Skateboard Buyers Guide

Need Some Help Working Out Which Board Is Right For You ?

Here at Skateboard Express we get a lot of queries from beginners to experts on what sort of skateboard size, style, size, shape and length etc that would suit them or their children.

This is a complex question with lots of variables but here is a general guide to picking out a complete skateboard to suit everybody from beginners to experts and those 40 year olds getting back into Longboard Skating

CHEAP DEPARTMENT AND TOY STORE SKATEBOARDS CAN BE DANGEROUS. The dirt cheap skateboards that most toy shops and department stores carry are made with poor quality heavy timbers and poor quality trucks that break, bearings that freeze up and decks that break. This ends up with your kids getting hurt and maybe hating skateboarding altogether.

Here at Skateboard Express we only stock proven brand names with quality components such as Vault, Psycho and Killer Panku.

TYPES OF SKATEBOARDS:

Next you need to decide what style of skateboarding you want to get into. There are three main categories of skateboards, Short Street/Park, Old School and Longboards

What Is A Short Street/Park Board ?

These boards are generally 31” to 32” long and 7.5” to 8.5” wide with a concave deck and kicktails at both ends. They usually have smaller harder wheels like 52mm 100SHR and more durable abec-5 bearings , combined with 5” Trucks . These completes such as the Vault Pro, and the Psycho Insanity are perfect for vertical skate ramps, skate parks and street technical.

The standard shortboard, such as the Pro and Insanity has been the mainstay for most kids since the 1990's and perfect for young kids getting their first skateboard so they can hit the local skate parks and grind those gutters. They are perfect for the experienced park or street rider.

What Is An Old School Skateboard ?

To understand the old school boards such as the Psycho Mad Dog, and the Vault Fatpig, you need to go back to the history of skateboarding. Skateboarding started with roller skate trucks which were very narrow and did not turn well, these were then fixed to a timber deck. These trucks would not get you around a corner so you had to kick the back of the board up which created the kicktail. The decks then became wider with bigger trucks and bigger softer wheels. This describes your typical 70’s to 80’s old school skateboard and then the 90’s produced the new school shortboards of today.

What Is A Longboard Skateboard ?

Longboarding is very different from the skating styles listed above. Unlike a conventional skateboard where ollies , vert ramps and grinding are the norm, longboard skateboards are primarily used for cruising , bombing hills , downhill , slalom and sliding. Basically longboards comprise of deck sizes generally 34” long such as the Vault 34” Cruiser to 55” long like the Vault 55” Malibu. They have larger,  softer wheels like the Vault  76 x 53mm 78a Duo wheels and wide aluminium trucks with excellent turning ability like the Vault 7” Reverse Kingpin Trucks.

What Is The Difference In The Sizes Of The Longboards ?

The length of your longboard has a big impact on the performance of your board

40” – 46” Generally boards that are 40” such as the Vault 40” Dropdown to the Vault 46” Pintail will give you greater stability and control at high speed compared to a shorter longboard. Many of the boards in this range such as the 44” Carver and the 41” Bamboo Slime feature a nice flex to give that fluid feeling of surfing or snowboarding. If you are after a more serious longboard try the 42” Drop Carve or the 46” Killer Panku Pintail as these boards have a good flex and 83A duo wheels perfect for sliding.

44” – 55” Longboard skateboards that are 44” to 55” such as the Vault Malibu  and Vault 51” Komodo are great for longboarding surfing manoeuvers such as hanging ten and cross stepping. Due to their very long wheelbase they require a greater turning circle and cannot cut corners like the shorter longboards. 

32” – 42” Medium sized longboards such as the Vault 34” Cruiser, 32” Slalom, 37” Fatburner and the 36” Fish perform better on flatter ground and medium downhill runs as the shorter length gives a tighter turning circle and greater maneuverability but compromises slightly on stability. These tighter turning boards like the 32” Killer Panku, 38” Streamline and the 38” Orange Crush can be great fun for tearing about as they are super responsive and great carve boards. 

24” – 34” Mini longboards such as the Vault 26” Mini and the Psycho 26” Pee Wee were made to be taken anywhere due to their small size. These boards are very manoeuvrable due to the small wheelbase and loose trucks, but with that you do lose some stability. Another board that falls into this category is the Hybrid Vault 24” Stubby. This is a mix between an old school 70's style with the small 3” trucks and a mini longboard.

Below is a basic reference chart for general suggestions on longboard length, application and suggested rider weight. Do not get too hung up on rider weights as these are only a guideline and a 6 year old child can still ride a 55” Malibu and a 90kg adult can still manoeuvre a 26” Mini. The board may just perform better with the suggested weight.

SUGGESTED COMPLETE SKATEBOARDS FOR BEGINNERS

We suggest that beginners start with a complete pre-assembled skateboard from our high quality range.

Recommended skateboards for 1^st timer kids 4 – 8 year olds would be the Vault Pro and the Psycho Insanity. These standard double kick new school skateboards have a stable platform and are made to be thrashed around on the driveways parks and paths and most kids will start with this style of board.

Recommended Longboard skateboards for 1^st timers ? This will depend a bit on the weight, age and the intended use of the board. The 34” Cruiser, 32" Killer Panku and 33” Ripper are great starter longboards for kids 7 – 14 years old, as they are a small to medium sized longboard and will handle most situations from the beginner to the intermediate.

The mid size longboards such as the Vault 36” Fish, Psycho 38” Streamline and the 38” Orange Crush are good start ups for teenagers and adults as they can be handled by beginners up to the most experienced riders with ease.

The mid length to really long longboards such as the 37” Fatburner,  44” Carver and up to the 51” Komodo and 55” Malibu are ideal for the dads getting back to their youth and  skating with their kids. These boards still carve with ease but are stable and easy to push around.

Performance Boards for the serious longboarder include the Vault 42" Drop Carve, Vault 40” Dropthrough, 38” Fibremix and the Psycho 39” Snapper. These high performance boards will meet all expectations and can equally be used by beginners up to the most experienced longboard rider looking for a board that will handle all situations.

SUGGESTED COMPLETE SKATEBOARDS FOR BEGINNERS

Most Skateboard Bearings have an ABEC rating system and skaters often get confused with what this means.

ABEC stands for Annular bearing Engineers Committee and it is quite simply a general bearing rating system used to rate bearing accuracy and tolerance.

Generally the higher the rating starting in odd numbers from 1 the higher the quality and speed but they are usually more expensive and more delicate the higher you go

General Skate ratings

ABEC-1 Cheap, slow but durable.

ABEC-3 Basic. Will work OK for skateboarding but won't roll very fast or smoothly.

ABEC-5 Considered the norm in skateboarding. You get a reasonable amount of speed at a reasonable cost. Great for park riding were durability is needed with less speed.

ABEC-7 These are very fast and smooth and are a perfect bearing for longboarding.

ABEC-9 The top of the line in fast and smooth Abec bearings suitable for longboards but they are more delicate so may not be suitable for the thrashing of a skate park.

CERAMIC BEARINGS These are a high tech performance bearings made for precision and speed. These are not as durable for skate parks etc and due to the work involved are substantially higher in cost.

(* Skateboarding can be dangerous, so remember to use appropriate safety equipment such as helmets, knee and elbow guards and footwear)