Skateboard

ACTA's skateboard range runs to eight complete boards, four in street and four in surfskate, all designed in Soorts-Hossegor. They ship built up, deck, trucks, wheels, bearings and grip tape included, nothing to bolt on when the box arrives. Free delivery from 70 €.

Street or surfskate

A street skateboard gets pushed along by foot, slides across a module and is built for learning tricks, at the skatepark or on a street spot. Surfskate works differently. Its articulated front truck lets you pump and carve without putting a foot down, with a feel borrowed from surfing. The four street boards are 79.95 €, the four 31″ surfskates 129.90 €. The surfskate vs skateboard article compares the two boards in detail, and how to pump on a surfskate walks through the pumping motion.

Skateboarding in the city

“Urban skateboard” comes up a lot in search but doesn't match a category in the catalogue. ACTA sells neither cruisers nor longboards, so nothing here is built to eat up miles of pavement. On clean tarmac and short trips, a street board does the job, the Complete Monster 7.75″ for instance, manoeuvrable enough to weave between pedestrians. Once the route stretches out and the corners keep coming, a surfskate like the Timber V2 31″ gets more comfortable, pumping keeping the board moving without pushing off the ground. The technique is covered in how to surfskate.

Deck width, from 7.5″ to 8″

Three widths sit side by side on the street side. The Complete Wordart 7.5″, the narrowest, flicks round fast and rewards technical riding. The Complete Memphis 7.75″ and the Monster sit in the middle, an all-rounder width for everyday street. The Complete Geo 8″ gives the most room underfoot, which helps bigger shoe sizes and taller riders. Shoe size and riding style matter as much as the number printed on the spec sheet.

Starting out with a complete board

No deck to pick on its own, no trucks to match up, a first purchase is settled in one order. Our beginner skateboard buying guide runs through what to check, and its counterpart, the beginner surfskate buying guide, does the same job for the four 31″ boards, Timber, Horizon, Seaweed and Foam. A helmet and pads matter as much as the board itself, both found in protective gear and accessories, where the Motion helmet and the skatepark pad set are both 34.90 €.

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between a street skateboard and a surfskate?

Street gets pushed along by foot and is built for tricks, on a module or in the street. Surfskate adds an articulated front truck that lets you carve and build speed without putting a foot down. One is built for the skatepark, the other chases the curve.

Does ACTA sell urban skateboards?

Not under that name, and not as a cruiser or longboard, both absent from the catalogue. For riding around town, a street board is enough on short trips and smooth ground, a surfskate feels more at home once the route gets longer.

Which skateboard should I choose to start out?

Skatepark riding and tricks point towards a street board, from 7.5″ to 8″ depending on shoe size. Fancy carving and chasing a surf-like feel, the 31″ surfskate suits better. Both beginner buying guides cover the rest.

Does ACTA sell freestyle skateboards?

Not in the sense of the old-school discipline and its specific tricks. The catalogue covers street, surfskate and the ramp for working on the first modules at home.