Skateboard

This is perhaps the most asked question I’ve seen on forums related to skateboarding. Yes, there are different sizes available, and when I get asked about this, I always come back to the end result of “it’s your personal preference.”

Well, not really helpful, is it? People still ask me what size board do I ride? What if my board was bigger? What if my board was smaller and this and that…To be honest, if you like a bigger board then skate a bigger board.

Now, a lot of folks aren’t satisfied with this answer. And for those of you, this skateboard size chart should help answer that common question that everybody buying a new board asks. And that is “what size of skateboard should I get?”

I know this topic is important because when it comes to skateboarding, size matters a lot. You can’t fully enjoy a ride if the board size doesn’t suit you. Getting a bigger board than necessary means you won’t be able to perform some tricks that you would be able to with a smaller board.

What Size of Skateboard Should I Get?

Most skateboards are similar in length, so width is used to choose a size. They range in width from 6.5 inches to 10.5 inches. But most boards you will see are between 7.5 inches to 9.5 inches. The deck size plays an important role because this is what gives a rider the ability to control the board.

The basic rule of thumb is to start with a skateboard that has the width proportional to your shoe size.

Mini skateboards range from 6.5 inches to 7.5 inches and are ideal for young riders that wear men’s shoe size ranging from 4 to 6.5.

However, don’t automatically assume that because you’re a certain shoe size, you should buy a certain size board. It has nothing to do with anything like that; it’s just personal preference.

Usually, if you are just practicing flip tricks, flat bars, ledges, and other technical tricks, you should choose a board on the narrower side of the spectrum. For skaters that prefer jumping over big gaps or skate handrails, big bowls and stairs, they are more comfortable using larger boards. Here is a pro tip for you, don’t be afraid to try out different sizes. That way, you will be able to find out what works for you the best. As I’ve said before, it’s all about personal preference.

If you are just starting out, choose a wider board as you will have better stability and better control. You can curve easily on a wider board compared to a narrow one. For performing tricks and quick turns, narrow decks are better, and they are lighter in nature. You will lose stability, but you will gain better control once you have mastered narrow skateboards. The proper selection of skateboard is vital here.

Skateboard Size Chart

The most important aspect of any skateboard deck is the size. You want to find the best size and shape that suits your riding style. While choosing a deck, there are three important factors to consider.

1. Shoe size
2. Bodyweight and height
3. Riding style

Let’s talk about shoe size first. You don’t want a board that is too narrow or too wide. Doing technical tricks, ollieing, and turning requires a good fit combination between the board and the foot. Follow this skateboard size chart if you want a board that will work well with your body size.

The recommended board size for a person that is 5 ft 6-inch or taller is 8 to 8.5 inches.

The recommended board size for a person that is 4ft 6-inch to 5ft 6-inch is 7.75 to 8 inches.

The recommended board size for a person that is 4ft 6-inch or shorter is 7.25 to 7.75 inches.

Riding style and the terrain are also important when you are buying a skateboard for the first time. If you want more surface area and stability under your feet, choose a slightly wider skateboard.

A lighter weight setup is convenient if you want to do flip tricks. For street skating, you might want to buy a narrower board.

Narrow decks that are between 7 to 7.5 inches are ideal for youth riders. Decks between 7.5 to 8 inches are considered as medium width decks and are suitable for teen and adult riders. Buy them only if you are street skating or want to perform technical tricks. For cruising, you would want a skateboard that has a deck size of 8 inches or higher.

Trucks Size

In addition to deck size, you can also choose what size of trucks you will need. Trucks are forged out of steel and allow for pivoting and turning on the axle. The truck is comprised of an axle, a hanger, a kingpin, a baseplate, bushings, washers, and nuts.

There are different truck heights like low, mid, and high. What height you choose will depend on what style of skating you prefer.

Low truck height is best suited for flip tricks. These go well with a smaller wheelbase and provide extra stability. Because of their lower center of gravity, these boards are good for beginners and are easy to maintain.

Mid truck height is very versatile and is also the most common size for all-around skateboarding. They are ideal for skating in the streets or at a skate park.

High truck height is most suitable for cruising and carving, so better suited to longboards.

Wheel Size

Wheel size will also influence the way your board rides. The diameter of a wheel is measured in millimeters. You will see the size printed on the outer surface. The most common wheel size is between 50 mm and 60 mm, and they are widely used for street and park skating. Larger wheels that are 60 mm or larger are generally used on longboards and cruisers. Wheels less than 54 mm are preferred by technical skaters.

Rounding Up

As you can see, there are many variables that come into choosing a board, and there is no such thing as “the perfect size skateboard”. The best way to determine which skateboard size is right for you is to try out a bunch of different boards and setups. Borrow from your friends or head down to your local skateboard shop. Hopefully, this skateboard size chart guide will help you to find the best skateboard size that suits your riding style.

