Does Skateboard Wheelbase REALLY Matter? 

What’s your perfect wheelbase?

As someone who is 6 foot 3 inches, the two boards that have been the most comfortable and helped me progress the most are the Andy Anderson Heron and the Anti Hero Orange Eagle (both 15 inch wheelbases). There is a lot of truth in the wheelbase / height theory for sure!

Ofc it matters, #1 reason is feel fit and comfort, #2 reason is purpose as if you want to do more flip tech street skating or cruising or transition skating..

you're such an underrated channel, W vids

🤔The wheelbase will not effect the pop angle...? Only the tail length will do that. Wheelbase greatly effects the front foot drag, post pop pendulum point and such as well the nose weight feel and of course turning radius and stability at speed, rotational (shuv) ease etc. but the angle the board is when the tail hits is dependent on the tail length and angle, truck axle position (brand) and truck height. Am I wrong here?

I’m glad you made this video!! I’ve been battling this my whole life. I’m 6’3 225lb. Size 13 shoe. From years of skating 7.75-8.0’s as a kid. To returning to skating now, and trying to choose the right set up. I’m gonna go broke, buying decks and trucks trying to find that sweet spot. Currently on a 8.5 14.45 wheel base. Idk…I’m starting to spin out, not sure if I wanna move up to a 9+ width yet.🥵

I just got on the 8.75 Egg after not skating for 16 years. I love it, addicted

Nerding out about skateboarding. I love it.

Im really impressed with your ability to switch up boards. I've ridden the green giant and the blue meany and theyre the reason i switched to shorter wheelbases a few years ago. Im 6'1" and im 3/4 legs but those two boards still felt sooooo heavy. Compared to you, i skate slower and dont pop as high so i dont think I'm in need of that extra board length. Every once in a while i flick after the end of my board, but its rare. And at slower speeds the short WB makes everything still feel fun.

I'm already having serious madness lately and this made me think I need a longer board. I'm 6ft and over 200 lbs. I thought shorter boards would be easier to flip but now I think I may need a longer deck with a longer wheel base because of my size. I'm gonna run up to the board shop today and see if I can't get this all figured out. haha. Great content!

I just moved up to an 8.125 deck with a 14 inch wheelbase. Being like 5’6-5’7, it’s perfect. All the size 8 decks I skated had a 14.25 wheelbase and it felt like I had to work harder on most tricks. The board is great for flat ground/technical skating if I skate a lighter truck and I have more landing room now. It also rotates easier for 180 tricks and stuff like 360 flips.

I could watch and listen to you slide and grind for ages. 6’5” here. Last year I was riding a lot of 14-14.25 decks. Workeable but eventually felt a bit too small. I’m now on a trip towards longer wheel bases. I’ve started on 14.5 and will be there for a while before moving to 14.75 and 15 to see how I like it.

At 5'9 i was skating that same orange antihero with the 15 wb, but didnt feel fully comfy, i measured my old board which i loved and funny enough, it had a 14.5 wb which is supposed to be the best for my height, set it up again and i love it

So an interesting follow up to this video might be the Opera Sam Beckett boards. He has two 'Melt' and 'Dover' which are the same shape I believe. But they have a 14.5 OR 15 inch wheelbase. Could be fun trying both and seeing how it affects things! not sure how you'd grip it though :D Side note, really enjoy the chilled vibes of your videos and the music choices you pick.

Thank you for making this video! I’m 6’3” and wear a size 14. I love the wider boards, but the wheelbases on these boards have me frustrated. I just got a Chems Wheelbase Mod Tool and have been hesitant to use it, but I’m going to extend my wheelbase now!

That's a vert/ big bowl board for me 😂 keep up the good work Leon

Idk of WB affects the angle of your board when it pops. Thats the fingers of flat between tail and truck and the shape of the tail. It does affect all the other things you said though. Great video as always.

I dont know if I agree with your explanation. Most boards are close to the same length, so a shorter wheelbase will mean that the nose or tail will be longer. A shorter tail will give you more power as it takes longer to snap to the ground. If you want the same power from a longer tail, you will need to make the tail steeper.

Just wondering how the wheelbase can modify the angle when you Ollie? 🤔 In my opinion, the length of the tail does.

Man. Skating pretty tech on that behemoth. I had the blue meanie and skated indy 159. What width and brand trucks are you skating on that? I thought maybe Thunder 161? Thanks.

can you do a review on high trucks and low trucks for example like thunder mids vs independent highs

The Green Giant is one of Anti Hero's best all-terrain boards. Works especially good on transition. Hopefully, they keep it in production for years to come.

when I wonder about thinks like this, I always try to imagine extreme situations. like, how good would you be able to turn with a longboard, compared to a mini skateboard and how would ollies go? so, yeah... the longer the wheelbase, the slower the turn, but more stable on straights, while a short board will be much more snappy when popping, than a long board.

