What One Should Know About Any Skateboard Brand

By Margaret Ward


Skateboarding is done using a sports equipment called a skateboard. Skateboards vary a lot in design depending on the applications they are intended for. The modern market has skateboards of various types made by different companies. One can find almost any kind of skateboard brand they want on the international market. Construction is often done by a combination of Maplewood and polyurethane coating although other materials may be used too.

There are two main classes of skateboards, that is, longboard and shortboard. Like the names suggests, the different between the two classes is size, with shortboards being smaller in all aspects. Wheels in shortboards are smaller in size, making them to have lower top speeds in comparison to longboards. On the contrary, longboards come with longer wheelbases and higher top speeds because of the large size of wheels. Both kinds of boards vary a lot in size, but longboards can be as long as 90 cm.

Longboards incorporate longer and softer wheels. They are usually used on rugged terrains because the large wheels can navigate through easily. They also pass through mud and other difficult surface with ease. On the contrary, shortboards are best when used for doing tricks. They come in concave shapes to be optimal for doing tricks.

Skateboarding requires some training to become skilled. Without skills, one can fall and sustain major injuries. Riding involves keeping one foot on the device while using the other one to push forward. This method of propulsion is common in manual models. With the emergence of electric varieties, manual propulsion is not needed. Technological advancement has played a major role in the invention of electric brands.

Electric skateboards are propelled by an electric motor without the assistance of the rider. An electric battery incorporated in the board in turn powers the motor. These brands come in many colors that one may prefer. However, the black color seems to dominate because it is liked a lot by riders. Other colors include yellow, white, pink, red, and gray. Other models have more than one color while others incorporate other forms of graphics.

Modern models of skateboards have higher levels of safety, efficiency, and functionality because they incorporate many features. Grip tape for instance is good for improving safety. Grip tapes have one side smeared with adhesive and attached to the board and the other side made rough like a sand paper. The rough side gives feet grip.

Polyurethane is the main material used to make wheels on skateboards. Wheels differ in many aspects including shape, size, and hardness depending on the skating application they are meant for. The size of larger wheels falls between 55 and 85 mm of diameter, making them suitable for transition skateboarding. Street skateboarding usually requires wheels with smaller diameter. This allows for lower top speed, better response time, and lower center of gravity.

Hardness of wheels is measured using the Shore durometer A scale. Wheels range from being soft to being very hard. Other manufacturers have started to adopt the D and B scales because of the limitations of range in the Shor durometer scale. These scales have bigger ranges.




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