boards. You should know the difference between trusted trucks and bearings and unknown brands. I have heard war stories about Dads spending $120 on a setup with unknown parts and they might as well have gone to Toys are Us and paid $40 for Mr. Hawks garbage.

What is the cheapest board I can buy, that is not a toy board?

Build it yourself.

It sounds scary, but if you do research, you can go shopping for parts and build it yourself.

Here is your basic list:

• Deck + Grip
  • Blank Deck (ebay) -$9.99
  • CCS Brand – $24.99 – $34.99
  • Brand Name – $49.99
• Trucks
  • Most Brand Name – $39.99 – $45.99
  • CCS Brand (not recommended) – $19.99 – $29.99
• Wheels
  • Blanks – $9.99
  • CCS Brand – $12.99 – $15.99
  • Brand Name – $29.99 – $39.99
  • Soft Wheels- $32.95
• Bearings
  • Bones Reds (recommended) – $15.99
• Hardware
  • Brand Name – $3.99

If you total up the above, at the cheapest, your board would cost $79.99. Doesn’t seem like much of a bargin… eh? Makes you want to go puchase that Tony Hawk board. DON’T. There are still better options.

Share the effort.

You don’t want to pay full full price at a shop, but you want a good ride and you’d like to have it put together. You can still go to your local skate shop if you buy a deck (and wheels) online. What you can do is buy some parts online and some parts in the shop. Will shops be pleased with me for saying that? Probably not. But they will be more than happy to sell you trucks and bearings.

Yes, gratuity is always accepted and appreciated.

Do you tip the guys in a skate shop? Yes. There is nothing wrong with tipping a guy or girl for helping your out.

Cheap bearings are a crime.

Spin the wheels of a new skateboard and it should continue spinning for at least 20 rotations.

Bearings make wheels spin. The faster they spin, the safer the ride. I know, It seems crazy, but it’s true. When wheels are jerky, it makes it harder to ride. Simple as that. (If they don’t spin well, first try loosening the wheel nuts a little. The wheels need some space on the axle to spin fast.)

A quickie upgrade.

If you do buy a cheap complete, the best thing you can do is drag it over to a skate shop and replace the bearings for $15. You may not save your kids from being laughed at, but you can save them from being thrown from they’re board.

The actual wheels can make all the difference, or not….

Wheels, as long as they are made of polyurethane and not plastic, are wheels. Sort of… For beginners, softer wheels make for a smoother transition. (See Powell Peralta’s Bomber Series

There are different degrees of hardness, as well as different sizes. Most shops will set you up with a deck with hard small wheels. These are typical of trick boards, however for cruising they can be a bumpy ride. For beginners, I repeat, soft wheels can help them learn how to ride / cruise faster and safer.

I’m going to refer to Steve Cave’s Choosing a Skateboard series:

Transition / Vert (55-65mm size wheels with a hardness of 95-100a) Larger skateboard wheels roll a lot faster, and when riding ramps this is what you want.

Street / Technical (50-55mm size wheels with a hardness of 97-101a) Skateboarders who like doing flip tricks often like smaller wheels, as they are lighter and closer to the ground, making some skateboarding tricks easier and faster. BUT, these wheels make for a very bumpy ride.

Cruising / Beginner Wheels (64-75mm size wheels with a hardness of 78-85a) Usually cruising wheels are much larger for speed and much softer for riding over rough terrain. You’ll silently cruise over cracks in the sidewalk as well as rough asphalt.

Again, for new riders, you can’t really go wrong with soft wheels. Kids think that skateboarding is all about tricks. Well, first they have to learn how to ride and cruise comfortable, then it is all about tricks… sorta.

Trucks are the key to turning, don’t go cheap.

(but if you do.. try replacing the bushings to improve the turning.)

Trucks will last a long time. I’ve had the same trucks for five or six years.

I’m a HUGE Independent (Highs) fan, they are one of the oldest truck companies still around, besides Gullwing. I like them for they’re street cruising, but I hear from other skaters that Thunder Lights are the way to go. 4.75 is the most common width for trucks, for kids. You’ll want your trucks to be within 1/4" of the size of the deck.

Get familiar with names like Independent, Thunders, Tensor, Krux, Silvers, Grindking, Destructo, Navigator, and Phantom

Who said size doesn’t matters?

A lot of shops will sell parents a super small board for their kids. I hate that. I find smaller boards difficult to teach kids the basics of riding and they out grow them before they out ridden them. I personally recommend starting at 7.5.

Here’s a sizing guide:

If you are going to be stingy. Be stingy on the Deck and wheels… for now.

Check out blank boards and wheels at Slamin City on EBAY. You can buy a case of blank decks and wheels for the price you’d pay for one brand name deck. But don’t buy a cheap complete!!!

My Ride

I have several boards. But my regular set up 5 Boro, Independent Highs, Bones Reds and Park Wheels

It’s no secret I am a fan of 5 Boro. I really appreciate what the loca company has done for kids in New York City. I like the 7.65. (But my favorite shape is probably the Deluxe brands; Real, Anti-Hero, and Krooked.) I don’t have expensive ceramic bearings, I have $15 Bones Reds (Black Box). As long as they are clean, they are fine for me. I just got these amazing -sorta hard – sorta soft -wheels, Powel Rippers. Man I love these wheels! It took me awhile to find them.