6 things you need to know before buying your first skateboard

So, you want to get your first skateboard. Whether for yourself or your kid, this is the moment that’ll be looked back on with starry eyes: the story of your first skateboard.

This is the first in a series of articles to guide you through the start of your skateboarding adventure. All adventures have their starting points; for the skateboarder, it all begins with the first skateboard.

The purpose of this article is to provide a guide so that you have all the gear and some idea to get you started.

• Your First Skateboard vs Your First Real Skateboard

Though toyshops all over the world would love to have you believe otherwise, a skateboard is not a toy, and a toy skateboard is not a skateboard. We’ve all had one. A toyshop skateboard, that comes in that weird clingfilm wrap, the wheels don’t roll, it's too heavy and totally impossible to ride.

That’s why, when you’ve chosen the path of the skateboarder, your first stop should be your <<local skate store>>, be it in-store or online. Here you’re going to have some questions:

• Complete or Custom?

A ‘complete’ is an all-in-one skateboard, and these are ideal for total beginners.

A skateboard is made up of 3 key components:

• A deck (the wooden thing you stand on)

• The trucks (the two metal axles on the bottom)

• The wheels (ideally four)

Sounds straightforward. Well, it's actually a little more complicated. Each of these components comprises several more subcomponents like the grip tape, bearings and hardware.

When you’ve got more experience riding your board, and your board experiences some wear and tear, you’ll need to learn to upkeep, maintain and replace different parts of your skateboard at different times. So for the total beginner, we’d always recommend a complete setup.

• Shape

Like people, skateboards come in all different shapes and sizes. The options can be overwhelming, from longboards to penny boards to the traditional popsicle deck.

Now, I may be about to colour this article with my personal bias, but for a first-timer, whether you're interested in learning tricks on flat ground, getting major air on the vert, or just cruising around on the concrete - I would always recommend a conventional popsicle shape deck.

A longboard is heavy and difficult to negotiate to do tricks on the flat, or on ramps, and a penny board is deceptively difficult to keep your balance on. These can be fun to mess around with once you’ve got more of a feel for skating, but for a first board - I’d always recommend you stick to the conventional board shape.

• Deck Size

Size matters. Or, at least when it comes to your skateboard, it does.

The most important dimension of a regular popsicle skateboard and the unit by which they are measured is their horizontal width in inches (thanks, America). On a complete the trucks and wheels will be size appropriate to the deck.

The best indicator of the right deck size is a combination of two factors. The proportions of the skateboarder (height and shoe size) and your intended use (where you want to skate, but more on that later…).

• If the board is too big for the skater, it will be heavy, cumbersome and difficult to manoeuvre

  
  

• If the board is too small for the skater, it will be difficult to maintain balance

  
  

• Ideally, when you stand on the deck, as you would when riding, if you place your heels all the way to one side, your toes should come off the deck at the other end

  
  

• Like with everything in skateboarding, there are no hard, fast rules. It’s all about personal preference, and that will evolve with time and learning.

• Safety Gear

Harsh truth incoming: falling off your skateboard or - taking a slam - is a part of skateboarding, its a question of when—not if.

Finding your feet on a skateboard is the sharpest learning curve in any skateboarder’s journey.

Learning to ride a skateboard, is really about learning to pick yourself up and try again, a difficult but essential life lesson skateboarding teaches us.

Learning to take, avoid and lessen your slams takes practice, but as a beginner, the one thing you can do to avoid injury while skateboarding is to wear the right safety gear.

• <<Helmet>>. The most important piece of safety equipment for any skateboarder is their helmet. However, just wearing one isn’t quite enough. You need the right helmet, and you need to wear it correctly.

  
  

• Your helmet needs to fit. If it wobbles around on your head, then it's too big. If it doesn't cover your head or is excessively tight, then it's too small. Wearing a helmet that is either too big or too small will not protect your precious noggin properly, so invest in a properly fitting helmet.

  
  

• Your helmet needs to be worn correctly, which means the right way around, strapped up and tightened, and covering your forehead. Wearing a helmet incorrectly defeats the point and is, therefore, totally lame.

  
  

• Your old bike helmet (if pointy shaped) is not appropriate, skateboard helmets are designed for skateboarding and worth the investment.

• <<Pads>>. These are less essential but still recommended and include: kneepads, wristguards and elbow pads. You could also wear shinpads, but these may impede movement and are usually regarded as excessive. These should all fit over your clothes, and be worn correctly (as otherwise can do more harm than good).

  
  

• Footwear

When it comes to attire, it is whatever you feel comfortable in, jeans, tracksuits or leotard. Whatever grinds your rail. Footwear, however, does make a difference, as your feet are your main point of contact with the skateboard.

“Skate shoes” should be flat-soled with reasonable padding. Boots or flip-flops are a no-go (unless you're really showing off). Suede trainers are optimal for durability and board feel, but again, this ultimately comes down to what you feel most comfortable in - I’ve seen people totally shred in a pair of Air Max 110s.

So…

… there you have it, the six things you need to know before buying your first skateboard. With these items ticked off your list, you’ll have all the gear and some idea when it comes to stepping out into the wonderful world of skateboarding for the first time.

Stay tuned for the next edition, where we’ll go over the things you need to know when it comes to riding your skateboard.

Till then, later skater.