Skateboard For Son

[jyl]

13 y/o son wants a skateboard.

He rides a RipStik now and used to unicycle - good balance.

Probably would ride it to school (1/2 mile, flat sidewalks). Not convinced he'll get serious about it.

What's a good one, not too spendy? Where to buy? Zumiez?

I haven't been on a board since college, when I commuted with one. I mostly remember liking a stiff broad wood deck, wide trucks, and fairly narrow wheels. There were some steep hills, way too steep to bomb down (and they dumped into busy roads) and to control speed you had to make rapid narrow radius skidding turns Like wedels in snow skiing. The narrow wheels broke free easily and predictably which was good. The stiff deck gave me control. My buddy had a board with very wide wheels and that was impossible to wedel.

[masraum]

I don't know the answer to your question, but would he be more interested in doing tricks or just riding

Lots of kids these days seem to be getting what I think are called long boards which seem pretty boring to me

[jyl]

Just riding is my guess, maybe tricks, probably not speed since we've not many hills in the neighborhood.

[Brian in VA]

A friend of my wife makes some at geauxmeeshell.com not sure what they're like but they look cool.

[gassy]

Make one with him. You can buy blank decks and trucks and wheels. He'd love it.

[RANDY P]

Ask Dipso.. Seriously.

[HardDrive]

Zumiez is more of a skateboarding 'fashion' shop. Not ripping them, just saying that selling decks is secondary to what they do. Are you in Portland or SF? I can help you find a better local shop.

Do NOT buy a cheap deck. No reason to. Your not talking about a particularly expensive item, and a cheapie skateboard will be just terrible. Poor bearings, low quality wheels, and the trucks (the metal bits that connect the wheels to the deck) will not be as stable.

Decks come in three flavors these days, standard (freestyle/trick boards), cruisers, and long boards. Standard boards are the most agile, but they're typically going to have smaller, harder wheels, that are not as nice for cruising. Cruisers are larger, still capable of doing doing some tricks, but more geared towards sidewalk surfing. Larger wheels and a wider deck make for more comfortable cruising. Long boards are just that, long, and are for down hill cruising. Cushy and comfortable, but also big and heavy.

I think a standard with softer wheels would make a good start for your son. Lots of shops will let you pick out the gear you want (wheels, bearings, trucks, deck) and assemble it for a nominal fee. A decent shop will also have decent pre-made boards.

If you son wants to go to a skate park, tell him he must wear a helmet at all times, period, no discussion. You also might want to look carefully at who else is in the skate park. There are plenty of reasonable people that skate, but there are also some lost kids who are not up to any good who hang at skateparks. I know, because I was one of them in my youth.

My decks below, standard and a cruiser. I occasionally stick my old bones on one and attempt to defy gravity.

[jyl]

I'm in Portland. A standard deck w/ softer wheels sounds perfect. My old board looked like the one on the left, with a thicker deck and slightly larger wheels/narrower trucks.

[ramonesfreak]

Assuming he is really into skateboards, I would recommend letting him pick it out.

When I was 12 or 13 my mom tried to be nice and bought me what looked to her to be a modern skateboard (mid 80's) from the local sporting good store. I convinced her to take me to the real skate shop and got a P&P Lance Mountain with bones wheels & tracker trucks....much better :-)

I still buy boards every few years even though I am in my 40s. I like having them around

I would wonder what he wants...even if he isnt into tricks, he may still want a trick board, or perhaps a long board just to cruise.....and with long boards, you have to realize that some are concave, some are flat. Some have camber, some dont. Some are really flexy, some are very stiff. Some are wood, some are fiberglass. Some have kick tales, some dont......the choices are very numerous

Dont buy wheels that are too soft. I wouldnt go below 80A durometer. Really soft wheels might feel nice but they tear up very quickly. In fact the first time he rides it and scrapes a curb or hits a stone, large chunks will be missing and he will be bummed and you will be buying new wheels....I usually buy 80A or 84A

