2006–2012

Community Growth Era

The Community-Growth Era: YouTube, Bearing Wheels, and a Global Scene

Forums, YouTube & the rising standard

Forum signatures, camcorder edits, global mail-day envelopes, and the rising setup standard.

Kingpin EditorialJune 27, 20267 min readThrough the Years: Era by Era

Video sharing took fingerboarding global, bearing wheels and dedicated trucks raised the hardware bar, and wooden decks became the standard for serious riders.

This is the era the scene went global without ever needing a storefront. YouTube and expanding forums carried fingerboard footage worldwide, and the hardware finally caught up to the decks — bearing wheels and dedicated trucks turned wooden setups from a niche craft into the community standard. The hobby was still underground, but it now had a global audience.

Part of a series

This is one era in Fingerboard Setup Trends Through the Years. Each page covers the spirit of a single era — the gear that defined it, why it trended, and how to read setups from that period today.

Chapter 01 · The spark

Why it trended

Distribution and hardware improved together. Video let riders anywhere watch lines and tutorials, which accelerated skill and brand visibility, while the arrival of performance wheels and purpose-built trucks made wooden setups genuinely ride better. Together they pushed wooden decks past plastic toys as the obvious choice for anyone serious about tricks.

A fingerboard flip trick performed by hand — the kind of clip shared online as the scene went global.

Chapter 02 · The makers

Who popularized it

Blackriver launched its trucks (BRTs) in 2010 and opened its Berlin shop the same year; FlatFace's bearing-wheel line (the G-series) made performance wheels accessible; and dedicated urethane wheel brands emerged from Portugal — Oak Wheels (V1 launched 2009, hand-made by Ricardo Lopes in Porto) and Yellowood (trademark registered 2007). These milestones come from the brands' own pages.

Brands and makers of the era

Blackriver (1999) — Continued scene leadership; launched Blackriver Trucks (BRTs) in 2010; opened Berlin shop 2010.¹
Berlinwood (2002) — Established wooden deck brand; continued producing 5-ply maple decks as the scene's wooden deck reference point.²
FlatFace Fingerboards (2003) — US brand popular for bearing wheels (G4, G5, G6 generations) and as first US distributor of Blackriver ramps.³
Oak Wheels (2007 (concept) / 2009 (V1 launch)) — Portuguese urethane wheel brand; V1 launched 2009; hand-made by Ricardo Lopes in Porto.⁴
Yellowood (2007) — Portuguese fingerboard brand; trademark registered 2007; introduced premium exotic-wood decks and Ytrucks.⁵

Archived Yellowood truck product image. — Yellowood/YTrucks archive imagery supports the hardware-expansion story. Wayback capture: 2015-09-05.

Chapter 03 · The gear

The gear that defined it

Wooden decks became the standard for serious riding. 5-ply maple construction was typical. Berlinwood's popsicle shapes were a common reference. FlatFace released multiple deck generations before pausing production in 2006 and refocusing on wheels.

Deck sizes: 29mm was popular for much of this era; 32mm began gaining ground as a wider option. Community sources note 32mm 'seemed too wide' to early riders, indicating 29mm as the prevailing standard in this window.
Trucks & wheels: Blackriver Trucks (BRTs) launched in 2010 — a major hardware milestone. FlatFace G4 bearing wheels (originally designed 2007, updated 2009) gave riders performance urethane. Oak Wheels V1 urethane launched 2009 from Portugal. FlatFace began distributing Oak in 2010.

FlatFace G-series bearing wheels in frosted clear urethane with exposed bearings, from the official FlatFace storefront. — FlatFace's G-series bearing wheels — the accessible urethane bearing wheels that helped define this era's performance step-up (current storefront image of the ongoing line). FlatFace storefront

Archived Oak Wheels product image. — Oak Wheels imagery sits with the chapter where bearing wheels and urethane became real comparison points. Wayback capture: 2013-10-23.

