As years go by, your skateboard will become slower, and often, the resolution is fairly easy. Even though replacing bearings or wheels usually cracks the puzzle, there could be other aspects that come into play. Not getting the essential pace can be irritating, mainly in captive skate parks or when you simply want to go for a lengthy cruise. Why do I have to push so much on my skateboard? Stay tuned for more on this topic!
Why do I have to push so much on my skateboard, by all means? The answer is quite simple, in fact! The most typical problem is dirty bearings, but there are way more opportunities to make your skateboard much quicker.
Reasons Why Your Skateboard is Slow
We will go through all the typical issues one by one and look at workable resolutions. Periodically, it is just one problem, but it also can be a variety of aspects that slow down your skateboard.
Having a sluggish skateboard may not always be a bad thing until it impacts your skating capacities. Slowing down too quickly before you kickflip a bank can be irritating, but frequently the issue is easy to fix. Here is the most familiar issue and a few that are less prominent.
Dirty Bearings
Have you been skating for a long time or purchased a used board? In that case, the bearings may need some sound cleaning or a full replacement.
Dirt and dust leftovers induce conflict, resulting in a slower skateboard. More often than not, you don’t even see how much filthy bearings slow down your skateboard until you clean them or even replace them altogether.
While you don’t need first-class skateboard bearings, quality ones make a huge difference. Cleaning is relatively easy and takes 15 to 30 minutes, relying on the method you use.
Tip: If you are a newbie, you should obtain skate wheels for beginners. This truly goes without saying!
The Axle Nut is Overly Tight
One of the most typical issues is how tight the axle nut is. Shrinking your skateboard truck axle is very easy, but you may have tightened them way too much. When you over-tighten the axle nut, it lifts the bearings, inducing lots of conflicts and might even harm your bearing.
Try to ease them just a bit and notice if your wheels can turn more freely. They don’t need to spin for minutes, but at least for more than 20 seconds. Be sure you have spacers between the bearings to stop them from being destroyed when you bind the axle nut. You wouldn’t be the first to destroy a brand-new bearing.
When you connect the axle nut, stop when you feel opposition. Check if the wheels can spin correctly. So, if they do, you should be good. If they don’t, turn your tool a tad counterclockwise to give the wheel some space to rotate. Low-grade complete skateboards often have this issue, but just easing up the axle nut a bit is likely not going to fix the issue with a low-grade Amazon board.
Wrong Wheels on the Wrong Surface
This is a bit of a hard one because it’s difficult to specify where you ride your skateboard. Bear in mind that extra stiff and small wheels won’t go quick on rough streets. They are better fitted for skate parks.
If you ride on rugged terrain, think of getting more soothing wheels, by all means. This will help to immerse all the shocks and bumps you undergo when riding your skateboard. A negligibly bigger (and softer) wheel could also make a huge distinction.
So, if you swing soft 92A wheels on concrete or wood, you won’t go as quickly as someone who swings hard 99A+ wheels. More soothing wheels adhere to the surface and will slow you down. They deliver a more comfy ride, so you need to uncover a good balance here.
Tip: Are you a street or a park skateboarding type of rider? There is a slight variation between the two.
Wrong Wheel Size
Literally, a bigger wheel needs rarer rotations. Also, it hides more ground corresponding to a shorter wheel. It will push you to go quicker, but you shouldn’t exaggerate it. While you can connect longboard wheels to a skateboard, massive 75mm wheels aren’t suited for skateboarding.
If you still want to do essential skateboarding stunts or even avant-garde stunts, you don’t want to go above 56 mm. 56 mm is already a sweep for technical street skating and a balanced base. You’ll be better off riding 54 mm if you want more momentum.
Bowl riders love larger skateboard wheels because you require lots of momentum and want to keep speed. It’s not unheard of to swing 60 mm wheels in a bowl or pool.
Vert skaters also usually swing 58 mm wheels or larger because you only need the pace to make it to the other side. If you only want a comfy ride and cruise around town, larger wheels do make a difference.
Low-Quality Skateboard
Every second, a child gets a lousy skateboard from their parents, while thinking they purchased a fantastic skateboard because of the 5-star rating on Amazon. If you have a skateboard that arrived covered in plastic, you’re one of the targets that got a low-grade $30 skateboard.
There is no single payoff, and you need to substitute the parts slowly or get a whole new skateboard. Solid advice here is to replace the wheels and bearings first, this will make a massive disparity. Begin saving money and slowly substitute the rest of the skateboard parts.
After you replaced your skateboard deck, toss the lousy knock-off in a bonfire. That’s likely the most pleasure you get out of it anyway. Make sure to evade the worst skateboard trademarks. It’s extremely frustrating to ride a modest skateboard, and occasionally even risky.
You Push With All Your Weight
Occasionally, your pushing method can be the problem, by all means. In this matter, it’s not your skateboard that is slow, it’s you forcing the wrong path. Newbies usually stomp their push foot rather than gently moving with the front area of their foot.
This suggests you use too much power when you come in touch with the bottom, resulting in less efficient pushing. It could also be that you don’t expand your push leg sufficiently.
When you push, you sort of negligibly forge falling over and expanding your leg forward as much as feasible. If you push the correct way, it will make you go quicker with less effort.
Lack of Speed Washers
Speed washers are small rings that you put on the exterior of your bearings. They help to lower conflict between the axle and axle nut. They also lower the build-up of heat and stop your bearings from wearing. If you don’t utilize speed washers, you may compress the axle not too much, resulting in a slower ride.
Quick washers are truly affordable and come with your trucks. The issue is that it’s extremely easy to displace them because they are so short. Another issue is that often cheaper skateboards don’t have speed washers.
You Push Mongo
Pushing mongo suggests you utilize your front foot to push while hovering on your back foot. It isn’t that bad but looks a bit discomfiting and shaky. There are many bases why pushing a mongo on a skateboard is not advisable. It’s easy to unlearn but needs some practice.
You can go full pace when pushing mongo when there is enough space to ride. At least when you are familiar with it. Pushing mongo is extremely inefficient and needs more time to place yourself correctly on your skateboard.
Because it needs more time, you will have less time to get up to speed and do a stunt. When the space is quite limited, it will slow you down.
The Wrong Bearings
While you don’t need neat, pricey bearings, you may have chosen longboard or cruiser bearings. Bearings such as Zealous are fantastic for longboarding and cruising, but not for skateboarding.
Notably, they speed up slower, and for skateboarding; you require bearings that accelerate quickly. After you’re up to speed, they are better able to keep their speed reached to bearings like Bones.
These kinds of bearings are hindering when you ride in smaller parks and there isn’t much room to get up to speed. Simply get standard skateboard bearings and don’t overlook adding spacers. Avoid no-name trademarks and preferably purchase them at your local skate shop.
Tip: One of the many fascinating things is riding a skateboard backward. Have you tried it yet?
Final Words
Getting the proper skateboard structure for the right goal takes some time to figure out. Occasionally, your skateboard is extra slow in a skate park but fast on bumpy roadways. It all relies on the parts you choose, and often you don’t even have a choice.
So, to answer your question – Why do I have to push so much on my skateboard? – here’s the end. The most typical issue is dirty bearings, but there are way more possibilities to make your skateboard quicker.
