This article is specifically about the best beginner skateboards for adults and other full-size humans.
You can find more options for complete boards in our Complete Skateboard Buying Guide, which has several boards appropriate for beginners.
When you first step on a skateboard, you have a lot of things to think about.
How to make it go. How to stay on it.
How long it will take you to shred like Tony Hawk.
You don’t need to worry about whether your board will function properly or hold up to your newbie practice seshes.
You just need a good, basic first board, something that rolls smooth and gives you enough room to maneuver.
It’s not a big ask, and several companies make boards that provide exactly that.
If you’re just getting into skateboarding, these are our top recommendations for complete skateboards for beginners:
The Best Complete Skateboards for Beginners
1. Krooked Bigger Eyes 8.25
One of our favorite complete boards period, the 8.25 version of Krooked Bigger Eyes is perfect for beginners.
The width puts you right in the sweet spot for riding multiple terrains, while providing extra stability.
The popsicle shape is the shape you want to learn on if you intend to work your way up to tricks.
And the mid-level bearings give you enough speed, without being too fast and racking your nerves.
Krooked boards are simply good entry-level boards. Quality components for the price and a lot of fun to ride.
Note: If you’re shorter than 5’5” or have small feet (smaller than a women’s size 8 or men’s 6.5), you’ll need a narrower width even as a beginner
The 8.0 Krooked Bigger Eyes will give you the same sturdy base the 8.25 gives taller, larger-footed riders.
And you’ll be learning on a more properly-sized board.
Eventually, you’ll probably go smaller, but more width and stability is good when you’re first starting out.
2. Santa Cruz Flame Dot Large
Another 8.25 board, the Santa Cruz Flame Dot Large has a lot in common with the Krooked Bigger Eyes.
Same width with just a slightly shorter length (less than ½ an inch difference).
Popsicle shape.
Mid-level bearings.
Pretty decent components for the money.
Another good entry-level board that offers a very similar ride to our favorite beginner board.
If you’re on the shorter side and need a little less width, the Santa Cruz Classic Dot is the rough 8.0 alternative.
3. Globe Sun City Cruiser
If you are having trouble balancing on a skateboard, a wider base can help a lot.
But once you reach 8.25 to 8.5 inches, you start to enter cruiser territory.
Cruisers are designed for simple, smooth commuting. They are not intended for freestyle or trick riding.
Still, they can be a great tool on your way to freestyle skateboarding by providing you with more stability as you learn to balance and move on a skateboard.
The Sun City Cruiser is within average skateboard length at 30 inches, but has a wider deck than a standard skateboard at 9 inches.
Where many beginner skateboards come with slower (ABEC 5) bearings, the Globe Sun City comes with standard ABEC 7 bearings.
This upgrade gives you a little more speed, while the soft cruiser wheels and wide base keep your ride smooth, making it easier to stay aboard.
The biggest problem with starting on a cruiser (or longboard) is that you’ll have a little adjusting to do if you want to switch to a freestyle skateboard.
That definitely applies to the Sun City Cruiser, which has a classic cruiser shape (pointed nose, no front kicktail) instead of a standard popsicle shape with matching kicktails at each end.
However, once you learn to stand, push, balance, turn, and stop on a skateboard of any kind, it will be easier to downsize to a more freestyle-friendly board.
Best Starter Skateboards for Adults
It might seem counterintuitive, but, as alluded to above, the bigger a skateboard is the easier it is to learn to ride.
That’s because longer, wider decks, paired with wider trucks give a skateboard a sturdier base, making balance less difficult.
It’s also why all of our recommended skateboards for beginners are at the highest end of standard skateboard widths.
If you are looking for a skateboard to commute or just chill about town, you might not want to begin on a standard skateboard at all, but prefer a longboard or larger cruiser.
Drop-through longboards, which sit on lower trucks, and drop-down longboards, in which the decks are lowered even further, are the easiest skateboards to ride, because they have lower centers of gravity.
This makes them the best type of skateboard for beginners and the best skateboards to learn on.
If casual riding is your end goal, you can spare yourself some effort (and a few tumbles) by starting out on a longboard or cruiser and skipping the standard skateboard entirely.
But, if you want to end up on a skateboard eventually, and practice doing ollies and kickflips, stick with one of our beginner skateboards above or below.
Good Cheap Skateboards for Beginners
Hey, we get it. Sometimes price is a major determining factor, and that’s okay.
When you’re first learning to ride a skateboard is definitely the best time to save your money.
Any board that won’t break or warp after a few runs, and functions as it should, is a good enough skateboard to learn on.
If our above picks for best beginner skateboards are a little beyond your budget, try one of these friendlier price-point options instead.
1. Globe Goodstock Skateboard
While it won’t knock a lot of money off the price of your first board, a Globe Goodstock will bring it down a little.
And it will do so without sacrificing a ton on quality.
Globe Goodstock boards come in a range of sizes, allowing you to hit that sweet 8.25 or 8.0 deck width.
Trucks aren’t bad. Wheels aren’t bad.
The main issue with Globe Goodstock boards are the decks.
At higher weights, they can feel a little squishy, something that won’t give you comfort when you’re first learning to ride.
If you’re small enough (up to 160/170 pounds), it’s a good enough board to learn on.
If not, this is not the board for you.
2. Krown KPC Pro
If you’re on the heavier side and looking for a cheap beginner board, you’re going to have to sacrifice some deck width.
Krown KPC Pro skateboards are 7.75 inches wide and have a suggested weight limit of 220 pounds.
The bearings are bad, but you can replace them with much better for around $10.
And the bushings aren’t going to last, but they’ll last for a while.
Just keep in mind, this is still a lower-quality board. You can do a few simple tricks on it, but don’t go wild.
This board is best for just learning to ride.
Still, all in with new bearings, you’re looking at just over $50, about the best deal you’ll get for a complete that is workable.
Best Cheap Skateboards
While you can find plenty of complete skateboards for under $50, the best cheap completes are the higher end completes on sale.
No question.
If you can find a $100 skateboard on sale for $60 or $70, nine times out of ten it’s going to be a far superior board than a board that’s $60 or $70 full price.
With many quality skateboard brands, the deck is the most similar thing.
So, a lot of the price difference goes into the most essential components – trucks, wheels, bearings, bushings, etc.
Another way to get a quality skateboard for under $100 is to build a custom board.
Generally speaking, this is not a cheaper option than buying a complete.
However, when retailers have sales on skate components, you can get a really good deal on some seriously high-quality parts.
Catch the right sale, you can put together a complete board with upgraded trucks, wheels, bushings and bearings for $75 to $80.
This is, by far, the best deal you will get for your money.
Custom Made Beginner Boards
If you are interested in building your own skateboard, you’ll need a little knowledge of skateboard components.
Check out our article Skateboard Anatomy: How to Build a Board to get started.
