As you skate across town, your board probably touches the pavement. Whenever this happens, pieces of the wood are removed from the board. Bit by bit, your skateboard deck is sanded away thanks to the rough concrete and asphalt that the board rides on.
After a while, the nose and tail of the deck will be ground down to a sharp edge. This edge can be a hazard for your legs. It’s also dangerous for other skateboarders. Since you can’t prevent the ground from touching your board, you’ll have to do something about the ground damaging it.
The easiest thing you can do to keep the ground from wrecking your deck is to buy some urethane tail/nose guards. These guards were quite popular in the late seventies and early eighties, and they’re making a comeback in modern day skating.
The urethane nose and tail guards come at a cost. They add a little bit of weight to the board, and also change the angle of pop. To many people, this isn’t such a big deal. If you’re a professional skater, you may want to think twice before installing these guards, as even the slightest imperfection may inhibit the skills you’ve built up over the years.
Installing the tail and nose guards is as easy as screwing them in to the deck. Sometimes, they need to be cut with a pair of scissors so that they fit properly, but the often fit just fine the first time.
If you want to protect the bottom of your board, you’ll want to buy some urethane rail guards. Just like the tail and nose guards, these rail guards were popular in the late seventies and early eighties. They’re just like the nose and tail guards, but are attached to the rails of the deck instead of the tail or nose.
These guards also help protect the graphic. Since the board never actually touches whatever you’re sliding on, the graphic stays in tact for a longer period of time. The rail protectors do add a tiny amount of weight to the board, but it’s usually insignificant.
One awesome thing about the protectors is that they come in many different colors. You have a choice of some awesome 80s neon colors or some more modern day colors, like black and white.
If you don’t like the thought of adding some protectors to your board, then you’ll need to avoid skating in areas that will hurt your board. If you skate on the hard asphalt for an extended period of time, your board will wear out very quickly.
Try to skate on smooth concrete. Since it’s not as rough as asphalt, your board doesn’t get destroyed as quickly. Smooth concrete also hurts less when you bail! If you can’t find any smooth spots to skate, then your best bet is to not do as many tricks involving ollies.
A lot of boards get destroyed when the run into a wall. If you want to protect your deck, then make sure that it doesn’t get away from you and smash into a curb or fence or other hard object. When your deck hits a wall, the glue that holds the veneer comes undone. After this happens a lot, the board splinters, and eventually falls apart.
If you are sure to follow these steps, your deck should last you for a good amount of time. You will also be a safer skater, because there won’t be sharp edges that could hurt you or another skater. The most important thing though is that your deck won’t be as dangerous to yourself.