Finally, enjoy this wonderful clip with Spencer Nuzzi.

Let me show you some tricks and tips on how you can maintain a skateboard and prolong its life. Most probably, you got a new skateboard, and we all know the feel of a new board. The smoothness, no squeaky noise and the rigidity of a new board fade away over time.

If you are a beginner and probably got a new board but don’t know how to ride, adjust or maintain the board, don’t worry, this maintenance guide should take care of most of your problems.

Skateboard requires very little maintenance such as cleaning your bearings, rotating the wheels and sanding down the edge of your new board. That’s all there is to it.

With that being said, this is a perfect opportunity to learn something new about skateboard maintenance. A board is basically a collection of new components and parts that are bolted together.

Which means you can take it apart easily. Now, sometimes you might need to adjust something to keep the tension of the bolts just the way you want it.

Each board is different in type or size, and for that, you need to learn how to make your own adjustments.

For that, you need some tools.

• Phillips head screwdriver
• Bearing lubricant
• Methylated spirits
• Bearing cleaner
• A sheet of sandpaper
• Or just a skating tool for basic maintenance

Additionally, you can keep some socket wrenches or crescent if you don’t have a skate tool. Now, let’s get on with the skateboard maintenance guide.

How to Maintain Your Skateboard?

Have a look at this step by step maintenance guide for skateboard if you want to prolong the life of your setup.

Sanding

The first I want to cover first is sanding. You need to sand along the edges of your skateboard. This will help prevent chips from occurring in the tail and nose of your deck.

The process is very simple. First of all, you need to locate a rough patch on the edge of your skateboard. Apply a reasonable amount of pressure once you find a rough patch and sand accordingly. Once you sanded those patches away, you notice that the edges are now much smoother. But be careful not to sand too much in one area, or you might end up damaging the shape of your board.

Adjusting the Metal Axles

The tightness of the metal axle, aka the Trucks should be adjusted frequently. Your turning depends on them. If you are a beginner and want easier turns, you might want tighter trucks.

For small skaters, loosening them up a little might make things easier and do this when you are able to control the board better. You will only need a 9/16″ crescent to adjust the truck nut.

At the end of the kingpin, you will see a single large nut. It’s a repetitive process. First, try loosening the nut on each axle for about half a turn and give the board a try. Don’t loosen it up too much or else the nut will fall from the kingpin. It depends on your preferences, whether you want tighter nuts or looser nuts.

Cleaning Your Bearings

Now that we have that part taken care of, it’s time to look at the bearings. You need to find the right fitting in your skate tool and put it over your axel bolt. Then move the tool in an anti-clockwork direction and take your wheel off.

How To Do The Cleaning

Keep track of the wheels as you take them off. You need to put them back from where they came off.

Once you have taken your wheel off, make sure to put your washer and axle nut back on the same axle.

Don’t put the axle bolt on the last wheel because we are going to use that to pop the bearing out. To get your bearing out of the wheel, simply hang the bearing over the axle in a very shallow position.

Now, pull back the wheel, and the bearing will pop out. Do this for all your other wheels and once you have taken them all out, put them in an empty container.

Put your Methylated spirits in the container and completely submerge the bearings. Put a lid on top of the container and shake the bearings for about 30 seconds.

When you are done shaking, take the lid off and place each bearing on the table. You need to give the bearings about 15 minutes of drying time. Once you completely dry them out, they are now ready for lubrication.

Flip the bearings to the side that doesn’t have a bearing shield. Now apply two drops of bearing lube into the bearing. After you have done this, spin the bearing around your hand and make sure the lubrication goes around all of the bearings.

Reassemble The Board

Once all of the bearings are lubed up, put them over the axle and your wheel over them. Push the wheel down until you feel a popping sound.

Now flip the wheel over and put the other bearing on the axle and do the exact same thing. Repeat this step for all the other bearings. Now that all the bearings are in your wheels, it’s time to put them on. This is where rotating them comes into play.

Rotating the Wheels

You want to put each wheel on the axle diagonally opposite from where it originally came from. This means that your wheels get even wear and last the longest time possible.

It also helps if the graphic of the wheels is facing outwards and you can flip it inwards to allow them to wear out evenly. Now it’s time to put your wheels back on.

This is the reverse motion of how you took them out in the first place. Simply put the wheel on the axle, slip your washer on and tighten up the nut in a clockwise motion. Once you got the nuts on the axle, you have to make sure that you have enough room so that your wheels can spin freely and not move up and down too much.

Final Thoughts

Skateboards are meant to be scratched, chip, dent, and wear out. But with proper maintenance, you can easily prolong the lifespan of your board if you follow these basic tricks that I have shown you in this skateboard maintenance guide.

Before you leave have a look in the skateboard maintenance clip from openSource folks.

