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Longboard Buying Guide - Choosing the Best Longboard for You
Whether you are looking for a complete longboard as a beginner or are an experienced rider seeking the right parts to upgrade and enhance your riding experience, this guide has everything you need to know about longboards!
There's no need to read this guide from start to finish (you're likely more interested in long boards than long reads). In fact, we provide plenty of information on our product pages to help you select the right longboard. Feel free to jump ahead to our selection of complete longboards.
If you have specific areas of interest regarding longboarding gear, you can jump straight to the section that interests you most by clicking the content list below:
Overview
Overview
Types of Longboards - What Type of Longboard Should I Choose?
Different types of longboards are designed for various styles of longboarding. Especially when purchasing a complete longboard, having a basic understanding of the longboards and longboarding disciplines can be advantageous.
If you've chosen a longboard over a skateboard, it's likely because you want a smooth cruising experience and/or are drawn to one of the more performance-oriented disciplines within longboarding, such as longboard dancing or downhill longboarding.
The type of longboard you should choose depends on your preferred style of longboarding. In the following chapters, we will dissect the essential aspects of various longboard disciplines and the types of longboards associated with them. Continue reading for more information on the different types of longboards. We've categorized them into six different groups to simplify the process of choosing the right type of longboard for you!
Longboard Cruisers & Carving Longboards
Cruising and carving longboards often share similar characteristics. Cruising involves simply riding your longboard, while carving entails shifting from side to side to control speed, similar to a snowboarder carving down a mountain.
Cruising and carving longboards share many characteristics, and if you enjoy cruising, chances are you want to do some carving from time to time. Cruiser longboard decks often feature pintail shapes. The pintail shape makes for a great cruiser deck whether you're commuting or enjoying a relaxed ride around the neighborhood. Longboard cruisers prioritize stability and a smooth ride over tricks.
Cruiser longboards are a great choice for beginners, whereas longboard carving is perhaps the next step from cruising.
Downhill Longboards & Freeride Longboards
Downhill longboards require stability to prevent speed wobbles. This calls for stiff decks and wide trucks. To reach high speeds and minimize the risk of accidents from road irregularities or unexpected slides, the best downhill longboards feature large, wide, and soft wheels.
What is a freeride longboard? Freeride longboards offer a bit more versatility than downhill longboards. While they are designed for fast downhill runs, they also prioritize maneuverability for technical sliding. Thus, freeride longboards share many characteristics with downhill boards. However, while downhill boards prioritize speed and stability, a good freeride board introduces more agility and maneuverability into the mix - especially for sliding and carving.
Wearing protection is very important for freeriding and downhill longboarding.
Freestyle Longboards
Freestyle longboards prioritize technical maneuvers and artistic trick lines over speed. Longboards for freestyle typically feature symmetrical shapes with kicks at both ends, allowing for tricks and riding in either direction – hence, they are called bi-directional. Since freestyle longboarding isn't about speed or distance, the wheels on freestyle setups tend to be harder and smaller than the wheels found on other longboard setups.
Freestyle longboarding is all about creativity and pushing the boundaries of what's possible with a longboard. If you already enjoy skateboarding, chances are you'll be drawn to freestyle longboarding as well.
A freestyle longboard is an excellent choice if you're interested in performing tricks and perhaps cruising a bit as well.
Dancer Longboards
Dancer longboards are crafted for those who delight in blending graceful movements and rhythmic finesse on a longboard. These boards are tailored for the artistry of longboard dancing, seamlessly integrating fluid movements, impressive footwork, and expressive style.
The best dancing longboard decks have symmetrical, bi-directional shapes and are the longest types of longboards available. They offer ample foot space for your remarkable moves and feature kicks at both ends.
Dancing on a longboard requires a versatile setup, ideally featuring medium flex and responsive trucks. This ensures a reasonable balance between stability and agility, perfect for executing your amazing footwork.
If you're captivated by the rhythm of dance and the excitement of pushing your limits, a dancer longboard is the ideal companion for your journey of self-expression on the streets and sidewalks. Embrace the rhythm, unleash your creativity, and move your feet to the beat of the pavement with the best dancer longboard.
