Skateboarding can be a sport, or an art, or a method of transportation. Some say skateboarding began in the 1950s. It’s roots originate from surfing and the early boards looks much different than today…they looked more like surfboards. The popularity of surfing has grown from the United States even to European villages.

I read a lot about learning tricks on your skateboard. I watch the kids doing their thing at the skate park.It is considered an acceptable recreational activity…although many parents don’t agree.Skateboarding is one of the fastest growing sports due to the exercise and the fact that many children are fighting the bulge! Skateboarding is one of the most physically challenging sports.

Transworld Skateboarding magazine states that in a 1998 retail survey the following items took market share of:  Shoes 26.5%, Decks 26%, Apparel 16%, Trucks 11.5%, Wheels 11%, and Accessories 9%!! And that was more than 10 years ago.Today a pro can earn $1,000-$10,000 Per Month!

Ari Gold of San Diego, California owns a grip tape company named ParadoxGrip.com. He also runs a nonprofit charity called The Doogood Conservatory. The Conservatory provides free skateboards for underprivileged children throughout the world. Both of these organizations stem from Ari’s enthusiasm with skateboarding as a young person. He continues to include skateboarding in his life on a daily basis.

Reading  a lot about learning tricks on skateboards and watching kids doing their thing at the skate parks..one thing you could come away with is the fact that skateboarding is not an easy sport. Balance is so important as well as guts…you cannot be afraid of falling. If you are afraid, you WILL fall!  As a mother, it upsets me to watch my son at his favorite sport because I just know there is going to be a trip to the hospital!!!

The internet offers lots of books about this sport, but one article I just read says the truth. You really need a friend to help you learn the tricks because reading and doing are totally different!

FURY TRUCKS Skateboard SUPER SPORT RAW Truck 750 *PAIR* From Fury – SS Raw – Skateboard Trucks

Product Details

by: kl8er1

Destructo Saari D2 Mid 5.0 Skateboard Trucks (Set Of 2) From Destructo - Skateboard Trucks

Product Details

• Sports & Outdoors
• Brand: Destructo – Skateboard Trucks

Features

• This is for a set of two Destructo skateboard trucks.
• This is for a set of two skateboard trucks

โดย: kl8er

This is the company vehicle for the Independent Truck Co. maker of fine skate parts for over 30 years. This photo was taken during the grand opening of the Lee and Joe Jamail Skate Park near downtown Houston.

Websters unabridged dictionary defines the truck as “a wheeled vehicle consisting of a frame with a pair of wheels to carry and guide one end of the vehicle in turning sharp turns”. Independent is defined as “not dependent; not subject to control by others, not affiliated; not looking to others for one’s opinions or for guidance in conduct”. Are you independent? Think about it.

“Old Was Out and New Was In – It Was Time to Turn.” – C.R. Stecyk III

Or maybe it’s time for a change? It is what it is! Get some.

“The founders of Independent Truck Company are Fausto Vitello, Eric Swenson, Jay Shuirman, and Richard Novak. To know these four is to discover the essence of Independent: skateboarding, having fun, making money, improving products, a desire to win, and letting skaters be skaters — all with a ‘do it yourself/fuck off’ attitude.” – Bob Denike

I’d like to take a cyber moment and thank the founders of Independent for the inspiration to be independent. You’ve taught us well! How about you?

• First of all, these are good skateboarding trucks!
• Destructo Name – Destructo is a long lasting name in skateboarding, and trustworthy
• Lifetime Warranty – if anything DOES go wrong, Destructo’s got you covered
• Pro names and colors – Destructo’s got some huge names on their trucks

• None to speak of – they don’t feature any progressive technology or anything, but that’s average

Looking for skateboard trucks can be difficult, there are so many brands and lines to compare before you decide on a pair. Skateboarding trucks come in various shapes, sizes, colors and styles, so picking the right skateboard trucks for you can be difficult. Here is a basic comparison of the brands available today.

Independent Trucks “Indies”

Independent has been making skateboarding trucks for over 25 years. Independent’s Stage 9 truck series are quality made, lightweight and durable. They also feature “Fast Action Independent Geometry” which means they are designed to react more quickly to your motions than other trucks. Independent trucks are usually on the wider side, but many sizes are available. Independent trucks are also guaranteed for life against manufacturer defects.

Grindking Trucks

Grind King skateboard trucks are the best trucks available for grinding. The truck hangar is made from aluminum; this makes it softer and better for grinding. Unfortunately this also means they will be a little weaker and wear quicker. This means you will have to replace them more often if you grind; however, your grinds will be smoother and better than ever. Grind King trucks do use special hex-head kingpins, so you will need a special tool to adjust them.

Tensor Trucks

Tensor trucks are the most highly engineered skateboard trucks on the market. Tensor trucks are like the Cadillac of trucks, and have the skateboarding legend and engineer Rodney Mullen as their driving force. Tensor trucks come in both standard and low designs, and should be excellent in most skateboarding situations. Great all around and well built skateboarding truck.

