Skateboarding is one of the most fun activities whether you do it for transportation or recreation. It can be tempting to try to go as fast as possible on a skateboard, but you should know what your board can handle. So, how fast can a skateboard go?
Standard skateboarding speeds fall between 5 and 12 miles per hour on flat ground. However, you can reach speeds up to 30 miles per hour or more when you skate downhill and 40 miles per hour going down a mega ramp.
When skating at higher speeds it is important to toss on your helmet, knee pads, and elbow pads. This will protect you if and when you fall, especially if you experience speed wobble. Follow along as we explore how fast a skateboard can go.
How Fast Can a Skateboard Go on Flat Ground?
Skateboards can typically only go 5-10 miles per hour on flat ground. You can go as fast as 12 miles per hour on flat ground if you push enough, but only if you have enough space. It’s much easier to maintain a fast speed if you skate on flat pavement and concrete.
How Fast Can a Skateboard Go Downhill?
The world record speed on a skateboard is 89 miles per hour set by Kyle Wester, however, this is not your standard skateboard, it was more like a skateboard longboard combination.
On your standard skateboard, speeds downhill can reach between 30-40 miles per hour. It is very unlikely to go faster with standard skate wheels and skateboard decks. Skateboards are designed for skateparks and casual riding more so then reaching high speeds.
It’s also possible for wheels to pop off of the trucks when skating too fast downhill. Things heat up, bolts break, and wheels can even shred away to nothing.
What’s the Average Speed of Skateboarding?
The average skateboarding speed is 9.7 miles per hour or 15.6 kilometers per hour. This average includes street, park, bowl, flat ground, and downhill skateboarding. Skateboarding is considered faster than running as the average person runs 6.5-8 miles per hour.
What Affects Your Skateboarding Speed?
Your board size, wheels, trucks, and bearings all affect your skateboarding speed. Bigger wheels between 52 and 56 millimeters are the best for skating bowls and ramps as fast as possible. However, smaller wheels offer more speed when you skate on flat ground.
The surface that you skate on also affects your speed. Cracked asphalt can slow you down with each bump in some cases. You will generally skateboard much faster on concrete or pavement. Skating downhill will also naturally add more speed than skating on flat ground.
What’s the Fastest Recorded Speed on a Skateboard?
The fasted recorded speed on a skateboard is 89.41 miles per hour. Kyle Wester set this record in Colorado when he skated downhill faster than anyone ever had before. It’s important to note that it’s considered unsafe to skate fast downhill because it’s difficult to safely stop and there are typically cars on the road.
Like I mentioned earlier his board is not standard and the wheels are also larger, take a look for yourself in the video:
Is Skateboarding Faster than Longboarding?
Longboarding is faster than skateboarding in most cases. You will typically go 8-12 miles while on a longboard. Some skateboarding setups are faster than longboards, especially decks that are 8” wide and have small wheels. However, longboards are faster on average than skateboards.
Longboards are designed to reach higher speeds and you can read more about longboard speeds here.
How Fast is Skateboarding Compared to Biking?
Biking is much faster than skateboarding in almost every scenario. The average bicycle can go 25-28 miles per hour or faster in the right conditions. Granted, not every bicyclist rides that fast, but bikes are better built for speed than skateboards.
Is it Dangerous to Go Fast on a Skateboard?
It can be dangerous to go fast on a skateboard because it’s harder to control your motion. That makes it harder to veer out of the way if you need to dodge obstacles, such as pedestrians and even cars. You should only go fast on a skateboard if you aren’t going to be in the way of traffic and if you know how to stop.
How Do You Slow Down When Skateboarding?
The easiest way to slow down when skateboarding is to press your back foot on the tail. Lean your weight backward and lift your front foot off of the board when the tail touches the ground and you slow down. Grab the nose of your skateboard when you come to a stop. This is only a good way to stop when you are going slow, not down a hill.
Once you get more experience, you can also slide to a stop. To do this, simply shift your weight to your back foot and kick back without lifting either of your feet. This isn’t as fast and it takes some practice, but it’s a fun alternative to quick-stopping. Basically you are drifting to stop and you have to sort of lift your weight for a quick second.
The easiest way to stop on a skateboard is to just lightly drag your foot on the ground and hop off the board. This is how you can stop if you are going slow, just keep your balance and you will be safe.
If you are jetting down a hill on skateboard, you wont be able to stop. If you reach certain speeds on a skateboard going downhill you can’t stop in that moment, you are either going to have to ride out the hill or jump off the skateboard. This can be extremely dangerous as you do not want to continue to gain speed downhill.
Should You Wear Protective Equipment When Skateboarding?
Yes, you should wear protective equipment when skateboarding, it is recommended. Helmets are the most mandatory piece of protective gear you should wear. Elbow pads and knee pads are a great idea as well, especially if you are a beginner and if you plan to skate downhill.
Your first instinct when falling off of a skateboard is to put your arm out, so it’s important to protect your elbows. Some skateboarders don’t wear full protective gear when simply cruising. However, it’s essential to wear a helmet and full pads if you skate bowls, ramps, and rails.
I know, professionals don’t wear safety gear, but guess what? They are PROFESSIONALS, they are the best in the world. Don’t follow what they do because skateboarding is hard and very easy to fall and get hurt.
Learn all you need to know about skateboard apparel in our guide: What To Wear Skateboarding (The Ultimate Guide)
How Can You Make Your Skateboard Faster?
Spitfire wheels are among the most popular on the market, and I use them exclusively. They offer perfect traction and control without sacrificing speed. Look for Independent Trucks to increase speed and Bones bearings if you want a fast and reliable setup.
Wheels are a very important factor when it comes to speed. Just like any rolling sport, skateboarding, roller blading, and more, the harder the wheel the faster you go. Wheels are measured in durometer, most wheels for skateboarding are between 75a and 100a. The lower the number the softer the wheel, the higher the number the harder the wheel.
If you are looking for a faster skateboard you can always try electric skateboarding, you can read our electric skateboarding post here to learn how fast they go and what the fastest options are.
What Are Some Skateboarding Tips to Go Faster?
The easiest way to go faster when skateboarding is to push. You will continue to speed up if you push more. Bend your knees and push as much of your weight down on the board with your front foot near the front bolts and back foot right before the tail. Pumping and swerving back and forth can also make you go faster. You pump when going down a ramp to gain speed.
What is Speed Wobble When Skateboarding?
Speed wobble in simple terms is when you gain too much speed and your board wobbles back and forth causing the rider to lose complete control, resulting in an accident. It is possible to recover from speed wobble quickly, but it is very unlikely.
What actually is happening is that back wheels and trucks wobble but the front trucks remain straight. This causes your board to shake/wobble and it’s difficult to maintain control. Make sure that your trucks are tight before you skate fast because really loose trucks are not good for fast speeds, it can cause speed wobble.
Weight distribution is crucial when it comes to speed wobble too, often too much weight is on your back wheels, to recover and reduce the chances of wobbling you should distribute more weight to the front by leaning forward.
Final Thoughts
The average skateboard can go 5-12 miles per hour. Downhill skateboarders can reach speeds up to 85 miles per hour. Choose bigger wheels if you want to go faster when skating bowls, ramps, and parks. However, you should consider small wheels and an 8” wide board if you want to skate fast on flat ground.
Nick Durante is a professional writer that primarily focused on action sports. Skateboarding and Longboarding are his particular areas of expertise. When he isn’t writing about action sports, he is catching up on the world of skateboarding and spending time outside.