No really a stretch for the BBS since it's all knowing and all seeing. I need input on a skate board for a beginner. Seems smarter to me to spec and build it with components that'll last and are not crap. I want to be at least a bit in the know before I go to the local skate shop. What width should I look for? Wider better? What trucks and wheels should I get. Not for me, I don't bounce anymore, I splat and shit hurts for day instead of an hour or two. It's for the kid and she's been after us to get her one for a few years now. I wanted to get her a Black Flag My War or Everything Went black graphic deck but I don't want to give Ginn more cash (and they're sold out). Thanks!
I vote go old school. 11" shaped. Indy has 215s coming out again. With some oj 2s.. Then you can rock it around the cul de sac when she's board of it. I have Indy titaniums with Bronson speed co bearings..it's amazing how fast and easy the new stuff rolls.
This is the only way to go...... https://www.oldskullskateboards.com/completes/?sort=pricedesc&_bc_fsnf=1&brand=43
blank maple decks(great spray paint project)... i had a 7.75" board when I was a teen. most pros use 8" or bigger. how big is the kid? trucks are made for deck width bones reds bearings are not expensive at all and work really well. i've always liked a softer wheel for more grip.. not long board softness but not rock hard. 30 bucks for blank maples here(colors but blank) https://shop.ccs.com/
I don't know. I think it'll be for cruising with some gooning but we'll see. She's tall and skinny with small (8.5 girls) feet. Athletic and I think she has it in her head to use it to cruise to and from practice. No interest in my getting her a new mountain bike for riding to practice and if she changes her mind she can have my Salsa 29er if she wants it.
For freestyle boards: Buying a complete setup from a site like this is going to be good bang for your buck. The "CCS" branded ones are probably a good cheap starter board. Go for something like 7.5" width if you think she'll want to try tricks, or do 8" if you want a big easy platform to stand on and just roll. For wheels, you want a high number and low letter (like 101A) so that they're soft and quiet. https://shop.ccs.com/skateboards/complete-skateboards If you want very quiet and just for easily cruising back and forth, look at their longboard section. The longer it is, the harder it is to turn, but the easier it is to stand on it. I prefer short longboards because I can easily make sharp turns on sidewalks, etc. But I'm also experienced. A skateboard is a sportbike. A longboard is a cruiser.
the lower the number the softer.. the filmer cruiser wheels are 78a. 101a is a rock. 90a is about as hard as I go.
With a shaped old style she can cruise to the game and still ride any transitions and a long terrain. With a longboard to skate the park it'll have to be an older style park like Lansdowne, not green lab.. A buddy of mine, in his 50s does some scratches and carves up green lab on a reissue Alva. So if she wants to try the bowl sometime you'll have a good board for that.
Got my daughter a complete deck this year for her birthday - she's 8 so I went with a smaller deck then I would ride but it looks like a normal board. Fuck a long board. Just go to the shop and start building it. Things have changed very little since the old days except the shop will treat you with more respect than they used to. Millions of grip tape options these days (colors/prints/etc). Indy trucks. Softish wheels (tons of colors to choose from once again). Quality bearings, etc. Cant go wrong. Weird thing is that a complete deck (all name brand) has stayed pretty much the same price since the 90's. Just a bit over a hundred bucks.
I have an reissue hippy stick I use for cruising. Soft wheels so it goes over the little rocks instead of stopping. It's a good compromise, and you can get a complete in an old school shape pretty cheap.
Lansdowne, woot woot! Was always fun besides dodging broken beer/liquor bottles that the ghetto trash would smash in the bowls.
Lookup reviews / videos of the Landyachtz Dinghy. Does it all. Cruising, tricks, bowls / skate parks, etc. Comes with quality components in a complete build. If she starts leaning firmly in one discipline over another (e.g. tricks, cruising), then she can get a board suited specifically for the purpose down the line. In the meantime, the Dinghy will allow her to do it all to see what she likes about skateboarding.
wheel size is another detail... if you want the "low" trucks for better stability you have to go with a slightly smaller wheel(wheel bites deck like a brake rotor otherwise) i think 53mm wheels are the limit with low trucks the larger wheels with "regular" or "high" trucks obviously roll over small rocks better.
Damn! I didn’t know you could get those re-pop completes for so cheap! Someone offered me $500 for my OG Alva Reategui last summer and I turned them down. Makes me think I should sell it and get one of these for the bowls. @DaveK - I say fuck a long board. Go old skool.