Can You Skateboard In The Rain? Tips For Skateboarding In Rain

Think for a bit, it is raining outside. You are out with a skateboard under your feet. Riding with exhilaration, joy and a fresh mind. Breeze and rain drops touching you and the wind intensifies when you speed up the riding. And suddenly you fall off the board ! 

How will that be? Not such a good experience, right?

But what if you managed to ride without falling off? It would be a seriously enjoyable experience I assure you. But is it possible?

We skateboarders are very fond of challenges and adventure. We can do anything for pleasure with our board.

So when the question arises on Can you ride a skateboard, longboard or pennyboard in rain, the answer for adventurous skateboarders would be definitely, yes.

Let’s describe the topic elaborately-

Can You Ride Skateboard In Rain

The answer is yes, you can skateboard in the rain. It is definitely a fun ride. You can do tricks in the rain, dance with a skateboard in the rain , even do a backside lipslide on the stair handrail.

In Fact a pro skater named Pat Duffy successfully did it before. Thrasher magazine ran a pat Duffy contest also to check which skateboarder’s can Lipslide in rain. Mark Gonzales, Ronnie Creager and Marc Johnson also did the same tricks in the rain with their skateboard. 

But they are pros and they like adventures. It doesn’t mean you should also do tricks in the rain. So it is strongly prohibited to do tricks in the rain for beginners and newbies. 

Decision to skateboard in the rain actually depends on how you love your skateboard stuff. It is sure that your skateboard will get ruined or at least slightly damaged if you ride it in rain.

Consistent riding in rain may damage your wheels, bearings and deck as well as wear off the parts of your trucks. So, mind it before getting ready to skate in the rain.

Most importantly don’t forget to take necessary safety measures before going for a ride. Wear a strong skateboarding helmet, waterproof knee and elbow pads and non-slip high top skate shoes to protect your head, feet and elbow from injury.

Why You Shouldn’t Ride Skateboard When It Rains

Let me answer the query in a very simple way. You should not skateboard in the rain if you love your skateboard so much. Because rainwater will speed up the damnification of your skateboard. It may cause your skateboard to be damaged in such a way, you wouldn’t be able to fix it. It may

• Cause the bearings to get clogged while riding resulting in a sudden halt. It may cause you to fall off the board resulting in knee injury.
• Rain water prevents the wheel from spinning well. Due to water on the road, no matter how much water stands on the road, it will slow down the wheel’s normal spin. It can cause hydroplaning resulting in wheel slip and imbalance the board and you lose control
• Rain water causes the truck’s components such as kingpin, washers, and bolts to get rusted soon. It may get broken if you continue riding without proper treatment
• Rain water may get into the deck layer damaging the glue that is used to attach maple wood ply together. Water causes the deck wear off fast
• Rain water, if it gets inside the grip tape, it peels off the tape upside down which is a huge problem. Rain water makes the upper part of the grip tape slippery causing the rider to slip on the board.
• If you run over the mud on the road then your wheels, trucks and bearings will get jammed by the sand particles. You must immediately wash the elements

Moreover, you may fall off the board while riding in rain if roads are slick. Some say they don’t get traction while riding in rain as wheels lose their grip reducing the speed. 

So, overall you should not skateboard in the rain if you are a beginner. For pros, answering may be different because pros don’t follow the rules. They make it!

What To Do When Your Skateboard Gets Wet

If your skateboard gets wet then you should take the necessary action to prolong its life span. Your skateboard can be exposed to water due to riding in rain, riding the board with wet shoes or any other way. Whatever the reason, you should take the follow measures afterward:

1. You need to take off the bearing first and rinse it with a towel well. Use special bearings cleaners to wash out the sands and mud from bearings. Take some bearing cleaning solution on a small bowl and dip the bearing into it for a while. Then rinse it well.

After that lube the bearings well for better spin. Doing so will make your bearing last long otherwise it may get rusted and damaged.

2. Take the wheels and clean it with soapy water. Wheels are made of polyurethane material so no need for a special treatment. 

3. Take off the trucks and disassemble them. You need to seperate kingpin, washers and bolt. Rinse them well with clean dry cloth. If mud or sand particles get into trucks, brush them away using a soft toothbrush. You should keep trucks clean and dry every time your skateboard gets wet. Otherwise truck components may get rusted.

4. At last take the deck and wipe it with dry cloth. Deck is made up of several maple wood ply joined by epoxy glue. Sun heat would damage the joint and make the deck peel off.

So, don’t dry the deck in direct sunlight. Because it may disjoint maple wood layers. If your deck is made of plastic or fiberglass then there is nothing to do. Just rinse it with cloth, and keep it in a dry place.

Places To Skate While It Is Raining

I have discussed why you should not ride in the rain. Now what to do. If you are passionate about skateboarding like me, you can’t distance yourself from skateboarding. On top of that, if it is raining outside, your adrenaline would force your mind to skateboard. 

If the situation prevails then  you may go for one of the few alternatives.

You can take your skateboard and go to an indoor skate park when it rains. Indoor skateparks are covered upward, so water doesn’t get into the park. But one may feel uneasy about going to a skatepark when it is raining.

In fact, who will get into a car or any other means of transportation, and go to the skatepark in the rain!

In that case what you can do is, you can practice skateboarding in the storeroom, basement garage or any places where rain water doesn’t get in. 

How To Protect Skateboard From Rain

If you want to protect your skateboard from rain and water you can make it waterproof. But how to make a skateboard waterproof?  

Easy to do so. 

• You can change the wooden deck and replace it with a plastic or fiberglass one. If you don’t want to change it then spray fixative spray throughout the deck or use sealer to make it waterproof. 
• You can use rain wheels. Rain wheels are special types of wheels that prevent water from causing any damage to wheels. 
• For bearings you may use plastic shielded bearings. The plastic shield prevents water from entering the bearing.
• Trucks are strong. It can survive in water. You just need to paint the trucks well to make it waterproof and dry it up after finishing the riding.

Can You Ride Penny Board In Rain

Throughout the article I have talked about can you skateboard in rain. Now a question may arise, what about the penny board. Can I ride a penny board in the rain?

First of all let me describe the penny board in short. Penny board is a short plastic skateboard. Trucks, wheels and bearings are all similar to the regular skateboard, just the deck is plastic made. 

When it comes to answering the question about riding a penny board in the rain , the answer should be yes. You can penny board in the rain. Rain water can’t damage the deck as it is plastic made.

In the case of wheels, bearings and trucks it follows the same consequences as the skateboard mentioned above. You may take prevention as mentioned earlier to protect them.

Lastly

You can ride in the rain if you are a professional rider and adventurous. Otherwise it is not wise to skateboard in the rain. And keep in mind that, never ever go for downhill riding during rain. If you do so then a major accident is waiting for you.

Keep yourself and the surroundings safe. I recommend not to risk the safety of you and others out of excitement.

Related Articles:

• Turn On Skateboard
• Cleaning off Shoes
• Drift vs freeline skating

Sources

• Sidmartinebio
• skateboardingtransworld