Krux Trucks

Krux make some great trucks. Krux makes “downlows” trucks, which have a lower hanger and kingpin than even Grind King. However, just like GK you will need a hex tool to adjust them. The Krux IIIs with Topless System are even lighter, with special bushings that feel broken in from the start, but they also provide a faster snap back into position. Krux trucks are light and low.

Fury Trucks

Fury skateboarding trucks are heavier and stronger than most. Most skateboarders try to shave off as much weight as possible. However, Fury has some other special features to offset that. Fury trucks are wider than most, come with a mini riser, and special Fury bushings. And best of all, Fury trucks have a unique ballpoint turning design where the hangar has a ball joint sitting in a socket in the base plate.

Destructo Trucks

Destructo has some of the fanciest skateboarding trucks around. The Destructo raw series skate trucks come in low, medium and high designs and look oddly skinny. The Limited and Pro series trucks just look awesome, with simple pro signatures on the front and great colors and designs. That’s not to mention Destructo’s “Rail Killer” series, these light trucks have extended base plates to reduce wheel bite, and come in some incredible colors and styles.

Navigator Trucks

Navigator is a newer truck company, and may be difficult to find. What makes then worth mentioning here is that they have some very unique features on their trucks. I was very impressed that they have a special addition beneath the base plate that holds the kingpin in place. This allows the bushings to be replaced without taking the entire truck off of the skateboard. Now that is sweet!

Please keep in mind that this is not a comprehensive of all of the skateboarding truck companies. Instead this is a selection of trucks that we believe stand out in the crowd. As you can see there are many great trucks available for your selection.

You should clean your skateboard bearings if your bearings have slowed down, seem mucky, or if they make a gravely, scraping sound when you spin your wheels. To avoid getting to this point, you should clean your bearings fairly often, even when they are just a little dirty, or just haven’t been cleaned in a long time. Cleaning your skateboard bearings like this from time to time will increase your bearing’s lifespan, and improve your skateboarding experience.

First, you’ll want to remove your skateboard bearings. You can clean your bearings without removing them, but you won’t get them very clean that way. To clean your skateboard bearings well they will need to be removed from your skateboard wheels. If you are not sure how to do that, it’s quick and easy to figure out. But just check out our other post for info on how to remove bearings.

Next you will also need some rags, towels or paper towels. This will get messy, so if you are going to clean your bearings in the living room of your house, make sure you put down a lot of towels. And, you might not want to wear your favorite white shirt or other important clothes.

Get yourself some lubricant made for ball bearings; DO NOT use WD-40, or any other lubricant like it! WD-40 and other cheaper lubricants leave behind a film that actually collects dirt and dust. When I was young and impetuous I used WD-40 on my very first set of skateboard bearings, and they were garbage in a month. The key here is to clean your bearings with a lubricant made for it, you want the bearings lubed up, but you don’t want any sticky film or residue left behind.

Hold the bearing, and using your can of lube, blast them thoroughly. Aim around the edges of the bearing, try to blast into every edge and opening you can find; also be sure to flip the bearings over and clean the other side. You should notice allot of dark and blackish, dirt coming out of the bearing. This means that they were really dirty and needed to be cleaned. So don’t spare the lube and just keep blasting away at them. This is why you really want a lot of rags, towels, or news papers, under your work area.

Once the lube starts to look clear of the dirt you’ve cleaned the bearing enough, pat them with a towel or rag to get the excess lubricant off, and set them aside. They will tend to leak fluid for a bit so you’ll want to set them on some more rags or towels. Be sure to get all 8 sets of bearings (two for each wheel).

Once you are done, you can let the bearings bleed and dry out a little if you would like. However, this isn’t required! Next pop these fresh and clean bearings right back into your wheels, or into a new set of skateboard wheels, and go skate!

There are several reasons to remove your skateboard bearings; for cleaning or to replace them with some fresh new skateboard bearings. If your bearings don’t spin quite as easily as they used to, or if they feel gritty, it might be time to perform some regular skateboard maintenance. Removing your skateboard bearings is fairly easy; however, there are a couple of tricks you should know.

Before beginning read through these instructions and be careful while taking the bearings out, it’s easy to accidentally damage your wheels if you aren’t careful. The only tools that you’ll need are for the removal of your skateboard wheels, any skate tool or set of screw drivers and wrenches will do.

Begin by removing your skateboard’s wheels. The easiest way to do this is with a handy skate tool, or a 1/2 inch socket wrench. If your skateboard had some kind of special bearing shields, you will need to remove these too.

Next, place the wheel slightly back on the skateboard trucks axle, just barely. You want to hook the tip of the axle inside the bearings, be sure that you are only letting it touch the bearing and not the wheel.

Now, slowly and gently, pry the wheel at a downward angle. The bearing should pop out of the wheel, but it might not want to right away. So be careful, and take it slow. If you pry on them too hard, you might just damage your bearing. However, if you are planning on replacing your bearings with brand new skateboard bearings, then give it all you got! Generally I recommend being gentle and taking your time, everything should be fine!

Once the bearing pops out, you are done! Repeat with all 8 bearings on your skateboard.