zeitgeist57 Posted July 1, 2019 Report Share Posted July 1, 2019 My 8-year old has a hand-me-down skateboard that he’s definitely been using. I rebuilt the wheels (repacked the bearing grease) but it’s still an older bird that doesn’t seem to work well. Some of his friends recommended going to Zumiez...for board recommendations. $150???? Not part of the budget. Anyone on here have kids that skateboard, or still do yourself? Recommendations for a board/trucks/wheels? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
10phone2 Posted July 1, 2019 Report Share Posted July 1, 2019 find a local skateboard shop if they are thing. Walk in and buy parts or a new complete board. Done deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geeto67 Posted July 1, 2019 Report Share Posted July 1, 2019 Dublin has a really active skate park, why not just head over there and see what the other kids are riding. Kids, esp the good ones, are usually more tuned in to this stuff more than anybody. Otherwise I say get a variflex board with a set of slimeballs (lol) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robochan Posted July 1, 2019 Report Share Posted July 1, 2019 Old Skool skate shop in Westerville is the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B3NN3TT Posted July 1, 2019 Report Share Posted July 1, 2019 Zumies is gonna be expensive because they pay mall rent. I'll second the small local shop route. I rode on a shop sponsorship in college for a while. Also you have to come to grips with the fact that anything that's remotely good is going to be kind of more costly that you would think. It's pretty specialized and robust components. So if you go low-cost, the stuff won't perform. Like anything, I guess. Pick up a Thrasher magazine or comparable publication. Plenty of vendor ads in the back of those things, too, might be worth a look. Basically the industry is niche enough that any company who pays to advertise in an industry magazine is serious, so you can't really go wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hwilli1647545487 Posted July 1, 2019 Report Share Posted July 1, 2019 When i rode a lot I bought blanks instead of pro model decks. Same quality, just no graphics Saved me 50%. Honestly though, he's 8. Is he jumping down stairs or rolling around on his butt? A $20 wallmart board might be good enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeitgeist57 Posted July 1, 2019 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2019 He's got the $20 Spider-Man board now...trucks that don't turn worth anything, wheel bearings that hardly spin. Not that he's thrashing now, but if he doesn't get slightly better equipment soon, he'll likely give it up. Plus, with the go-kart I got him, the lawn mower, and his bike; anything I can get him that causes him to understand maintenance and modifications is a good thing. Great ideas, guys (Old Skool, ads in Thrasher, blanks). I like the idea of understanding more about quality trucks/bearings/wheels and just getting a cheap board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iwashmycar Posted July 1, 2019 Report Share Posted July 1, 2019 ..... anything I can get him that causes him to understand maintenance and modifications is a good thing......... This is a great point. When I was younger I received a set of those really thin wrenches...'cone wrenches' I think they are called. I was then taught how to use them to take apart my hubs on my BMX and re-grease the bearings ect. Was a good thing to learn! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radio Flyer1647545514 Posted July 1, 2019 Report Share Posted July 1, 2019 Old skool as mentioned is a good place to shop. I also agree with a shop board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diamonds Posted July 1, 2019 Report Share Posted July 1, 2019 Play it again sports. Decent used completes. 20-30 bucks. It’s real stuff (known brands) not old unwanted Walmart stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RC K9 Posted July 2, 2019 Report Share Posted July 2, 2019 Alien Workshop deck, tensor trucks, whatever wheels and bearings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RC K9 Posted July 2, 2019 Report Share Posted July 2, 2019 Zumies is gonna be expensive because they pay mall rent. I'll second the small local shop route. I rode on a shop sponsorship in college for a while. Also you have to come to grips with the fact that anything that's remotely good is going to be kind of more costly that you would think. It's pretty specialized and robust components. So if you go low-cost, the stuff won't perform. Like anything, I guess. Pick up a Thrasher magazine or comparable publication. Plenty of vendor ads in the back of those things, too, might be worth a look. Basically the industry is niche enough that any company who pays to advertise in an industry magazine is serious, so you can't really go wrong. Did you know Mowgli, or Jeff Tracen from Gahanna? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief8one Posted July 3, 2019 Report Share Posted July 3, 2019 https://shop.ccs.com/skateboards Let the kiddo pick something out online be done. Go with a 7.5in width. