How to choose your surfskate
Knowing how to choose your surfskate correctly is almost as important as choosing your surfboard well, so we are going to explain in this article as best as possible how to make the right choice.
Surfskate has become one of the most important training tools if not the most to be able to continue improving your surfing out of the water or simply to have some fun when there are no waves.
There are many different models and functions depending on the size of the table, wheels, and more importantly the type of trucks used and we are going to explain them all here.
1. ACCORDING TO THE USE YOU ARE GOING TO GIVE:
Depending on the purpose you plan to give it, we will recommend some models or another.
If you are one of those who prefer to improve your surfing, with its movements and turns, we recommend using a spring-truck surfskate model. Since they are models that perfectly simulate the technique to apply in water. They can be models like YOW, Caver C7, Slide, Flying wheels … Etc.
Or if, on the other hand, what you are looking for is to have a good time with the skateboard, go to the skatepark, surf a bowl or you are just starting out, perhaps a model with an truck without a spring would be better, such as models such as Carver Cx, Long Island, Quiksilver… Etc.
This is not to say that you can’t pump the surfboard with a non-spring truck or that you can’t get into the bowl with a spring-truck model on the truck. Both models are perfectly adaptable to what you are going to do.
The length between trucks will also differentiate if you want one type of movement or another.
If you prefer to have a more closed carving, you should choose a smaller surfskate, with less wheelbase. And if instead you want to gain speed with a wider pump, you could use a model with a little more wheelbase.
In this image you can see how a truck with more distance produces a more open pump than the truck with less distance between them, which will be more closed and nervous.
2. TYPES OF TRUCKS:
In surfskate there are two types of axis as we have commented in the previous point. There is a truck with internal spring and the more traditional truck without spring.
– Truck with spring:
This type of truck has a space with an internal spring that makes the skate very faithfully simulate the movements and sensations of surfing. It has a very smooth pumping and the turning angle is tighter. Apart from being able to regulate its hardness to have a greater turning ratio if we loosen the spring and the bushing or tighten it to have greater stability.
As they are softer trucks and with a greater turn for “surfing” they tend to be more unstable so we recommend them for people who already have a certain idea of surfing or skateboarding. They can be models like YOW, Caver C7, Slide, Flying wheels … Etc
– Trucks without spring:
The surfskate axis without internal spring is more traditional since the pumping is closer to a skateboard, although with the bushing that it carries, you will continue to have the feeling of surfing when pumping.
It is still completely a sufrskate with which to carry out carvings and advance when pumping with your body, without having to give the “kick” of the usual skateboard.
Thanks to not having a spring, it has the advantage that it is the most stable, which makes it ideal for bowl moments, skate park or moving around the city. Also making this model ideal to start your adventures in the world of surfskate. These models can be Carver Cx, Long Island, Quiksilver …
3. TYPES OF BOARDS:
As you have seen there are many variations in the “shape” of surfskate boards. They vary in their length and width, tail, type of tail, etc.
– A long board is very stable surfskate and usually with a longer wheelbase, making it an ideal option for those with a lower level or ideal for taller and heavier people. And on the other hand, a short board means that it is more nervous and a more closed and unstable carving, perfect for people with a certain level or those of less height and weight.
A “short” board model could be considered from 26 “to 30” approximately and large and stable boards from 32 “to 35” -36 “. It will also influence the taste of each one.
– The width of the board determines the support surface you have for the foot, which becomes more security and stability in the tread.
– Depending on the tail, there are many models, as many as surfboard tails, but it is true that this does not imply anything at all in the use of surfskate. Only the fact that it has a more pronounced tail or less to have a better grip behind.
4. WHEELS AND BEARINGS:
The wheels of a surfskate are as important as the choice of the board, since it will depend on this to be able to have one style of skate or another.
They can be differentiated in size, hardness and shape.
– The wheels that we are going to see the most in a surfskate are large between 65-75mm in diameter like the Carver Roundhouse 70mm, or the Slide 65mm. They are the ones that best adapt to the different type of rough and imperfect surface that we will surf on the street, apart from being more versatile for what we need.
The small wheels that we recommend for a surfskate will be when skating on smoother and more perfect floors such as a bowl or skatepark.
– Those that are normally used for surfskate, unlike traditional skateboarding, are usually soft. A soft wheel is better adapted to any type of rougher and more imperfect surface such as any type of street, which helps surfskate surfing with better carving and turns. A soft wheel can be about 78A approximately.
On the other hand, a hard wheel like a smaller one, is always going to be better used on smooth surfaces like bowls and skateparks. Also the hard wheels help to have good skidding if that’s what you like.
– The shape of the wheel differs basically in its edge, and you can have them straight or beveled.
A straight edge wheel offers greater grip and resistance to the asphalt, and is also the most stable. And they are usually the best if you want to travel the city from one place to another.
The beveled wheels are with a rounded cut that helps you have a greater turning angle and above all it is the perfect model for those looking for a good skid.
Finally we have the rounded edge wheels, they are the smallest and hardest designed for skatepark, traditional skateboarding and even for children.
– Finally we can see the different bearings that would be ABEC3, ABEC5, ABEC7 and ABEC9.
It is usually used for surfskate abec7 or abec9 since they are the ones with the best rotation and speed.
From everything that we have just explained to you, you must bear in mind that not everything is black or white, it will always depend on the tastes of each person, level and with what in the end you feel more comfortable to skate.
You can discover all this by trying all the available models that you have at your fingertips.
If this article has been clear to you, you can now enter the surfskates section of our online shop, choose yours and go to the street to rip!
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