Luckily for you, everything that’s required to fix, replace and adjust all the components of your set up is available in one skateboard tool…

From Sidewalk Basics – Autumn 2013

The skate wrench comes in many different shapes and sizes but is essentially the same regardless.

Most skate wrenches will be comprised of 4 main components:

1)    Kingpin adjustment: this will be the largest gauge socket on your skate wrench and is used to tighten or loosen your kingpin. Tightening it will make the trucks turn more stiffly, whereas loosening it will make you turn more easily.

2)    Wheel nuts: this is the medium sized socket and is used to tighten or remove the wheel nuts holding your wheels onto your truck’s axle.

3)    Truck bolts: this is the smallest socket on your tool and is used to adjust your trucks bolts and is used in conjunction with number 4.

4)    The allen key/screw bit – this is used with number 3 to tighten or to remove your truck bolts. Most decent skate tools will have both an allen key and a screw head attachment to cope with both types of truck bolts.

The two other main tools that you will need are a file and a griptape knife. These are used to grip your deck so it’s worth buying your own just to be used with griptape, as your parents will be less than pleased if you start using your mum’s favourite breadknife to cut through griptape.