Board Maintenance

Avoid riding in wet conditions, clean your bearings, and watch

your board closely. Always check your truck/wheel nuts
before riding to ensure they’re secure. Learn more here.

Deck
• If your deck is cracked/delaminating
- Use either wood glue or epoxy. If it’s a big chip, you
can use wood filler.
• Clean your grip tape with Belt Sander Cleaner
- You can buy it from Amazon or hardware stores.

• Remove old grip tape by heating it up

- Use hairdryer, heat gun or leave it in the sun.

Wheels
• Clean wheels with luke warm water, soap, and toothbrush.

Bearings
• Remove the bearing shields
- Carefully use a knife, exacto or flathead screwdriver.

• Clean with mineral spirits or citrus cleaner

- Do not use WD 40. It’s a solvent, not a lubricant and
will dry them out / attract more dirt.

• Let dry, then lubricate with Bones Speed Cream

Trucks Insights
The three most common truck types are reverse kingpin (RKP),
traditional kingpin (TKP) and double kingpin (DKP).

Anatomy of trucks
Most trucks are made of the same parts,
just built differently.
Axle
ger
Han

Kingpin

Bushing

Washer

Basplate Pivot Cup

Axle
The metal rod that goes through the hanger.

Hanger
The metal triangular piece that connects the axle and pivot cup
to the baseplate.

Washer
The metal circles positioned on both sides of the bushings.
Baseplate
The metal flat part that mounts directly onto the deck.
It supports the rest of the truck's components

Kingpin
The metal bolt that fastens the hanger to the baseplate.

Bushings
Bushing
The polyurethane pieces placed onto the kingpin.

Pivot Cup
Small, urethane cup where the hanger's pivot point sits.

Baseplate angles
The baseplate angle determines
the orientation of the hanger in
relation to the baseplate, affecting
your board's turning dynamics.
50°

Truck orientation
Pivot cups always face towards the nose/kicktails.

RKP: Kingpins face the outside of the board.

TKP & DKP: Kingpins face the inside of the board.
Truck sizing
It’s generally best practice to match the width of your trucks to
be flush with the width of your deck. You also have to consider
your wheel size, since the core placement, and wheel thickness
can add more width.

It can be confusing because truck sizes are in “mm” and decks

in “inches”. Reference our truck size spreadsheet for the top
brands converted into inches.

Bushing Insights
Bushings are cylindrical pieces of
polyurethane that allow the trucks
to pivot. Bushing types and hardness
will determine how your trucks feel
and ride.

Common bushing shapes

Cones have a larger diameter on one end.

• Less resistance when turning.
• Less rebound. Less stable.

Cone
 Barrels have the same diameter throughout.
• More resistance when turning.
• More rebound. Increased stability.

Barrel A combination of barrel and cone is a common

combination because the stability of the barrel
is complemented by the flexibility of the cone.

Durometer General bushing hardness

Durometer is a standardized
78a Extra soft
way to measure the hardness
of the bushings and wheels. 80a Soft
The skateboard industry uses
86a Med soft
the Shore A Scale to get a
rough idea of hardness. How- 90a Med hard
ever, it’s not an exact science
95a Hard
because every company uses
a different urethane formula.

Are your bushings making noises?

A simple solution is to use wax, petroleum jelly, or white lithium

grease on the bushings. Be wary of applying to the hangar this
can cause problems.
 Hardware Insights
Nut Standard Sizes

Baseplate Nuts Wheel/Axle Nuts Kingpin Nuts

10-32 Thread 5/16”- 24 3/8”- 24

Bolt/Screw Standard Size

The standard bolt size is 10-32. 10 refers to
the standardized sizing by ANSI B1 and 32
Bolts refers to the thread count. There are 32
10-32 Thread threads per inch.

Head/Drive Types
The two most common drive types
are phillips and socket. Phillips offer
less torque than socket/hex and
Phillips Socket/Hex are easier to strip.

Countersink heads sit flush with

the deck, while button heads are
exposed and structurally stronger.
Countersink Button/Pan
How to figure out bolt length size?

It’s always best to measure your setup, but here’s a rough

estimator. The average 7-ply maple deck is 1/2” thick, truck
baseplates are an additional 1/8”, and the nuts are about
1/4“. Combined, the average setup is 7/8” thick.

Let’s make it easy; we’ll round it up to an inch. So all you have

to do is add 1” + your riser pad size to get the proper bolt size.

7-Ply Deck 8-Ply Deck

Riser Thickness Hardware Size Riser Thickness Hardware Size

No riser 7/8” No riser 1 1/8”

1/8” riser 1 1/8” 1/8” riser 1 1/4”

1/4” riser 1 1/4” 1/4” riser 1 1/2”

1/2” riser 1 1/2” 1/2” riser 2”

Angled Riser Pads You can use angled riser

pads to manipulate the
geometry of your trucks.
They’re an affordable way
to change your setup’s
riding feel.
Wedging is when the thickest part faces the center of the board.
• More turn, less lean
• Decreased stability

De-wedging is when the tallest part faces the end of the board.
• More lean, less turn
• Increased stability

Common angled riser combos

Front Wedge

A front wedge is when you face the thick end toward the center
of your board. This will make your setup turn sharper.

Wedge & Dewedge

A split setup – front wedge & back dewedge. When the front
has the thick part toward the center of the board and the back
has the thick part toward the tail. This will increase the turn in
the front and decrease it in the back.

Double Wedge

A double wedge is when you face both thick ends toward the
center of your board. This will turn the sharpest, but getting
speed wobbles will be easier.
Wheels Insights
The diameter and contact patch
is measured in milimeters (mm).
When a wheel is referred to as
65mm, they are refering to the
diameter.

