One of the fastest-growing alternative sports is the art of the freestyle scooter. This is a fun and fast-paced sport that raises adrenaline and requires a lot of practice and skill to perfect.
Once you get the basics down, most people want something superior to a traditional, pre-built scooter. This means building your own design with performance in mind so that you can create a perfectly tailored scooter for your style and needs.
Envy is a well-known brand of skate accessories, including a wide variety of different scooter elements as well. They offer a wide line of different scooter decks that have slightly different specifications and can be found with a wide range of different skins for personal taste.
The AOS V4 is an oil-slick deck that has an integrated headset. It is 4.92″ wide and 21″ in length, providing a nice, wide base from which to do tricks and other maneuvers.
The deck is constructed from heat-treated aluminum, which gives it extra strength and durability. At less than $200, it is good value for your money.
The biggest complaint of this model is the length, as there are freestyle scooter riders who prefer longer decks. Despite this, we still deem it as one of the best scooter decks.
Lucky Scooter is a popular and trusted maker of performance and high-quality scooter accessories. The company makes a wide line of different decks and other components needed to construct a pro scooter for freestyle riding.
The Stinger is a lightweight deck that provides 14″ of foot space. It is 19.5″x4″ giving you a nice footing that is still narrow enough for more advanced tricks and those that require more precision.
The Stinger has a built-in Lucky Steely brake and a Lucky Suppressor silent braking system. This means it will stop on a dime and do so smoothly and quietly. It is available in three different colors wide and anodized finish that is durable and tough, as well as being eye-catching.
At around $150, this is an excellent performance-driven deck that is suitable for the beginner and expert alike. It is an integrated unit that comes with a headset and bearings as well.
The biggest complaint is that this deck is not as solidly constructed as some of the other options in this review, but for the price, most people are perfectly satisfied with the quality.
Madd Gear is another popular and much-loved brand of skate and scooter-related accessories.
Like Envy, they have a wide line of different deck offerings that are tailored to different preferences and for different levels of performance.
The Madd VX5 MFX is a performance deck that is used by even professional riders. It is well designed and fits great with a variety of different headsets, allowing for enhanced customization. It is available in three different finishes and is of great value at around $150.
One of the biggest downsides of the MFX scooter deck is that some say it is a bit on the heavy side, which can make it less functional for smaller riders.
Razor is a high-end maker of scooter and skate parts and accessories. It is known for providing a good balance of cutting-edge technology and solid trusted construction.
It is a good blend of value and quality and the entire line of Razor decks is well received by scooter riders of various skill levels.
Phase Two is constructed from the highest quality, aircraft-grade aluminum, creating a deck that is strong, lightweight, and can handle the action it will need to withstand.
This is an integrated option, so it has an integrated headset and a head tube. The head tube boasts an 83° angle, giving you more control. This deck fits pretty much any scooter that has 110mm wheels, making it versatile as well. Phase Two also includes a brake and rear wheel kit.
The biggest downside of this scooter deck is that some people had a little difficulty getting the peg in the head tube, but documented no issues once assembly was complete.
What Should you consider before you buy a scooter deck?
Often called pro scooter riding, this new alternative or extreme sport has seen a boom in popularity over the last decade. Many people like to build their own pro scooter as they can tailor it to their budget, needs, and even their taste in design.
There are many elements involved in building a freestyle scooter, but perhaps the most important is having the best scooter deck, on which we will focus.
Scooter decks are the base that you ride on when doing freestyle scooter riding. Decks come in a wide range of options that include varied lengths, widths, construction materials, and even different grades of concavity.
In addition to these elements of consideration, you must also choose between scooters with an integrated or non-integrated headset. An integrated headset comes ready to use, and the bearing and headset come already installed on the deck.
Conversely, non-integrated headsets are those where the headset and bearings are sold separately; this allows the rider to customize these elements of the scooter as well.
What Scooter Deck should I get?
Depending on your budget and your scooting level (beginner, intermediate, or pro), you should select the best that suits you. For example, the envy and lucky scooter decks are more for pro scooter riders rather than for kids without expertise. On the other hand, the Razor Phase two is more for kids who want to start to ride.
What are the Best Scooter Decks?
The decks we recommend here, are pretty much what we believe are the best scooter decks for us. We made this list to help you with your buying choice.
What are the Lightest Scooter Decks?
This is a link to a short video where it gives you a hint on what to choose if you want the decks to be lightweight.
Verdict
Freestyle scooter riding is a fast-growing alternative sport that has dramatically spread in popularity. This has led many teens and young adults to take a deep interest in this sport and has created a whole new market for products.
Many people prefer to build their own pro scooter as it allows them to choose the best parts that meet their needs and budgets. The models we described here cover a wide range of options and functionalities.
We reviewed options that are best suited for beginners (tips on scooter riding here), those that suit the expert rider, and those that are simply an all-around good value and can work for riders at a variety of skill levels.
