A diehard fan of skating will understand that this activity requires balance, correct timing, and good coordination, and once any of these elements are out of place, it becomes a problem. There are one hundred, and one malfunction skaters encounter when skating, but none compares to your skateboard tilting unnecessarily during movement.
I understand the feeling it accompanies after waiting, anticipating, and saving hundreds of dollars to purchase a new skate only for it to end up tilting, or if you are also a skater with a previous well-functioning skateboard and the issue of tilting just started recently, it frustrates every skating plan.
This titling prevents you from riding in various public places and even sometimes deter you from going to the skate park for fear of hitting or colliding with someone mistakenly. It prevents you from performing stunts and artistic movements as your coordination is off. If you are battling poor coordination and you have sought ways, both physical and online, to fine-tune it to the default setting, and they have all been unsuccessful, this post will tell you the 5 reasons your skateboard tilt so much.
Loosened or Damaged Bushings
The bushings on a skateboard are those wobbly, rubbery circular rings that are wound around the kingpin. They are attached to the trucks, with one at the top and the other beneath. The top bushing helps in the proper turning or rotation of the skateboard, and it is between the board’s hanger and the breastplate. The lower bushing does not play a significant impact, although the loosening or tightening can determine the board’s responsiveness. So the bushings determine your boards’ flexibility.
If any of the bushings are stiff, it could tamper with your movement. Also, if you are fond of tilting to one side during movement, this may affect the bushings of that side, making them squashed or squeezed, creating an imbalance. If your bushings are old, worn out, and have cracks on their sides, this could also be a significant indicator.
What to do?
Replace the damaged bushings immediately or loosen them if they are too stiff. If the bearings are new but still looked squeezed or squashed on one side, coordinate your rotation to the unsquashed sides for proper balancing. It is also recommended to change the bearings every three months if constant use.
Worn-out Wheels
The wheels are those polyurethane materials that allow your skateboard to move; it allows for turning and for acceleration. Depending on your size and taste, skateboard wheels can be of varying sizes and hardness, and some are especially suited for a type of skates. Excessive tilting can sometimes cause wrong wheel sizes, worn-out wheels, uneven wheel placement, and occasionally wrong wheel attachment.
What to do?
If you suspect the attached wheels are too small or big, request an immediate replacement. Also, wheels are graded according to their harness on a Durometer scale. Ensure you know the rating as it runs from 0a-150a. This scaling will allow skaters to understand the type of harness suitable for them.
Check the health of the wheels and ensure they are wheeling surface, also called the contact patch, is well marked to provide enough friction and grip. If not, get a new set immediately. Observe the attachment region, the junction that gets the wheels to the axle nuts, and the board beneath, and ensure it is correctly installed.
Stiff Bearings
Bearings are those circular wheel-like objects that are inserted inside the wheels to aid movement. They are those round metallic or ceramic discs that are placed inside and are mounted on the axles; their size and shape can determine the skateboard speed. A standard skateboard requires a total of 8 bearings, two on each wheel, for efficient movement.
Although all skateboards use almost the exact size of wheel bearings, improper placement can cause the tilting of the skateboard. Since most skateboard bearings are metallic, they require regular lubrication and can become stiff quickly, inhibiting the wheel’s movement. Tilting can also be caused by bearing spacers that create a substantial amount of gap between the bearings and align them with the axle; the absence of these spacers can lead to over-tighten axles. Also, check the wheel bearings for debris and dirt that may have been entrapped, causing the wheels immobility.
What to do?
Investing in lubricants to consistently oil the bearings and also to prevent wear and tear during rotation. Although bearing spacers are not popular items on skaters’ list, incorporate them into the wheels as they have protected the axles during loosening and tightening, protecting the bearings.
I also advise you to learn how to change the wheels properly or seek a professional’s help. The need for professionalism during wheel changing is because some skaters (newbies especially) mix up the bearings during a DIY change, creating a titling or rotation problem during movement.
Also, ensure that the skateboard wheels contain exactly two wheels that are positioned in the interior part of the wheels.
Improper Trucks Attachment
The skateboard truck serves as the axle. They are those two metallic components attached beneath the skateboard’s deck to which the wheels and bearings can be affixed for movement. They are placed at the skateboard’s end and width and serve as a middleman between your board and the wheels.
If the mounted trucks are either too big or too small, they can affect your movement. Too small a truck results in an unstable balancing, while too wide results in a shoe-to-truck collision. Poor attachment or misplaced installment of trucks, the head truck at the tail and the tail truck at the head, can cause tilting. Also, movement can be constrained for newbies whose trucks are high, i.e., 5mm taller than the regular trucks.
What to do?
Ensure you get the exact tuck measurement of your board by measuring the width of your board to the appropriate truck measurement. There are metric standards in most skateboard shops that show users the size of a truck suitable for their measure skates’ width. A wheel-sized truck is when the installed axle nuts are 0ne-quarter away from the board’s deck.
Know the perfect truck height before getting them installed as some are mostly suitable for pros. Also, during installation, properly place the specific trunks at the head and tail of the skateboard. Splinters, chips, debris cause most tilting problems and dirt in the truck; sand them or clean them.
Loosened or Incompletely installed Hardware
Skateboard hardware is not a specific part. Instead it refers to a set of nuts and bolts that helps in attaching the truck to the bolt. The Hardware consists of 16 parts, that is, 8 10-32 UNF bolts with their corresponding nuts, used in connecting the trucks and any other optional risers to the board. Popular brands of skateboard hardware are Allen bolts sockets and Philips’s head. These brands were chosen for the aesthetics they provide.
Due to their large number and different complexities, attaching the Hardware correctly is a hassle. It often requires a professional’s help, but people end up installing them with no technical know-how. Also, choosing the right size of Hardware determines the movement of the board. Usually, the size 7/8″ is the regular bolt length, but riser pads can add a few inches in the use of bolts.
What to do?
Leave the installation to the professionals until you fully grasp what each hardware nut and bolt stand for. Look beneath the skateboard and rearrange the bolts if the titling persists. Also, ensure the bolt is matched with the corresponding head brand. Ensure all the screws are tightening properly and re-tighten any loosened ones.
Although mechanical malfunction seems to be the primary cause of tilting in skateboard, poor skating techniques can also attribute to it. The stance, body balance, and weight distribution contribute to how your skates move. If you tend to lean forward or your body weight wholly rests in a part side, gravity could align the wheels to that particular side. This will cause excess mounted pressure, tilting the board’s movement.
Conclusion
I understand how it feels to source for hundreds of solutions to a tilting board, spending a lot to get it checked, only for a minor malfunction to be the cause. To avoid the mental gymnastics that comes with it, ensure you pay attention to the littlest detail of your skateboard and perform routine checks and maintenance.
High-quality skateboards are less likely to tilt or present problems to low-quality ones. So, I suggest getting some high-quality brands if their price range is within your financial budget.
If your skateboard hardware is partly or wholly from other bolts and nuts designed explicitly for skateboard, this may also cause titling. The inferior nuts and bolts cannot efficiently attach the trunk to the board, and the trunk serves as the middleman between your feet and the moving wheels.
