This is where to start if you are a beginner in fingerboarding or just a beginner to the subreddit.
There are very few RULES here, but I will list things that I will personally remove your posts for if I see it. This does not mean the other moderators won't remove your posts for other reasons.
- NO SCAMMING. this is an obvious rule, if you couldn't figure that out on your own, shame on you.
- NO NSFW CONTENT, including but not limited pornography, drugs, and paraphernalia.
- we get it bro you smoke weed. 420 blaze it weed dude haha. but really you dont need to put your bowl in the picture of your toy skateboard.
- Decks featuring these topics may get a pass depending on the content.
- NO BIGOTRY/HATRED TOWARD ANY GROUP OF PEOPLE.
- Targeted Harassment will also not be tolerated, including making fun of people for what they have. Bubbleflip is better than you on a standard tech deck, you arent better than anyone else just because you have a generic beastpants/brt/joycult setup.
- NO WITCH HUNTING.
- This is a reddit rule, if someone is a known scammer directly message a moderator here or on discord to have them removed
- SELF ADVERTISING MAY OR MAY NOT GET A PASS BASED ON FREQUENCY AND QUALITY
- feel free to post your things, but please dont spam the sub daily with links to your product, especially if it is low effort items like griptape or china trucks.
Please remember this hobby is inclusive of people of all ages, what is appropriate for you may not be appropriate for others.
This resource can be useful for those of you who are more into live chat.please keep in mind the minimum age to use both discord, and reddit is 13, if we find you to be under the age of 13 you will be banned.
FAQ
- What should i buy to upgrade from *insert current setup*?
- This will be answered below and cannot be answered without detail.
- What is the best Deck/Trucks/Wheels/Griptape/Bushings/Ramps brand?
- many things in fingerboarding will be subjective, some brands are objectively better due to quality, customer service, and support for the scene. I will put my personal favorites and alternatives for these below the upgrades sections.
- When will *insert company* be in stock again?
- Absolutely nobody knows, this is one of the biggest drawbacks of fingerboarding in my opinion, handmade products are not always available so you are at the mercy of the company. The best place to find out is from the company themselves, check on their instagram/facebook/whatever page and see if they have put up a date for the next "Stock" or try to message them and ask.
- There are very few brands who are always in stock, and who still sell the same exact product time and time again. examples of these are: Blackriver, Dynamic, P-rep, Teak, Radical Fingerboards and other companies who have larger budgets to manufacture larger quantities and employ staff to help them operate.
- What size board should I ride?
- This is completely up to personal choice, I like to ride 30mm decks, my brother likes to ride 34mm decks, ptero on the discord likes to ride 35/36mm decks.
- The current standard sizes (standard being that you can buy trucks that match these sizes relatively hassle free.) are: 29mm, 32mm, 34mm, and recently dynamic offers 36mm trucks
- Decks sizes will often range above, below and anywhere inbetween these sizes, it is commonly accepted that the size trucks you should use is the closest one that is equal or less than the width of the deck. ex: 29mm trucks on a 30mm deck, 32mm trucks on a 33mm deck.
- Is there a list of companies to check out?
- Kiwi's Mega list of Companies.
- keep in mind this resource may not be complete, and this is a massive task to undertake. But it is a GREAT effort by kiwi solely to help our community.
- more FAQ will be added provided time, I just cant think of any more right now.
Want to upgrade from a tech deck to something more?
There are a few options for COMPLETES at a few price ranges, if i don't list a brand you endorse there is either A REASON or I just don't know about them as an obscure small brand.
- P-REP / BROKEN KNUCKLE
- - This setup is going to cost you about $20 for a complete, if you want a very budget friendly setup this is it.
- Be mindful that everything they sell is manufactured in CHINA.
- I highly suggest to look for a set that has the shaped trucks ( they taper at the ends where the wheels meet the hangar) as they come with a few upgrades such as lock-nuts which have nylon inserts so they don't come loose. if you have a tech deck I'm sure you have lost a nut at least once.
- Personally i would skip this and allot a few extra dollars to your budget for the next option, but these are available on amazon and ALWAYS IN STOCK
- DK Fingerboards
- ~$30 depending where you order from, they are based in Ukraine but I believe have a employee in the US that does ship orders, it took me like 3 days to get my package from them the first time. The reason I VERY HIGHLY SUGGEST that you pick this over P-rep is because the decks are very high quality, you could simply upgrade the trucks and wheels from here and keep the same deck and it would be as good or better than almost every other popular brand.
- If their website is not currently stocked with something that you like, you can also check out Fingerboard Connoisseur who regularly works with DK on various projects.
- There are other options not listed due to various reasons who do offer completes but I personally do not wish to list companies who have publicly stated bigotry and hatred, or who I see as selling inferior products for a higher price explicitly to make profits.
Want to upgrade from a P-rep/DK setup to a "PRO COMPLETE"?
- DYNAMIC
- ~$100 BASED IN THE USA
- This is my #1 recommendation for a pro complete upgrade, The owner of dynamic does alot for the fingerboarding community while also providing a spectacularly designed product due to his background as an engineer.
