Who knows about skateboards?
 

10 yo grandboycloud has requested a skateboard for Solstice -- a "good one."

uh . . .

so the first advice I've gotten is to buy the deck and the wheels and stuff separately. Is this right? Does it have to be customized for his size/weight/skill level?

help!

Beats me, but my nephew a couple years ago was asking for some new bearings for his skate board. So I Googled the different bearings for sale and bought him some moderately priced ones after reading reviews. He was absolutely thrilled with them. There are some various standards and numerical values assigned to how perfectly round the ball bearings are, and the more precise they are the more expensive they are, but for skate boarding, you don't need the level of perfection that you would need on say, a router that spins at 20,000 rpm. So the moderately to low priced ones are just fine.

There are plenty of websites that will build a board for you based on the components you pick out and they will walk you through the process. I bet the most difficult choice is choosing a design for the deck that your grandson will like. Maybe a hello kitty logo?

oh, foo you! grandboycloud is way cooler than that!

. . . even if he is kind of a chess geek.

Is it geeky that a checkered pattern with a knight or king on it sounds like a good design to me?

(knights are my fave because its on a horsey!)

mmm, no.

he likes a Union Jack helmet--maybe that's a clue?

Correct. Buy wheels, bearing, trucks, and board separately. Board is not nearly as important as the other bits. The board is sized by the person and the kind of skating they do, i.e. where they skate. I use to skate a lot in the 70's. My HS year book has me doing a handstand down the hallway on my skateboard. I would find a good diversified skate supplier on-line and call them for some advice. I am sure that they can help you put together a package based on your budget.

thanks! I may wait until I get up to Portland and take him to a local shop. They like to shop local, and that way, we can be sure to get what he likes.

and can you do that handstand now, my dear? :)

My advice -as with all sporrts- is also to go to the store with specialists and ask. They want your repeat custom, they're not going to steer you wrong. Just make sure you ask someone instore who skates or whose kid does.

If you're heading to Portland anyway, I'd take him with you. Portland is bound to have a good skateboarding retail industry, and buying it in person will help him remember who was so kind as to get it for him. :)

he's there already--I'm going to visit him. and my new grandbabycloud, when he/she arrives. (one of the two, that is)

Absolutely not. :D

Trucks and wheels are more important than the deck. The deck will be replaced several times per year if he skates much at all. Bearings matter but you don't need to buy anything high end if he's just starting out.

Take him to the shop and let him pick his own stuff because the size and cut of the deck will matter quite a bit based on what he wants to do.

Who knows about skateboards?
 

Tony Hawk?

Thanks to all who commented here. I sent money to my grandson for solstice for a skateboard, but when I went to Portland in Jan. they hadn't gotten it yet, so . . . we went together! We went to Daddy's skateboard shop and Cyan got to build his own. It was really special. Here's a pic--doesn't he look happy?

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y10...b/c532c2b5.jpg

Fabulous! :)