Frequently Asked Questions

Width is measured across the middle of the deck and it matters far more than length. Wider gives you more foot room and stability; narrower flips faster.

Rough starting points: 7.75–8.0″ for street and technical skating, 8.0–8.38″ for all-round street and park, 8.38″ and up for transition, bowls and bigger feet.

None of that beats standing on a few. Come in and we will put three widths on the floor — it settles in about two minutes.

It nudges it, it does not decide it. Bigger feet usually end up happier on 8.25″ and up simply because the board disappears under your shoe otherwise. But plenty of size 12 skaters ride 8.0″ because they like how it flips.

What you skate matters more than what you wear. Ledges and flip tricks pull you narrower; ramps, bowls and cruising pull you wider.

Match the truck axle width to your deck width as closely as you can. Too narrow and the board feels tippy; too wide and it fights you on flip tricks.

The usual pairings: 129mm / 5.0″ under about 7.75″, 139mm / 5.25″ for 7.75–8.0″, 144mm / 5.5″ for 8.0–8.25″, 149mm / 5.75″ for 8.25–8.5″, and 159mm / 6.0″ and up beyond that.

Build a board on this site and it will flag the right axle width the moment you pick a deck. It is a recommendation, not a rule — if you want something else, we will build it that way.

Low sits you closer to the board and feels a touch more stable and quicker to flip. High gives you clearance for bigger wheels without riser pads and a deeper turn.

If you are running wheels up to about 53mm, low is fine. Past 56mm you want high trucks, risers, or both.

The millimetre number is diameter. Smaller (50–53mm) is lighter and quicker to get moving, and it keeps you closer to the ground for technical skating. Bigger (54–60mm) carries speed better and rolls over cracks and rough ground instead of stopping dead in them.

For most people skating streets and parks around here, 52–54mm is the sensible middle.

That is durometer — how hard the wheel is. Higher is harder.

99a–101a is standard street: fast and slidey on smooth ground, and buzzy on rough ground. 95a–99a is a slightly forgiving middle. 78a–87a is soft cruiser rubber — it grips, soaks up cracks and is quiet, but it will not slide.

If you are rolling to class on Bloomington pavement rather than skating a park, softer wheels will make you enjoy it far more.

Only if your wheels are close enough to the deck to touch it when you turn hard. That is called wheelbite, and it stops the board instantly.

Rule of thumb: under 54mm on low or mid trucks, skip them. 56mm and up, or soft cruiser wheels, add 1/8″ or 1/4″ risers. Risers also take some of the impact out of the deck, which is why some people run them regardless.

Hardware length depends on whether you are running risers. 7/8″ for a deck with no riser, 1″ with a 1/8″ riser, 1 1/8″ to 1 1/4″ with a 1/4″ riser.

A set is eight bolts and eight nuts. Buy it too short and the nut will not catch properly; too long and you have bolt sticking out under your foot.

A standard sheet is 9″ × 33″, which covers any normal deck with a little to trim off. If your deck is wider than 9″ you want an extra-wide sheet, or two strips laid side by side.

Skate tees and hoodies are cut boxy on purpose. If you are between sizes and want it fitted, size down; for the classic skate fit, stay where you are. There is a size guide with chest and body length on every apparel product page.

Seven parts: a deck, grip tape, two trucks, four wheels, eight bearings (two per wheel), a set of hardware, and sometimes riser pads.

Build one part by part on this site and each slot shows you exactly what quantity goes in, so nothing gets forgotten.

Buying a pre-built complete is cheaper and faster, and it is the right call for a first board or a gift. Everything is chosen to work together and it is ready to skate.

Building it part by part costs a little more but you choose every component, and it tends to last longer because you are not replacing a factory wheel or bearing that was never any good. There is money off when you build a full complete here.

Neither is the wrong answer. It depends on whether you already know what you like.

Yes, and there is no charge for it. Whatever you order gets gripped, trucks mounted and bearings pressed before it leaves the shop, so it arrives ready to skate.

Bought the parts somewhere else, or found an old board in the garage? Bring it in — we will set it up with you.

Tell us and we will set them where you want. Otherwise they go out around the middle, which suits almost everyone, and you can adjust them yourself in about ten seconds with a skate tool.

Looser turns more and feels less stable. Tighter is more locked in and better for speed. Neither is correct — it is preference, and it changes as you get more comfortable.

One skate tool covers everything: 3/8″ for axle nuts, 9/16″ for the kingpin, 1/2″ for hardware nuts, plus the Phillips or Allen driver for the bolt heads. They are cheap and they live in a bag.

Peel the backing, lay the sheet down from one end rather than dropping it flat, and press out as you go. File the edge with the tool or a screw before you cut, score along that line, then trim from underneath.

Or bring the deck in and we will do it while you wait. We have done a few thousand.

They are not essential, but they help. Spacers sit between the two bearings inside the wheel and stop the axle nut crushing them out of line when you tighten it. Bearings last noticeably longer with them.

No, and this is worth knowing before you spend money on it. ABEC is a manufacturing tolerance standard from industrial machining — it measures how precisely a bearing is made at high RPM, not how well it survives being landed on.

