The 6 Best Skateboard

Table of Contents:

Despite many innovations in the fun sports sector, the good old skateboard still enjoys great popularity among young, sports enthusiasts. The origins of skateboarding go back to the 1960s, when the first pioneers wanted to transfer surfing in the sea to the road or asphalt with simple skateboards. Through the development of polyurethane rollers, which had very good adhesion and rolling properties, as well as buffered axle bearings, which made it possible to steer the boards, skateboards became increasingly popular and began a worldwide triumphal march among young people. The pioneers of the big skateboard movement were the members of the Zephyr team, who came from Venice Beach and attracted a lot of media attention in the 70s. Skateboarders are not only on the road with their skateboards, but also drive through parcours and halfpipes, where some of them perform almost artistic tricks. In addition to the skateboarding sport itself, the community also has its own style of clothing, listening to hip-hop music and being close to the graffiti scene.

Our Top Skateboard Pick

Free time: Skateboard Video Guide

Unlike many other sports, there are no permanent leagues or associations that organise the sport. Nevertheless, there are larger events such as the Mastership or the X-Games, where the world elite of sport compete against each other. In many countries, including Germany, there are further contests of various sizes. Probably the most famous skateboarder who earns a fortune with his sport and the associated sponsoring business is Tony Hawk. Other big names are Danny Way, Chris Cole, Jamie Thomas, Eric Koston and Ryan Shakler. The probably best known German skateboarder is called Mack McKelton.

The basics of any skateboard are the board, the so-called deck, two steerable axles called trucks, and four wheels called wheels. The locomotion takes place by pushing with one leg, which is called pushing. The decks are usually made of veneer plywood and usually consist of twelve layers. Standard boards have a length of 80 centimeters and a width of 20 centimeters. Many of the boards have a slight inward curvature, i.e. a concave shape. Further components of the skateboard are called Axle Nuts, Baseplate, Bearing, Bolts, Shorties, Bushings, DohDohs, Rubbers, Griprape, Hanger, Kingpin, Nose, Nuts, Pad, Spacer and Tail. Of these, the tail, as the upturned end of the deck, the nose, as the tip of the deck, and the griptape, which refers to the rough and non-slip surface that sticks to the deck, are to be mentioned above all.

In addition to the classic form of skateboarding described above, there are also a number of variants that show their strengths in certain applications. Especially in recent times longboards have become more and more popular. They have a longer deck, the nose and tail are less pronounced, but the rolls are bigger and softer. Longboards normally have a length of 90 to 150 centimeters and are more suitable for relaxed cruising than for use in the halfpipe. If you want to reach the right speed, you should decide for a slalomboard. These boards are between 60 and 90 centimeters long, also have larger and softer wheels and do not protrude at the nose and tail. With it, skaters can easily reach speeds of 30 and more kilometers per hour. Another variation is the Snakeboard, a two-part skateboard, with which you can ride very well in slalom and also tricks and jumps can be managed very easily

There are a large number of skateboard manufacturers, some of which are active in regional markets and some of which even operate globally. Boards from Titus, Toy-Machine, Santa-Cruz, Almost or Mob are widely used in Germany. In the specialized trade completely finished boards can be bought, many professional tomcats often also screw themselves together from many single components their boards, in order to co-ordinate them exactly for their needs.

Read More Guides Related to Free time:

More Topics in Sports & Leisure:

Links for further Information