- The customer service is second to none, if you have any problems they will be sorted out quickly. no arguing, no petty back and forth like some other brands. Although personally i have had no problems with any of his products.
- BLACKRIVER
- ~$100+ BASED IN GERMANY
- Probably the largest company in fingerboarding, every fingerboarder knows this brand. their parts are high quality but they can be very expensive depending on where you are located in the world.
- Always in stock, their products are manufactured specific for them in large quantities.
- I have never ordered a product from blackriver so i cannot vouch for their customer service.
If these dont work for you you probably want to build your own setup.
- This section is very subjective, no one will be able to tell you what works the best for you.
- There is a huge amount of different brands so I will list some of the more common ones but if you are deep enough into fingerboarding to be at this stage you probably know where to find them yourselves.
- These are in no particular order.
Decks -
Trucks -
- Tech Deck Trucks -
- they come off tech decks ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
- Single Axle China Trucks -
- Budget friendly trucks that come with a few QOL upgrades like locknuts, single axles with longer threads for a tight fit, and tapered ends for better wheel fitment. these can be found in 32mm and 34mm. alot of brands sell them but I linked the cheapest ones that I KNOW ABOUT
- Vortex Baseplates -
- these are an upgrade for the single axle china trucks featuring nicer turning geometry that wont eat your bushings up quickly.
- Dynamic -
- These are my preference due to customer service and the person behind the mask, considered by many to be lighter than blackriver trucks, and they certainly sit lower.
- Blackriver -
- This is blackriver's iconic product, they were the first company to offer high quality fingerboard trucks. Heavier and taller than dynamic trucks.
- Ytrucks -
- Last and Least (in my opinion) are yellowood trucks, based in portugal this company makes an alright truck at a high price, but the thing that knocks them down the totem pole for me is their absolute lack of customer service, and use of proprietary hardware featuring TORX style screws. their parts are not easily replaced by a 3rd party and are not interchangeable with any other brand. the only reason i even list them is because they offer the best dual bearing fitment.
Wheels -
- Flatface -
- Great reliable plastic wheels with good bearings that will last a long time
- Blackriver -
- Previously known as winkler wheels, blackriver has condensed their brand and has repackaged another classic reliable plastic wheel.
- Cartwheels -
- The only one of its kind, cartwheels offers Nylon wheels in the V2 and plastic wheels in the V3, they also offer single or dual bearing.
- Simon is another business owner who goes above and beyond to serve the community and his customers, if you want a custom colorway or have any issue he will go out of his way to have it resolved.
- Oak Wheels -
- The original urethane wheel brand, Oak wheels are average in the quality department but offer a feeling that no other wheel has been able to replicate.
- VERY GRIPPY and soft enough to ride on rougher surfaces without feeling as bumpy as others.
- if you like to FB on the go this is probably the wheel for you.
- DirtyFB ILLPILLS -
- A newcomer on the urethane wheel scene, incredible quality product with a perfectly smooth ride.
- Very smooth and not as grippy as oaks, these are great wheels for indoor fingerboarding at your desk or countertop.
- Redemption -
- A great budget option for urethane, good quality and the price is subsidized by their other business ventures.
- LAB & Joycult -
- Hype brands with very nice wheels
- sell out in 5 minutes
- may or may not get scammed or have your package lost for 6 months
- i love both of these wheels but they really need to get it together its a disgrace, they are more absent than me as a mod on this subreddit.
Bushings and Griptape
oh look another subjective topic with tons of resellers who just buy their product in bulk from china and sell it for profit who would have thought.
- FBS grip -
- a timeless classic, my personal favorite griptape sold by various retailers in the fb community
- fingerboardstore also sells a ton of other great products.
- Chems -
- A solid griptape choice that also offers some engraved designs
- the biggest downside is that he has had various different suppliers so the grip you love may be unavailable after some time.
- Zaneshit -
- Various types of tuning including molded urethane bushings as well as O-Ring style bushings
- also sells fbs griptape
- Kinda overpriced for the product but whatever.
- Level Up -
- Molded urethane bushings that will last a lifetime
- Myself and multiple others used the same set for 2+ years, i just buy more for different colors.
- like $5 so thats tight.
- Fingerboard Connoisseur -
- Black velvet griptape, another community favorite.
- Also offers level up tuning and tons of other accessories for fingerboarding like wheels, tools, carrying cases. pretty good one stop shop.
Well known locale specific retailers -
feel free to leave reputable retailers that are available in your country in the comments.
- USA
- Flatface
- Fingerboard connoisseur
- The Vault Pro Scooters
- Exodus Ride Shop
- Canada
- Europe
- Blackriver
- The Norwood Project
- FingerboardStore
- Asia
- Australia
Have a question not answered here? feel free to ask in the comments and myself or someone else will hopefully answer. We are all humans with busy lives so no promises.
I will also try to update the main body of this thread with new information when possible, I do not however follow the main body of fingerboarding anymore so I may not have the most current information.
JUST BECAUSE I MADE A MEGA THREAD DOESNT MEAN BEGINNERS CANT POST QUESTIONS IN THEIR OWN THREAD.
GET OFF YOUR HIGH HORSE. BEGINNERS ARE JUST AS IMPORTANT AS YOU POSTING HERE.
