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Building a board...

Now that you know what type of skating you want to do, it's time to go pick a board. You can go to our local skateshop or online to buy a board. It's best to go to a shop first, that way, if you have any questions the staff can help you out. All photos are taken at my local skateshop.

Every board is composed of the same parts.

	Deck The deck is the primary part of the skateboard. It basically puts the board in skateboard so to speak. It's made up of 7 plys of wood. They vary in shape. A street skater can use a deck that is anywhere between 7.5 inches wide to 8 inches wide. Most brands of skateboards are made by the same distributor, so essentially, you get the same board even though the brand says otherwise. Most skaters will find that the shape of the board is the key to a good board. The size and shape of the nose and the tail are paramount. The nose is the longer part of the board and the tail is the shorter part. In some cases they can be almost identical, this is ideal for vert/transition skating. Some tails are a lot shorter then the nose and are better suited for flip tricks, or street skating.
	Griptape The griptape is applied to the top of the deck. It is basically black sandpaper. It keeps the rider from slipping off the board and makes tricks possible.
	Trucks Trucks are attached to the deck and the wheels are attached to the trucks. They are made of aluminum and contain the axles for hte wheels. They are used to grinding on rails, coping, and ledges, park benches and etc. They come in different heights and sizes. You are suppoed to match the deck width and the truck width as closely as possible. It's olay to overlap a little. The higher the truck, the more clearance your wheels have to move. (see risers)
	Wheels Are made of polyurathene. Bearings are installed and they slip on the trucks. There are literally hundreds of types of wheels out there. Every skateboard company makes them. It is up to you to decide whether or not you wnat a specific type wheel. For street skating, you can go with a wheel that is 48mm to 55mm in diameter. It doesn't sound like it, but you will feel the difference. A bigger wheel goes faster, but a smaller wheel will allow you to do tricks easier. For vert/transition skating, you can go with a wheel that is 56mm to 65mm. Anything bigger is better suited for a cruiser board.
	Bearings Bearings are ball bearings. They are circular little rings of metal that go inside your wheels. They deterine how fast you go. There is an ABEC system for bearings. That deterines the amount of percision parts in the bearing. It was once thought that the higher the number, the faster the bearing went. That isn't reeally true as soe the the best bearings aren't even on the ABEC system. If you want to get technical, it's always safe to pick ABEC 5.
	Hardware The nuts and bolts that hold everything together. ! inch hardware is universal for street and vert skating. Anything bigger is intended for cruiser boards.
	Risers Risers are optional. They go in between the trucks and the deck. the help reduce "wheel bite." Wheel bite is when there isn't enough clearance between the baord and the deck, when a trick is landed or a sharp turn is made, the rebound fro the truck makes the wheel contact with the deck. This causes the board to stop moving and the rider to go flying.