Any skater will tell you that there is no thrill in the world that can quite equal that of cruising on a skateboard. Surely, few things can give you more sense of freedom than gliding at full speed with nothing between you and the earth apart from your much-loved board.
Whether you are a budding skater or you and your skateboard have been companions for years, it’s important to get to know your board so you can maintain it in the best way possible. Part of your knowledge should be about choosing skateboard wheels. All skateboard wheels are made of polyurethane, a type of hard and long-lasting rubber. Be definite you opt for the right ones so you can take pleasure in your skating sessions to the maximum.
When it comes to selecting skateboard wheels, there are essentially two significant things that you must consider. The first one is the diameter. The diameter basically refers to the height of the wheel. The average diameter of most skateboards range from 52 mm to 60 mm. When it comes to selecting the right diameter, take your own height and built into consideration. Children, teenagers as well as skaters who are short and slim will do better with 55 mm. Taller and heavier skaters will skate best with wheels varying from 56 mm to 60 mm. In fact, 60 mm is usually the most that you should get. Anything over 60 may not be suitable for your average skating parks.
The second factor that you should consider when choosing skateboard wheels is how hard or tough the wheels are. Just like the height of a wheel, there is a term describing this stat and this is durometer. The average durometer that most skaters need is 99a. If you’re a beginner then you have to go with softer wheels so you can simply skate without tripping over rocks, etc.
Remember a good skateboard wheel like BP Blackbird is one that provides proper support and suits your style of skateboarding. So, be sure to pick the right size according to how you’re going to use the wheel. Also, be sure to pick the type that matches your skill level and improve your performance.
Do remember when skateboarding first appeared and skateboards were enough? It seems now that the market has been influxed with a variety of skateboard like boards which offer something a little bit different from the original skateboard and open up new individuals to skate sports.
The 1st of these hybrid boards I can think back to were the snakeboards. Back 1990’s in Great Britain this board had grown quite a cult following in extreme sports circles and I can remember skating with quite a few of individuals who had picked up on the sport. This is following it’s invention in 1989 by James Fisher and Oliver Macleod Smith. The snakeboard, at the time, offered a revolutionary design where two plates were connected via a bar with the feet bound to these plates. The rider would then move his or her feet in an S motion (where the name snakeboard comes from) to propel the skater along. Sadly, in the late 90’s the company was sold to MV Sports in England who ruined snakeboarding by making low quality models for high street shops and eventually ceasing production. Fortunately for you and I, new companies have taken over the mantle these days and are producing highly popular and far better models that we could lay our hands on back in the nineties.
The revolutionary boards, dubbed Street Boards, are designed in a similar way to original skateboards instead the front and rear sections now move separately to the main part of the board and are fitted with snakeboard like bindings to secure the rider to the streetboard like the previous snakeboards did. The boards are now made by a variety of companies such as Flipside Streetboards, Dimension Streetboards, Highland Streetboards and GrossO Boards.
This exciting sport streetboarding has grown so popular that that there is also a world championship which is being held at NASS. This festival is the number 1 action sports fesitval featuring competitions in skate, bmx, fmx, inline, mountain biking and le parkour.
