I Got a Skateboard and a Penny Board for Practicing until the Electric Skateboard Arrives

While I wait for the Acton Blink S and S2 to arrive, I thought I’d get ready for the action and got two skateboards to practice on:

• Skateboard for practicing tricks
• Penny Board for cruising

The skateboard for practicing tricks arrived today from the US so let’s take a look at it, along with the Penny Board that I got a while ago.

The Deck that I got for practicing tricks is from Alien Work Shop

I haven’t been on a skateboard in 30 years so I did some catching up on the topic and listed up all the items I needed to setup a deck.

These are the items that I got.

Deck

The Deck that I got was the Blueprint Small Skateboard Deck from Alien Workshop.

The size is 7.8” x 31.33”.
The length of the Blink S and S2 are 27.7” and 31.5”, respectively, so I looked for something around the same size.

I liked the design of the deck below but I wanted to keep the board as small as possible so I went with the Blueprint.

Trucks

I only knew about Independent, but there were so many trucks to choose from and I didn’t know which one to get.
I decided to go with Venture Trucks in the end because it had good reviews and also because I liked the name.

The trucks that I got were the Venture Trucks Polished Low Skate Board Trucks – 5.0” Hanger 7.75 Axle.

The truck size depends on the size of the board so I used the table below as a reference.

The sizing was perfect.

You can choose between Hi and Low, I went with Low because I thought it would be easier to ollie.
I was told that this is a matter of preference and that it doesn’t make much difference.

Wheels

The wheels that I got were the Bones Wheels Jesus Fernandez STF Vintage White Skateboard Wheels – 5mm 83b.

I knew I was only going to be using this board to practice tricks around the house so I got hard and small wheels that should be good for doing tricks.
If I was going to use the board for some cruising too, I would have definitely gotten bigger and softer wheels.

Bearings

I got the Bones Bearings – Bones Super Reds.

The Bones Super Reds were faster than the IBEC 7s that came on the Penny Board so I put the IBEC 7s on the Alien Work Shop and the Bones Super Reds on the Penny Board.
The Penny Board is now a little faster!

Grip Tape

I got the Mob Grip 9” x 33”.

 Hardware

I got the Modus Allen Head Skateboard Hardware Set which had bolts that matched the color of the deck.
I couldn’t find these on Rakuten or Amazon JP.

First time building a skateboard

It was my first time building a skateboard so I went to YouTube to study beforehand.

I made sure I screwed down the bolts on the trucks firmly, but not too strong that I rip the threads on the screws.
I also mode sure that there was a little play in the wheels.

The Silver Skate Tool came in real handy when assembling the board.

All you need this tool to setup a board.

The ratchet function is really convenient when attaching the trucks.

All done!

Penny Board

Penny Boards are the most popular out of all mini cruisers.

I got the 22 inch size.

The wheels are large (59mm) and soft so they are really quiet.
The deck is plastic and absorbs vibration so the ride is really smooth.

It’s convenient to carry around so I ride it to the nearby convenience store and places like that.

The Penny is small and cute, but is quite difficult to ride.
The deck is very small and the trucks are soft so the handling is very sensitive.
Until you get used to it, balancing on the board can be quite hard.

Penny Board and Short Board, ride comparison

It was snowing outside today so rode the boards in the hallway of my apartment.

The ride is totally different.

Ride comfort is much better on the Penny Board.
The Alien is very slow compared with the Penny Board.
The difference a large and soft wheel makes is huge.

The sound is also very different.
The hard wheels on the Alien are very loud.
The Penny is super silent.

Skateboards are cheaper if you buy it from the US

I bought the Alien Workshop Deck and the parts from the US.

I got it from a shop called Warehouse Skateboards.

After I completed the order, I noticed that I’d forgotten to include the Silver Skate Tool.
I sent an email to them explaining this and they happily added it to my order without any hassle.
I was very impressed by their flexibility and I think they are a shop that I can trust with my orders in the future.

From Warehouse Skateboards, I had it sent to the transfer service that I always use, Spearnet.
Warehouse Skateboards (East Coast) and Spearnet (West Coast) is very far apart and I ended up having to wait a long time because I went with the cheaper shipping option.

If you are in a hurry, I suggest you pay a little extra and have it sent buy air instead of land to your transfer service (if you are using one).

The price was:

1. Alien Deck $47.95
2. Venture Trucks $32.95
3. Bones Wheels $29.95
4. Bones Bearings $24.95
5. Mob Grip $5.95
6. Modus Hardware $3.95
7. Silver Skate Tool $16.95

totaling $162.
The shipping fees to Spearnet was $51, which brought the grand total to $213, which amounts to 22,000 JPY using 106 JPY to convert.

If you were to get the same items on Rakuten:

1. Alien Deck 11,664 JPY
2. Venture Trucks 6,048 JPY
3. Bones Wheels 5,000 JPY
4. Bones Bearings 3,628 JPY
5. Mob Grip 756 JPY
6. Modus Hardware 400 JPY (place holder)
7. Silver Skate Tool 3,218 JPY

That totals 30,714 JPY.

Savings of 10,000 JPY!

Summary

I will be brushing up my skills with the Alien and Penny Board until the Acton Blink S and Blink S2 arrives.
I won’t be doing tricks on the Blink so I think practicing on the Penny Board will be the best way to prepare.
But you aren’t a man unless you can at least ollie right?
I’ll definitely be practicing with the Alien too from time to time.

The Indiegogo Campaign in which you can get discounts on the Acton Blink S and S2 is ending in five days!

Visit their page if you’re interested!

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