Like cars, skateboards and their parts could also make weird sounds that suggest they need repairing or replacement.
Suppose your skateboard made snapping noises in one of your rides. What are you going to do? Often, what occurred was a pressure crack. So today, we will teach you how to fix pressure cracks on skateboard to revive a worrisome deck.
Here, we will identify what causes pressure cracks and possible remedies before you head to the store and end up buying a new board. So, grab your notes, and we’ll guide you throughout this tutorial.
Table of Contents
Ways to Resolve and Prevent Pressure Cracks on Your Skateboard
The good news about these issues is they have more than one solution. And these solutions are not only short-term. They will also help us prevent the same problem from happening again.
Thus, if the first alternative doesn’t work, we keep trying until the last remedy. Here are the methods we can try.
- Fill the cracks
- Picking a skateboard that matches your weight
- Performing and landing from tricks appropriately
- Using shock pads
- Loosening your skateboard bolts
What you need
- Fillers – Some breaks do not necessarily need parts replacement. Sometimes, all you need to do is to fill the gaps left by the cracks. To do so, you need wood glue and epoxy.
- Skate tool – We will adjust and dismantle some parts. So, keep a T-tool beside you.
- Shock pads – Shock or riser pads are solid plastic pieces that increase the height of the skateboard deck. Here, we need them to help reduce impact when landing from skateboard tricks.
Fixing skateboard cracks
Now that you have the tools you need, it’s time to try the following remedies for cracked skateboards.
Method 1: Fill in the cracks
This method will help us solidify your skateboard again. Here’s what to do.
- First, detach your skateboard’s trucks. Clean and remove any grip tape on the cracked skateboard deck areas. Then, apply your chosen filler on the crack.
- Spread the epoxy or wood glue evenly over the dented or damaged area. Using a scraper or spreading object will make the process smoother. Let the filled area sit for 24 hours.
- After drying, smoothen the filled portion with sandpaper. Subsequently, perform a test ride on the skateboard after installing its trucks back into place.
Note that the upcoming methods are more preventive and supplemental. Nonetheless, they will reduce the likelihood of the skateboard incurring pressure cracks again.
Method 2: Matching your weight to the skateboard’s capacity
Perhaps, this is one of the simplest yet budget-friendly options we have.
In this method, all you need to do is check your weight. Then, you can head to the store to purchase a complete skateboard with a capacity that’s enough to carry skaters your weight.
Alternatively, if choosing a sturdy skateboard with a sufficient load capacity doesn’t work, maybe it’s time to shed some pounds first before stepping on a deck.
Method 3: Improving your landing
Cool skateboard decks used properly could last longer.
One of the things that cause pressure and cracks on your skateboard is landing on the wrong part of the board after tricks. So, where should we land from ollies and flips?
The best spot to land on a skateboard is the middle part of the deck. It’s one of the sturdiest areas of the board. But why not the sides or the tail and nose?
Landing on the bolts could cause breaks around them. Additionally, stepping on the nose or tail does more harm to the skateboard than landing on its middle part.
Method 4: Installing shock pads
As mentioned, riser pads increase the height of the skateboard while neutralizing impact from landings and jumps.
Here’s how to mount shock pads on a skateboard.
- First, with your trucks off, push the bolts through the deck.
- Next, align the bolts to the holes of the shock pads from the bottom of the board. Press the shock layer against the deck firmly. What if there are extra shock pad holes? The extra holes should sit outside in this case.
- Mount the trucks after the shock pads. Screw the nuts on the bolt ends and tighten them using a T-tool.
How do you know you have the perfect tightness? The shock pad should keep its original form and not be too squeezed.
Method 5: Loosening the bolts
Did you know that high temperatures can cause skateboard parts to expand and become damaged? If such a thing happens, the bolts and deck could scratch against each other, causing the latter to get cracked.
Adjusting your skateboard bolts is the way to go if you want a cost-efficient yet effective remedy. To execute this method, all you need is your skate tool.
If you remove your trucks for a filler or shock pad, ensure that you don’t over-tighten the bolts when reinstalling them. Or, if you try this method before anything else, you can use your skate tool to loosen the bolts one by one.
How to ensure the bolts are perfectly tight? According to many skaters on Reddit, each bolt should be flush with the deck and not sunken into it.
Friendly note: If you can still ride the cracked skateboard without performance issues, the remedies above may not yet be necessary.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are pressure cracks on a skateboard?
In general terms, pressure cracks occur from too much pressure on an object.
In skateboarding, these cracks are the fine breakage lines around the trucks and their hardware. While these damages may not yet indicate an immediate replacement, they could affect your rides.
What are the causes of pressure cracks?
Do your used skateboards have pressure cracks? What caused them?
Landing on the wrong area of the skateboard or failing to match your body weight with the skateboard’s capacity are two of the primary causes of pressure cracks.
Other factors are overly tightened truck bolts and the absence of impact-absorbing accessories like shock pads.
How to stop skateboard pressure from cracking decks?
Jumping and landing on your skateboard is inevitable because tricks often require you to do these. And no, you shouldn’t stop skateboarding, with frequent jumps being your only worry.
Landing appropriately in the middle of the board could help stop the cracks and pressure from turning into something much worse.
Additionally, loosening your bolts, adding shock pads, and considering the skateboard’s weight capacity could free you from these skateboard issues.
Conclusion
One downside we should expect from riding skateboards is that they only last for a limited time. While some premium-quality brands produce durable decks, damages could still plague them and render the board non-functional in the long run.
Don’t worry. Not all skateboard issues are irreparable. And one of the fixable issues is pressure cracks. Now that you know how to fix pressure cracks on skateboard parts and avoid them, you have one less problem to worry about.
The remedy choices are above. It’s up to you to pick the best alternative.
Hi, I am Charles Harris. I opened this site to write as much as I can about my biggest passion – skateboarding!
I started as a clumsy yet passionate rookie 10 years ago to now a still passionate yet much better skateboarder! But I have to tell you, the whole journey has always been fun and rewarding, indeed not without hardship.