What Size Skateboard Should I Get? – Skateboard Sizes
For those who are into this particular action sport, they must know - the size of the skateboard is an integral part of executing a trick perfectly. When buying a skateboard, there are a few features you need to keep in mind. These include the deck size, board shape, length, and width.
This might sound like a mouthful, but with our assistance, your most burning question: what size skateboard should I get, can be easily answered.
See also:
- Top 12 Best Complete Skateboards (2023 Reviews)
What Size Skateboard Should I Get
Choosing a skateboard does not mean you pick out the coolest one out of the shop. A lot of research goes into picking the right one. It depends on the type of skateboard, your style, your experience level, and where you usually practice.
Let us help you through the process, while you can also go through an informational YouTube video.
The Right Sized Deck
A skateboard deck is an actual platform on which you stand on and ride. If it’s too wide, you will feel the need to exert more power. And if too narrow, relative to height and shoe size, you will feel unstable. Therefore, this is an important step.
Width
Deck sizes come in small, macro, mini and full. Keeping in mind the rider’s age, height, and shoe size.
Micro:
Micro skateboards come with a width of 6.5 inches to 7.5 inches. This is a good fit for young kids (up to five years old) with shoe size 0 to 3, and height around 3 feet and 4 inches.
Mini:
Mini skateboards come with a width of 7 inches. The size is a good fit for older kids (six to eight years old) with shoe size 4 to 6, and height around 3 to 4 feet.
Medium:
Medium skateboards come with a width of 7.3 inches. This is a good fit for kids aged nine to twelve years with shoe size 7 to 8, and height around 4 feet to 5 feet.
See also: Top 15 Best Kids Skateboards 2023
Full:
Medium skateboards come with a width of 7.5 inches. This is a good fit for adults with shoe size 9 or over, and height more than 5 feet and 3 inches.
The average width of a deck is 7.5 to 8.25 inches. When choosing a deck, give preference to the width over length. Choose the right width considering your height and shoe size.
Otherwise, the tricks will become harder to perform. Teen and adult rider prefer 7.5 inches wide deck. Larger skateboarders, skating ramps and vertical ramps require a wider deck, while street skaters usually need a smaller deck.
Shape and Style of Decks
In addition to different types of skateboards, you can also find skateboards available in mostly four common shapes. These shapes and styles are designed to cater to different skateboarding styles.
Choose a board that matches your style; once this step is done, choose the components, and get done with the whole set up.
Shortboard
These are the shortest styled skateboards. They are specifically made for the pros and experts who want to perform tricks and want to get more time in the air.
Cruiser
The second common type is Cruiser board that comes with kicktails. They are a better fit for people who want to travel around on their skateboards. They are known for their fast speed and flexible movement, while the decks of these skateboards in most cases are of mid-length.
A good example of a perfect skateboard cruiser is Retrospec Zed Bamboo, available in 18 different colors and styles.
Old School
These mostly come with kicktails and a flat nose. They are also asymmetrical and have a wide nose. If you are a performer at ramps or skating pools, old school boards are just the right fit for you.
Longboards
If you only need a skateboard for transportation, this is an excellent option. However, you can also use these skateboards for downhill racing. For this, you can look for downhill longboards.
These come with a symmetrical shape, wheel cutouts, and sit lower to the ground. As they have cutouts for wheels, you can add larger wheels to increase the speed.
Longboards are also a good option for beginners, allowing them a good space to balance them. If looking for a good skateboard as a beginner, here is a list of best skateboard for beginners.
Trucks
For determining the truck size, refer to your deck size. The length of the axle must match the deck width.
This means that once you install trucks, they must fit with properly according to the width of the deck. They should be in alignment with each other. For instance, for a standard 8-inch deck, a truck-size of 149 should do the trick.
Wheelbase
The distance between the inner mounting holes of your board is called wheelbase. This means it determines the distance between the front and back wheels. In most cases, the wheelbase ranges from 13-inches to 5-inches.
If you want to adjust the wheelbase of your skateboard on your own, look for the decks with multiple wheelbase options, or more than one set of holes on the deck. You may be amazed to learn that a slight adjustment in the wheelbase can have a massive effect on your skateboard performs.
Here is a detailed video on what are wheelbases.
Wheels
There is a difference between street skating and park wheels. Street skating wheels are normally lighter and smaller compared to park wheels. This makes them responsive and easy to flip.
For skateboards, millimeters are used as a standard unit to measure wheels. For street skating, you need wheels that range from 49 mm to 52 mm. In case of transition skateboarding, you need wheels that range from 54 mm to 60 mm. As these wheels are bigger, they cover more surface area, allowing you speed for airs or grabs.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we have all learned that choosing a perfect skateboard for yourself is not an easy task. It can only be done after reading on all the components of the board and getting the right fittings for the whole set up.
The width not too wide, not too narrow, the trucks perfectly aligned. Only if these conditions are met can skateboarding give you the right feel.
Before you came across the points given above, the question, ‘what size of skateboard should I get?’ might have scared you off. But hopefully, now you feel like you have done your homework.
