Tips for Choosing a Skateboard Deck
Tips for Choosing a Skateboard Deck
Extreme sports are nothing new to the world of the physically active; collectively they have been in 
existence for several decades, since the 1970s in fact, when rock climbing began to see a widespread increase in popularity. Whether it is the high level of physical exertion involved, or just an addiction to the adrenaline rushes, this genre of sports has continued to gain in popularity, branching out into many previously unexplored areas such as snowboarding, bungee jumping and skydiving.
One of the more popular extreme sports, skateboarding, is enjoyed by adults and children alike all around the globe. Its accessibility makes it an appealing sport, with many regions having a nearby skate park and skateboarding decks ranging in price from under £20 to in excess of £100. The deck is arguably the most important part of a skateboard in conjunction with the wheels as these are, by definition, the basic components of a skateboard. With such a varying price range it is inherently important to decide which deck is best for any given skateboarder.
The obvious difference between skateboard decks on the market is branding and graphics. The graphics of a deck will contribute towards the overall “feel” of a skateboard, which many boarders consider to be important. Current popular brands include: Plan B, a company renowned for its simplistic yet sturdy builds and designs; Element, the environmentally friendly and deep rooted brand and Alien Workshop, which makes use of intricate deck designs to sell its products. Better known brands will sell decks that are slightly more expensive, however in most cases the expertise and experience of the organisation has gone into designing and manufacturing the deck, so this extra price will usually pay off.
Another less obvious factor to take into account is the size of the board. Decks range from about 29 inches in length to larger than 32 inches, depending on the height of their intended rider. The width will also vary, based on the width of a rider`s feet and skateboarding style. Wider decks will tend to be more stable and so less suitable for tricking such as flipping. A third and final consideration is how concave the deck surface may be: this varies from board to board. A mellow concavity will be suited to flat foot riding whereas a steep concavity will be more comfortable for those who really like to control their board, so again the style of skateboarding will help to decide here. Whilst these aspects can be easily overlooked, it is important that the correct size is chosen or at least one which feels comfortable to use, as performance and for that matter safety can be directly affected.
With such a wide range of decks from which to choose in shops and with additional boarding gear from brands such as Volcom UK, the perfect deck – and image – is out there just waiting to be found.
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