Skateboard buyer's guide: How to choose a skateboard?
For disciplines other than freestyle park and street, please refer to our guide how to choose a longboard surfskate or Cruiser
Skateboard shape: Standard (Popsicle) or Old School?
Standard skateboards have a so-called "Popsicle" shape, that is to say a more or less symmetrical cutout with a kick on each side. These boards are the most suitable for Street and Skatepark.
Our selection of popsicle skateboards:
Completes popsicle skateboards
Old school skates take shapes from the origins of skateboarding, 80's & 90's. They generally have an asymmetrical shape, are wider, and have little concave. These are popular boards for the Bowl, flat land tricks, Cruising, and Pumptrack
Our selection of old school skateboards
Old school skateboards complete
Skateboard width
One of the first selection criteria when choosing your skateboard is to choose a deck width that matches your shoe size. Narrow boards are more maneuverable, turn easier, and are lighter. On the other hand, a wider board offers more grip to launch tricks, and a larger landing surface.
Skateboard width is expressed in Inches (1 Inch=2.54cm). Skateboards under 8.5'' are the most common for Street and Skatepark. For the bowl, trays of 8.5 '' and + are more popular.
To facilitate your choice and as an indication, here is a correspondance table
|
Foot size |
skateboard width |
|
32 |
7’’-7.375’’ |
|
33 |
7.25’’-7.5’’ |
|
34 |
7.375’’-7.625’’ |
|
35 |
7.375’’-7.75’’ |
|
36 |
7.5’’-7.875’’ |
|
37 |
7.625’’-8’’ |
|
38 |
7.625’’-8’’ |
|
39 |
7.75’’-8.125’’ |
|
40 |
7.875’’-8.125’’ |
|
41 |
8’’-8.25’’ |
|
42 |
8’’-8.25’’ |
|
43 |
8’’-8.375’’ |
|
44 |
8.125’’-8.5’’ |
|
45 |
8.25’’-8.5’’ |
Concave
Skateboards are generally classified into 3 concave depths: Low, Medium, High (Deep)The choice of concave is above all a matter of personal preference, the Medium being both the most widespread and the most popular. If you are a beginner, we advise you to opt for a medium concave.
How is made a skateboard?
In most cases, skateboard decks are made with 7 plies of maple or birch wood. Some boards incorporate resins, fibers, or carbon, which will allow more solidity and/or lightness, and accentuate the pop.
The woods, glues, and presses are the determining elements in the quality of a skateboard. These 3 factors will determine the pop and the solidity of the board. It is at this level that the discount, mid-range or expert boards will stand out.