D’oh! (Skateboards, Old and New)

PARTY TIP: you should probably have a spare deck on hand, in case you break your skateboard in half.

Last time I went out for a skate I noticed a small spot beginning to delam, the product of repeated fails as the board went wrong-way into the business end of a concrete parking block (does a parking block have another end?). This happened the other night just as I had started out for the evening. I didn’t get maybe 10 minutes in and I heard the telltale snap.

I replaced the deck this afternoon, but I didn’t take my own advice and buy a second one just-in-case. If it happens again (I’m hoping I can make it to winter on this deck), I’ll start buying two at a time.

My other deck was an 8″ width. This time around I decided to downsize slightly to 7.75″. It should be a little bit lighter so although I never worried too much that a skateboard could be too heavy, we’ll see how the smaller deck holds up.

I go about 200-210 pounds, so I probably need a beefier deck. Am I correct in my assumption that a bigger deck should be stronger? My local shop sells bamboo decks which are supposed to be stronger and better overall than wood. Anyone out there have experience with bamboo skateboards?