I come from surfskate, so im used to 10" boards. I want a skatepark board mostly for transition, grinds, gaps, and bowls, but also to learn basic tricks, maybe small stairs and rails. I'm 5'9 80kg and 39eu feet. I think 14.5" WB, but should i get 8.75" wide or more like 9-9.2?

This great show has surprised my person with quient wave...

Are you using the Indy stage 4 on this board? How wide are they?

Not sure if anyone has mentioned already but you could look at extending the wheel base on ya fav egg's using a wheel base jig? ie. Chems

You should try ace trucks they feel really good on long wheelbase boards I’m riding some ace 55 classics on my 9in popsicle with a 15in wheelbase and it feels super snappy and I get really high pop on it I think you would like it

I'm 6 feet tall but I'm pretty skinny, shoulders and hips aren't very wide, I just switched to a 14" wheelbase and a 31.5" board and so far it's feeling real nice. I think the width of your shoulders and hips def make an impact as well!

I'm trying to find a good wheelbase for myself. Just got back into skating, and I'm (give or take) 5'11", have Size 13 shoes (can technically wear Size 12, but there a bit too snug for my feet), and 200+ pounds (trying to lose weight, especially the belly fat lol). Can't decide if my wheelbase needs to be 14", 14.25", or 14.50". I'm also want to try bigger boards like an 8.5, but I want to learn more flip tricks. So, I'm thinking of getting 8.25 decks, but I'm not quite sure if it's right for me.

Maybe he ment ur board pops a wheely too easy if tall on a short base. Seems like alot pf people rocking bigger boards these days. Im just learning and 6'3. Started with a 8.25 amd stsrting to feel decend but def like am 8.5 under my feet. Is it beat to starter smaller to learn tricks and then move up when comfortable?

I'm 6'4 and weigh 212lbs and I've been debating on getting a 9" antihero since they have a 15" wb. I know we've talked in messages on IG but I want to stay with thunder lights or standards. I ride 8.75 as of now. Should be too bad to move up a little. But my question is did you feel like you had to pop harder riding a set up like that? 15" wb on thunders?

I was watching a video n thought of this one. Have you ever tried the Powell Flight JM Duran Slidewinder 9.0? Length : 34.7" Wheelbase : 17" Twin Tail: 6.75" It's a downhill board, but it might be fun for you to jam on at your height, especially since you've tried the wideboy n more out the gate models.

im 6'3, i was looking at Anti-Hero Gerwer Grimple Asphalt Animals 10.0 Twin Nose Shape, 33.23 in long with a 14.62 wb. Anti-hero is made at BBS same as Heroin but not egg

Interesting. Thanks. I’m 6’ and ride a 14.5’ WB. I’m not a big fan of 14.25’ which is pretty standard these days.

Chems has a tool that you can use to redrill your wheelbase however you like it. If you got the 3/8 version and lengthened both ends by 3/8 you'd probably find those egg boards perfect.

Ben Degros explained wheelbase in a few videos really well a few years ago on his RU-vid channel . He is around my height (188cm) and he is quite comfortable with 14 inch wheelbase as I am (we started skating in 90s on 7.75 boards with less than 14 inch wheelbase, I guess our brains and muscle memory got wired into that). You forgot to mention that trucks also offset the wheelbase (Thunder and Venture extend it the furthest). I found that my most comfortable wheelbase is 43-44cm from axle to axle, anything bellow that makes board more flipier but less stable to land and everything above 44cm makes it harder to pop, spin and turn. Thunder and Venture gives you about half an inch more wheelbase than Indys, while Ace, Theeve and Destructo gives you less, Tensor is about the same as Indys (ATM and Low Maglight versions).To get the same wheelbase as 14.5 inch with Indys, you'll need 14 inch deck on Thunders or Ventures or 15 inch on Aces. It might be also that the weight affects the wheelbase because we are much skinnier than you and Cordono, because it affects the center of weight and balance overall.

