Talk:Skateboard

Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 1 April 2019 and 5 June 2019. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Marianavrodela.

Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT (talk) 09:26, 17 January 2022 (UTC)

Please help edit

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palace_Skateboards Nignaco (talk) 08:16, 16 February 2019 (UTC)

Deck materials

While "typically made of wood" might have been true of skateboards at some point, I don't think it's been true since the 1980s. Almost all the ones I see are composites. --Lee Daniel Crocker

Virtually every modern skateboard deck manufactured today is 7 plies of Canadian Hard Rock Maple. the only "major" (which is a bit of a stretch) company to use composites is the snowboard manufacturer Lib Technologies. They manufacture fiberglass-enhanced skate decks. Other companies have experimented with composite technologies, but none have proven viable.

I think Lee Daniel Crocker is referring to plywood, which is a composite of wood ply and epoxy glue (although a very common one). Tp 05:30, 17 Jun 2005 (UTC)

---

What's an "Ollie"? --the Epopt The foundation of all skateboarding tricks -- hard to describe in words, but basically the skater makes his board jump up into the air while he's riding it, up to several feet in the case of a particularly good skater.Like Kason Clary.

Ollie: while riding forward, the rear foot presses firmly, sharply, suddenly, on the tail of the board, at the same time the rider 'unweights' the front leg, and in quick succession afterwards, unweights the rear as he pushes forward with the forward foot, all of which has the effect of causing the board board to first rotate upwards, front foremost, then rotate into a position roughly parallel with the riding surface. (this is what you are usually seeing if you see a skateboarder jump over a low obstacle on the rider's path)(I'm not a skater, I'm a juggler, but this is what it looks like to me when viewed in slow motion.)

Same/similar trick can be done riding backwards too. In combination with other 'moves' this is a core skateboarding skill on which higher order skills are based. nice article, guys, seems to becoming along, putting it on my watchlist.Pedant 21:40, 9 Aug 2004 (UTC)

The key to the ollie (aside from timing of course) is dragging the front foot up the deck, lifting the deck higher and leveling it out. The basic timing is pop - jump/drag front foot - level it out - land.

How about approximate year ranges in the history? –Floorsheim 07:54, 13 Aug 2004 (UTC)

seriously... this article needs {{attention}} or something... --Smooth Henry 03:59, Feb 9, 2005 (UTC)

---

The extrenal links were worthless. Tp 06:39, 10 May 2005 (UTC)

This is a great explaination of a skateboard! yippeeeeeeeeeeee! jack

Hey all a ollie does is help you if your think that is a trick u must be trippin because it just helps you link other moves

Needs to catalogue more information

We need to catalogue more things about skateboards. Like tricks, skateboard culture, professional skateboarders, etc. Theres far more to skateboarding than it's components. A lot more to it.

In short, I think that Skateboarding should be merged into the Skateboard article.

Some edits

I've cleaned this page up a little and made it easier to understand. The two most significant changes are:

"The wheels, usually made of polyurethane, come in nine different sizes" to "The wheels, usually made of polyurethane, come in many different sizes to suit different types of skating"

And

"Inside each wheel are eight(2 for each wheel) precision ball bearings" to "Inside each wheel are two precision ball bearings of the type '608' (8mm internal bore)". Steve-g 16:36, 26 April 2006 (UTC)

I've removed the suffix 'bone' from some of the obsolete plastics titles as this is the brand name for Powell plastics - lots of other companies made plastics Steve-g 19:05, 12 May 2006 (UTC)

I added some categories from skateboarding to skateboard, since they are very closely related.Fine Arts 17:54, 1 June 2006 (UTC)

Cultural impact

Some history of the skateboard should be included here, especially the late-1970s skateboarding fad, and the association with skate punks in the 1980s. As I've never been on a skateboard without immediately falling on my behind, I leave it to someone else to write this...  ProhibitOnions  ^(T) 19:40, 18 May 2006 (UTC)

A lot of history is included on the skateboarding page. I think this is the correct place for it as skateboarding is an 'act' and therefore a social phenomenon with a history, the skateboard is an 'object' whose history exists only as a social phenomenon. Steve-g 19:56, 18 May 2006 (UTC)

Of course the history of an object is important! If you look up light bulb, shouldn't the article at least mention Edison? This article needs history and development data...Duh

Board types

I think they need to be added in. EG ramp, street, long, slide, pool... Any comments? 782 Naumova 22:12, 3 June 2006 (UTC)

Good idea. Alongside 'regular' decks, we could include square tailed pool/ramp decks, slalom, drop-centre downhill speed decks, and longboards. I can't think of any others off hand, but a new section on 'specialized decks' would be good. Steve-g 08:10, 4 June 2006 (UTC)

I am 75yo and when I was 8yo I took one of my mothers dancing skates and removed it from the boot. I put some wood on it and used to sit on it and roll down the hill (bitumen). Dancing skates have stearable wheels like the modern skateboard. This was in England during the war. A box on wheels was known as a Billy Cart. williamvi —Preceding unsigned comment added by Williamvi (talk • contribs) 12:09, 16 July 2009 (UTC)