Diameter Contact Patch

Wheel Size
The larger the wheel, the slower it accelerates, but the longer
it keeps the momentum made from a push.

*Personal preference above anything else.*

Smaller wheels (50-55mm) are best

suited for street skating.

Medium-small wheels (55-60mm)

are best suited for bowls and parks.

Medium wheels (60-65mm) are

best suited for longboards/cruisers.
 Medium-large wheels (65-75mm)
are best suited for longboards.

Large wheels (75mm+) are best

suited for long-distance and
electric skateboarding.

Polyurethane Formula
Urethane formulas vary by brand and play a significant role in
the wheel’s feel. The formula can make the wheels harder,
softer, grip, or slide better. This is done using different chemical
ratios and techniques during the pouring/curing.

Wheel Cores
Centerset wheels can be flipped and rotated to extend their
lifespan, often used for sliding and long-distance. Offset
and sideset have a larger lip than the other, better for deep
carving riding styles.

Centerset Offset Sideset

Wheel Lip/Edge Profiles
The most common lip/edge profiles are rounded and sharp.
There are many variations of rounded and sharp lips.

Rounded lips break traction easier.

• Less likely to chunk
• Easier for sliding

Sharp lips grip surfaces more.

• More likely to chunk
• Grips surface more

Contact Patches
Common contact patch surfaces are stoneground & smooth.

Stoneground- When the wheels have a pre-worn surface

texture. This makes it easier to slide out of the box.
Bearing Insights
Most beginners put too much weight on bearings. They’re not
as important as having good wheels. Keep them maintained,
and even cheap bearings can last a long time.

ABEC Rating
ABEC stands for Annular Bearing Engineering Committee of
the American Bearing Manufacturers Association (ABMA). It
wasn’t made with skateboarding in mind, so using it as ref-
erence doesn’t make sense.

Types of bearings
To keep it simple, structurally, there are two types of bearings.

Standard Bearings Built-In Bearings

I prefer built-ins since the spacers and speed rings are built
into the bearing, making it easier to keep track of everything
when swapping to new wheels.
Deck Insights
Decks are commonly
made by pressing 7 or 8
plys of maple veneers
together. Each veneer is
glued together and pressed
on a mold for an extended period of time to create it’s shape.

Kicktail
Nose

Kicktails and noses are the upturned ends of a deck, functional

for tricks or deep carving. There are various kicktail designs,
including single, double, and symmetrical.

Concave is the rail-to-rail curvature.

More aggressive concave can help by locking you in when doing

deep carves but can be uncomfortable if you have larger feet or
going for longer distances.
Camber

Camber is the upward curvature of the deck from nose to tail,

enhancing carving ability since it flexes.

Rocker

Rocker is the downward curvature, which lowers the center of

gravity, improving stability and slide control. It also acts as a
wedge, which will make your setup turn a bit sharper.

Wheelbase
The standardized
way to measure
wheelbase is the
front two truck holes
on the rear of the deck, and the rear two on the front of your deck.

How wheelbase affects riding feel

The shorter your wheelbase, the tighter your turning radius will
be. You have a higher chance of getting speed wobbles with a
small wheelbase. A longer wheelbase will offer more stability
and your carves will be more drawn out.
Griptape
The griptape covers the top of the board, and helps stop your
feet from slipping while you ride.

Types of griptape are sheets, spray-on or built-in.

The grit refers to the

roughness of the griptape.
Think of it like sandpaper:
the higher the grit number,
the finer and smoother it is,
while a lower grit number
Lowgrit Highgrit
means it's coarser.

Common Myths
Myth #1 If your setup is slow, it’s most likely your bearings.

Most of the time if your setup feels slow to ride, it’s the
urethane formula of your wheels. You can reference this post
for other solutions I outlined.

Myth #2 A higher ABEC rating means faster bearings.

The ABEC rating focuses on precision for industrial use, not

skateboarding performance. Don’t pay attention to ABEC #s
 Myth #3 Using durometer as an exact measurement.

While durometer is a decent way to tell how a wheel will feel,

it’s not an exact science. A 78a wheel from one brand could feel
completely different from a 78a from another because they
mixed and cured the chemicals in a different way.

Myth #4 Using WD-40 to lubricate your bearings.

Don’t use WD-40 because it’ll dry them out and attract more
dirt. WD-40 might temporarily seem like it’s working, but it’ll ruin
them over time.

Common Issues
Wheelbite?
You can tighten your trucks, add harder bushings, add riser
pads or get smaller wheels. More info on wheelbite here.

Speed wobbles?
Proper riding technique can help a lot. Put your weight for-
ward on your front foot rather than your back. Also, you can
tighten your trucks, get harder bushings, use angled riser pads
or use a longer wheelbase. Learn more here.
Setup making noises? (sqeaking/creaking)
Flip your board over, lay it on the ground, and gradually
put pressure on one side of your truck. Try to listen to
where the noise is coming from. If you hear creaking or
squeaking, it’s most likely the pivot cup or bushings. The
squeaking is likely the urethane creating it.

Trouble sliding?
Most wheels will slide if you practice enough. It will be
easier to learn on smaller, harder centerset wheels made
for sliding. Street wheels may also be used.

Nuts keep loosening?

In a pinch, you can use Loctite. But the nyloc in your nut
is most likely worn out and you should get new ones.

Feedback

I want this to be the most helpful board guide. I’d love to

hear how this can be improved. Do you notice anything
missing or incorrect? Send me an email!

[email protected]