SKATEBOARD buying guide
How to choose your board?
We will distinguish between skateboards and longskates and have chosen to group mini-skates, street skateboards and cruisers into the skateboard category.
In the longskate category are larger cruisers and drop throughs.
Added to these two categories are skate surf trucks.
“Each board is specific to a specific use and has unique characteristics.
It is therefore important to know their differences and their particularities before making your choice!”
It is therefore important to know their differences and their particularities before making your choice!
Skateboards (Street / Cruiser / Mini skate) :
These skateboards are all reserved for city or skatepark type use.
Their size is 22 inches (57 cm) for mini skateboards and 26 to 32 inches (66 to 82 cm) for street and cruiser skateboards. The longer a board is, the more stable it is; conversely, the shorter a board is, the more maneuverable and receptive it is.
Mini Skates
The mini skateboards are reproductions of classics from the 70's and 80's. They are light, durable and extremely easy to handle. These boards generally have a plastic deck (more fragile than wood) in which a grid is inlaid instead of a classic grip. Mini skateboards allow you to enjoy almost all types of use: ramps, carving, cruising, slalom, etc.
“Although versatile, mini-skates are limited to basic practice of these disciplines.”
Street skateboarding
“Street” type skateboards are the most common. The nose and tail are almost symmetrical. To differentiate them we can rely on the graphics of the deck but in general, the front kick is a little longer and narrow unlike the rear kick which is shorter and flat.
The width generally remains the same along the entire length of the board. Another particularity of these boards is their curved ends which allows you to perform a maximum of figures both thanks to the tail and the nose of the board.
“So these boards are more made for the city and the skatepark, not really for riding long distances.”
Cruiser
Cruisers are skateboards made mostly of wood (maple, birch, bamboo). They are quite accessible from a technical point of view. These boards are ideal for small and medium trips. Their shape is similar to longskates, notably due to the fact that their nose is flat.
The shape of the tail is very variable. The presence of a kicktail allows you to perform some tricks even if, for this type of practice, a street type skateboard is preferable.
Indeed, the kick tail allows you to perform the ollie, which is the basis of many more advanced skateboarding tricks.
A round tail and a swallow are quite close in terms of performance for cruising and walking . On the other hand, a pintail is more suited to the road and gaining speed and is closer to a longskate.
The cruisers are quite wide, which makes it easy to position your feet and ensure optimal stability. In order to withstand the roughness of the road, to ensure a certain comfort and to gain more speed, the wheels of cruisers are softer and wider than the wheels of street skateboards.
LongSkates: Cruiser (Pintail, Kicktail, Fishtail) and Drop through
There are many varieties of Longskate shapes. Above, the main ones, from which all the others flow. These different forms are adapted to different practices. Longskates are essentially made of maple, birch or bamboo wood, a guarantee of quality and longevity.
Generally speaking, cruisers are longskates reserved for cruising . A pintail cruiser, more maneuverable, is suitable for cruising. A kicktail cruiser is also suitable for cruising, the fact that it is wider makes it more comfortable for carving. Unlike surfing, the fishtail in skateboarding does not really modify the ride , it is more linked to a question of aesthetics .
For descent, called "downhill" , it is preferable to choose a drop through which is closer to the ground and therefore more stable . Drop throughs are also good freeride skates for cruising.
"The stability of the cruiser is well suited to beginners"
Choosing the right longskate size:
Choose the right width:
Deck from 6 to 6.75 inches: concerns mini-skates or children under 5 years old or less than one meter tall.
Deck from 7 to 7.3 inches: for children aged 6 to 12 up to size 38.
Deck of 7.5 or more: suitable for all skaters measuring 38 or more.
Skate Surf-trucks
The surf skateboard has a shape often similar to a cruiser, wide enough for easy foot placement and good stability. It is equipped with a “ surf-skate ” type truck. These trucks can rotate around a vertical axis, which gives them a behavior similar to a surfboard.
Thanks to the new RKP-1 Surf Skates system present on our Obfive surf-trucks, it is possible to “pump” and reproduce accelerations and turns similar to surfing.
“Ideal for surf training on flat days !”
At WoodstockShop, we are here to answer all your questions, so don't hesitate to contact us.
Have a good ride!