Complete Skateboard vs Building Your Own: Which Is Right?
Beginners: buy a complete. A factory-assembled board from a real brand rides great, costs less and skips the guesswork. Build your own once you know your preferences and want to fine-tune deck, trucks, wheels and bearings to taste. Custom builds cost more but let you dial in exactly the feel you want.
Every skater eventually faces this question: grab a ready-made complete off the shelf, or hand-pick every component and build a custom setup? Both are valid, and the right answer depends entirely on where you are in your skating. This guide lays out the real costs and trade-offs so you can decide with clear eyes — no gatekeeping, just what actually makes sense.
What a complete gives you
A complete skateboard arrives fully assembled: deck, trucks, wheels, bearings, grip tape and hardware, all matched and mounted, ready to ride out of the box. The upsides are speed, simplicity and value — a brand complete is often cheaper than buying the same parts separately, because it's assembled at scale, and you skip every decision about compatibility. For most people starting out, that's exactly what you want.
Why beginners should buy a complete
Here's the honest truth: as a beginner, you don't yet know what you like. You have no reference for whether you prefer harder wheels, lighter trucks, or a wider deck — those preferences only form after months of skating. Building a custom setup before you have them means guessing, and often guessing wrong. A quality complete gives you a well-matched baseline to learn on, and teaches you what you'd change next time. Start with a beginner complete and skate it until you have opinions.
What building your own gives you
Once you know your preferences, a custom build lets you dial in exactly the feel you want: the specific deck width and concave, trucks tuned for your turn, wheels matched to your terrain, and premium bearings. You also get to replace parts individually as they wear, rather than buying a whole new board. It's more expensive up front and requires assembly, but the result is a board that's truly yours.
The cost comparison
Rough numbers: a solid brand complete runs $60–$120. A custom build of comparable quality typically lands at $110–$180+ once you add a deck ($50–$70), trucks ($40–$70/pair), wheels ($30–$45), bearings ($15–$22), plus grip and hardware. So building costs more — but every part is exactly what you chose, and future replacements are piecemeal rather than wholesale. For a first board, the complete wins on value; for a considered second setup, the premium can be worth it.
How to build one (when you're ready)
Assembling a board is straightforward and a rite of passage. You'll need a skate tool, grip tape and hardware. The order: grip the deck and trim it, poke the mounting holes, bolt on the trucks, press the bearings into the wheels, and mount the wheels. It takes twenty minutes the first time and five thereafter. Our hardware page has every part you'll need.
The verdict
Buy a complete if you're a beginner, you want the best value, or you just want to skate today without fuss. Build your own if you know your preferences, want premium or specific parts, or enjoy maintaining your gear piece by piece. There's no wrong choice — plenty of lifelong skaters happily ride completes forever, while others wouldn't dream of it. Start where you are, and let your skating tell you when it's time to build.