Want to learn how to skateboard? Nah, I meant, want to teach your kid how to skateboard? Well, sure, you do. It’s super fun. Skateboarding is easy; it’s like surfing but on the ground. Apart from the fun, it also has significant health benefits.

And if you fall, you land on the ground which might hurt, but hey, it’s not surfing. Now, this article will go over the basics of skateboarding, and what you should teach your kids to get them started.

Who knows, you might also pick up a few tips for your own. Let me give a brief overview of what I’m going to show you in this article.

I’ll start with some very simple riding basics, give you some familiarity with the basic tricks, ramps and some practicing tips. It’s a basic guide, so don’t expect anything too complicated.  

Before I get to the fun part, let me remind you that practice is the key. Let me rephrase that long-time practice is the key. Whatever you teach your child, whether it’s foot position, simply pushing or bending, make sure your child is comfortable with that first and then move on from there.

Teaching A Kid to Skateboard

This guide is made just for kids and parents that are just getting started and will serve as an introduction to skateboarding basics. When you start correctly, it can make skating a lot safer for kids. It will also be easier and definitely going to be more fun because you know what you are doing.

Things You Will Need

Now, I know skating is fun and all that, but it’s also risky. And that’s why you need to wear proper skateboarding gears.

• Helmets
• Pads
• Good quality shoes
• A good skateboard

Now that you have all the proper gears in check let’s learn how to skateboard easily and safely.

Learning Skateboard

1. Get Comfortable

Before you get rolling, it’s always a great idea to get comfortable standing on a skateboard. It’s better if you do it on a soft surface.

For example, you can try standing on a board on grass, or if your wheels are clean, you can practice on a rug or a carpet.

2. Foot Position

Start by putting your front foot on those front bolts of your board and your back foot on the back bolts. You don’t need to move around or push yourself. Just try to stand and get comfortable.

3. Stance

When you are learning, it’s important to keep an athletic stance. Bend your knees slightly to maintain a controlled stance. Keep your feet under your shoulders with your knees a bit bent. Keep your weight on the balls of your feet.

With this, you will get a nice low center of gravity, and you can easily shift in any direction to keep your balance.

With this stance, you can easily get comfortable with your board. Just pretend you are surfing. Bounce around a bit to get comfortable with the feeling of being on a skateboard.

4. Three Stages of Getting Rolling

Keep the board on a soft surface for now because we are going to go through the three stages of getting rolling.

Stepping

For step 1, go ahead and stand next to your skateboard with your front foot right next to the front wheels. Now place your front foot on the front bolts keeping your toe facing forward.

Make sure your whole body is facing forward in the direction of where the board will go.

Getting on

In this step, you need to bring all of your weight on the front foot and then bring the back foot on to the board, just behind the back bolts and perpendicular to the board.

Moving

In this step, you need to pivot that front while keeping the ball of our foot right over those bolts. The direction should be almost all the way perpendicular to the board.

At the same time, you should shift your upper body so that it is aligned to the skateboard. At this point, you are naturally maintaining that athletic stance.

Since you will now start to roll, you should turn your head in the direction you want to go. Turn your shoulder just a bit to get comfortable when you get moving.

5. Start on a Flat Surface

You definitely want to start on a nice flat surface. Make sure there is no traffic on the road. Try starting on an empty parking lot. Now repeat the three stages of rolling on a flat surface.

Add a push or two with your back foot to step one to get the momentum. Let me rephrase the step.

• Keep your front foot right over the front bolts.
• Keep most of your weight on the front foot.
• Apply one or two pushes with the back foot.

After the push, go to step 2 with the back foot coming up on the board. Then go ahead with step three by rotating that front foot.

Make sure to maintain the nice athletic stance on the skateboard with your head turned to the direction of where you are going.

Final Tips

If your skater needs some extra help with this, it’s absolutely okay to offer a hand for some extra stability. Just keep a couple of things in mind.

• Let your skater hold on to your hand and not the other way around.
• Get them started on their own.
• Let your little skater get in front you so that they can actually skate facing the way that they are supposed to be skating.
• Once you got those few steps down, try adding some extra pushes to get a bit more speed.
• If you do start to slow down, just reverse the steps.
• Go back into step two by pivoting that front foot and keep the toe forward again.
• Bring the back foot off and let the shoulder come around.
• Give a few pushes, step back up, and pivot the foot and shoulders back to that riding position.
• Get a skateboard of your appropriate size.
• Don’t forget to maintain your board from time to time.

That’s all there is to it. Simple, isn’t it? Don’t worry; it’s perfectly normal for an adult to learn from this how-to guide.

Because the basics are the same, whether you are a 3-year-old or a 20-year-old, and that’s how you teach your kid to skateboard.

Before we wrap this up, watch this cool video from VLSkate on beginners skateboarding.