I actually do prefer a longer wheelbase…. 14.5 to 15 is my comfort zone.. I don’t do flip tricks just grinds and slides so I don’t need to have a shorter wheelbase.. I have a few decks that are shorter but they do , like you said, feel squirrelly.. fun to ride once in a while but not my everyday …

I’m 6’3, I don’t really mind smaller boards or shorter wb but I do have some bigger ones in the queue. I do like 15” wb on transition

i bought a 13.5 inch wheelbase and that was the most comfortable deck i ever rode. it’s hard to find decks around that size

Hmm technically, a shorter wheelbase does not necessarily make the angle of the board at the tail popping. It's the length of the tail, kicktail angle, and the ride height which is decided by the axle height and wheel diameter. But it does affect the FEEL since there is more material out farther at the long end of the seesaw, and these boards will generally be longer overall as well.

it matters SO much, I'm short and got short legs but I got big feet, so I really like a 8.5 board with a 14 inch wheelbase, which unfortunately is very rare

Check out the black label 9.5” “crutch” egg. It’s 32.5L and 14.5 wb. Not quite the 33x15 you’re looking for but gives me a bit more room on the deck than the heroins I’ve skated.

It matters for sure. Id been on 14.5 forever and got used to it but some things are really hard for me. I went down to a chocolate and girl boards with 14.375 and noticed flip tricks on flat and down things were way more massive and bolts with less effort and nose slides worked better. I went back up to 14.5 though as I can’t find any 8.5 inch with 14.375 wheel base in a mellow popsicle shape

I guess i need to try a wider and longer board. I feel like some times when i ollie my foot likes to land way far up the board. Fpbut for. Iw i got a a Crailtap couch board and its for sure a good feel coming off of a 8.25. My local skateshop sells 9" popsicle shop blanks in should give the, a whirl. I just have been always riding the same board but i never thought to look at wheel base and i didnt know indy trucks sit in more.😅

How steep the board is when you pop doesnt necessarily depend on the wheelbase but the length/steepness of the tail and flat space between bolt holes and start of the kick. If its two boards pressed in the same mold, have same length kicks but with different wheelbase, its gonna be a different angle.

AntiHero also had the blue meanie that could suit your needs ?

Check out anti hero cardiels huffer shape too. True egg, not symmetrical but 14.8” wb

Ride an 8.25 board, 14"wb, and sadly 31.9 long (im 180cm height), the board its super light but i think its tu shirt for me, and other board is a deathwish 8.475 with 14.5wb, and it feels super secure on slides and grinds, but it feel pretty heavy, so yo skate less it took a lot of energy at the nd of the day

Just got the grimple stix by anti hero gerwer egg. 10” wide, over 33” long, 14.66 wb

A board’s wheelbase is the most important consideration for me. Deck length, board width and the like is completely secondary. Wheelbase dictates how a skater stands on the board in relation to the trucks. For my skating, i prefer and 8.75 a 9.00” deck with a 15” wheelbase. Anything above or below even by 0.25 inch is a hindrance for me

i actually just ordered the anatomy of a wide boy and some independent 215s but just as you mentioned i may be swapping them for some 181 thunders if i can get ahold of a pair unless slappy drops a 10 inch truck

Independent has many wheelbases depending on the model. Its not good idea to think there is one indi wb. But generally I agree.

Wow, lots of tall skateboarders in the comments. Another 6'3" one here, and I ride the Anti Hero Orange Crusher, 15" WB and 9.10 at it's widest point. The trucks you ride can alter your wheelbase a little bit too, that factor that in ( I ride Ace Classics, which will shorten the overall WB 'feel' thru the geometry).

My Heroin egg board has a 14 and a half wheel base. And my smaller egg from another company is 14 inch. Eggs are fun.

I love my space egg 2

Bro look up the grave digger vx board by creature has a 15 inch wheel base it’s light and skates lovely

Check black label too, they have big boards, eggs, big wb

Anti hero makes a 10” symmetrical egg with a 14.6 wheelbase

Damn 9.75 bro is skating surfboards 😳 How does he flip such a huge board I skate a 7.75 deck and I am 6’2” Say it with me the smaller the board the less effort to flip the board

14" wheelbase gang represent.

33x9.5 with 15wb symmetrical egg shape? is that what you're looking for?

Drill ur own wellbase to what u like

Wait? Is there some kind of French influence on skateboarding? Wheelbase for vehicles for the rest of the world is from the center of the front axle, to the center of the rear axle. Why be different?

I actually prefer tre flips on a square tail

100000% it does. Width doesn’t matter as much

You got thunder and Indy backwards. Thunder shortens the wheel base and Indy widens your wheel base

Anti heros are the best for me being 6foot 2

Wow man,it's look like plane carrier

When the Paxton speaks. Y’all listen

I like 13in wheel base you can flip the board faster swear to god

You know you could just ask Chris from Death Breath to make you the perfect board… Just saying 😜

Scooter kids 😑

I’m 6’ tall and 15” wheelbase is the magic number for me. The orange 9” Antihero is a go-to popsicle for me and the Heroin Mutant Eyeballer 10.25” is my favourite shaped deck, both with 15” wb. Anytime I try a smaller wheelbase it just feels dangerous for me haha