Skateboards

[yachtie]

Can anyone recommend a good introductory skateboard? My oldest is looking for one for christmas and the last board I was on was made of wood with composition wheels.

 

[jkennett]

A decent skateboard should cost about a $100-120. I'd go to the local shop in your area to get the board. You can ask them about local skate parks for your son to skate while you're there. As far as the "cool" brands at the moment, I am a bit clueless. I've seen a good bit of the younger kids riding on Zero and Baker, but I'm not sure if those brands are old news already. Independent trucks have always been a good bet. If a local shop is not possible I'd get it from someplace like ccs i guess...

On second thought, how old is your son? If he's too young to be brand-conscious maybe you could just get the generic boards the the local shops sometimes purchase and have painted with their own graphics. That'd save you some cash, and it'd still be a good board. CCS has their own brand of complete decks that run for about $65. and would be solid enough for your son to get a taste of the sport, without you committing too much dinero. I'll add that in as the second link. Local skateboard shops probably have similar deals. Avoid buying a skateboard from a big box store as you'd be buying a toy instead of an actual piece of sporting equipment. Good luck and good job on doing research for your son's gift.

http://shop.ccs.com/findKitSlotItems...DECK&start=yes

http://shop.ccs.com/browseBrands.do?...D=6&brand=0089

 

[flashback]

Originally Posted by yachtie

Can anyone recommend a good introductory skateboard? My oldest is looking for one for christmas and the last board I was on was made of wood with composition wheels.

go to a B&M store and talk to the people. they'll help you out and get you something cool that your son will like ( I assume thats important to you ).

I have been skating for almost 20 years now and when I buy a new board I get a blank deck & wheels (cheap, but a child will probably want branding / art that these don't offer). I get Venture or Independent trucks, and the one thing I splurge on is Bones Swiss bearings.

 

[KBW]

I agree with flashback...go to the shop and just ask some questions and go from there...that ccs website is very good though

 

[BrettChaotix]

When I was in grade school and wanted my first board my mom made the mistake of thinking she could go to Toys-R-Us and one of those things. Big mistake - they are basically junk and I caught **** from my friends with "real" boards from Vision, Santa Cruz, and Powell Peralta.

Go to a SKATE SHOP, even if it's just WaveDancers at the mall. Most skate shops don't sell (absolute) garbage. While most of the boards will be in pieces (decks, wheels, trucks, all sold separately) most shops will assemble a few boards, especially around this time of year, to make it easier for parents to buy them. This assembled boards are usually sold at a discount too.

I would agree with JKennett too - CSS is a good starter board and a bit less (minus shipping) than most brands.

 

[kever]

This is a bit redundant, but I'd agree with the above posters. Go talk to the people at a skate shop. I like independent trucks and have been happy enough with cheap bones reds bearings. The rest the skate shop should be able to help you out with. I wish my parents bought me a board when I was a kid...

 

[yachtie]

Thanks Gents for the info. I called around and everyone seems to agree on Independent trucks and Bones wheels and bearings. I'm not so worried about brands rather than quality components and I don't think the kid is either as long as the graphics are reasonably cool. One more question, is it worth while to have the small riser on the back? (seen 'em but don't know what they're called) or is a flat deck okay.

 

[deputamadre]

Flat deck is fine. Risers aren't really that commonly used. Independent trucks are pretty popular and eternally cool, but heavier than the average brand. Deck...just ask at a skateshop or pick out a cool looking graphic. You can always order a complete deck from an online shop.
http://shop.ccs.com/browse.do?catego...kate.completes

 

[kever]

Originally Posted by yachtie

Thanks Gents for the info. I called around and everyone seems to agree on Independent trucks and Bones wheels and bearings. I'm not so worried about brands rather than quality components and I don't think the kid is either as long as the graphics are reasonably cool. One more question, is it worth while to have the small riser on the back? (seen 'em but don't know what they're called) or is a flat deck okay.

By the way you said that it sounds like you mean riser as in the tail of the deck is curved up. If thats the case then the front and back should be curved up if its a regular skateboard you're looking into. If you actually mean a riser, which is something that goes in between the trucks and the deck, then you might want a thin rubber shock pad in between each truck. Again, the guys at a skate shop, or CCS should be able to help you out with what you need.

 

[rdawson808]

When I was a kid I had the most kick-ass Tommy Guerrero board. It had, I now realize, the most wicked beautiful rose design on it. That was...let's see, I sold it as a freshman in hs in fall 1985.

If I had it now, I'd hang it on my wall as art. I never could skate worth a ****.



b

 

[east hastings]

To the above who said Bone Swiss bearings, it depends on how serious the kid is about skating. To alot of my friends in grade school, skating was simply a faze which they outgrew, which would not warrent spending the extra money on BS bearings.

Also, in my experience, it depends on what kind of kids your son will be skating with. If they're all starting out, then you can be safe to go with a well known brand for all the components, because at a certain point, it doesn't really matter. But, if your son is planning on skating with 'real' skaters who will make him feel extremely brand conscious (in the sense that they might say his deck and trucks etc are 'corporate') and be dicks about his gear, it'd be better to buy accordingly. Just my two cents, though

 

[yachtie]

Went to the shop today- thanks for the info! Indep trucks, bones wheels and "red" bearings, mid-size xtm deck ( he liked the graphics). The shop guy said it'd be better to use the smaller diameter wheels to start with so that's what we went with. The way I see it , since he has four younger sibs, it'll be well used so it's good to get better quality components.
I also saw a nice road board (big deck and wheels- had some surfboard designer's name on it) Seemed suitable for an older guy. Dammed pricey though. Made me want to pull the old board out of storage- may do just that this spring. It's not suited for tricks-and neither am I (it must weigh 15-20 lbs and is about 3 feet long) but it'll work for keeping the kid company on the street.

 

[spacemanvt]

bringing this back from the dead but has anyone used CCS brand boards? i am thinking of buying a complete deck from them but i am a n00b so i need some help.

any good skateboarding forums i can go ask?

 

[il ciclista]

yeah they are a good board if you are starting out, i was thinking about getting a bamboo one but i have to many right now. I have ridden their regular board it, it had decent pop to it but if you are starting out it's perfect and priced cheap too

i used to post on skaterscafe they have a good following, just got bored talking about it haha

 

[spacemanvt]

how about their trunks and wheels,etc?
you can pretty much get a complete CCS brand board from them for like 70 bucks shipped!

the cheapest i think can i get at my local store is ~120.