When skateboarding first started, all skaters really needed was their board, a pair of really short shorts, and maybe a pair of shoes.
As time went on and skateboarding developed, more and more skateboarding accessories came out that either made skateboarding easier or just more enjoyable to do.
Now even though there’s a lot of things that you can buy to make skateboarding even better than it already is, there’s also a ton of stuff that’s pretty much a complete waste of money.
In this post, we’re going to go over skateboarding accessories that absolutely no one should buy.
It seems like every other day, there’s a new skateboarding accessory or toy that comes out that literally 0 people in the world need.
9 times out of 10 they’re designed by someone who doesn’t really skate, and their sole purpose is to trick parents who don’t know any better into wasting their money.
I don’t like bashing on companies because, at the end of the day, everyone has to eat.
With that said, over the years I’ve just seen way too many kids waste their money on useless skateboard attachments that they didn’t really need, so I felt like it was my civic duty to make a post about it.
Plastic Kicker
So the first item on the list is a plastic kicker.
Almost every skateboarder out there has been unfortunate enough to skate one of these at some point in time, and any seasoned skater will tell you that they’re a massive waste of money.
Not only that, but they’re actually pretty dangerous.
First, the ramps are super light, so they slide around easily. This might make transportation easier, but it’s not what you want out of a ramp you’re skating.
Next, the plastic is known for sticking up and catching your wheels, especially after you’ve been skating it for a while.
Even though you might have a few fun sessions where you get to ride off of it and experience what it’s like to get about 10 inches of air, I can assure you, eventually your wheels are going to catch.
Also, these types of ramps break really easily. This means that even if you find a way to keep the ramp from sliding and stop the plastic from sticking up, there’s still a chance that your wheel will just break through the middle of the ramp while you’re skating it.
If you want to buy a kicker or some other type of ramp to skate in your driveway, just pay a little more and get a good quality one. I promise you it’s worth the extra money.
Bearing Cleaning Kit
Next up we have a bearing cleaning kit.
I think I might’ve cleaned my bearings once when I was about 14, but I definitely haven’t done it since, and they’ve always worked just fine for me.
I’m not saying that bearing cleaning kits don’t clean your bearings, because honestly, I’ve never used one.
I just find it hard to believe that cleaning your bearings makes that much of a difference, and even if it does, you can most likely clean them just as good with things you already have around your house.
It’s definitely satisfying to have some nice clean bearings, but it doesn’t make them much better from a functionality standpoint, so it’s kind of a waste of money.
Most bearing cleaning kits are only $10 to $15, which isn’t terrible. However, considering a new pack of bones reds is around the same price, you’d be better off buying a new set than spending the time and money on a cleaning kit.
Skater Trainers
Number 3 on the list are skater trainers.
Skater trainers are basically just pieces of rubber meant to go around your wheels to help you practice skating flat ground without the board moving.
At first glance, it seems like it could be a good product, but most people would be better off without them.
If you’re not comfortable enough on a skateboard to learn tricks moving, or even just stand on a board stationary, you probably shouldn’t be worrying about learning flat ground tricks in the first place.
Trying to learn how to do flat ground tricks on a skateboard before you can comfortably ride around is a lot like not knowing how to ride a bike and trying to learn how to bunny hop.
It makes way more sense to get comfortable riding a board and just cruising around before you start to try to learn tricks.
After all, what’s the point of learning a ton of flat ground tricks if you can’t do them moving?
If you really don’t want to wait that long and you want to practice skating flat ground without moving, you can easily just cut a hole in some old tennis balls and it pretty much does the same thing.
Griptape Cleaner
The 4th thing that no skater should buy is grip tape cleaner.
In the past, I used to love using grip cleaner because I would skate a lot of dusty spots and I liked having clean grip tape. However, I’ve come to realize that 99% of the time you don’t really need it.
Most of the time dirty grip tape works just as well as clean grip tape, the only difference is that it doesn’t look as good.
Not only that, cleaning your grip tape can actually make it wear down faster, which usually isn’t a good thing. Since you’re essentially rubbing a piece of rubber up and down your board, you’re pretty much wearing down the grip the same way a shoe would.
In the end, you might have grip tape that looks a little nicer, but sometimes it doesn’t even work, and it can also wear out your grip way faster.
With all of that said, if you still want to clean your grip, keep in mind a lot of grip tape cleaners can be overpriced. A good way to save money is to buy a sanding belt cleaner for a few dollars cheaper, which is basically the same thing.
Cheap Flat Bar
Number 5 on the list is a cheap flat bar.
Now without naming names, let’s just say there are a few companies out there that make really cheap flat bars that are pretty much designed to finesse new skaters out of their money.
I will say that I don’t hate cheap flat bars nearly as much as I hate plastic kicker ramps, because at least you can usually get some use out of them, but I still wouldn’t recommend them to anyone.
These flat bars might have some good reviews from parents who don’t know any better, and they might even hold up pretty well for the first few months, but I promise you pretty much any flat bar under $200 isn’t going to last.
These kinds of flat bars either slide around when you skate them, they eventually start to bend in the middle, or they just get super wobbly over time.
They can be good when you’re first learning since you’re probably only going to be doing boardslides anyway, but for an extra hundred dollars, you can get away better rail and will last you for years.
I recommend Transformer Rails, that’s what I have and I can honestly say they’re the best premade rails I’ve skated.
They’re heavier so they don’t slide around as much, you can flip it around to skate it in different ways, and they just have an overall solid build to them.
Shock Pads
For number 6 we shock pads.
Shock pads are similar to riser pads. They’re both supposed to give you a bigger gap between your board and your wheels, which can help prevent getting wheel bite when you skate.
The difference is shock pads tend to be softer, and are also supposed to help reduce impact to your board when you’re skating.
The problem that I have with shock pads isn’t that they give you a bigger wheel gap, because that’s definitely true. It’s more so with the idea that they’ll actually affect the impact of your board, which I feel like is more of a gimmick than anything else.
In the past I tried using shock pads, and I didn’t notice any difference when it came to the impact I felt both when I was skating down something or just cruising on rough ground.
Even many pros who are known for jumping down big gaps don’t use shock pads, which is a prime example of how they don’t work.
Unlike some of the other things I’ve mentioned, shock pads aren’t a complete waste of money since they will prevent wheel bite, but the idea that they help with impact is mostly a sales tactic.
With that said, even the most expensive shock pads only cost a couple of dollars, so it’s really not the biggest waste of money. I just think most people are better of without them.
Nose / Tail Guard
The next skateboarding accessory that’s a waste of money is nose and tail guards.
I just found out recently that these even existed, and it’s one of those things that kind of just make you lose hope.
Basically, nose and tail guards are pieces of rubber that you put onto your board to stop it from getting scratched. They also conveniently make it way harder to skate, since it’s virtually impossible to pop your board when they’re on.
From what I can tell, these are kind of like those things you put on the corners of furniture when you have kids in your house. Except rather than being used to protect kids, these are made to protect your board from getting scratched, even though that’s literally what the board was designed to do.
I like to think that most skateboarders would know better than to waste their money on this, but if for some reason you’re considering buying it, please just do yourself a favor and spend your money on pretty much anything else.
I genuinely think there are certain things that you can buy that will help your skating, and just make skateboarding more fun in general.
With that said, there are definitely a ton of things that are complete wastes of money, so hopefully, this post helps you avoid some of them.
If you want to buy some things that might help your skating, check out my post on the best skateboarding accessories. I promise the things on that list are way better than the things on this one.