Beginners' Skateboard?

First off...for the price of a decent skateboard, you could get a cheap bike. Now, as a former skateboarder with decent skills once upon a time, I would hate to use a skateboard for transportation. I would much rather ride a bike if I was going somewhere.

That being said, you can get the $20 skateboard at Wal-Mart that will turn like shit, has griptape that peels up after a week and will be made from inferior parts all around. You can also buy generic parts for a decent board that might run you $100-$120. That would be your best option. Pretty much all skateshops carry cheap boards, wheels, bearings and maybe even trucks.

 

purchase a bike lock

 

for sure bro a bike would be a way better choice. a skateboard wouldnt be worth it unless you bought a decent setup..but for the money you'd pay for it you might as well spend a couple more bucks and get a bike.

 

If you don't learn how to at least pop-shove-it you'll never live it down

 

"purchase a bike lock"


......bolt cutters are cheaper than a bike

 

save money, get a blank or shop deck if you dont care about what the graphics are


id get some large wheels (58 mm) shit maybe even larger so you can roll for longer



consider a longboard?

then you can catch the concrete waves and cruise to your inner hippie's hearts content

 

Just watch where you skate bro, I've been harassed so many times back in the day for pushing wood down the street.

 

Yeah, when I was a skater I used to crave getting into altercations with the cops. Then I started smoking and more often than not there'd be a sack chillin' in my car while I skated and I was a little more nervous about the 5-0 rollin' 'round

 

Yeah longboards are the way to go if your just looking for transportation. If you just get a skateboard though just try to find some big ass wheels to keep you riding smooth.

 

Fo sho man.

What the hell was I thinking? There'd be like 10 kids skating at the most illegal place to skate in town, and there would always be someone in the car picking seeds out of a bag.

 

If you want something you can carry get some roller blades. Easier than Decking it around. Skating is a Hobby/LifeStyle not a means of transportation...Get a bike and a U-bolt bike lock.. Almost un-pickable and Impossible to cut without a cutting torch. If you insist on skating there are some cheap set ups, allot of skate shops have fully built lows and midies. If you want to go all out I personally recommend BirdHouse. But they are costly, and every skater prefers different boards for different reasons.

 

I longboard, I would consider it my primary hobby. I would suggest getting a sector nine, and if you don't mind sharing your weight then I could give you a board length. Otherwise you want some hard big wheels for cruising around, and probably a bamboo board with loads of flex to keep your ride smooth.


nothing like longboarding ripped.

 

I thought softer wheels (lower durometer) were better for longboarding as they absorb more vibrations

 

Hard wheels create less drag and you roll longer.. But yes the softer wheels make for a better ride.. But think flat tire versus full tire.. The fuller the tire the easier it rolls. But there is always that middle point...

 

for downhill you want softer wheels to "grip" the ground (for a lack of a better word) and to absorb any vibrations, but these wheels are much harder to cruise around with as the grip makes pumping difficult.


Hard wheels make for poor downhill wheels and good cruising wheels because you can pump like mad and keep speed on those things.

I like some of the new sector nine wheels because as you get going faster they kinda just mush into a softer durometer and give you the board you need to bomb hills when you need it. There are a few good sets of wheels like this (and the rest of them are complete shit), so you should probably ask around if you have any buddies with new sector nines to see if you can try them.

 

Keep a skate tool with you and a set of softer wheels.

Problem solved.