Whether you are bombing a hill, cruising the boardwalk or carving up the face of your driveway there is a longboard for you. A skateboard is considered a longboard after 30 inches and can be as large as 6 feet. You must first determine what type of riding you will be doing. Longboards are great for beginners as well as experts. Longboards come in many shapes and forms ranging from 4 foot nose riders to radical carve sticks.
Decks
Longboard skateboard decks have four key attributes that affect performance cut, concave, flexibility and length. Cut is the outline of the board and comes in many different shapes and styles, pintail, squash, fish, swallow and cruiser. Concave decks give the rider the ability to make large carving turns due to the added distance of the rails from the ground. Flexibility makes the board ride smoother, which is excellent for lower speeds. Downhill decks are typically a little longer, flatter and stiffer making them stable at high speeds. Wheel cutouts, small arches cut above in the wheels into the deck, will help minimize the likelihood of wheel bite and give the board a wider turning radius. Longer boards have wider wheelbases, which create larger drawn out turns.
Trucks
Trucks are the steering mechanism of the board. Trucks consist of a base plate, which attaches the trucks to the deck, bushings, which control the direction of turn and a hanger, which connects the wheels. Longboard trucks have a wider hanger giving them the ability to make large arcing turns. Bushing density determines how the board will turn. Softer bushings make turning easy, firm bushings make turning more difficult. Turning the screw at the top of the bushing will loosen or tighten up the trucks.
Bearings
Bearings sit inside the wheel and allow the to spin on the axle trucks. There are two typical types of bearing, ceramic and steel. Steel bearings are for the casual skater and relatively inexpensive. Ceramic bearings are for the rider that needs that extra performance. Ceramic bearings are coated with silicon nitride making the ride smoother, last longer, rust restraint and can handle the friction of high speed.
Wheels
Wheels for longboards are typically bigger than the average skateboard wheel and have little trouble clearing small pebbles and debris. Hardness and shape also plays a part in the wheel performance. Harder wheels are faster but reduce turning ability and give a rougher ride. Soft wheels are slower and can grip the road better in turns. The two most common shapes for wheels are square edge and rounded edge. Square edge wheels are perfect for large carving turns due to the increase surface area. Rounded edges are excellent for making sliding turns. Almost all wheels today are made from urethane.
Risers
Risers fit between the deck and trucks and give the deck additional clearance from the ground. Smaller risers have lower clearance from the ground while making deep turns but adds stability. Higher risers have more clearance and are better for deep turns with less stability.
Member Comments