When you head over to our selection of complete longboards, you can filter them all by riding style.
What Size Longboard Should I Get?
Your ideal longboard size naturally depends on your style of riding. While regular skateboarders often use shoe size as a reference point for deck width, for longboarders, it's more about riding style than height or shoe size. For instance, downhill longboarding typically utilizes much shorter decks compared to decks for longboard dancing. So, rather than relying on physical measurements, consider your preferred riding style when determining the size of the longboard you need.
Indeed, as a short longboard rider with small feet, you might find a shorter board more comfortable, while a taller person with larger feet may prefer the longer version of the same type of longboard deck. It's all about finding the right fit and balance for your body proportions and riding style.
Longboard Wheelbase
The longboard wheelbase is the distance between the front and back wheels. The length of the deck does provide insight into the wheelbase, but it's not directly proportional. This is because deck features like kick tails can add to the overall length of the deck without necessarily affecting the length of the wheelbase.
A longer wheelbase provides a larger turning radius, while a shorter wheelbase results in a smaller turning radius.
- Larger wheelbase: Offers a more stable setup with slower turns, making it easier to control and predict how it behaves during slides. However, this stability comes at the cost of agility.
- Shorter wheelbase: Provides a more agile but less stable setup due to the smaller turning radius.
It's worth noting that some longboard decks feature adjustable wheelbases. These decks have eight or more holes to mount the trucks, offering the option to mount them closer or further away from each other.
Longboard Deck Shapes
Understanding the differences between various longboard deck shapes and features is valuable, as it will influence your choice of longboard deck. Knowing how particular deck shapes and features can benefit or hinder your riding style is essential for making informed decisions.
Pintail Longboard
Pintails are commonly found on cruiser longboards that are oriented towards a surf-style riding experience. The characteristic pointed shape of the pintail derives its name from the tail of pintail ducks, and the popularity of this deck shape is undoubtedly influenced by its resemblance to real surfboard shapes. While pintails may not be well-suited for freestyle longboarding, they offer plenty of enjoyment for those seeking an agile board for cruising and carving through the streets.
Drop Down Longboard
Drop-down longboard decks feature a lowered platform between the trucks, creating a lower center of gravity. This proximity to the ground offers numerous advantages for beginners, as pushing requires less effort and steering becomes less responsive. Additionally, on a drop-down longboard, you'll experience a longer wheelbase since you're unable to stand directly over the trucks. Another notable feature of drop-down decks is easier slide initiation.
Drop-down longboard decks are preferred by beginners and individuals who enjoy cruising, carving, or freeriding. However, for speed-oriented downhill longboarding, a deck without the drop is recommended.
Double Drop Longboard
Double drop longboard decks combine a dropped platform with drop-through truck mounting, resulting in an exceptionally low center of gravity. This design offers outstanding stability, making it easier to push, slide, and maintain balance at moderate speeds.
Opting for a double drop deck is worthwhile if you prioritize being as close to the ground as possible. It excels in cruising, freeriding, and sliding. Double drop longboards are an excellent choice for beginners due to their stability and for advanced riders seeking impressive sliding capabilities and the thrill of freeride shredding.
Wheel Wells on Longboards
On some longboard decks, you will find wheel wells. Wheel wells are concave indentations cut into the deck near the wheels. They serve to provide clearance for the wheels during sharp turns or deep carves, effectively decreasing the risk of wheel bites.
Longboard Cutouts
Cutouts are sections of the deck that are cut away to accommodate larger wheels and prevent wheel bite. A longboard with cutouts lacks any wood material over the wheels, eliminating the danger of wheel bites.
Longboard Kicks & Double Kick Longboard Decks
Longboard kicks are the raised portions at either end of the deck, commonly found in dancer boards as well as freestyle and trick-oriented longboards. They enable riders to execute maneuvers such as ollies, manuals, and kickturns, thereby expanding the range of moves available. Double kick longboard decks are essential for dancer and freestyle setups.
Drop-Through Longboards
Drop-through longboards feature trucks mounted through the deck, resulting in a lower ride height and a lowered center of gravity. This design enhances stability, makes pushing and sliding easier, and it reduces fatigue on longer rides. Drop-through boards are favored for freeriding, cruising, commuting, and carving.
