With over a decade of experience with skateboarding hard goods, Black Sheep have knowledge and passion for everything to do with skateboarding.
Including decks, trucks, wheels, bearings and everything else literally down to the nuts and bolts. Although we offer many quality options for if you want to purchase a pre-built complete skateboard, we believe that putting a board together piece by piece is much more fun as it allows you create a board exactly how you want it.
There are no right and wrong answers when it comes to buying skateboarding gear, only personal preference, but here’s a quick overview of everything you can find on this page.
Decks – constructed from 7-ply Canadian maple, the skateboard deck is the bit which is stood on. Decks range in size generally from 7.5” to 9” and beyond and we recommend a 8” or 8.25” sized board for beginners. Every board we stock features a graphic on the bottom and top and a sheet of black griptape needs to be applied to the board before it is ridden. This is included in the price of a board although we offer other styles of griptape available to purchase separately.
Trucks – the two metal parts which are part of a board’s undercarriage. These connect your wheels to your deck and act as a suspension system for your skateboard by allowing you to turn. Trucks will respond sharper if they are loosely tightened and take more effort to turn the tighter they are. It’s common for the rubber bushing of a truck to be swapped out for a more precise turn. Generally, the width of a truck should match the width of your skateboard. We carry some of the finest models from Independent, Thunder, Royal and many more – however these brands generally have different size listing so we recommend consulting our Skateboard Truck Buying guide or visiting the store if you’re unsure about what truck size is right for you.
Wheels – sold in sets of four and made from polyurethane, skateboarding wheels are measured in millimeters and come in all manner of shapes, sizes, and densities. A soft wheel will provide a smoother ride, which is often preferred by transition skateboarders, whereas a hard wheel will be more responsive and are widely used by street skateboarders. Bare this in mind when choosing wheels or visit our Skateboard Wheel Buying Guide for more information.
Bearings – sold in sets of eight, these metal cylinders host a set of lubricated ball bearings which allow your wheels to spin freely. Riding a skateboard in the rain will cause your bearings to rust which is one of many reasons we recommend you stick to dry concrete or an indoor park on those rainy days. Shop favorites include Spitfire Cheapshots, Bones Reds and Bronson Speed Co. – visit our Skateboard Bearing Buying Guide for more information.
Bolts – also known as hardware and sold in packs of eight, these nuts and bolts attach your trucks to your board.
If you have any questions feel free to contact us, either by telephone, email or through any of our social networking sites. You can also find lots of interesting and important information about all skateboard hardware on our buyers guide section, essential for if you are starting out, and some useful information for experienced skaters.
