Skateboard Buying Guide and Getting Started
Introduction
Skateboards are made up of several parts which are the deck, trucks, wheels, bolts and bearings.
When buying a skateboard you have the option of choosing a pre-built complete set-up, which includes all the parts you need on an assembled board, or building your skateboard from separate components.
The price for a complete skateboard ranges between £50 - £100 whereas choosing every part individually will always be more expensive therefore if you are considering buying your first skateboard we highly recommend going for a complete.
It’s worth bearing in mind that skateboards are customizable and parts are usually transferred from one set-up to the next. For example, a pair of trucks will usually outlast a deck and you may even go through four or five boards before needing a new set of trucks.
Our staff are happy to provide their expertise and assistance in finding skateboarding equipment that is right for you and anyone is welcome to visit us in-store, at 36 Dale Street, for advice on skateboards. Alternatively, email inquires to contact@blacksheepstore.co.uk and consult the guide below for more information.
Complete Skateboard Set-ups
Completes are a great option for beginners and many brands provide good quality, affordable and pre-built skateboards that are intended for those just starting out. Enuff Skateboards and Fracture Skateboards provide very reasonably priced completes which can be found in-store and online priced from £40 - £70. However, the quality of these completes aren’t as superior as those made by established board brands.
More renowned skateboard companies, including Anti-Hero, Krooked, Real, Element, Plan B, and Santa Cruz, offer what we believe are perfect price-point completes. These feature a premium quality skateboard deck, with a more standard undercarriage, and are priced between £70 - £100.
At Black Sheep, we understand that newcomers and parents may be put off by the price of skateboarding equipment but believe that you should be stoked on your first skateboard even when sticking to a budget.
To deliver as much choice as possible we provide the option to turn ANY individual skateboard deck we stock into a complete by equipping it with an undercarriage kit for an additional £40. This kit consists of Enuff Pro Trucks, Enuff ABEC 7 bearings, 52mm Black Sheep Wheels, 1” Allen key bolts and griptape – everything you need to get rolling!
Building a Skateboard From Scratch
If you want to customise every aspect of your skateboard then it is probably going to cost more than a complete. Here’s a brief guide to the parts of a skateboard needed to make your own:
Deck
A skateboard deck is the actual wooden board that you stand on. They are made from seven layers of Maple which are pressed together to form one solid board. Before a deck is ridden an abrasive black layer called ‘griptape’ must be applied to it and we will always offer to grip a board for you with any in-store or online purchase. They come in many shapes and sizes but standard ‘popsicle’ shaped boards are usually between 7.5” to 9” with prices varying between £30 to £70.
Browse our range of decks by clicking here and learn more about decks with our Skateboard Deck Buying Guide.
Trucks
Trucks come in sets of two and are the metal objects that connect to a deck and host a skateboard’s wheels. Trucks are made from several components themselves including a hanger, axle, baseplate, kingpin and bushings. They also vary in size, categorised by the width of the hanger in inches, and prices vary from roughly £25 to £90 and above.
Trucks become more expensive as the hanger size increases and when building a complete skateboard we would recommend choosing a truck in the £40 - £60 price range (from a brand such as Independent, Thunder, Venture or Royal) for a premium product at a reasonable price.
Browse our range of trucks by clicking here and learn more about trucks with our Skateboard Truck Buying Guide.
Wheels
Skateboarding wheels come in sets of four and are made from polyurethane. They come in many shapes, sizes and colours and are attached to the trucks. They also require bearings, which are sold separately, to function. Wheels are measured in diameter (by millimetre) and density on a durometer scale to indicate how hard or soft a wheel is.
Prices range from around £20 to £42 and you can browse our range of wheels by clicking here. Learn more about wheels with our Skateboard Wheel Buying Guide.
Bearings
Bearings are sold in sets of eight. They are small cylindrical objects made from metal that contain multiple lubricated metallic ball bearings. Two bearings are embedded into each wheel and then secured onto a truck’s axle allowing the wheels to freely spin. All bearing companies use a universal size and mark their bearings using an ABEC rating.
Prices vary from around £10 to £120 depending on the materials used and origin of manufacture. Browse our range of bearings by clicking here and learn more about bearings with our Skateboard Bearing Buying Guide.
Bolts & Hardware
Skateboard hardware is a set of eight nuts and bolts which are 7/8th of an inch in length and used to connect the trucks to a deck. The bolts feature either an Allen key or Phillips head and a Skate Tool is the best equipment to use when assembling your board. Hardware comes in many different colours and is the component least likely to affect the performance of a skateboard.
Prices range from around £3 to £10. Browse our range of bolts by clicking here and visit our Skateboard Bolts Buying Guide for more information.
Skateboard Assembly
If you purchase all of these parts in-store we are happy to build your skateboard for you. We will also instruct you on how to do it yourself because being able to take apart a set-up is a vital part of being a skateboarder!
If you purchase the individual parts for a whole skateboard online then the board will be shipped unassembled unless you provide us with sufficient notice that you want it building.