But why would you want to stick a rough material tape on your new skateboard deck? That’s definitely a question we often get in our Hawaiisurf skate shop from beginners or parents of young skateboarders!
This sticky piece is of course the grip tape, often black with several types of grains for the level of roughness; this tape that goes on the top sheet of your skateboard deck is used to prevent slipping during your skate sessions and to make sure the skateboard sticks as much as possible under your skate shoes when you drop into the skate park ramp or grind a curb during a street session at République!
Many brands make superb quality grip tapes, among the most effective are the leaders Jessup and Mob Grip, which offer simple tapes with several board widths, as well as customs and collaborations with skate brands like Plan B, Thrasher, Independent, or Santa Cruz.
In France, we have the small brand "BEBER" which, in addition to making superb Haze wheels and robust Screwhead hardware, offers you its grip tapes with a quality grain that doesn’t wear out your skate shoes too quickly.
For the more "bling bling" ones, opt for the high-end and luxurious quality of the Diamond Supply grip tape collections and the famous hemp sheets as logos or the pro series with big skaters who have put their names on them like Paul Rodriguez, Nyjah Huston, Stevie Williams, and many others...
Sticking a grip or simply changing it requires some technique, so we thought to make a little video for you in our skateboard buying guide where we quickly show you how to change your skate grip and how to choose your grip tape?