Chapter 04 · The scene

Community moments

YouTube enabled global video sharing of lines and tutorials, and community hubs grew alongside the Fast Fingers world championship. Secondary trading still happened on forums via PayPal-and-thread — there was no dedicated fingerboard marketplace platform yet, even as the audience scaled internationally.

YouTube enabled video sharing of lines and trick tutorials, accelerating skill spread and brand visibility. Fingerboard Weekly launched in 2008 as a community hub. Online forum trading was the primary secondary market. No dedicated fingerboard marketplace platform existed; PayPal + forum threads were the norm.^6, 7, 8

Archived Blackriver product teaser image. — Blackriver's archived product imagery bridges the event infrastructure and hardware growth of this era. Wayback capture: 2013-03-05.

Young fingerboarders gathered around obstacle tables at a 2008 convention booth. — A 2008 convention crowd around the obstacle tables — proof the scene had gone from bedrooms to public gatherings.

Chapter 05 · Today

Reading this era's setups today

Setups from this window are the first that read like modern ones: wooden deck, dedicated trucks, bearing or urethane wheels. Width was in transition — 29mm was prevailing while 32mm began gaining ground — so stating deck width and wheel type (plastic vs. CNC bearing vs. urethane) genuinely helps buyers compare. As always, describe parts and condition rather than implying rarity or value for any particular generation.

A pair of Oak white urethane OG-shape fingerboard wheels with bearings on a dark surface, from the official Oak Wheels storefront. — Oak's hand-poured urethane wheels — the Portuguese brand whose 2009 V1 set an early benchmark, shown here in a current OG colorway. Oak Wheels storefront

Still being verified

Fingerboard Weekly's 2008 launch is from a community history source rather than a primary source.

References

Numbered references to the brand, retailer, and community pages that back this article. The label notes how firmly each source is established.

1.About Blackriver— BlackriverOfficial↩
Official Blackriver about page; confirms founded 1999 by Martin Ehrenberger in Germany. Milestones include Fast Fingers 1 (2000), Blackriver Trucks launched 2010, Berlin shop opened 2010.
2.Berlinwood Pro Fingerboards | Blackriver Shop— BlackriverOfficial↩
Confirms Berlinwood founded 2002 by Timo Lieben in Berlin; handmade in Germany; deck widths 29mm, 32mm, 33.3mm, 36mm; 5-ply construction; popsicle shape.
3.About FlatFace Fingerboards— FlatFace FingerboardsOfficial↩
Founded 2003 by Mike Schneider; started with grip tape; moved into decks then bearing wheels; first US distributor of Blackriver-Ramps domestically.
4.Oak Wheels— Oak WheelsOfficial↩
Concept started 2007; V1 urethane wheels launched 2009; made in Porto, Portugal by Ricardo Lopes; FlatFace began distributing Oak in 2010.
5.Yellowood About— YellowoodOfficial↩
Official Yellowood about page; trademark registered 2007; premium exotic woods; developed Ytrucks subsidiary.
6.The FlatFace Museum— FlatFace FingerboardsCommunity↩
FlatFace's community-curated museum of historic fingerboard decks, wheels, and ephemera — a useful period reference for the boutique and pro eras. Imagery is FlatFace's; link and credit the museum rather than reproducing its photos.
7.Fingerboarders.net— Fingerboarders.netCommunity↩
Long-running community forum name from the early boutique era, now a Kingpin-owned domain. Cited here as a community reference; historical founding dates are not independently verified.
8.Fingerboard.de— Fingerboard.deCommunity↩
German-language community forum/portal referenced in community histories of the European boutique scene; founding dates are not independently verified.
9.What's the Difference Between 32mm and 34mm?— Teak TuningRetailer
Notes that Tech Deck started at 26mm; early 2000s makers worked around that width; 29mm was long the standard; 32mm became common; 34mm now the most popular for pro use.

