It can be all too tempting to buy a Complete skateboard and just get rolling but hang on just a sec. Once you start to improve and fall in love with skating you will definitely start to upgrade and improve your board, so our thinking is. why spend money on things you are going to throw away as you upgrade?
The main reasons people buy a complete rather than individual components are two main things.. price and confusion.
Well, if you pick wisely, you can negate the price in the long term by selecting components that will last and perform better. This means you will spend less money on upgrades in the future. And the confusion, well. We’ve got you covered!
Here is a step-by-step guide to building a bulletproof set up that will perform well everywhere until you’ve discovered your particular riding style (parks, street, indoor, etc..) at which point you can shift the performance of the board by swapping a few key elements rather than the whole lot.
The other thing to consider, building your own setup is a right of passage... it’s a key skill to learn and it’s the only thing that makes your board truly yours. Let’s go.
Here’s the list of bits.
Deck
Trucks
Bearings
Wheels
Grip tape
Nuts and Bolts
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Deck.
The bit you stand on and the bit every other bit bolts too. The only decision here is size. Below is a simple size guide but in all honesty, the only mistake you make is going too small. A deck that’s too small will feel squirrelly and uncontrollable. Not what you want as a beginner.
A bigger board will be much more stable and forgiving. Most people these days ride an 8.25” or an 8.5”. either one will suit you fine
There is obviously one other consideration but that affects nothing other than how you feel about your board.. and that is the design. we can't advise here. pick whatever you like the look of. just pick it in the right size.
| Shoe Size | Recommended Deck |
|---|
| UK 4–6 | 7.75"–8.0" |
| UK 7–9 | 8.0"–8.25" |
| UK 9–11. | 8.25"–8.5" |
| UK 11+ | 8.5"+ |
Trucks
These are the T-shaped axles that your wheels bolt to. The sizing matter here and there’s a handy chart below but essentially just Mae sure they match your board width. Get classic polished trucks. No need to any expensive and niche things such as Hollows, Titanium’s, Lows, etc. just get a good brand (Ace, thunder, Independant) and stick em on your board. Each brand has slightly different characteristics but you will get used to whichever you buy and then in all likelihood that will be ‘your brand’ going forward.
| Deck Size | Recommended Truck Size |
|---|---|
| 8.0" | Ace 44 |
| 8.25" | Ace 44 |
| 8.5" |
Ace 55 |
Wheels
The most confusing item due to the sheer number of options but only two things matter at the start. Size (mm) and hardness (A). Too big and you might catch your board when cornering, too small and you might go flying if you hit a stone.
Too soft and you’ll have too much grip on shiny surfaces, too hard and it’ll rattle your bones to bits on the street.
For a beginner 54mm or 53MM is good, and 99A is good. middle of the road, good at everything. If you have a choice of shapes too, just gets the standards. No wides or aggressive cuts.
Bearings
Super simple here. get Bones Super Reds.
Cheap, immensely popular and just incredibly good at their job.
Avoid ceramics, race etc. you don’t need any of this. Get used to maintaining your bearings too and they will last for ages.
Grip tape
Black, clear colourful. doesn’t really matter whatever takes your fancy.
Hardware (nuts and bolts)
Just make sure they are not too long so they don’t foul your trucks or too short so they don’t have enough thread available
You’re done!
Just follow those easy instructions and you’ll have built a board that while a tad pricier that on off the shelf complete. it’ll last you loads longer and be awesome at almost everything.
