About Skateboards

About Skateboards

Here's a little section on what a skateboard really is, its parts and other features.
If you're new to skateboarding and want to learn about skateboards, then this
section is really worth a read.

First off, if you seriously clueless of what a 'Skateboard' really is, well I'd describe
it as a four-wheeled platform which is used for 'Skateboarding'. Now that I stated
the most important part I'll explain a bit more in depth.

Using the skateboard you can perform different technical tricks, and ride/pump on
structures (ramps, bowls etc).

So what does a skateboard consist of?
Well it has 6 main components, they are:

• Deck

Most decks are constructed with a seven-ply cross-laminated layup of maple, Sometimes other, materials, such as fiberglass, bamboo, resin, carbon fiber, aluminum, or plastic are incorporated into deck construction, usually to lighten the board or increase its strength or rigidity. Modern decks are usually 7 to 8½ inches wide although they can vary. The width of a deck depends on the personal preference of the person who uses it. Most people use 7.5-8 inch wide decks for street skating. Generally, riders use a wider deck for vert, to provide more stability. Skateboard decks are usually between 28 and 33 inches long.

• Griptape

Grip Tape is used to give a skater's feet more grip on the board. It usually has an adhesive back and a sandpaper like top. Some can have different colors as well. With this they also have many different colors and styles of grip tape.

• Trucks

Attached to the deck are two metal trucks, which connect to the wheels and deck. The trucks are further composed of two parts. The top part of the truck is screwed to the deck and is called the baseplate, and beneath it is the hanger. The axle runs through the hanger. Between the baseplate and the hanger are bushings also rubbers, that provide the cushion mechanism for turning the skateboard. The bushings cushion the truck when it turns. The stiffer the bushings, the more resistant the skateboard is to turning. The softer the bushings, the easier it is to turn. A bolt called a kingpin holds these parts together and fits inside the bushings. Thus by tightening or loosening the kingpin nut, the trucks can be adjusted loosely for better turning and tighter for more control.

• Wheels

The wheels come in many different sizes and shapes to suit different types of skating. Larger sizes like 65-90 mm roll faster, and also move more easily over cracks in pavement. Smaller sizes like 48-54 mm keep the board closer to the ground, require less force to accelerate and produce a lower center of gravity, but also make for a slower top speed. Modern street skaters prefer smaller wheels (usually 48-55mm), as small wheels make tricks like kickflips and ollies easier. Street wheels also need to be quite hard, as small soft wheels absorb too much energy.Vert skating requires larger wheels (usually 55-65mm) as vert skating involves high speeds that smaller wheels are unable to sustain. Vert wheels are usually very hard, so they can roll faster.

• Bearings

Each skateboard wheel is mounted on its axle via two ball bearings With few exceptions, the bearings are the industrial standard "608" size, with a bore of 8mm, an outer diameter of 22mm, and a width of 7mm. These are usually made of steel, though silicon nitride, a high-tech ceramic, is sometimes used. Different bearings can give you different speeds and smoothness.

• Hardware

Last of all is the hardware. Mounting hardware is a set of eight 10-32 bolts, usually an allen or cross head, and matching self-lock nylock nuts. They are used to attach the trucks to the board.

Thats pretty much of the stuff you should know about skateboards as an object and its components.
Hope you've took in most of it, enjoy!

Take Care
Elvis (LetsSkateboard Blogspot Creator)