Drop-through decks have holes through which you can "drop" the baseplates from the top side of the deck. Mounting trucks on a drop-through deck requires disassembling the hanger from the baseplate.
When selecting trucks for drop-through setups, opt for true Reverse Kingpin (RKP) Longboard Trucks rather than traditional street skateboard trucks, as this will ensure optimal performance.
Drop Through vs. Top Mount Longboard
Understanding the distinctions between top mount and drop-through setups is crucial as they significantly impact your riding experience.
Top-mounting involves attaching the trucks directly to the bottom of the deck, with the deck positioned on top of the trucks. This setup provides greater leverage and responsiveness, making it perfect for carving, freestyle, and maximum maneuverability.
On the other hand, drop-through mounting entails fixing the trucks through holes in the deck, allowing them to hang lower than the deck's surface. This lowers the center of gravity, resulting in enhanced stability and easier pushing, as the pushing foot is closer to the ground. Additionally, it facilitates sliding.
Drop-through longboards feature cutouts near the wheels to ensure wheel clearance, which is essential due to the lower position of the deck. The cutouts on drop-through decks prevent wheel bites and enable smoother turns and maneuvers by allowing the wheels to sit flush with the underside of the deck.
Ultimately, the decision between drop-through and top-mount setups hinges on your riding preferences and style. If stability and speed are your priorities, a drop-through deck may be more suitable. However, if you value maneuverability and responsiveness, a top-mount deck might be the better choice.
When browsing our selection of longboard decks, you can identify drop-through decks by the large holes where the trucks are mounted.
Longboard Trucks
The best longboard trucks for you are those that align most closely with your style of riding. Various features of the trucks can significantly impact the characteristics of your setup. The most crucial specifications to consider in longboard trucks are kingpin direction, baseplate angle, and hanger width.
Reverse Kingpin Trucks vs Traditional Kingpin Trucks
You'll frequently encounter the acronyms RKP and TKP, which denote the two main differences in kingpin placements on longboard trucks. Here's what they mean:
- Reverse kingpin trucks (RKP) are sometimes simply referred to as longboard trucks because they excel in various applications within longboarding, whereas they aren't typically used for skateboards. With RKP trucks, the kingpin points away from the center of the setup, resulting in a truck that offers stability while delivering agile and smooth turns. In itself, an RKP truck is higher than a TKP truck.
- Traditional kingpin trucks (TKP) also known as classic or vertical kingpin trucks, are commonly associated with skateboarding and are rarely used for longboarding. The design of TKP trucks, with the kingpin positioned lower than the hanger, makes them particularly suitable for grinding.
The choice between RKP and TKP trucks is primarily a matter of turning characteristics. Reverse kingpin trucks are celebrated for their ease of control at higher speeds and are often described as more "predictable" when navigating turns at high velocities compared to traditional kingpin trucks.
Baseplate Angle on Longboard Trucks
The baseplate angle of longboard trucks refers to the angle between a line parallel to the baseplate and a line following the pivot from the pivot cup towards the hanger.
The baseplate angle significantly impacts the overall characteristics of your longboard:
- Smaller baseplate angle: A smaller baseplate angle results in a larger turning radius, meaning the trucks turn less sharply, requiring you to lean the deck more to initiate a turn. This characteristic lends a sense of stability to your setup and reduces the likelihood of wobbling at high speeds. In summary, if you're looking to enhance the stability of your setup, opting for a lower degree baseplate angle is advisable.
- Larger baseplate angle: A larger baseplate angle provides a more agile truck with a smaller turning radius, allowing for sharper turns with less effort. Higher baseplate angles enable easier initiation of turns, making it simpler to steer the longboard. For beginners who are mastering basic longboarding skills such as pushing and turning, a larger baseplate angle is generally more suitable to learn on.
Our selection of longboard trucks can be filtered by baseplate angle to make it easier to find what you are looking for.