"Obsolete" Parts

I don't think "Obsolete" is the correct header for that section. Any ideas on how it should be renamed? Dubkiller 06:59, 1 July 2006 (UTC)

How about 'optional components'? Steve-g 11:57, 6 July 2006 (UTC)

Sounds good, I'll change it. --Dubkiller 07:01, 19 July 2006 (UTC)

Trucks

How come there is no section for the trucks? I was looking for the threading specs and when i found them (Hex Die 5/16-24 for the axle) I thought I should put it here but there is no trucks-section and I wanted to check if this was a consious decision since it's such an obvious part? Am I missing something. And please confirm that the threading is right and I would appreciate if someone knew if this varies between trucks. Also the kingpin threading might be useful to know. Reference for the threading (http://www.skateboard-city.com/messageboard/archive/index.php/t-4369.html) --Mnsc 12:29, 8 September 2006 (UTC)

Trucks section is back. Thanks for spotting that. I think it got deleted when some vandalism was reverted. As for threads, 5/15x24tpi is correct for most. I'm not sure about some high-end slalom trucks that have 8mm axles and I'm sure some '70s trucks had different threads as things weren't standardised then. Steve-g 14:50, 8 September 2006 (UTC)

Is 5/15x24 a typo from your side? Do you know what threading the kingpin have? I would like to see the wikipedia entry to have some of this more technical information since it isn't all that interesting to the common skateboarder and hence never included in glossaries on skateboarding pages. --Mnsc 18:24, 13 September 2006 (UTC)

Oops, my typo, sorry. That should be 5/16 of course! The kingpin is 3/8 x 24tpi. I can't remember about mounting hardware. Yes, we could have some technical info here, including the above stuff and maybe a little on sizes of bearings, axle diameters, etc. If you want, we could collect all the info here and then edit it in once we're sure it's all correct. Steve-g 11:19, 14 September 2006 (UTC)

Tried to put together a small table of my current understanding. I'm learning things as I go (eg. difference between unc/unf) and of course there seem to be many exceptions to any rule there is. Longboarding seems to be the techgeeky division of skateboarding (I've only had a longboard since last year) with massive tweaking of trucks and hardware. For street skateboards, the only thing I see varies is the kingpin head which can be many kinds of strange proprietary designs. Feel free to edit table below. Sources listed beneath the table is just the sites i Googled this past half hour.--Mnsc 17:15, 4 February 2007 (UTC)

Common bolt specs
part	dim.	threading	uts
kingpin	3/8	24tpi	unf
axle	5/16	24tpi	unf
hardware	#10?	24tpi?	unc

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unified_Thread_Standard http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_metric_screw_thread http://www.zytrax.com/tech/mech/threads.htm

DO NOT use #10-24 TPI bolts on foamcore decks to mount the trucks. Use #10-32 TPI hardware instead, as the finer threading will be far less abrasive to the fiberglass(M-5 hardware is o.k.,too,but is a bit larger in diameter than US #10 bolts).

from: http://www.slalomskateboarder.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=2462&sid=84ff6bcf948b85e03f04f7e42d64e01a

As was previously mentioned, the threading is 3/8-24 tpi, aka "unf." A 2.5" length will work, but 2.75" gives more room for taller top bushings, thicker (flat) washers, etc.

http://www.ncdsa.com/2/13365/13389/Skateboard-Truck-Reviews.htm

Banana board

Seems to me an article as short as Banana board might be better suited to be a part of the Skateboard article, perhaps under some kind of general history section? --Lijnema 15:14, 26 September 2006 (UTC)

I think Banana board might go well in the 1970s section in the skateboarding page. Steve-g 16:41, 26 September 2006 (UTC)

It'd be great if someone could move the banana board info into either Skateboard or Skateboarding (or both). I don't know which would be better, and I'm sure someone who perhaps actually knows things about skateboards would be better suited than myself to make the decision. --Lijnema 00:43, 1 October 2006 (UTC)

If it was up to me, I'd put a line in the history part of skateboarding. But I'm not sure of the policy for merging articles, so it'll have to be someone else who does it. Steve-g 09:12, 1 October 2006 (UTC)

I am a 57 year old Skate boarder from Southern California who invented it. I also have the first professionally made skateboard in existence made by “The Old Man” a professional surf board maker for a measly $5.00 back in the 50’s. What do you got? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by MichaelSavage (talk • contribs).

