GUIDE: Buying your first skateboard
FIRST SKATEBOARD
One of the most common questions being asked on the forums is what you should buy for your first skateboard.
This guide is here to help you pick the best board for your budget. Please reply with any questions you may have about choosing a skateboard.
Please note: we want you to support your local industry, so ask questions about brands, but don’t post links to overseas stores as they will be removed.
There are two ways to pick up your first skateboard. The cheapest option is to buy a pre-made complete, but this often limits your choice in components and sizes. The other option is to choose your own parts, but this can often end up as quite an expensive alternative.
PRE-MADE COMPLETES
Originally going down this path meant that you were limited in choice and got a completely inferior product. Because of this, skating was not enjoyable and more difficult to learn. In recent years though, skateboard companies have seen the need to produce a quality entry level board. Going down this path isn’t as bad as it use to be. Companies are producing a range of sizes, from the mini for a growing shredder, to the big wide boards for the larger skaters. If you are picking this option, go for boards that are produced by skate companies. A complete from a sport store/sports brand will generally be a waste of time and money. Skate companies have experience manufacturing boards, so they will produce something that works and does what it is supposed to do.
Once again these will come in a range of prices, choose the best option for your price. Don’t go too cheap unless the product happens to be on sale. The reasons for this are the fact that the components will be better on the higher-end board so they won’t wear out as quick. Also if you are a more athletic person or have a bigger build you will need something that can handle the pressure being put on the board/components. Always ask what trucks, wheels and bearings come with the setup. Look for reputable brands for the components too.
BUILDING A BOARD
This is definitely the more expensive option, but if you have the money it is also the more exciting option. In this section I am going to cover what I feel are the most important to least important parts to spend your money on.
TRUCKS
If you invest in a good set of trucks they will last you for years. The main reason to invest in a good set of trucks is they are the component responsible for making your skateboard turn. Good trucks are much more resistant to heavy impacts, thus they will not bend, crack or snap as easily. When you learn to grind, they will grind better and hold up for a longer time.
WHEELS AND BEARINGS
These two go together, because if you get one wrong they won’t work well as a system. With wheels, you need to consider the following: size, hardness, shape, the surfaces you will be skating on as well as the type of skating you are planning on learning.
For flatground/street type of skating you generally want to look at 52mm diameter, a hardness around the 100a mark, with a slim profile. You will generally be on smoother surfaces, so this will allows the wheels to slide when you need them to. Also for more technical styles of skating, a lower centre of gravity is much more helpful.
For some skateparks and skating on rougher surfaces, go for a wheel around the 55mm mark and a 98a hardness. For park skating the bigger size will help you roll for longer and the slightly softer compound will give you better grip. On the rougher ground the wheels will roll over the rough surface better and the softer compound will absorb some of the vibrations.
Most wheels these days are of decent quality so you can get some cheaper ones that will work.
With bearings anything that is a Abec 3 or 5 rating will work, you don’t want to go to high a rating as you are just learning. Some companies don’t use Abec ratings, this is because they make the bearings purely for skating. Don’t be turned off by this as they still make a great product and are worth having a go. Bones Reds are generally sold for around the $30 mark and offer excellent performance at a relatively low price.
DECKS
You may be wondering why this is the last thing, seeing that it is the first thing you are standing on. This is because it is the most expensive part and is generally the first part to get completely destroyed. The graphic may look pretty at the start but will soon no longer be recognisable.
Because decks come in all shapes and sizes you are going to be experimenting with that also. Prices will be cheaper if you go for more local based brands or the price point option that are produced by some brands. Other options are blank decks or shop boards.
I hope this guide helps you to get your first board and fall in love with skating. Remember you can always save cash on blank, price point or local brands. I recommend sticking with skate brands and not random sport brands. Feel free to post any questions that you may have and we will post an answer ASAP.
Great article, CJ. 
Thanks Rider, I hope it helps loads of new skaters coming into the sport I love.
In the process of constructing my first deck. Was going ot go with the 24 complete kit but it isnt available at the moment, so im going down the DIY route.
Cheers for the info
Wow, I have no idea about skate gear, I have two boards in my garage kinda leftovers from when I was younger, ones a Geoff Rowley Flip with Thunder trucks, the other I dun even know but it’s got Mack trucks, I wouldn’t even know if either of them are any good but I do know they’d be 10 years old or more ha ha.
Keep meaning to go have a roll around the local bowl, did it a fair bit maybe 5 years ago when I was living in Elwood and really enjoyed it in the bowl there.
What would a larger gent like myself be looking at it in boards today at 6’2” and 105kgs and very average to totally shit skating ability?
a 1.8 metre length of 140x45 of F27 kiln dried hardwood with commercial grade trolley wheels?
a 1.8 metre length of 140x45 of F27 kiln dried hardwood with commercial grade trolley wheels?
How do ya reckon it’d handle the mini ramp though, karma?????
Oops, I meant, deano!!!!!
Sorry mate, I can’t help myself!!!!! 
Haha i am no longer in the process of building a deck anymore.
The grumpy cat deck will hang on my wall…that is it!
So I suppose Tahoe is out for you this year then eh Deano?
Cany walk until Jan 4th…after that sure
If i win lotto, otherwise i will be broke. Dad has offered to pay my rent if i do a day or 2 estimating for him a week. Which is underselling my skills, im worth more than my rent but i will take what i can get 
What exactly did you do you dumbtnuc? I take it alcohol helped you write some cheques your body couldn’t cash eh? Why wasn’t Dyldo pushed into breaking himself? He’s at least 7 years younger and way more of a dumbtnuc on the cans.
Check the chimp clothign launch thread in social. that explains lol
basically tried to drop into the ramp and fubared my ankle