How Long Do Skateboards Last? (Answered)

You’ve been skating for some time, and your board is starting to show its age. You finally decide it’s time to get a new skateboard. However, if you do not know how long does skateboards and their parts last, you’ll make a mistake by replacing them early.

You may think you will need to replace your skateboard just because it won’t perform as previously. But sometimes, skateboards can return to normal or even better form simply by cleaning, tightening, or replacing particular parts. As a result, if you change the skateboard at this time you cannot learn the skateboard’s lifespan and also make the loss.

So in this article, we will briefly explain how long do skateboards last, including the lifespan of boards such as trucks, wheels, decks, grip tape, and bearings. In addition, we will share some tips to extend skateboard life as well as some valuable tips to consider before purchasing a new board.

If you want your skateboard to last longer, you should take care of it. The most common ways that people ruin their skateboard include not cleaning it, storing it in moist areas (such as basements), or keeping sharp objects like keys near them, which can damage the grip tape. As a result, make sure you maintain your skateboard perfectly if you want your board to last, according to the data shown in this article.

How Long Do Skateboards Last

If you’ve been skating for a while, you’re aware that skateboards don’t last forever, but there is no specific time to determine a skateboard’s lifespan. It all depends on the construction quality, material, maintenance, and riding style. In response to your question, we can say skateboards last on average 6 months to 2 years.

Moreover, you should realize that this is the lifespan of good quality skateboards, but cheap skateboards might be destroyed after just a month or two. Furthermore, whenever skateboards start acting up, it is mainly the problem with any particular skateboard part. They may be damaged, make noise, or need servicing; thus, they should be repaired or replaced.

By replacing the damaged skateboard part over and over again, you can use the same skateboard for years.

Factors That Affect Skateboard Life

You can own a quality skateboard, but because of small mistakes, they get ruined sooner, like a cheap skateboard. Hence, the following are the factors affecting skateboard life so that you can ignore them.

Note: For quality skateboards, it is not necessary to spend more. You can even get the best skateboard under 100 dollars.

• Choose a board based on your riding style. Those who like cruising should select the best cruiser skateboards only, not other standard skateboards. In the same way, if you enjoy tricks, choose a double kicktail feature skateboard instead of a longboard or other cruiser board. Choosing the right board based on your riding style will increase its lifespan as well as provide you with better performance.
• Before every ride, ensure all the bolts on skateboards are tightened correctly, especially on wheels and trucks. Because while riding if any parts of boards get separate from skateboard you’ll fall off and also the skateboard get damaged.
• If you’re a beginner at skateboarding, try not to perform advanced tricks because you’ll fall off with the board. Hence, first, learn the basics before jumping into advanced.
• If you do rough road riding, the skateboard lifespan will reduce more. Hence, in this condition, keep checking the wheels and if they crack, then replace them to protect the complete skateboard from damage.
• Every skateboard has a weight limit; hence the board you ride makes sure it is compatible with your body weight. If you’re an overweight guy, the deck won’t handle your weight and will break.
• Don’t go for the cheap skateboards as they have no time lifespan, and it may also break in a single ride. Even if you’re on a low budget, you should do more research and get at least the best skateboard under 50.
• As you know skateboard deck is made of wood and other parts of metal; hence if you ride the skateboard in the rain, your board lifespan will reduce. By getting in touch with water, the deck starts shrinking, trucks start making noise, and the wheels and bearings fill with water, so they lose grip ability.
• Skateboard size is also an important factor because if you ride on a small or bigger skateboard, it won’t last long.

Skateboard Usage Also Matters

Above I said skateboard lasts 6 months to 2 years but not the exact time because it depends on your usage. If you ride a skateboard occasionally, it will last longer, like 2 years, but if you’re a regular skateboard rider, it definitely won’t last long.

There are three types of skateboarder pro, beginner, and intermediate.

Pro Skateboarder

Pro skateboarders are those who compete in contests and jams. They do skateboarding continuously for hours and perform various tricks and stunts. Hence their skateboard won’t last long.

Pro skateboarders need a high quality board. Hence, they prefer to assemble a complete skateboard themselves. If they use a pre-assembled board, it may ruin in a week. But still, their custom assembled skateboard also lasts around a month.