Wheels rework in progress

The wheels section is mostly made up of generalisations and biased info ("Modern street skaters prefer", "ollies easier"). I will keep my rework here so that others might add, protest and comment. My plan is to merge the four last sections in the first three and make them paragraphs, not a list. Something along the lines of: "the hardness of the wheels affects the riding behavior, top speed, grip yadayada...", "Larger wheels = slower rotation which allows for higher top speeds etc.", "Choice of wheels depends on something..." --Mnsc 19:45, 24 March 2007 (UTC)

---

The wheels, usually made of polyurethane, come in many different sizes and shapes to suit different types of skating. Larger sizes like 65-90 mm roll faster, and also move more easily over small cracks in pavement, these are used by longboards . Smaller sizes like 48-54 mm keep the board closer to the ground and require less force to accelerate but also make for a slower top speed and a lower center of gravity.

The skateboards of 1970s (old school) are usually made of urethane which is a product of oil. One of the leading wheels near the 70s are commonly mistaken for Polyurethane formed wheels. The skateboarders from the 2004 movie Lords of Dogtown used these urethane skateboard wheels. These wheels were invented right after ball bearing skateboard wheels were invented.

Wheels also are available in a variety of hardnesses usually measured on the durometer 'A' scale. Wheels range from the very soft (about 75a) to the very hard (about 99a). As the scale stops at 100a, any wheels labelled 101a or higher are harder, but do not use the appropriate durometer scale. Some wheel manufacturers now use the 'B' or 'D' scale, which has a larger and more accurate range of hardnesses.

• Modern street skaters prefer smaller wheels (usually 48-55mm), as small wheels make tricks like kickflips and ollies easier. Street wheels also need to be quite hard, as small soft wheels absorb too much energy to even roll along.

• Vert skating requires larger wheels (usually 55-65mm) as vert skating involves high speeds that smaller wheels are unable to sustain. Vert wheels are usually very hard, so they can roll faster. As they are only used on ramps and parks that are smooth they never need be soft.

• Slalom skating requires even larger wheels (60-75mm) to sustain the highest speeds possible. They also need to be soft and grippy to make the tight and frequent turns in slalom racing.

• Even larger wheels are used in longboarding and downhill skateboarding. Sizes range from 65mm right up to 100mm. These extreme sizes of wheels almost always have cores of hard plastic that can be made thinner and lighter than a solid urethane wheel. User:MnscMnsc 15:45, March 24, 2007 (UTC)

Lappers vs. Copers?

I guess this is som old school "extras" and to me it seem to be the same thing? Anyone got pictures? A story? Regional names? Google gave nothing. --Mnsc 19:51, 24 March 2007 (UTC)

Copers fit over your trucks and allow for easier grinds. A lapper is a device that fits in front of your back truck and covers the kingpin, it helps to re-enter pools/ramps as the kingpin doesn't hang up. Both were invented by Tracker Trucks around 1978. Steve-g 07:13, 25 March 2007 (UTC)

Well, a picture says more... and some further investigation gave some image results. Lappers and Copers. And now I see that they are not the same thing. =) --Mnsc 08:54, 26 March 2007 (UTC)

Optional Components

I think it's important to tell that the optional components are pretty much useless. Not that Nose guards and Rail Guards help but honestly skaters really don't need them. First of, lappers do help with smooth tranistion but they still can get hang ups and besides ollies today are important to get up obstacles so lappers are not needed. Nose, rail and tail guards are not needed either. Let the board breathe. I mean if a board gets scratched, a board gets scratched, thats the way of skateboards. Trust mre if you show up with a trashed up board, that shows how hard you skate. But this is one component that I think is still cool. Riser pads also are not needed. They do prevent wheelbite (when the board jams into the wheel, stopping it) but you can get higher and/or tighter trucks and plus we have smaller wheels now so riser pads, good-bye. As for copers well the grind is for the grinding sound so the trucks need to scuff. 72.130.138.131 02:19, July 17, 2007 (UTC)

Useless to you, they were useful to someone at some point, perhaps even today. Sounds like you are trying to inject your own preferences instead of allowing for the fact that skateboards do have optional components, hence the word "optional", which is pretty self explanatory. Dubkiller 09:00, 17 July 2007 (UTC)

I agree that 'optional' is best. I use small risers on my board and most slalom skaters use angled risers to change the steer on their trucks. I also know guys who insist on skaters using copers if they want to skate in their private pools to protect the coping. Steve-g 08:22, 18 July 2007 (UTC)

very few people(ive never seen anyone) use lappers or copers anymore. the way its written in the article makes it sound like its a major part of a board. but you cant even find those parts in most skate shops. 162.40.203.9 17:31, July 23, 2007 (UTC)

Griptape

This is an imp[ortant componenet to the board. The griptape is the rough black (commonly black but can be colored) sand paper material on the top of the board. This material will help grip the shoes when in the air so the board does not float out. It can be smooth or rough and most skaters have preference when this is the one skate part that does not affect preforming for the worst. Some skaters cut or draw patterns on their griptape for fun or to know when the nose and tail are. Griptape can get ruined by mud, water or rubbing it roughly but it can be taken off with a hair dyer by knicking a corner and blowing underneath to dry the sticky side. 72.130.138.131 01:43, July 17, 2007 (UTC)

Difficult to define skateboard

I've been thinking about this page lately, and it's a tough one to tackle. Most of the descriptions of a skateboard and its parts in the article are pretty much for one style of skateboard, but the actual fact is that there are so many different kinds that are just as legitimate, even though they might not be as popular. I don't think I'm up to the task of cataloging everything that can be considered a skateboard or skateboard part, but I have expanded the article to make a note that there is no definitive or "regulation" skateboard. Dubkiller 11:18, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

Just put a note saying the article deals with the most common type of board. Skateboarding Angel (talk) 12:44, 10 September 2008 (UTC)

Page Needs Protection?

