Parts Of A Skateboard – The Deck, Wheels, Bearings And Truck

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What parts make up a skateboard?

The invention of the skateboard is a bit of a mystery as it has never been confirmed who invented it and how it came about. There are a few theories of its origin; one being they were first created in to the 1930’s when children would play on soapboxes placed on wooden planks on top of roller skates. This gave the general basis idea of the skateboard and was then made into a product, a product that went on to be sold massively internationally.

There are four main parts that make up a skateboard, these include: the deck, the wheels, the bearings, and the trucks.

The Deck of a Skateboard – the deck is the long board that you stand on. The deck lies on top of the wheels and everything else that is underneath it. You place one foot on the deck and push yourself along with the other foot on the floor. Decks are usually made from fiberglass, wood, aluminium, or plastic. There is a tail at the end of the board which allows the skater to steer and stop the skateboard and generally have more control. 

Skateboard Wheels – the wheels are quite an important part to a skateboard as if it weren’t for these the skateboard wouldn’t be able to move. There are 4 wheels, 2 on either side, one set at the front and the second set towards the bottom. They are usually made from polyurethane, and they come in all sorts of different sizes and each size is better suited to a type of boarding. For example smaller wheels are better for doing tricks and so many modern street skaters use these. These wheels are harder than other wheels as they break away from the ground faster allowing the skateboarder to carry off the tricks easier.

Skateboard Bearings – skateboard bearings are placed on either side of each wheel and they allow for the wheel to rotate freely without any friction which makes the skateboard go fast and the boarder can control the board more freely. The bearings of a skateboard are very important as they govern how the board is going to move, how fast it can go, and how easily you are going to be able to control your movements on the board. If your bearings aren’t lubricated enough or they are not fitted properly or they have dirt inside of them then the wheels aren’t going to able to move smoothly and this will affect the skater’s performance. The bearings on a skateboard are very important and professional skaters spend a lot of money on the bearings to their skateboard for ultimate control and speed.

The Truck – there are two trucks to every skateboard, these attach the wheels to the deck. They are usually made out of aluminium alloy and are made up of two parts the base plate and the hanger. The trucks are sturdy pieces so the wheels are firmly in place and the deck feels secure for the boarder, the bearings allow the wheels to move freely but it is important that the trucks are secure in position and bolted down. 

How do you know when to change wheel bearings?
I was at Sam's Club the other day and this Asian kid suggests that I change the wheel bearings because I've got a bad stud on my civic (pre-stripped). If there's no noise, is he just BS'ing me and all I need is to get the stud replaced?

Bearings (wheel)

Roller Bearings