As you keep riding the same board, the tail gradually wears down until it reaches what's called "razor tail." Many of you have probably noticed that tricks start to feel different once your board gets to this stage. But what's really happening here?
Summary
Rebound Force, Not Angle, Defines Razor Tail's Impact
Although the tail angle changes, this small shift does not explain why tricks feel different. The real culprit is the rebound force, which decreases with the cube of thickness. As the tail thins, rebound drops dramatically, weakening the board’s responsiveness.
Weaker Pop and Rotation Reduce Board Control
A razor tail absorbs energy instead of transferring it. When the tail hits the ground, the rebound force falls to about one-quarter of its original level. This leads to weaker pop, reduced rotational energy, and less grip on the front foot—making tricks feel sluggish and unstable.
Angle of the board
We are comparing a new board, a used board, and one with a heavy razor tail. When placed on the ground, you can see that the worn tail creates a steeper angle. At first glance, it may appear to be a big difference. Still, actual measurements reveal that the angle changes by only about 1.5° each. Could you tell the difference between these boards? Most likely not.
Rebound Force
For skateboards, just like any other material, rebound force scales with the cube of its thickness. That means the board's rebound force doesn't decrease in direct proportion to the number of layers it lost, but rather declines at an accelerating rate.
Imagine an 8-ply deck that has worn down into a razor tail. The tail gets thinner toward the edge, so let's approximate the average thickness as five layers. In this case, compared to a brand-new deck at 100%, the rebound force falls to roughly 24%.
Impact in an Ollie
First, when you pop the tail with your back foot, the razor tail flexes more than usual. On top of that, the wood fibers have been weakened, so a substantial portion of the energy is absorbed rather than transferred through the rest of the board.
When the tail hits the ground, the rebound drops to about one-quarter of its original level. As a result, the board's pop becomes noticeably weaker.
And it's not just about vertical lift. The board's rotational energy also decreases, leading to less grip against the front foot. Even if you try to slide up your front foot, the board fails to stay with it.
Normally, the tail rises because of the difference in velocity between the nose held by the front foot and the board rising upward. However, as the board's rising energy wanes, no amount of front-foot effort will be enough to lift the tail.
What to do
Unfortunately, razor tail is inevitable. The more you skate, the more the tail wears away. But you can slow down the process. Avoid using the tail as a brake. Instead of dragging it on the ground, try slowing down with your back foot or by powerslides.