I suggest this page be afforded some degree of protection (edit locking), as it has recently been used as a slate for petty arguments by anonymous ISP-only editors. —Preceding unsigned comment added by AnarchMonarch (talk • contribs) 02:20, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Any vandalism gets reverted pretty quick. No need for protection yet. Skateboarding Angel (talk) 12:46, 10 September 2008 (UTC)

Vandalism

I just reverted this page from BLANK. Think about requesting temp semi-protection Matthew Glennon (talk) 21:27, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Wheels

Just a note, skaters also use larger sized wheels when "streetskating" as it allows for easier control of the board when on a road that has a lot of rocks. Smaller wheels give in for more "hang-ups" on the rocks.

Skate4Life

"The modern skateboard originated in California in the late 1970s"

So, what changed? What is the difference between the modern skateboard and the skateboard of the mid-70's? Did the skateboard craze of the 70's use the old skateboard or the new skateboard? My guess would be that you are talking about the change in deck design from a soft deck (mid 70's) back to a hard deck (60's and 80's), but I wasn't in California at the time, so maybe you are talking about truck design or wheel material? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 218.214.18.240 (talk) 20:33, 17 November 2009 (UTC)

Steerable wheels, Soft decks

Nothing in here about steerable wheels. On a skateboard, when you lean, the wheels change direction. It's a defining feature of a skateboard. I'd be interested in the history of that. I've seen a suggestion that dance skates had this feature, so maybe that's where it came from?

In the mid-late 70's good skateboarders used very soft, flexible decks, made of fiberglass, that would flex perhaps 1/2 inch or a centimetre when you stood on them. (More if you were too heavy for the board). This would have had two effects: (1) you could get some bounce off the deck. I don't remember it being used for that, but there wasn't the big layer of sponge between the deck and the truck now used to get bounce. (2) You could steer the board by bending it. I you leant into the side-centre, the trucks would track in a curve.

I can't remember for sure what kinds of trucks where used with those soft boards. Was the board-bend-steering used because steerable trucks were not used? I think that I remember from the look that they were also using steerable trucks, but probably not as soft or as wide.

Those soft-deck boards were too soft and not tough enough to do modern tricks: they would have dragged and would have broken up quickly on big drops. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 218.214.18.240 (talk) 20:50, 17 November 2009 (UTC)

See the section on "trucks". That describes what you are calling "steerable wheels" and explains how they work. The plastic (and fiberglass) decks that you are referring to are likely the racing decks. Before the plethora of street tricks, many people raced skateboards similar to ski races with pylons that you had to slalom through. -- kainaw™ 04:36, 17 March 2010 (UTC)

Incorrect Information

Moved from top of page -- kainaw™ 15:02, 7 April 2010 (UTC)

Ok, I've been riding skateboards since the late 1970's and ther is A LOT of misinformation in this article, in multiple areas. The "soft" boards are actually slalom boards, which are fiberglass and wood(look up G&S Fiberflex), the entire histpory in a bit wonky at best, and the whole thing seems to written by kids who have no concept of where the sport came from. For instance, Ollie Gelfand invented the ollie(hmmm imagine that) Rodney Mullin took it to the street(I remeber the first time I saw him do one in person, I was awe). I think I'll dig out some older books, and magazines, and do a bit of editting on this myself. There is so much missing, out of context, and just plain wrong, that it might be better to scrap the entire thing and start from scratch. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.20.49.65 (talk • contribs)

misinformation

Recently in Sydney there was a radio competition hosted by Merrick, Dools & Ricki-Lee that encouraged people to add false information to this article regarding the person who invented the skateboard. The claim was made by some bloke who happened to improvise his own skate board back in 1959 using wheels from roller skates and an old bit of timber. Although this might be true he is not the actual person who invented the skateboard and the information should be construed as misinformation and reverted. ***Adam*** 22:09, 5 November 2010 (UTC)

I am surprised that there is nothing regarding the origins of the skateboard. I know that in the early '50s, here in Scotland, adjustable roller skates were fitted with a bit of wood and sometimes even a hardback book. The latter especially were usually crouched on but the more game would stand on the wooden lash-up.

This does not mean that the origins were in Scotland but that such devices had probably been used by the inventive (TV and computer deprived) children of the fifties and probably earlier for years - before an entrepeneur decided to teach grannies how to suck eggs and make a few bob. 86.11.163.178 (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 01:28, 6 July 2011 (UTC).

