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How to Prevent Wheel Bite on a Longboard

Prevent wheel bite from occurring while riding your longboard, in order to reduce the possibility of a painful fall. Wheel bite happens when the deck touches the edge of a wheel, which is caused by extreme turns and weaving. Accessories are available for adding room between the deck and wheels, as well as different longboard wheel sizes. Modifications to the deck's shape can also eliminate wheel bite, allowing you to ride without fear of this dreaded routine killer.

Things You'll Need

Skate tool
Phillips screwdriver
2 risers
4 small longboard wheels
Protective gloves
Protective glasses
Electric sander

Instructions

- 1
  Tighten the wingnut on both your trucks with a skate tool. The tighter you set your trucks, the less the board will lean. Tighter settings can reduce the chance of wheel bite as you ride.
- 2
  Purchase risers from your local or online skateboard shop, and place them between the deck and the trucks on your longboard. Remove the two trucks by unscrewing each of the eight mounting screws, while holding the skate tool over top each appropriate nut. Guide the riser over each of the mounting screws, and then replace the trucks.
- 3
  Purchase small longboard wheels and replace the larger variety you are currently using. Unscrew each truck's wheel nuts with a skate tool, and slide the old wheels off the axles. Slide the new wheels on, and then replace the wheel nuts.
- 4
  Sand the underside of the longboard deck at the points that come into contact with your wheels. Put on your protective gloves and glasses, and then sand the area that your wheel usually rubs against. This space is generally right on the edge of the deck, on either side of the mounting holes.
- 5
  Purchase a longboard with wheel cutouts. Some shapes are designed to where the area of a deck that would come into contact with a wheel is completely removed. This option requires no additional sanding or modification to the deck or hardware.

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