Setup
Trucks: Pivoting wheel
mountings, allow the board to turn and do grinds such as the 50-50.
When buying trucks look for weight, their guarantee and if the 'king
pin' bolt is higher than the axel, if it is grinding is harder. The
king pin is the bolt that goes trough the center of the tuck, adjust
this to tune your trucks.
Recommended; Tensor. Lightish and has built in, replaceable
plastic grind area for tail and nose slides. Grind Kings, you break
'em you get a new pair. Simple.
Wheels. Personal preference
and fashion dictates size here (usually 52mm - 58mm). A few years ago
everyone had tiny wheels, in the 80s they were huge. I like quite big
ones because I mostly skate quite rough terrain.
Recommended; Panic, cheap but good, lots of sizes.
Deck; Another one
for personal taste this one, stand on different ones in the shop to
find one that feels right to your feet. They typically come in sizes
from 7.5 inches up to 9 inches across. As a rule it's easier to pull
flip tricks on a narrower board but a wider one is more stable.
Recommended; RnR Boardsports team blanks. Cheap but have
a brilliant pop and loads of sizes.
Bearings.
Bearings come in various grades caller ABECs, the higher the number
the faster they go. The more you pay the longer they last.
Griptape; Personal
taste again here, some like it rougher some like it smother. Whatever,
make sure its good quality, It'll need to withstand quite a thrashing.
Recommended; Jessops, I'd personally recommend you don't get graphic
tape.
Shoes:
Not technically part of your set-up but important all the same. The
key area to look at is the front outside edge of the front foot (around
the little toe area). This will take allot of abuse from your griptape
when you ollie, look out for things like lace protectors, triple stitching
(or even better hot gluing) and general strengthening features. Also
try and get a nice thin sole so you can feel the board better.
Recommended; Vans, often found at the cheaper end of the skate
shoe market but years of experience guaranties a well thought out and
comfortable shoe. Laki, the opposite of the scale price-wise but worth
every penny