There are some great on-line shops where you pick the board, the trucks, the wheels, bearings etc...and it ships complete with grip tape installed, or, you can buy one already pre-built without thinking about putting all the choices together

here are two i have ordered from quite a bit and highly recommend

https://www.muirskate.com/
Longboards & Longboard Gear Since 1995 - DaddiesBoardShop.com

[nota]

DISTANCE a long board is more stable [I invented the long board in 1962 at age 12]
eazyer to learn on and faster
but once he get into riding he will want several boards
as each is better for what they are for

kids should use nee and elbow pads and a helmet esp if street/sidewalk riding
they will limit pain but not eliminate it

[dipso]

Your son probably knows more about what he wants than you do. Why don't you ask him and get him what he wants.

[bell]

Support your local independent skate shop :-)

[Nostril Cheese]

Do NOT buy a deck for your son. Ask him what he wants.

And yes, support your local independent..

[futurefun]

Cal's Skate Shop has old school, longboards, popsicles. Let us know what he gets.

[mikeesik]

Originally Posted by jyl

13 y/o son wants a skateboard.

He rides a RipStik now and used to unicycle - good balance.

Probably would ride it to school (1/2 mile, flat sidewalks). Not convinced he'll get serious about it.

What's a good one, not too spendy? Where to buy? Zumiez?

I haven't been on a board since college, when I commuted with one. I mostly remember liking a stiff broad wood deck, wide trucks, and fairly narrow wheels. There were some steep hills, way too steep to bomb down (and they dumped into busy roads) and to control speed you had to make rapid narrow radius skidding turns Like wedels in snow skiing. The narrow wheels broke free easily and predictably which was good. The stiff deck gave me control. My buddy had a board with very wide wheels and that was impossible to wedel.

Let him buy his own board.
Maybe earn it too.
Let him start from the ground up.
Why is your beak in this at all? Safety factor.
Man. I had a narrow banana board with open ball bearings that I traded a guy for diving twenty feet down for flippers and a mask I found.
It's a skateboard not a car.
Let him off your leash.

[tevake]

Go with him to the local shop, tell him you will split the cost of the board with him. Plus you will provide the safety gear of his choice, with the advice of the shop keeper.

Cheers Richard

[Hydrocket]

Often overlooked is a mouth guard. This prevent broken teeth AND consussions.

Cheap insurance IMO...

[jyl]

8.5" deck, concave, plain bottom as he's going to decorate it. "Independent" trucks. "Bones" wheels 54mm, kind of softer. "Red" bearings. Plain black skate tape. I like it - he didn't want a board with lots of graphics, he prefers to create his own design.

Hmm. Kind of reminds me of my old board, though that was before any of these companies existed. I kind of want a skateboard for myself now.

[look 171]

Originally Posted by jyl

13 y/o son wants a skateboard.

He rides a RipStik now and used to unicycle - good balance.

Probably would ride it to school (1/2 mile, flat sidewalks). Not convinced he'll get serious about it.

What's a good one, not too spendy? Where to buy? Zumiez?

I haven't been on a board since college, when I commuted with one. I mostly remember liking a stiff broad wood deck, wide trucks, and fairly narrow wheels. There were some steep hills, way too steep to bomb down (and they dumped into busy roads) and to control speed you had to make rapid narrow radius skidding turns Like wedels in snow skiing. The narrow wheels broke free easily and predictably which was good. The stiff deck gave me control. My buddy had a board with very wide wheels and that was impossible to wedel.

YOu are showing your age there buddy with all the wide board and skinny wheel talk.

[look 171]

I just read some of the other posts and they lead me to type this. A friend use to skate heavily way back around the same time I was doing it with the wide boards and wide trucks like you described. This was in the early 80s. He gave his 13 year old son his price skateboard, a real piece of skateboarding history, so he can ride to school. All his friends laughed at his big board. He kept it in the garage and decided to walk instead. Sam felt really bad, but I was rolling on the floor LMAO.