Everything you need to know about Wheelbite

Every experienced skateboarder knows it: An annoying syndrome called Wheelbite.

But what exactly is Wheelbite?

Wheelbite occurs when your wheels hit the deck. This can either happen with regular steering, or with the increased force when you land a trick off balance and you're putting too much pressure on the toe or heel side of the deck.

What then happens is that the rollers on the deck get stuck and your board stops suddenly and abruptly even though your body is still in forward motion, which at best forces you to get off the board, at worst and depending on your speed it happens often to a fall.

What influences Wheelbite?

To put it simply: the greater the distance between your wheels and the deck, the lower the probability of Wheelbite.

The higher your axles are, or the smaller your wheels are, the less likely it is to trigger Wheelbite.

This is one of the reasons why you should never ride low axles with wheels over 52 millimeters in diameter. Normal or high trucks usually reach their limits from 55 millimeters, above that you should think about using riser pads to increase the distance.

Another factor is your weight and how hard or soft you drive your trucks. The heavier you are and the softer you have adjusted the trucks, the higher the probability of a higher impact when steering and, in turn, Wheelbite.

Last but not least, the width of your board increases the likelihood of wheelbite. The wider your truck, the longer the hanger's lever and the faster your wheels will hit the deck.

What can I do to avoid Wheelbite?

Wheelbite is a phenomenon that can hardly be avoided 100%. But if you are plagued by Wheelbite more often than you would like, here are a few small tips:

Avoid low trucks.

Adjust the size of your wheels.

Make your axles a little harder or use harder bushings.

Use riser pads.

Look for a deck with Wheel Wells. Wheel wells are milled out areas on the underside of the deck that create more space, so your wheels don't reach the deck until later.

Grow your deck under the axes. Usually you have small marks on the underside of the deck where you can see exactly where the role touched the deck. If you apply some conventional skate wax here, Wheelbite won't prevent it, but the wheels won't get stuck quite as quickly and you can use it to avoid one or the other fall.

And then of course there's the ultimate, not-so-serious tip against Wheelbite: Land your tricks cleanly ;)