The best boards are ones that are bought seperately. Almost any board you buy pre-constructed will be a piece of
junk, so I suggest you buy it seperately, that way you can choose just what you want in your board. If you are new to
skateboarding then check out the
nodes on the different gear.
Some stores will put your board together for you, so ask them. If they don't, or if you would like to do it yourself, here's how:
The Gear
First things first, you need a
deck,
trucks,
wheels,
bearings,
deck bolts and
griptape. See the respective
nodes for what types to buy.
The Griptape
Once you've got your gear, the griptape goes on first. See
griptape on how to apply your griptape. Once you've got it on either use your
deck bolts or something pointy to poke holes through the griptape where the holes in the deck are. Start by poking up through the holes, then once you have broken through poke back down through it to get the bits sticking out back down through the hole.
The Wheels
If you put the
wheels on
before putting the
trucks on it will make things a million times easier, but first you need to get your
bearings in. You put one bearing in on each side of the wheel. There is a ridge in the wheel which will stop them from going too far in, so push them as far in as they can go. Sometimes they will get stuck and require a good banging - but make sure you use something soft and
blunt (like
plastic) because you don't want to
dent your bearings.
Once they are in remove the
nuts from the trucks and put the wheels on, then screw the nuts back on. Make sure they are tight enough that the wheels don't move around too much, but loose enough that there isn't any
friction between the nut and the wheel/bearing.
The Trucks
The
trucks always go on last. Start by putting the
deck bolts through the four holes of one side. This is easiest done with two people, so if you have a
helper get them to hold the bolts in while you tip the board vertically (or upside down). Put one truck on (the
kingpin is facing inwards or you will turn the opposite direction to which you lean) and then screw the nuts on. Make sure they are tight, use a
spanner. Repeat with the other truck. Ta-da! You have a brand spanking new
skateboard... unless you bought the parts
second hand.
Skate hard!