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B3NN3TT Posted July 3, 2019 Report Share Posted July 3, 2019 Did you know Mowgli, or Jeff Tracen from Gahanna? Nah, it wasn't in town here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRed05 Posted July 3, 2019 Report Share Posted July 3, 2019 On CCS you can get completes, meaning they built the whole thing for you already. https://shop.ccs.com/skateboards/complete-skateboards As mentioned, blanks are going to be cheaper because they don't have any fancy graphics on there. As for bearings, I remember it was all about getting something that was ABEC rated. The higher the number, the better. I've had plenty of different decks, but I always favored Alien Workshop decks. I had Destructo trucks which were the shit, bones wheels and Hawk bearings (which I think might have been the first ABEC 7 bearings for skateboards) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RC K9 Posted July 3, 2019 Report Share Posted July 3, 2019 On CCS you can get completes, meaning they built the whole thing for you already. https://shop.ccs.com/skateboards/complete-skateboards As mentioned, blanks are going to be cheaper because they don't have any fancy graphics on there. As for bearings, I remember it was all about getting something that was ABEC rated. The higher the number, the better. I've had plenty of different decks, but I always favored Alien Workshop decks. I had Destructo trucks which were the shit, bones wheels and Hawk bearings (which I think might have been the first ABEC 7 bearings for skateboards) Alien Workshop Decks were the shiz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B3NN3TT Posted July 3, 2019 Report Share Posted July 3, 2019 I mostly had Tracker trucks back in my sponsorship days, but on Independents now, with an Element deck. A little older model, as I don't go through hardware anywhere NEAR as quickly as I used to. There is so little variation between decks these days. Really if you get anything made by a major brand, you can't go wrong. A double-kick street board is a double-kick street board. Once you really get a feel for things you can start getting nit-picky about fractions of an inch in width or wheelbase, but it takes a lot of wheel time before you could ever perceive that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdhill Posted July 4, 2019 Report Share Posted July 4, 2019 check out Old Skool in Westerville. Wally is great and gives lessons on saturday AM at the Westerville Park Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mace1647545504 Posted July 4, 2019 Report Share Posted July 4, 2019 why don't you check out a play it again sports..they might have something Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeitgeist57 Posted July 18, 2019 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2019 Huge thanks to you guys for the recommendation for Old Skool - Wally was awesome to work with. My son ended up piecing together a board, wheels, trucks and bearings that he wanted, and Wally put it all together for the same price as I was seeing for a completed board on Amazon. I'm confident that we've got a better finished product. I loved his knowledge; he sized my son up, gave him recommendations, showed him some great board designs (as well as a Welcome board that's complete) and my son is really happy with what he's got. I also learned a lot about maintenance, as well as the skateboard classes (Bruce mentioned above) that are on every Saturday morning. <<<Definitely wouldn't have gotten that shopping online! I'm avoiding the easy but very relevant rant that we need more passionate owners with shops like Old Skool over the automated consumerism of Amazon....but I'll just leave it at we are really happy with the recommendation. Thanks, CR! Militant board - 31"X 7.75 Bullet trucks Ninja ABEC-5 bearings Bones 53mm wheels Buncha stickerz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otis Nice Posted July 18, 2019 Report Share Posted July 18, 2019 Awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mace1647545504 Posted July 18, 2019 Report Share Posted July 18, 2019 Good Stuff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RC K9 Posted July 18, 2019 Report Share Posted July 18, 2019 Good stuff man. Always good to support a local business when you can. Anybody know if Blacksheep skate shop is still around? Used to be in the plaza where K-Mart used to by by Gahanna Lincoln HS. Then I think they had one down town iirc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRed05 Posted July 18, 2019 Report Share Posted July 18, 2019 Anybody know if Blacksheep skate shop is still around? Used to be in the plaza where K-Mart used to by by Gahanna Lincoln HS. Then I think they had one down town iirc. I only knew of the one on campus close to Little bar and I'm pretty sure that's been gone for a while. Sunsports on Bethel used to be where I'd go. Dude is so right about brick and mortar skate shops being the way to go. Pro skaters used to go to skate shops and do demos out in the parking lot where you could watch them tear it up and meet them afterwards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RC K9 Posted July 19, 2019 Report Share Posted July 19, 2019 I only knew of the one on campus close to Little bar and I'm pretty sure that's been gone for a while. Sunsports on Bethel used to be where I'd go. Dude is so right about brick and mortar skate shops being the way to go. Pro skaters used to go to skate shops and do demos out in the parking lot where you could watch them tear it up and meet them afterwards. Yeah, there was one over by the old k-mart, but other end of the plaza. Owner rode a gnarly motorcycle. Bunch of us losers would hang out there after school. It's where I bought my first setup, and a bought shoes and stuff from there for a while as well. They closed at some point, but I can't recall when. I was only at the one downtown once. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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