Therefore, if you ask how long a professional skateboarder board lasts, it may last from 1 week to 2 months even if they pay more for high quality.

Intermediate Or Amateur Skateboarder

Intermediate or amateur riders are those who don’t ride skateboards daily. They only skateboard 2,3, or 4 times a week. Hence it’s obvious their skateboard won’t damage as heavy users like pro skateboarders, so their skateboard lasts longer.

At the beginning of this article, we talked about this group of riders only as their skateboard lasts 6 months to 2 years if they maintain properly.

Beginner Or Daily Learner SKateboarder

Beginners are very passionate about skateboarding though they ride daily but do not perform hard tricks and stunts. They only do cruising and learn the basics like turning and balancing.

Hence, beginner skateboards also last for two years if they maintain them and do not perform stunts without proper knowledge because they may damage the board.

Tips To Increase Skateboard Lifespan

Following are some tips to maximize the lifespan of a new or used skateboard by taking care of it properly. Taking care of a skateboard will increase its lifespan and help the owner keep the board clean and attractive.

Clean Regularly

If you regularly clean the skateboard, including wheels, bearings, and trucks, you can see the performance get better and also the skateboard lifespan.

Skateboards get packed with dirt and debris by riding daily or occasionally without cleaning, especially the wheels and bearings that later get slow in rolling and make noise. At this point, beginner skateboarders think the skateboard is ended, and they replace the complete board. Well, by cleaning the wheels and bearings this problem can be solved easily.

Also, make sure to lubricate the wheel and bearings when needed.

Keep Skateboard Dry

Skateboarding in the rain damages the board and reduces its lifespan, as I mentioned above. Hence try to avoid in raining or wet ground.

Suppose your skateboard gets wet, try to dry it as fast as possible. Firstly try to dry the deck in sunlight or air heater, then remove the wheels and bearings to remove all the water from it and keep them to dry.

Avoid Advanced Tricks Being A Beginner

If you’re a beginner at skateboarding, first master the basics, then learn the basic tricks and practice them. If you try to perform advanced tricks without any prior knowledge, you will get hurt and also may break or scratch the board.

Avoid Putting The Board In Car

Many riders feel putting the board in their car is safer because it remains dry and safe from kids or dogs.

But you may don’t know car temperatures can easily reach over 100 degrees during the summer months, which means that your board will contract and become even more delicate than it already is.

Therefore, putting a skateboard in the car is not good. Instead, you can hang your skateboard on wall of your house. There it will be safe from water, kids, and animals if you have.

FAQ’s

How long do skateboard wheels last?

The average skateboard wheels lifespan is about 3 months. Although, it depends on various factors like wheels quality, hardness, size, and the surface you ride on. If you ride on a rough road, then obviously it won’t last 3 months also.

How long do skateboard trucks last?

Trucks are the most long lasting part of the skateboard as they last for 2 to 5 years, depending on your usage and riding style. The trucks are mostly made of aluminum, and it works is to hold the wheels and get connected with the deck, so they are the most durable part of a skateboard.

How long do skateboard bearings last?

The skateboard bearings last for a year or two if you maintain them regularly. The bearings are the cheapest part of a complete skateboard but the most important one for a smooth ride. Hence, if you feel the bearings making noise even after cleaning or get cracked, it’s better to replace them even if they are not too old.

How long do skateboard decks last?

The skateboard deck lasts between 2 weeks to 6 months. During the time you perform some of the tricks, you might break the board in less than 2 weeks. Because while performing the stunts, decks get more damage. Their decks can last about 6 months if they’re maintained properly for those who do cruising and commuting.

How long does skateboard grip tape last?

Grip tape lifespan is not strictly determined by time but by the level of comfort and control you have. The time for replacing grip tape has come if the grip tape stops providing a good grip on the board or the grip tape crumbles and makes it difficult to stand on the board.

Final Words

There is no definitive answer to the question, “How long do skateboards last?”. It depends on how often they’re used and what kind of skating surface you’re using.

Still, we tried to answer your question as much as possible in this blog post and hope it helped. If you have any other questions, leave them in the comments, and we’ll be happy to answer them.