There is no information on the origin of skateboards because the origin is unknown. There are dozens of people who have claimed to have made the very first skateboard. All of those claims fail to produce reliable evidence. It is just hearsay. There is no reason to assume that nobody in history every stepped on a board with wheels on it before the 1900's. Some Chinese kid in the year 130 could have been goofing around at his fathers shop and decided to push himself around on a board with wheels that was intended for moving heavy buckets of fish back and forth. Do we claim he invented the skateboard? -- kainaw™ 13:22, 6 July 2011 (UTC)

Other techniques for propulsion

You can also propel the board by what we used to call boogieing or tapping (I haven't been on a skateboard since 1978): pivoting on the rear wheels and tapping the front on the pavement at an acute angle alternating left and right, twisting your torso to throw your weight to push outward on each side, thus propelling you forward. In effect you're alternately positioning the board like a left and then right inline skate. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 129.42.208.174 (talk) 22:29, 6 June 2012 (UTC)

We always called this "click clacking" back in the early 70's - taken from the sound made when propelling a board this way.THX1136 (talk) 15:11, 26 March 2015 (UTC)

Reference/citation

This page should cite the documentary Magic Rolling Board. 143.232.210.38 (talk) 16:48, 3 August 2012 (UTC)

brakes

These aren't mentioned. The brake is often just a pad of rubber at the back of the board; also seen are pedals pressing directly on the axle using a brake pad and some even use special systems. See http://wackyboards.blogspot.be/search/label/%7Dbrakes 109.133.98.70 (talk) 15:04, 26 November 2012 (UTC)

Photo of grip tape

Not sure if the editors here would find this useful - just uploaded this PD photo depicting the application of grip tape. Kelly ^hi! 14:46, 18 May 2013 (UTC)

Huge glaring omission: No history section

For starters, when and from where did it appear? I came to this page to find out what the origins of the skateboard are, and as of this moment there seems to be zilch. WTF??Adrigon (talk) 02:48, 14 July 2013 (UTC)

Hi Adrigon! This article is about the skateboard - the object itself and its physical features and variations. There's much more historical material in the article about the activity - skateboarding. That article was actually recently expanded and improved with a lot more historical material. Hope that is of assistance. Cheers, Stalwart111 03:31, 14 July 2013 (UTC)

Thanks. I wanted to know the history of the instrument itself (not the timeline of the activity). I've created a heading directing readers to that page for this information.Adrigon (talk) 11:51, 14 July 2013 (UTC)

Assumptions

There is some information here that makes the assumption the reader already knows something about this subject. As an encyclopedic article it should not do so. Sample from the second paragraph in the "Deck" section: "One of the first deck companies was called "Drapped" taken from Jonny's second name." The casual reader is not going to know who "Jonny" is nor what his second name is that "Drapped" is derived from. I would encourage any of the previous editors to make an effort to improve this aspect of the article. It's good, but it can be better. Thanks!THX1136 (talk) 15:17, 26 March 2015 (UTC)

I agree. Someone who knows should fix this. --Meve Stills (talk) 16:21, 7 April 2016 (UTC)

Deck materials

Please add details to the deck section, about common and alternative deck materials -- plywood? plastic? fiberglass? other?-96.233.20.34 (talk) 16:21, 31 July 2015 (UTC)

Wheels section is confusing

The Wheels section talks about "width", but then says that "Smaller width sizes like 48–54 mm keep the board closer to the ground". In order to move the board closer to the ground, you would use smaller diameter wheels, not smaller width wheels. All the uses of "width" should be corrected as "diameter" if that's what is being discussed. --Meve Stills (talk) 16:32, 7 April 2016 (UTC)

Invented/became popular when?

Watching Hollywood Knights, supposedly taking place in 1965, and saw a skateboard? When was the skateboard invented and when did it become popular? I may have missed 1965, but I never saw one at any time close to that.Longinus876 (talk) 23:33, 30 October 2017 (UTC)

External links modified

Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just modified 2 external links on Skateboard. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:

• Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20120405063723/http://www.randal.com/guides_faq.html to http://www.randal.com/guides_faq.html
• Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20120405063723/http://www.randal.com/guides_faq.html to http://www.randal.com/guides_faq.html

When you have finished reviewing my changes, you may follow the instructions on the template below to fix any issues with the URLs.

This message was posted before February 2018. After February 2018, "External links modified" talk page sections are no longer generated or monitored by InternetArchiveBot. No special action is required regarding these talk page notices, other than regular verification using the archive tool instructions below. Editors have permission to delete these "External links modified" talk page sections if they want to de-clutter talk pages, but see the RfC before doing mass systematic removals. This message is updated dynamically through the template {{source check}} (last update: 18 January 2022).

• If you have discovered URLs which were erroneously considered dead by the bot, you can report them with this tool.
• If you found an error with any archives or the URLs themselves, you can fix them with this tool.

