Are you familiar with the origin of the term “razor tail on a skateboard”? This is because they frequently leave cuts or other damage behind when they hit you.
A simple collision may completely derail your skating session if you have a razor tip, and I still have the scars from previous sessions on my cheek and ankle.
You are not interested in causing pain to yourself, but more importantly, you are reluctant to hurt the people close to you. If you fall off your boards and send them flying at another person, you must ensure it will not cut them if it comes into contact with them.
Related: When should I replace my skateboard deck
When skateboarders’ tails scrape, they produce razor tails more quickly, and when you combine it with all of the popping you do about your board, you will get a squeezed sharp edge.
The Most Common Reasons for Razor Tail
Skating will, at some point or another, give you a razor tail on a skateboard, regardless of whether you want it or not. You will inevitably cut your bottom when performing tricks, attempting manuals, or both. Yet, if you know the factors that cause razor tails, you will easily avoid them.
Tail scraping
The dragging or scraping of the tail is the most common cause of razor tails. Scraping your razor tail on the skateboard is a classic technique for looking cool while braking, but if you do it frequently, the layers on your tail will wear away much more quickly than you had thought.
As you scrape your tail on the board, there is a greater possibility that the board will chip; a chipped panel with such a sharp edge may eventually cause injury to your legs.
The act of placing your weight on your rear foot and allowing the tail and nose of the board to drag just on the ground is known as tail scraping. Although it is fine to do so on occasion, you should also make use of other methods to bring your board to a stop.
Popping with your board
If you want to learn tricks as a skateboarder, one of the things you have to accomplish is popping with your board. Your tail will scrape against the ground when you pop, which will become compressed due to the pressure.
When you first start, you will likely scrape the tail rather than pop when performing tricks. Nevertheless, as you become more skilled at popping, you will find that it rubs your tail less frequently.
How to Prevent Skateboard Razor Tail
If you want to avoid razor tail on a skateboard, you must avoid scratching your tail for as long as possible. You can purchase protection goods, but the best method to prevent it is to learn many different braking techniques. Let us look at the numerous preventative measures you may take to avoid acquiring a razor tail.
Tail Guards
A tail guard is exactly what you require if you despise razor tail and would like it to end once and for all. Your tail will be protected from having to be filed down if you have a tail guard. However, I would only advocate obtaining one for cruiser boards.
The tail guard contributes additional weight, making flip tricks and general control more difficult. In addition, you will need to drill a hole and screw the brackets into place; if you fail to be careful, the board you are working on may also develop pressure fractures.
I suggest placing carbon fiber just on the bottom of your ordinary skateboard if you are considering purchasing a tail guard.
Suppose you are considering purchasing a tail guard. Because carbon fiber is both lightweight and robust, it will provide your board with protection for a significant amount of time. It is also common to refer to tail guards as skid plates.
Heel Brake
When I need a lot of speed to complete the feat, the heel brake is the one that helps me the most. You achieve this by extending the toes of your non-dominant foot outward and allowing your heel to scrape against the ground. This causes your speed to decrease, but you now ruin your shoes instead of scouring the tail.
You need to employ additional braking strategies in addition to this one if you do not want the shoes to get worn out as quickly as well.
Foot Brake
The foot brake is the most frequent method of slowing on a skateboard; it is primarily used when you are moving at a great velocity and have to slow down, when you have to make an abrupt stop, or if you are going to turn soon with an excessive speed.
Putting the foot that is not your dominant one on the floor and adding pressure until you have either lost speed or stopped moving altogether is how you do it.
Your shoe will wear out faster if you brake with your feet, but you can try putting pressure on different parts of the shoe to distribute the wear more equally.
Power Sliding
The most awesome technique to slow down is to power slide; when you power slide, you will not damage your tail or shoes, but you will damage your wheels.
When you skate quickly, you can do a maneuver known as a power slide, which requires you to begin by moving your balance to your feet while sliding at a 90-degree angle, putting the majority of the pressure on your back foot.
