Five Definitions Of Some Skateboard Parts

Skateboards are simple but they are the most fun to use for many of today's youth. Of course, the sport may be dangerous, but that is something that can be prevented with the right safety gear.

The skateboard itself, however, is more than just a few parts thrown together. In fact, if you are looking to be a professional, you should by now know what the different parts of a skateboard are.

If you are looking to hone your skills and probably even build your own skateboard in the near future, here are some definitions that might help you out when it comes to skateboard parts and pieces.

• Baseplate – Have you ever noticed a piece of metal underneath the deck of your skateboard? There are actually two pieces, one for the front trucks and one for the back trucks of your skateboard. These are known as baseplates and these are bolted to the deck. These are there so that you can use nuts and bolts to hold the trucks to the board.

• Risers – The other word used for these are shock pads. These are flat pads and these can be mounted between the truck and the deck on the baseplate area. Risers come in all shapes and colors. More importantly, they come in different thickness.

These are made of a rubbery kind of plastic and these help the wheels from not stopping so suddenly. This phenomenon is known as wheel-bite and can actually knock you off your board. Risers will also help reduce strain that your board will take from abuse while you are skating. You will notice small cracks in your board if you don't use these shock pads.

• Hangar – This is actually a part of the truck itself and is a triangular piece in the middle of it. This is where the axle and the kingpin go through. The hangar is what skaters grind on and this is actually where the trick got its name. If you want to grind easier, you can get softer metal hangars.

• Kingpins – The kingpin is a special kind of bolt. It's placed in the center of a skateboard's trucks and it is what actually holds the parts of the trucks together. The kingpin goes through the hangar and a couple of bushings.

There are many kinds of kingpin bolts and just by loosening or tightening them, you can control the flexibility of your trucks. The kingpin is called such because it is basically the part of the board that holds everything together.

• Bushings – These are rubbery rings that you will most likely find on the skateboard trucks. Since you have two trucks on a board you will see four bushings. The bushing in the middle of the truck is what gives the springiness to the truck. The other one is smaller and is placed under the kingpin head and again can help to make your truck tighter or loose depending on the tricks you wan to do with the board.