Cheers.—InternetArchiveBot (Report bug) 20:43, 22 December 2017 (UTC)

Longboard as type of skateboard vs "similar to" a skateboard

There is an inconsistency between this article and the Longboard article about whether a longboard is a type of skateboard or a separate class of sports equipment that is similar to, but distinct from, a skateboard. The Longboard article takes the latter view. I'd side with the former but I'd be generally in favour of deferring to the authority of the main article on the subject, if that seems like a reasonable claim, in the interest of keeping it consistent. mmj (talk) 10:42, 29 December 2017 (UTC)

The first skateboard already in Germany in 1943?

I recently saw a documentary (in the German TV "N24") about specific people in the year 1943 in Germany, in which kids (3 to 10 years old) as well as a grown up man (one after the other) used a board on 4 rollers. This board was rather rectangular (not with rounded ends), but had the proportions very similar to today's short skateboards. These folks were sitting on this "skateboard" and they were rolling down another board: a sloping board of about two to three meters long. At the bottom were additional boards lined up on the lawn, because this was on a private garden lawn.

The original documentary about the Goebbels's family life (Magda Goebbels, wife of Josef Goebbels, the Nazi) was filmed by a professional German filmcrew with professional film cameras (in black&white) on the premises of the Goebbels in Berlin, Germany, in 1943 for the German "Wochenschau" (short films which were shown in cinemas before the main film). A scene about 30 seconds long shows this "skate"board.
Some of this original film was shown in the recent documentary

• entiteled: "Magda Goebbels - Fanatisch bis in den Tod" (fanatic til death)
• (c) Cie des Phares & Balises 2017
• International Sales: CPB International
• Im Auftrag von (by order of): N24 [a German television Company].

I have a digital record, but I don't know how I could make this scene into a clip. Problem: It is recorded in a TV from Sony, and Sony records in an encoded format. I can only play this record in exactly this TV-set.
But even if I could take some images, e.g. via screenshots with a camera, there would probably be the problem of the copyright.

It could very well be that US officers who, in 1945, came on to the premises of the Goebbels, in Berlin and other officers who sighted the original film or the "Wochenschau" films came across this board and brought the idea, or maybe even the original board, to America.

It could as well be that the standing use of a skateboard was invented in the US, but I hope you don't mind too much that this documentary would ruin the idea that the skateboard in itself was invented in the 1950s in the US, especially with this nazi-connotation. So sorry friends.
Steue (talk) 18:50, 18 April 2022 (UTC)

Uncited material in need of citations

I am moving the following uncited material here until it can be properly supported with inline citations of reliable, secondary sources, per WP:V, WP:CS, WP:IRS, WP:PSTS, WP:BLP, WP:NOR, et al. [ This diff] shows where it was in the article. Nightscream (talk) 18:36, 7 May 2022 (UTC)

