Despite being a popular activity in almost every place, some people, mostly parents, don’t like skateboarding because of the dangers it poses. When done wrong, skateboarding can cause you to hurt or damage your ankle, shoulder, wrists, and even have head injuries which could sometimes lead to death. However, when done right, skateboarding has its advantages. It enhances body coordination, especially between the eyes, hands, and legs, improves decision-making skills, increases the body’s metabolism since skateboarding is also a form of workout, and helps improve your sense of balance and makes your muscles stronger.
The first step in skateboarding is choosing the right equipment. These tools include protective gear and skateboard wheels, and you can find out more here evolveskateboardsusa.com. The protective or safety kits you need include knee pads, a fitting helmet, elbow pads, wrist guards, and closed shoes that don’t have slippery soles. The safety gears reduce the chances of getting injured in case of an accident.
When it comes to skateboard wheels, choosing the best skateboard wheels can be challenging, especially if you don’t have any background knowledge in skateboarding. However, you don’t have to stress because this article has put together a step-to-step guide to help you select the best skateboard wheels.
1. Start By Deciding The Kind Of Surface You’ll Skateboard On
Before starting skateboarding, you should decide the type of surface you prefer skating on. The surface could be hard, soft, slippery, or gripper surfaces. These surfaces influence the type of skateboard wheels you’ll be using.
For instance, skateboarding on slippery, rough, or hard surfaces will require you to have soft wheels. Soft wheels help maintain traction when skateboarding over stones, cracks, or bumps, making them perfect for hard surfaces. On the other hand, skateboarding on smooth surfaces requires harder wheels because they help in reducing the risk of sliding and hurting yourself.
Polyurethane is used to make all skateboard wheels. Additionally, a wheel’s durometer number determines its level of hardness or softness. Soft wheels range between 75A to 85A. Hard wheels range from 95A and above. Therefore, your preferred skating surface should guide you in choosing the best skateboard wheels for their durometer.
2. Choose A Skateboard According To Your Weight
Body weight is another factor that determines the best skateboard wheels for you. The more you weigh, the harder your skateboard wheels should be, and vice versa. The latter can be explained by the fact that heavier weights cause more compression of hard wheels than lighter weights hence sticking.
On the other hand, skaters with light weight can use softer wheels because they require less weight to compress. As a result, lightweight skaters get the right amount of grip from soft skateboard wheels, which is needed when skateboarding.
3. Select Between Street Or Bowl Skateboarding
There are different types of skateboarding. You can choose to do street or bowl skating. Each skateboarding type requires different skating wheels, as explained below:
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Street Skating
Starting with street skating, you need small wheels, between 49mm and 53mm. It’s because street skateboarding requires wheels that aren’t heavy and are more responsive for easy skating. Additionally, small wheels help with tricks such as heel flips, varials, and kickflips.
Moreover, street wheels also need to be hard to reduce bouncing, making you fall badly and injure yourself when doing tricks.
Street wheels should also have conical or round shapes. Round-shaped wheels make little contact with the surface, and their high durometer allows for fast speed.
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Bowl Skating
Bowl skating can be tiresome as you must use your legs to push yourself to move. It can cause a burning sensation in your legs because of the energy used. Therefore, you need wide wheels for bowl skating because they’ll help maintain your speed and reduce the number of times that you’ll need to use your legs to start skating.
The best skateboard wheels for bowl skating have a larger contact patch, a diameter between 54mm and 60mm, and a durometer between 80A-99A.
Therefore, one of the fundaments steps of choosing a skateboard is knowing which storyboarding between the two you’ll be doing.
4. Choose The Skateboard According to Your Level of Expertise In Skateboarding
There are various groups of skaters. These skateboarding groups include, beginners, cruisers, and longboarders. And these groups use different types of wheels, as discussed below:
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Beginners
Starting with beginners, you need to use wheels with a diameter ranging between 54mm-62mm and a hardness level between 86A-99A. Such wheels are suitable for beginners because they offer more stability and the required amount of grip. After mastering the art of skating, you can choose to advance to other types of wheels that are a bit more complicated to use.
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Cruisers
Moving on to skateboard wheels for cruisers, many use wheels with a hardness level between 78A-92A and a diameter between 52mm and 60mm. These wheels are usually soft and wide, ensuring that cruisers enjoy a smooth and steady ride.
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Long Boarders
Next, long boarders prefer using skateboard wheels that are soft and big. Such wheels allow them to handle rough surfaces and longboards easily. These wheels have a durometer ranging between 73A to 87A and a size of 60mm and above.
Additionally, long boarder skateboard wheels need to be square to have larger contact patches. A large contact patch ensures the even distribution of your weight, reducing rolling resistance and decreasing urethane compression.
5. Consider The Pros And Cons of Small and Large Wheels
Some skateboarders are more excited about the size of the wheel. While it’s not the only thing to consider, it’s a significant factor. Therefore, before settling for a large-wheeled skateboard due to its aesthetics, consider the following pros and cons of small and large skateboard wheels.
- Small wheels have a smaller diameter which helps in preventing you from rolling over twigs and rocks. On the other hand, large wheels have big diameters, making it easy to roll over things lying on the surfaces you’re skating on.
- Large wheels are suitable for transition skaters because they have a higher speed which is efficient in parks, unlike smaller wheels. Small wheels are slower at top speeds.
- Smaller wheels have quicker acceleration, while larger wheels have slower acceleration.
Summing It Up!
Just like any other activity, skateboarding is an exciting activity that has both its advantages and disadvantages. However, you can keep these disadvantages at a minimum if you take the necessary precautions. These precautions include having safety gear, especially if you’re a beginner, and ensuring you have the best skateboard wheels. Consider using the points discussed to help choose the best skateboard wheels. In addition, you can consult professionals who can help you understand these points better before making a choice. Have fun skateboarding!
