Skateboard Troubleshooting

Your feet cannot get a grip on the skateboard

Your feet will need to be able to grip the skateboard in any case. It is not advised to use your skateboard without any grip tape by standing on the plain topside of the skateboard deck. If you have just recently acquired a skateboard deck and it does not have any grip tape you might want to reference the Grip Tape Application guide.

Your current trucks are old or damaged and you have new trucks to replace them

Each time you grind using the trucks of your skateboard, your trucks become slightly damaged. This damage is caused by all of the forces that the component is under. If you perform grinds frequently your board may begin to sit unevenly on the ground due to uneven wear on the bottom of your trucks. In this situation you should reference the Truck Installation guide.

If you perform a lot of high impact maneuvers on your skateboard, cracks may develop on your skateboard trucks. These cracks will mainly appear along the thinner part of the truck closer to the wheels. They could also be attributed to your trucks being too tight which would hinder your kingpin bushing's ability to support the truck during any high impact maneuvers. In this situation you should reference the Truck Installation guide.

Sometimes when turning, the trucks of the skateboard produce a squeaking sound due to the close contact of metal and rubber pieces. This problem can be solved through the use of common household soap. Please refer to Squeaky Trucks for installation instructions.

Your current wheels are damaged or inadequate and you have new wheels to replace them

If your wheels do not have the desired grip, you may choose to purchase wheels that are softer in order to achieve more traction when riding your skateboard. A softer wheel will have a lower "a-rating" that will be in the 60-70 range, whereas a harder wheel will be in the 90-100 range. In general a softer wheel has more grip, but wears down faster, whereas a harder wheel has less grip and wears down much more slowly. Please reference the Wheel Installation guide for assistance in changing your wheels.

Many times when riding a skateboard for a long time, the wheels begin to slowly wear down. It is nice to have some some size to your wheels as this generally helps when you are riding on the sidewalk and your wheel hits a pebble or a stick. If your wheels are big enough they will simply roll over the object. However, if they have worn down to the point where every time you hit a small rock your board stops and you fall off, it may be time for some new wheels. Please reference the Wheel Installation guide for assistance in changing your wheels.

"When you spin your wheels they do not maintain an adequate speed''

Your bearings can be damaged this way when they have had poor maintenance and you perform high impact maneuvers on your skateboard. Typically when a bearing "blows out" you see the metal balls from inside the bearing disperse and your wheel generally falls off. If your bearings have been damaged this extent, you will need to replace the damaged bearings. To do this you may reference the bearing replacement section of the Wheel Installation guide.

If you find that you are not coasting very efficiently, or one of your wheels isn't turning at all, it may be time to service your bearings. Over time a bearing will become slower and need to be lubricated. It is important to note if you have ridden your skateboard through water, as this will severely hinder the bearing's ability to spin due to the presence of rust. It is advised that you reference the Bearing Maintenance guide to extend the life of your bearings.

Whenever you turn your wheels are making contact with your deck

If your trucks are too loose, this may cause the wheels to touch the bottom of the deck during hard turns. When this happens your board will stop suddenly while you are turning sending you flying off of your skateboard. Wheel bite can be particularly dangerous at high speeds and should be carefully managed. In the Wheel Bite Prevention guide, you will find multiple ways to tighten your truck setup which would prevent any sort of wheel bite from happening.

In some cases, if you buy a set of wheels that are particularly large, you will need to increase the distance between the deck and the wheels in order to effectively turn while riding the skateboard. To do this you would simply add risers as necessary. It is advised that you refer to the Wheel Bite Prevention guide to perform these adjustments.