Extended content

LEDE SECTION If the rider's leading foot is their left foot, they are said to ride "regular." If the rider is normally regular but chooses to ride goofy (or vice versa), they are said to be riding in "switch". A skater is typically more comfortable pushing with their back foot; choosing to push with the front foot is commonly referred to as riding "mongo", and has negative connotations of style and effectiveness in the skateboarding community. Electric skateboards appeared in the early 2000s. These no longer require the propelling of the skateboard by means of the feet; rather an electric motor propels the board, fed by an electric battery. There is no governing body that declares any regulations on what constitutes a skateboard or the parts from which it is assembled. Historically, the skateboard has conformed both to contemporary trends and to the ever-evolving array of stunts performed by riders/users, who require a certain functionality from the board. The board shape depends largely upon its desired function. Longboards are a type of skateboard with longer wheelbase and larger, softer wheels. Longboards are usually faster and are mostly used for cruising and racing, while shortboards are mostly used for doing tricks and riding in skateparks. History Boards were also continuing to evolve as companies tried to make them lighter, stronger and improve their performance. Components The following descriptions cover skateboard parts that are most prevalent in popular and modern forms of skateboarding. Many parts exist with exotic or alternative constructions. A traditional complete skateboard consists of the deck (often with griptape applied on top to enhance traction), trucks (with urethane bushings), wheels (with sealed bearings), bushings, nuts and bolts to fasten the truck and wheel assembly to the bottom of the deck. Older decks also included plastic parts such as side, tail, and nose guards. Deck The side of a skateboard Modern decks vary in size, but most are 7 to 10.5 inches (18 to 27 cm) wide. Wider decks can be used for greater stability when skateboarding. Standard skateboard decks are usually between 28 and 33 inches (71 and 84 cm) long. The underside of the deck can be printed with a design by the manufacturer, blank, or decorated by any other means. Grip tape "Grip tape" redirects here. For tape for racquet grips, see Overgrip. Grip tape is a sheet of paper or fabric with adhesive on one side and a surface similar to fine sandpaper on the other. Rubber grip tape is also available, which has gathered some popularity due to the lack of damage it causes to skate shoes. Grip tape is applied to the top surface of a board to allow the rider's feet to grip the surface and help the skater stay on the board while doing tricks. Grip tape is usually black, but is also available in many different colors such as pink, red, yellow, checkered, camo, and even clear. Often, they have designs die-cut to show the color of the board, or to display the board's company logo. Grip tape accumulates dirt and other substances that will inhibit grip, so use of a grip eraser or rubber eraser is necessary after riding through mud or with dirty shoes and no sliding. Trucks An Independent brand skateboard truck Attached to the deck are two metal (usually made of aluminum alloy) trucks, which connect the wheels and bearings to the deck. The trucks are further composed of two parts. The top part of the truck is screwed to the deck and is called the baseplate, and beneath it is the hanger. The axle runs through the hanger. Between the baseplate and the hanger are bushings, also called rubbers or grommets, that provide the cushion mechanism for turning the skateboard. The bushings cushion the truck when it turns. The stiffer the bushings, the more resistant the skateboard is to turning but the easier it is to control. The softer the bushings, the easier it is to turn, but the squirrelier the board is to control. Bushings come in varying shapes, urethane formulas, and durometers (stiffness or hardness) which may affect turning, rebound, and durability. A bolt called a kingpin holds these parts together and fits inside the bushings. By tightening or loosening the kingpin‘s nut, the trucks can be loosened for increased turning or tightened for more stability. The standard kingpin nut is usually a 3⁄8-24 UNF. The position of the hanger with respect to the baseplate is determined by the pivot, a rod that slots into the corresponding seat in the baseplate. The pivot stops the hanger from rotating around the kingpin. The pivot must allow some movement around the bushings and therefore is not a perfect fit. The space between the pivot and its seat in the baseplate is filled by a pivot cup, a plastic part that takes most of the wear and tear of the pivot and assists in centering. The pivot cup should be periodically lubricated to ensure a smooth turn. In general, an axle width should be chosen that is close to the width of the deck it will be used with. For example, a 7.75 in (19.7 cm) wide deck will usually be fitted with trucks that have axles between 7.5 in (19.1 cm) wide and 8.0 in (20.3 cm) wide. (Standard truck axle nut size is 5⁄16 - 24 UNF, and the thinner "jam" style with an optional nylon lock.) Trucks that are too wide can make doing tricks difficult and can cause the wheels to get in the way when the skateboard is being ridden. Trucks that are too small reduce stability and can cause wheel bite to occur more easily when turning. Longboard-specific trucks are a recent development. A longboard truck has the kingpin laid at a wider angle (usually between 38 and 50 degrees to the deck, giving a greater degree of turning for the same tilt of the deck. Many longboard-specific trucks also have a reverse kingpin arrangement with the kingpins facing outward. Wheels The wheels of a skateboard are usually made of polyurethane, and come in many different sizes and shapes to suit different types of skating. Larger diameters (55–85 mm or 2.17–3.35 inches) roll faster, and move more easily over cracks in pavement and are better for transition skateboarding. Smaller diameters (48–54 mm or 1.89–2.13 inches) keep the board closer to the ground, require less force to accelerate and produce a lower center of gravity which allows for a better response time, but also make for a slower top speed and are better for street skateboarding. Wheels also are available in a variety of hardnesses usually measured on the Shore durometer "A" scale. Again like car tires, wheels range from the very soft (about Shore A 75) to the very hard (about Shore A 101). As the A scale stops at 100, any wheels labeled 101A or higher are harder, but do not use the appropriate durometer scale. Some wheel manufacturers now use the "B" or "D" scales, which have a larger and more accurate range of hardness. Modern street skaters prefer medium-sized wheels (usually 51–54 mm or 2.01–2.13 inches), as small wheels with lighter trucks can make tricks like kickflips and other flip tricks easier by keeping the center of gravity of the skateboard closer to the deck, thus making the deck easier to spin. Street wheels are harder (A 100/A 101). Vertical ramp or "vert" skating requires larger wheels (usually 55–65 mm or 2.17–2.56 inches), as it involves higher