Stopping with a power slide is a sophisticated technique; if unsuccessful, you may catch your tires and fly off the track. At this point, the wheels will only be harmed; nevertheless, you must be careful not to do this activity too frequently.
Your wheels will eventually wear down to the point where they have flat areas. When you start getting flat patches on your tires, it is usually time to obtain new wheels if you want to learn more about how to tell when it is time to alter your wheels.
Jump Of
If you are in a position to do so, jumping off is the best alternative you have. When you use any other techniques, you end up wearing down the gear, but when you jump off, none of your equipment suffers any harm.
If you travel at high speeds while riding, you should apply typical braking pressure. Nevertheless, you should consider jumping off the board.
How to Fix Razor Tail?
I kept skating my first board until it no longer had a popsicle form. I only realized how much pop the board had gone once I bought a new deck, and then I started looking for razor tails. The worst razor tails I have ever experienced was when I got aboard.
Let us have a look at some of the several ways you may fix razor tails.
Sanding and wooden filling
Once you seem to have a razor tail on a skateboard, there is a greater possibility that it will crack or chip; as a result, you need to take immediate action to address the issue; fortunately, there is a solution not too difficult to implement.
Sandpaper can be used to smooth down any jagged edges that may be present on the tail; if you have a sanding block, this process will go much more quickly.
After shaving down the board, apply wood filler to any chips or cracks and then use clamps to keep the board from delaminating.
Bear in mind that the more often you do so, the smaller your tail will get, and eventually, you will have to acquire a new deck because of this.
Does Razor Tail Affect Your Board’s Performance?
When it refers to performance, having a razor tail on a skateboard is a negative trait. It is time to purchase a new deck when the razor tail gets to the point that you are left with a squarer board; if your board reaches this point, it usually has a lot of additional deck wear.
You will experience a loss of pop when you have a razor tail; despite this, it is still feasible to perform a wide variety of tricks; nevertheless, the pop is superior if you do not have a razor tail.
If you want additional information about how to tell whether it is time to replace the deck on your skateboard, go here.
FAQs
What is a Razor Tail on a Skateboard?
Razor Tail is a term used to describe the condition of the tail of a skateboard deck that has been worn down to a sharp point.
How does Razor Tail occur on a skateboard?
Razor Tail is caused by the constant scraping of the tail of the skateboard on the ground during tricks, especially on hard surfaces like concrete. This grinding causes the wood fibers of the tail to break down and wear away.
Why is Razor Tail a problem?
Razor Tail can make the skateboard harder to control and can cause it to slide out from under the rider. It can also damage shoes and clothing and make tricks more difficult to perform.
How can Razor Tail be prevented?
Razor Tail can be prevented by using tail guards or “rails” on the underside of the tail of the skateboard. Additionally, rotating the position of the skateboard when doing tricks can help distribute wear more evenly across the tail.
How can Razor Tail be fixed?
Razor Tail cannot be fixed and the only solution is to replace the skateboard deck. It is important to replace the deck before Razor Tail becomes too severe and begins to affect the performance of the skateboard.
What kind of skateboarding is most likely to cause Razor Tail?
Razor Tail is most likely to occur during street skateboarding, as opposed to vert or ramp skateboarding. This is because street skateboarding involves more grinding and sliding on hard surfaces, which wears down the tail more quickly.
Conclusion
Skating the same board for an extended period makes it impossible to avoid developing a razor tail on a skateboard. Nevertheless, if you use wooden filler, clamps, and sandpaper, you can fix your razor tail.
If you wish to repair the razor tail, you have to remember that the tail will become too short, and then you will have to replace the deck. This is an inevitable consequence of repairing the tail.
You will experience a decrease in pop if you skateboard with such a razor tail; the change will not be drastic, but the pop will be noticeably reduced. If you wish to stay clear of razor tail, you will have to use every available braking means.
Skating should not be put on hold because of something as insignificant as a razor tail, yet even with that flaw, the board is still highly skate able.
You will acquire a razor tail more quickly if your tail scrapes a lot, but all skaters eventually get razor tails, and in the end, you will need to purchase a new board.