Which Deck to Buy

Dateline: 07/30/00

If you're looking to buy a new deck you'll need to take several things into consideration.

First off, you'll need to know which style of skating will be applicable to you. Of these there is street skating, vert ramp skating and freestyle skating though few folks are really into that anymore. Then of course there's downhill, but that's really another genre all together. For that you'd need a longboard but we won't be going there as yet. We'll get to it later.

Street skating is technical skating that utilizes obstacles such as curbs or stairs and makes use of several various flip tricks. The decks you'll use for this are most commonly thinner lightweight boards with a mellow concave that are much easier to control than something larger and heavier. When we say thin we're talking about something that is less than eight inches in width. On the other hand, if you have some kind of humongous Sasquatch feet this particular tidbit is out the window. No one needs his or her toes hanging off the edge there or anything. That would mess you up entirely. But relatively speaking, skinny is the way to go on street.

Tech boards tend to have a shorter wheelbase, which is the distance between the trucks measured from the inside. This measurement can range from 13.25 inches to about 14.25 inches and makes the board easier to flip around depending on how long or short it is.

Vert or transition skating is a little different. For this you'll typically need a heavier, more durable deck that's a bit more broad, meaning more than eight inches wide with a wheelbase that is perhaps a little longer. Bigger means something for your feet to hang on to. If you're pulling huge airs or carving the coping of a ramp or the lip of some pool, the extra width under your feet can make for greater stability. In this case, the more to work with the better.

Then again it's all up to the individual. If you're thinking of tackling more than one kind of skating or if you're hoping to combine these genres such as incorporating technical tricks on transitions, you'll have to depend on whatever works for you and that means you'll have to test out all kinds of decks and different setups. My recommendation would be to test out some equipment that you can find elsewhere. Ask your friends what works for them and don't hesitate to go ahead and ask us. The more questions the better. The more trials the better. The more skating, the better for everyone involved.

Skate one style. Skate both styles. Skate everything there is. All genres are yours for the taking and the right board for you is just that, a board that feels good under your own feet. People are different. Try everything. Really get out there and push the limit. That means doing something new everyday. Go now and get busy skating.

Go on. Skate.

What are you waiting for?

Geez.