speeds. Vert wheels are also usually slightly softer (A 98/ A 99), allowing them to maintain high speed on ramps without sliding. Slalom skating requires even larger wheels (60–75 mm or 2.36–2.95 inches) to sustain the highest speeds possible. They also need to be soft and have better grip to make the tight and frequent turns in slalom racing. Even larger wheels are used in longboarding and downhill skateboarding. Sizes range from 60 to 100 mm (2.36 to 3.94 inches). These extreme sizes of wheels almost always have cores of hard plastic that can be made thinner and lighter than a solid polyurethane wheel. They are often used by skateboard videographers as well, as they minimize noise and roll smoothly over most types of terrain. Skateboard wheels shape also plays a significant role in your riding performance. If you like to do cruising, carving, or slalom types of riding, go with Square Lips Shape, it provides good grip, especially while turning. For power slides and other tricks, Round-lip shape wheels are suitable. Bearings Bearings that are kept unmaintained have their performance greatly lowered and will soon need to be replaced. Bearing cleaning kits are commonly available on the market. The ABEC rating does not determine the speed or durability of a skateboard bearing. In particular, the ABEC rating says nothing about how well a bearing handles axial (side-to-side) loads, which are severe in most skateboard applications. Many companies do not show the ABEC rating, such as Bones Bearings, which makes bearings specifically for skateboarding, often marketed as "Skate Rated". Each bearing usually contains 7 steel or ceramic bearing balls, although other configurations are used as well. Hardware Mounting hardware is a set of eight 10-32 UNF bolts, usually an Allen or Phillips head, and matching nylon locknuts. They are used to attach the trucks (and any type of risers) to the board. Some sets have one different colored bolt to show which side is the nose of the skateboard. Hardware is available in various lengths for mounting trucks with or without risers. Optional components Risers/wedges Risers increase the space between the truck and the deck. This allows the truck to twist further without causing wheel bite (when the wheel touches the deck and stops rotating). Shock Pads Shock pads are made of polyurethane and rubber. They are very similar to risers but vary in the fact that their sole purpose is to cushion the board from the trucks. Since the trucks are metal and the board wood, whenever the board hits the ground after doing a trick, the energy goes through the truck to the board ─ this has caused boards to crack, split, or even break in half, and shock pads were created to prevent this. Rails/ribs Rails (or ribs), are narrow strips of plastic that are attached under the deck lengthwise along the edges. They are used for additional grip for grabs, and to enhance sliding while protecting the deck's graphics at the same time. Rails also provide a more consistent feel for slides, as the slide of a regular skateboard will suffer from the wear of the paint or varnish on the bottom of the board. Although rarely used anymore, they are useful for experienced skaters that are capable of grabs. Sliptape Sliptape is a clear piece of self-adhesive plastic that sticks to the underside of a deck. It helps protect the board's graphics and allows the board to slide more easily. Another name for this is everslick. Lapper A lapper is a plastic cover that is fastened to the rear truck and serves to protect the kingpin when grinding. It also prevents hang-ups by providing a smoother transition for the truck when it hits an obstacle or a metal pipe or round bar. Nose guard A nose guard is a plastic bumper used to protect the front of a skateboard which was once popular but is now only commonly seen on older board models. Tail guard (a.k.a. skid plate) Bolted onto the underside of the tail end of a skateboard, the tail guard (also known as a "skid plate") protected the tail end from skid stops and other maneuvers that would otherwise wear away the wood (commonly known as razor tail) and decrease the longevity of the tail. Typically made of plastic, these were widely popular in the '80s but their usage quickly diminished with the arrival of two-tail board designs, which became increasingly popular in the 1990s. Tail Devil A "tail devil" is a sparking device made of flint which is placed either on the tail or nose of the skateboard (or both) to create a sparking effect mainly visible after dark when the tail or nose of the boards scrapes against the ground. Copers Plastic half tubing that protected the axles of the trucks. In the 1980–85 period, shopping cart handles were cut by some to fit as a makeshift coper. Sublimated graphic Sublimation (phase transition) is the transition of a substance directly from the solid to the gas phase without passing through an intermediate liquid phase. Sublimation is an endothermic phase transition that occurs at temperatures and pressures below a substance's triple point in its phase diagram. In this case, ink is transferred to a base layer, fibreglass for example, through heat and pressure, the result is a full color graphic that will not come off as easily as the more common heat transfers. This application is often found with bamboo boards and composite construction longboards where fibreglass can allow for various degrees of flex or stiffness depending on the ride you're looking for, cruising and carving versus slalom and downhill. Skateboard multi-tool Tools which can be used for the purpose of re-threading wheel axles, working with bearings and even applying grip-tape have been developed.

Wiki Education assignment: SSC199 Hon

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 8 November 2022 and 16 December 2022. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Caseymen (article contribs). Peer reviewers: Planti345, AnaMaco.

— Assignment last updated by Planti345 (talk) 00:28, 2 December 2022 (UTC)

• Hawk, Tony. "skateboarding". Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Apr. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/sports/skateboarding.
  • Britannica is an online encyclopedia that has been publishing since 1768, trusted as one of the most well-known reference sources. It covers a plethora of topics revolving around the main topic so it's helpful in establishing notability.
• "How to Choose the Right Skateboard Wheels". Warehouse Skateboards. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  • Warehouse Skateboards is a company dedicated towards selling skateboards, skateboard accessories, and skateboard components. As part of their website, they include many articles revolving around skateboards, so it should be a reliable source since this company is highly dedicated towards the production and involvement in skateboards. Since there are many articles, it's helpful in establishing notability.

Caseymen (talk) 11:29, 29 November 2022 (UTC)

References

Linking articles

I linked the words polyurethane, skateparks, and long boards on the skateboard wikipage to other wikipages. I also linked the skateboard wikipage on other wikipages such as Freestyle skateboarding and Street skateboarding. Caseymen (talk) 09:46, 1 December 2022 (UTC)