5 Ways to Customize Your Skateboard Setup

2. Turn Wheel Graphics Inside

If you're like me, you can't help but turn your wheel graphics inside. This simple tweak gives your board a fresh, clean look and makes the entire setup appear less cluttered. No detailed instructions are necessary for this one! 

When you're at the skate shop setting up your board, just ask to have the graphics turned inside. If you're doing it yourself, it's just as easy. I've been doing this for years, and while it's a personal preference, I love how my board looks with this adjustment. Turning your wheel graphics inside is a quick and easy way to change your board's appearance, especially if you prefer a more low-key, understated look.

3. Add Rails and/or Risers

Maybe you've seen someone with rails on the bottom of their board and wondered, "What are those?" Or, perhaps you're one of the countless folks who love rails and utilize their slickness to get rad on your favorite curb!? Regardless, rails are a great way to customize your complete. 

Besides helping you slide on terrain like curbs, ledges and pool coping way better than normal, rails have plenty of other benefits, too—like protecting your graphic, for example. Toss 'em on and add a little life to your beloved bottom ply! They also provide extra grip when you're doing grabs and boneless tricks. And to be honest, they just look rad on your board. It looks like you're ready to handle some biz when you roll up to the sesh rocking rails. But yeah, real talk, you'll be sliding for days!  

And what about risers? Some risers are designed to absorb shock, but in my opinion, the biggest benefit is that they prevent wheel bite. By raising your deck a little further away from your wheels, risers reduce the risk of that unforgiving bite that happens when your wheels and board touch during sharp turns or landing certain tricks. Keep in mind that different thicknesses of risers will obviously change the height and feel of your board, but they're an easy way to customize your complete and try something new. They're great for cruiser boards!

4. Add Griptape Art

In my opinion, this is the most obvious way to customize your board and make it your own, but people can really take griptape art to the next level! I grew up with metallic Sharpies, paint pens, spray paint—whatever!—but I've seen some seriously impressive designs that look like absolute pieces of art in recent years. When you're cutting it into a million pieces, using different colors, adding strips of clear grip, slapping stickers on the top ply—the options are endless and it's an awesome way to get creative and make a statement. 

Plan out your design ... or don't! That's the beauty of it. You can draw it freehand, use stencils, print something out to trace ... the list goes on. And again, as mentioned, don't hesitate to grab a blade or scissors and go nuts. Most importantly, it's just fun to do. Get weird! 

5. Swap Your Bushings

Now, this one is sort of next-level skate nerd stuff, but some people are super peculiar about their bushings. For those who don't know, bushings are the small rubber rings in your trucks that basically dictate how your board turns and feels. They typically come in hard, medium, and soft versions. But the question is: Why swap out your bushings?

 Swapping out your bushings can significantly change the way your skateboard feels. Most trucks come with stock medium or hard bushings, which many skaters blindly leave in without a second thought. But switching to softer, squishier bushings can make your board turn more easily, providing a somewhat looser and more responsive ride. Swapping to harder bushings will make your board feel a bit more stiff and stable. 

I will say that one benefit for beginners is that they typically weigh less than older skateboarders, so riding softer bushings can make turning and navigating their board a little easier. But at the end of the day, it's all preference! Regardless, it's a super simple, effective way to customize your board and find that perfect sweet spot for your trucks. Next time you're at your local skate shop, pick a few sets up to experiment. They're typically anywhere from $12–$15. Worth every penny!

At the end of the day, customizing your complete is a rad way to make it uniquely yours, and as we’ve learned, sometimes it’s simply necessary. The point is that you should never be afraid to get creative, get weird, experiment with different customizations, and try out some different approaches. But most importantly, just enjoy the ride.

Head to your local shop and see what they can do for you!