Random Questions for Shop Owners/Workers...

[Snappyfingers]

I’m hearing rumors about cases of bearings (wholesale) going from about $290 to $440 because of tariffs. Can anyone confirm?

Dave from Bluetile posted this today on his facebook.

[Jort250]

Do yall notice spikes in sales of certain product after a video is released? Or conversely after a Ben D/dad board/whatever YouTube review?

[GripTapeGoblin]

(1) What is the most common deck size you sell?

(2) What is the most common wheel size?

board size: the 8.3 and 8.5 range is the most common for sure

wheel size: 54's is by far the most common wheel size been seeing more and more people buy 58's and 60's within these past couple years

[Mbrimson88]

I’m hearing rumors about cases of bearings (wholesale) going from about $290 to $440 because of tariffs. Can anyone confirm?

This as well:

[mendo]

saw a video of yuto showing his setup and says he skates an 8, wonder if hes big enough to have any notable influence on sales of 8s

[Sedition]

Just a follow up…now in later 2025…

(1) What are the most common deck sizes you sell?

(2) What are the most common wheel sizes?

[breezy_again]

8.5 56mm

[Mbrimson88]

.

It was 8.75 for a while, but I think 8.5 is about it right now by a hair.  Even 8.38 is pretty close, but some of the 8.38s are pretty much 8.5 anyway, at least that's how I ride them and sell them to people who want a little bit lighter 8.5 board, almost all DLX wood too, but a few other BBS brands. Some 8.25 loyalists as well still keeping with what was their most common size for a long time, but I think I move twice as many 8.5 / 8.38 boards as anything else.

Wheel is maybe 54 mm, but even the 52 mm wheels are making a comeback again after people find that most other wheels are too big again now, pretty much only Spitfire Formula Four as well, some 53 but not a whole lot else.


If we had a bit more broad scope, it would be 8.25 through 8.38, 8.5 to 8.75 (mostly skipping 8.6 though) and wheels 52, sometimes 53 but more commonly 54 mm, with the occasional 56 or bigger, but not too many now.  For some reason people just don't like 55 mm wheels - can't move those things at all, even in good shapes and graphics.

Just to add, trucks - pretty much Thunder 148 and 149s in various styles, but Indy and Venture are also in there, mostly in the 8.25 and 8.5 widths of all trucks really.  People even ride 149s on 8.75 boards a fair bit too, even though I have the trucks match any board I am on, eg 159s on 8.75 boards.

[JM]

Guess no one wants to drive… Fifty-Fiiiiiiive.

Interesting about larger wheels. But also not really: there’s a lot of giant wide wheels in skate videos, and they are better for street skating.

Also, 8.5-8.75 being most popular? And 8.25 not the hot item anymore? Very interesting. But again, not really… wide boards are more fun. 

[144p]

8.5 by a landslide, but 8.25 is next. All the other sizes are in small increments, maybe 8.3 then 8.75/9. I s a few smaller boards but it doesn’t equate to much.

Wheel size has come down recently, was 56 and up but lately 53/54. Radial full has fallen off but most people still want a conical shape.

[Mbrimson88]

.

To add, I think the people who do ride the 9" or who ride big wheels, 58 or 60 mm wheels, of which I do sell a good number, just don't buy them half as often as far as I can recall.

Most people go through their 8.5 boards every month or so, along with their smaller to medium size wheels, so maybe those people are also skating a whole lot more as well.  I feel like the bigger boards, just like the bigger wheels, seem to last longer as well, or maybe those people just don't skate as much.

[Sedition]

Bumping this again in mid-2026 just to see how trends are going these days….


(1) What are the most common deck sizes you sell?

(2) What are the most common wheel sizes?

[Ghost Face]

8.25 and 8.3 are still the most popular

54mm but 55/56mm is gaining traction for sure.

[Fast_Freddie]

8.5 & 54mm are heavy hitters here, and a lot of people here skate twin tails.  55/56 in wide width are becoming more popular as well

AH, BAKER, DW, REAL & Shop Twin Tails are the heavy hitters for Decks
Spitfire or Bones wheels... lots of dragon/soft slider users

[GnarAlarm]

Employee gripping your deck for you is only acceptable if you're a child.
Asking the employee to grip your deck for you is like asking the waiter to cut your steak for you.

[TwisT]

Employee gripping your deck for you is only acceptable if you're a child.
Asking the employee to grip your deck for you is like asking the waiter to cut your steak for you.

I love for someone else to put my board together for me. If I'm buying a Christmas complete from a shop, I don't expect them to assemble it, but I think the offer should be on the table. I think this whole "grip it yourself" thing is accepting a downgrade in customer service for everyone and takes away from the skateshop experience.

[Mbrimson88]

.

Around 8.5 deck and 54 mm wheels, Formula Four 99 duro mostly, various shapes.

It really does vary though, but there is a lot more interest in wider boards in general, although it is a bit more random, eg someone who is currently riding an 8.75 was asking about a bigger board the other day, but not quite 9" so something around 8.8 or so might be a winner.

When I say around 8.5 that will often include DLX 8.38 too, cause that is almost 8.5 wide, or the blue eagle shape, which is actually 8.5 in the China version of it, so some people are more interested because of that, as the China 8.38 is more like 8.3 and not almost 8.5 like the BBS version.

Probably too much info there, as usual.

Sorry.

[scab]

Employee gripping your deck for you is only acceptable if you're a child.
Asking the employee to grip your deck for you is like asking the waiter to cut your steak for you.

What if I ask the shop guy to grip a deck for my child?

[Sedition]

Probably too much info there, as usual.

Sorry.

Nope. IMHO, you answer questions better than most...lots of context, and I love that. Much respect.

[propaganda]

Employee gripping your deck for you is only acceptable if you're a child.
Asking the employee to grip your deck for you is like asking the waiter to cut your steak for you.

would never ask them to but I feel like they always offer. I think they just be bored. feel like im crushing their dream telling them no but if I don’t im a forget how

I let em if it’s busy or im in a bad mood, they’re just faster/better.

[rawbertson.]

my friend working at the shop seemed bummed that i did not grip my own board. He shouldn't have offered then! 
I normally do it myself but I am not picky about it at all. I use the dullest knife ever and probably looks terrible

[Sedition]

Employee gripping your deck for you is only acceptable if you're a child.
Asking the employee to grip your deck for you is like asking the waiter to cut your steak for you.

When I worked at a shop, I loved doing set-ups for newbies, and teaching them how to do it. If a random local wanted me to do it, I flatly said no. But this was the ‘90s, and you could get away with that a bit more than you could today.