Skateboards

How do you choose a skateboard setup?

Building the right setup comes down to three things: deck size, truck width and wheel choice. Get those right and everything else is preference. Get them wrong and the board will fight you.

Deck size is the starting point, measured in inches across the widest point. Smaller decks (7.5 to 8.0 inch) are more responsive and suit technical street skating and smaller riders. Mid-range decks (8.0 to 8.5 inch) are the all-round sweet spot, versatile across street, park and transition. Wider decks (8.5 inch and up) offer more stability for transition, bowl and vert, and larger riders. Your shoe size is a rough guide: up to size 9 suits decks under 8.0 inch, size 10 and above suits 8.0 inch and wider.

Truck width should match your deck width. Trucks too narrow make the board feel tippy, too wide make turning sluggish. Independent, Thunder, Venture, Tensor and Ace are the major truck brands we carry, each with slightly different turn geometry. Independent is the benchmark against which everything else is measured.

Wheel size and hardness decide how the board rolls and slides. Smaller wheels (50 to 54mm) are lighter and more responsive for street. Larger wheels (55 to 60mm and up) roll faster and handle rough ground for cruising and transition. Hardness runs from soft (78a to 87a, good for rough surfaces and cruising) to hard (99a to 101a and up, better for street, slides and flat ground). Most street and park setups run 99a to 101a.

Complete skateboard or custom build?

A complete comes pre-built, deck to hardware, assembled and ready to ride. Completes are the right call for beginners who want to start riding without choosing every component, and for riders who want a proven setup. We stock quality completes from Anti-Hero, Santa Cruz, Powell Peralta, Baker and more, not department-store boards, real skate-brand hardware assembled correctly.

A custom build lets you choose each component to match your style, size and preferences. If you already skate and know what you like, a custom build gives you exactly the setup you want, and we can help you build it and put it together in store.

Which skateboard brands do you carry?

• Real — one of the most respected deck brands, team-driven graphics and consistent construction.
• Anti-Hero — SF street culture, boards built for people who actually skate.
• Girl — clean aesthetics and technical skating, Mike Carroll and Rick Howard's brand.
• Baker — Andrew Reynolds's brand, raw street skating and the Bake and Destroy mentality.
• Santa Cruz — the original surf-skate crossover brand from 1973, iconic heritage graphics and a team that still skates hard.
• Powell Peralta — Bones Brigade heritage and strong deck construction.
• Polar — Pontus Alv's Swedish brand, one of the most creatively influential in modern skating.
• Welcome — independent and shape-focused, strong in transition and bowl shapes.
• Independent Trucks — the benchmark truck brand since 1978, ridden by more skaters than any other.
• Spitfire Wheels — the wheel of record for street and park, Formula Four urethane.
• Bones Bearings — Reds are the standard, Swiss the upgrade, Speed Cream the lubricant.

Do you stock proper kids skateboards?

Yes, real skate-brand hardware in the right size for younger riders, not toys. Smaller decks (7.0 to 7.5 inch) and appropriately sized trucks for kids under 12. A quality kids complete from a real skate brand is a better investment than a cheap big-box board that will not last a season. See our kids skateboards collection.

Why not just buy a cheap skateboard?

A board from a department store or toy shop uses lower-grade materials: the deck delaminates faster, the trucks are imprecise, the wheels slide unpredictably. A quality complete from a real skate brand costs more upfront and lasts significantly longer with better performance. Buy once, buy right. And if you want to try before you buy, come into the Richmond showroom, we have setups on the floor and staff who skate.

Skateboard Decks · Complete Skateboards · Trucks · Wheels · Bearings · Kids Skateboards · Skateboard Setup Guide