Keep reading

2012–2018 · Pro Setup

The Pro-Setup Era: Precision Hardware Becomes the Standard

CNC machining brought consistent trucks and wheels, urethane replaced plastic for serious riders, and deck widths crept upward toward modern proportions.

1999–2006 · Early Boutique

The Early Boutique & Wood-Deck Era: A Serious Scene Takes Shape

While plastic toys filled toy aisles, a parallel scene in Europe built hand-pressed wooden decks, real ramps, and the first organized fingerboard contests.

Why it trended

Who popularized it

Brands and makers of the era

Blackriver (1999) — Continued scene leadership; launched Blackriver Trucks (BRTs) in 2010; opened Berlin shop 2010.¹
Berlinwood (2002) — Established wooden deck brand; continued producing 5-ply maple decks as the scene's wooden deck reference point.²
FlatFace Fingerboards (2003) — US brand popular for bearing wheels (G4, G5, G6 generations) and as first US distributor of Blackriver ramps.³
Oak Wheels (2007 (concept) / 2009 (V1 launch)) — Portuguese urethane wheel brand; V1 launched 2009; hand-made by Ricardo Lopes in Porto.⁴
Yellowood (2007) — Portuguese fingerboard brand; trademark registered 2007; introduced premium exotic-wood decks and Ytrucks.⁵

The gear that defined it

Deck sizes: 29mm was popular for much of this era; 32mm began gaining ground as a wider option. Community sources note 32mm 'seemed too wide' to early riders, indicating 29mm as the prevailing standard in this window.
Trucks & wheels: Blackriver Trucks (BRTs) launched in 2010 — a major hardware milestone. FlatFace G4 bearing wheels (originally designed 2007, updated 2009) gave riders performance urethane. Oak Wheels V1 urethane launched 2009 from Portugal. FlatFace began distributing Oak in 2010.

Community moments

Reading this era's setups today

References

Numbered references to the brand, retailer, and community pages that back this article. The label notes how firmly each source is established.

1.About Blackriver— BlackriverOfficial↩

Official Blackriver about page; confirms founded 1999 by Martin Ehrenberger in Germany. Milestones include Fast Fingers 1 (2000), Blackriver Trucks launched 2010, Berlin shop opened 2010.

2.Berlinwood Pro Fingerboards | Blackriver Shop— BlackriverOfficial↩

Confirms Berlinwood founded 2002 by Timo Lieben in Berlin; handmade in Germany; deck widths 29mm, 32mm, 33.3mm, 36mm; 5-ply construction; popsicle shape.

3.About FlatFace Fingerboards— FlatFace FingerboardsOfficial↩

Founded 2003 by Mike Schneider; started with grip tape; moved into decks then bearing wheels; first US distributor of Blackriver-Ramps domestically.

4.Oak Wheels— Oak WheelsOfficial↩

Concept started 2007; V1 urethane wheels launched 2009; made in Porto, Portugal by Ricardo Lopes; FlatFace began distributing Oak in 2010.

5.Yellowood About— YellowoodOfficial↩

Official Yellowood about page; trademark registered 2007; premium exotic woods; developed Ytrucks subsidiary.

6.The FlatFace Museum— FlatFace FingerboardsCommunity↩

FlatFace's community-curated museum of historic fingerboard decks, wheels, and ephemera — a useful period reference for the boutique and pro eras. Imagery is FlatFace's; link and credit the museum rather than reproducing its photos.

7.Fingerboarders.net— Fingerboarders.netCommunity↩

Long-running community forum name from the early boutique era, now a Kingpin-owned domain. Cited here as a community reference; historical founding dates are not independently verified.

8.Fingerboard.de— Fingerboard.deCommunity↩

German-language community forum/portal referenced in community histories of the European boutique scene; founding dates are not independently verified.

9.What's the Difference Between 32mm and 34mm?— Teak TuningRetailer

Notes that Tech Deck started at 26mm; early 2000s makers worked around that width; 29mm was long the standard; 32mm became common; 34mm now the most popular for pro use.