What actually matters for skating is build quality, the shield and the lubricant. Plenty of excellent skate bearings carry no ABEC rating at all.

Three signs. It has gone soft and the pop feels dead. The tail has worn to a thin sharp edge — razor tail. Or there is a crack through the layers, usually at the bolts or along the nose.

A soft board is not dangerous, it is just no fun. A cracked one is worth replacing.

Honestly, anywhere from a couple of weeks to a year. Someone skating stairs and ledges every day will snap boards regularly. Someone cruising and learning flat ground can get many months out of one.

Anyone who quotes you a fixed number is guessing.

Completely normal — you slide and push more on some wheels than others. Rotate them: swap each wheel diagonally, front-left with back-right and so on, and they wear back into shape. Do it every few weeks and you will get a lot more life out of a set.

Usually, yes. Pop the shields off, soak them in a proper solvent, work the dirt out, then dry them completely before re-oiling with a light lubricant.

Two things people get wrong: water will rust them, and WD-40 is a solvent and water displacer, not a bearing lubricant — it will clean them and then leave them dry. Bring them in if you would rather not fiddle with it.

Nine times out of ten it is loose hardware or a loose axle nut. Go round all eight bolts and both axle nuts with a skate tool first.

If it is still there, it is usually a bushing that has torn or a bearing that has come apart. Both are cheap. Bring it in and we will find it in a minute.

Try not to. Water gets into the bearings and rusts them, and the plies in a deck swell and soften once they are wet, which kills the pop permanently.

If you get caught out, dry the board off and spin the wheels to get water out of the bearings as soon as you are inside.

Shipping is worked out at checkout based on what is in your bag and where it is going, and you will see the exact cost before you pay. Nothing gets added afterwards.

Orders over $99 ship free.

Yes, and it is free. Choose pickup at checkout and we will have it ready for you at 402½ North Main Street. If you want it set up before you collect it, say so in the order notes or give us a call.

We pack orders on shop days, and most things leave within one to three business days. Once it is with the carrier, delivery inside the US is usually another two to five.

Busy weeks and holidays run slower. If something is time-sensitive, call (309) 590-7588 and we will tell you honestly whether it will make it.

Not at the moment. Everything ships within the US.

Very possibly. The shop floor and the website do not always match, especially on one-off and older stock. Call (309) 590-7588 and ask — it takes us a minute to go and look.

Tell us what it is. We talk to distributors, other shops and collectors every week, and we will tell you honestly whether it is findable and roughly what it should cost. No fee to ask, and no pressure if we turn something up and you change your mind.

We do, and they work both in the shop and online. If you are buying for someone who skates but you do not know what they ride, it is the safe answer — deck width and wheel hardness are personal.

You have 30 days from the day your order arrives. Tell us inside that window and you can have store credit, an exchange, or a refund to your original payment method — your choice.

The item needs to be unused and in the condition you received it, with any original packaging.

No — once grip tape is on, the deck cannot go back. The same goes for grip tape that has been applied.

If you are unsure about a width, that is exactly the kind of thing to call about before you order. We would rather talk you into the right one than take a return.

Usually not, and we would rather say so plainly. A snapped deck is almost always impact, and impact is what decks are for.

Manufacturing faults are a different thing — a delamination, or a crack that appeared without a slam behind it. Bring it in and we will look at it honestly and take it up with the distributor if it is genuinely a fault.

Email cribbies@cribtocrib.com or call (309) 590-7588 and we will sort it out. If it arrived damaged or we sent the wrong thing, return postage is on us.

Email cribbies@cribtocrib.com or call (309) 590-7588 with your order number and what you would like to do. We will confirm before you send anything back. Once it arrives and we have checked it, refunds go back to the original payment method within five to ten business days depending on your bank.

Same 30 days. Bring your receipt.

402½ North Main Street, downtown Bloomington, Illinois. The current hours are on the Visit the Shop page along with a map.

Short hours, one room, one guy — if you are driving in, a quick call on (309) 590-7588 saves you a wasted trip.

Free all-ages sessions at Fairview Park in Normal that we help run with Illinois Humanities’ Envisioning Justice program. There are boards to borrow and people to skate with, and it costs nothing.

You do not need your own board and you do not need to be any good. More about it here.

Come in and talk to us before you buy anything. Bringing a complete you can actually stand on beats an expensive setup built for someone else’s skating.

Then come to a Skate Park Saturday. Learning around other people is faster and much less miserable than learning alone in a driveway.

For under about eight years old, a smaller complete around 7.5–7.75″ is usually right. Above that, a standard 8.0″ complete will last them years.

Get the pads — wrist guards and a helmet more than anything else.

And avoid the department-store board. The bearings and trucks on those are bad enough that kids decide they cannot skate, when really the board cannot.

Ask us. It depends entirely on what it is, so there is no blanket answer — call (309) 590-7588 or bring it in and we will tell you straight.

We will happily set up, tune, tighten, re-grip and diagnose whatever is wrong with your board. Bring it in.