Welcome to Skateboard Authority!!
This site is dedicated to the art of skateboarding. You can find videos, photos, trick tips and even a forum where skaters from all over the world come to discuss about skateboarding. The forum contains skate comps where prizes can be won which are supplied by the forum sponsors.
New to Skating?
Have you and your friends been running out of things to do? Do you have time to kill but nothing to do? Then all of a sudden your brother comes home with his "crew" each holding an obscure piece of wood with four wheels attached to it. You see them rolling up the driveway as if they're having the time of their life while you look at your friends, yawning and almost dying of boredom. You think of an idea...ding ding!! You walk outside with your friends to meet your brother watching them defy the laws of gravity and miraculously soar into the air with the board flipping in a controlled manner below them. They make the board spin, flip and turn while hovering above it turning their bodies and landing on the board as if they were born to skate.
You ask your brother for a go on his board. You step on it feeling weird, the board moves below your weight. You push with your other foot and get some momentum before placing that foot behind the foot already on the board. The push to nowhere has begun.
Skateboard Anatomy
Choosing the right equipment for you is crucial.
Skateboards are made up of several different parts including:
1) Deck
2) Grip-tape
3) Trucks
4) Wheels
5) Bearings
6) Riser pads
1) Deck
The skateboard deck is the wood and the main component of your skateboard. It is usually made of 5 sheets of ply wood and 1 sheet of Canadian rock maple on the top. They come in different sizes ranging from about 7.5 inches to 8 inches. Choose the deck that feels right for you, generally a smaller person should get a smaller deck and a bigger person should choose a larger one...makes sense.
2) Grip-tape
This is just stuck onto the top of your deck to act as traction so it is easier to ride and stick to your board.
3) Trucks
These are made of metal and mounted to the deck. It is like an axel for the wheels and helps the rider turn. Make sure you don't put the trucks on the wrong way. The kingpin should always be facing in, towards each other.
4) Wheels
The wheels are made of urethane. The come in different sizes and different hardness. A harder wheel is good for smooth terrain such as in a park while a softer wheel will help roll over small rocks in the street.
5) Bearings
These are inserted on each side of each wheel, so there are 8 bearings. They allow the wheels to move. These are very important as without them your wheels will not move. They vary in quality
6) Riser Pads
These are like shock absorbers. They are inserted between the trucks and the deck. It helps absorb some of the shock when you land. It also helps prevent wheel bite.
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