A skateboard consists of a deck, trucks, wheels and bearings, hardware, and grip tape. The deck is made of plywood and comes in various sizes. Trucks attach to the deck and are made of aluminum or titanium alloy. Wheels are made of plastic urethane and come in different sizes and hardness. Grip tape provides traction. Accessories like risers can customize a board’s performance and appearance. Skateboards can be bought complete or with individual parts. Decks and pivots are frequently purchased individual parts.
There are several parts to a skateboard other than the deck and wheels. The main parts are the deck, trucks, wheels and bearings, hardware and grip tape.
The deck is the board itself. Made from plywood, often maple but occasionally other wood compressed together, the deck is the part of the skateboard you stand on. Average width is 7.5 to 8 inches (19.05 to 20.32 cm) and average length is approximately 32 inches (81.28 cm), but both may vary. The size and shape of the board is pertinent only to the personal preference of the skater and is usually based on which type of skating – street or vertical (vert) – he prefers.
Trucks are the parts of a skateboard that attach underneath and directly to the deck. Trucks are made up of smaller parts, including axles, bushings and pins. They are usually made from an aluminum or titanium alloy and come in a variety of colors. There are different qualities, although again, which set of trucks you choose is a matter of personal preference. Trucks are held to the board with hardware and hardware.
The wheels on a skateboard are made of plastic urethane and vary in hardness. Softer wheels are preferred for vert skating, while harder wheels are preferred for street skating. Wheels are available in various sizes to achieve different levels of performance. Smaller wheels offer less resistance when maneuvering, while larger wheels offer more stability. Bearings open into the center of the wheel and are measured by the Annular Bearing Engineers’ Committee (ABEC) scale, which measures the tolerance range and accuracy of bearings.
Grip tape is the rough, self-adhesive coating that is applied to the top of the deck. Its purpose is to provide traction while driving. The masking tape is available in different colors and graphics. There are other accessories that can be purchased to incorporate with the major parts of a skateboard, such as the risers, which change the deck’s height from the ground. Accessories are in no way essential to building a board, but they can provide a way to customize a board’s performance and appearance.
When you buy a skateboard, you can buy a complete one, which includes your choice of all parts of the skateboard, or you can buy only the parts you need. Two of the most frequently purchased individual parts of a skateboard are the decks and pivots, both of which can break easily depending on use and quality.
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