Slip tape for skateboards
A not very popular accessory for skateboards is known as slip tape.
Slip Tape is a sheet of clear tape that goes on the underside of your skateboard to protecting it from grinds and usual wear and tear.
There are a few smaller skate shops online that make the case for its use however we feel there is a strong reason this fad has never taken off.
Skateboarding is an abrasive sport and signs of wear are a notch on a belt towards achievement.
Many other sports have similar practices. Smashing the backboard in basketball.
Similarly in cricket when a ball leaves a red splotch on the bat after impact the mark is called a ‘cherry’. I was told that in Australia kids often congregate around a bat after a match claiming their ‘Cherry’ marks.
Skateboard scratches are a sign of tough love.
Should you buy it?
There are many bold claims from the occasional slip tape supplier. Many of these are largely unproven such as that it ‘stiffens the board for more response’.
One site made the claim that it also reduces wheel bite. This is flatly untrue since you are only adding an extra layer which decreases the distance between your deck and the wheels.
If you want to reduce wheels bite you should be considering riser pads.
It may preserve the graphic on your deck for longer but for big grinds it probably won’t help.
If wax is not working recover an issue on your slides, perhaps you could perhaps consider slip tape.
Otherwise, we say – give it a miss.
Slip tape is like that frustrating layer of plastic you decide to leave on after you buy a new phone. Rip it off and be free of it.