Longboard Bushings
Longboard bushings are small, doughnut-shaped components made of polyurethane that sit inside the truck's hanger. They play a crucial role in determining the board's responsiveness and stability. Bushings come in various shapes, sizes, and durometers (levels of hardness), allowing riders to customize their board's feel and performance.
Bushing hardness:
- Softer bushings: More turn and carve.
- Harder bushings: Greater stability at higher speeds.
Bushing shapes:
- Cone bushings: Conical bushings are available in both short and long versions. They are known for being responsive and are used in setups for cruising and carving.
- Barrel bushings: The shape of barrel bushings makes the trucks more stable and less eager to turn.
- Eliminator bushings: Eliminate any space for unwanted wiggling of the trucks. Eliminator bushings are for those who seek a stable setup for high-paced riding, or who feel the need for extra support from their bushings. The shape of eliminator bushings fills out the entire bushing seat and goes over the top edges of the bushings as well. With these, you can have softer bushings and still stay in control at speeds.
Switching to different bushings can make a huge difference, so they are not to be overlooked when you are trying to tweak the characteristics of your setup.
Longboard Truck Size & Width
The width of your trucks should ideally match the width of your deck at its widest point. If the trucks/wheels stick out too far, you might encounter issues like hitting the wheels when pushing.
To determine the proper truck width for your longboard deck, we recommend using the axle width rather than the hanger width, since the axle width determines the overall width of the trucks. At SkatePro, we have made it easy by providing the axle width among the specifications for the trucks.
- Narrower longboard trucks: More agile and responsive.
- Wider longboard trucks: More stable and easier to control at speeds.
We have everything you need for your longboard trucks. Parts, risers, bushings, and more:
Longboard Wheels
Finding the best longboard wheels is a top priority for many longboarders. Not only do they greatly influence the riding characteristics of your setup, but they also come in a diverse range of colors and captivating designs, igniting a certain commodity fetishism among longboard enthusiasts.
Let's focus on the essential matters and discuss how the specifications of longboard wheels affect your riding experience.
Longboard wheels are typically made of polyurethane, a versatile plastic material available in various forms. Wheel manufacturers employ their own unique formulas to produce longboard wheels and other skate wheels. These formulas are carefully crafted to give the wheels specific characteristics to enhance the riding experience.
When buying longboard wheels, the most important specifications to consider are wheel size, wheel hardness, and wheel shape.
Longboard Wheel Size
When choosing the ideal longboard wheel size, it's essential to understand how size influences your speed, momentum, ride smoothness, and maneuverability:
Speed and momentum:
- Larger wheels: Higher top speeds and better retention of speed.
- Smaller wheels: Lower top speeds but provide faster acceleration.
Ride smoothness:
- Larger wheels: Mellower curvature and usually a larger surface area to absorb irregularities, leading to a smoother ride.
- Smaller wheels: Hits irregularities in the ground at a steeper angle, making it more prone to suddenly stop when rolling over cracks or pebbles.
Maneuverability:
- Larger wheels: Generally less maneuverable but offer increased stability.
- Smaller wheels: More agile and easier to maneuver, enhancing overall maneuverability.
Weight:
- Larger wheels: Weigh more than smaller wheels.
Sliding properties:
- Larger wheels: More difficult to get into sliding mode, and once they slide, they are more difficult to control.
- Smaller wheels: Easier to get into sliding mode, and easier to control during slides.
To get the size right for your longboard wheels, these are the things to consider. Of course, you need to make sure that the rest of your setup goes well with the wheel size that you choose. The most important consideration in this regard is avoiding wheel bites. If you have any concerns in this regard, you may consider a pair of risers:
Longboard Wheel Hardness
Longboard wheels are rated by their hardness, using a measurement called durometer, which is used for all skate wheels. A higher durometer rating indicates that the wheels are harder. The significance of wheel hardness cannot be overstated, so don't forget to look at the durometer rating when choosing new longboard wheels – or when you are buying a complete longboard with pre-selected wheels.
Here's a brief summary outlining the differences between hard and soft longboard wheels:
- Harder longboard wheels: Less grip, slide easier, and absorb vibrations less efficiently.
- Softer longboard wheels: More grip, don’t slide as easily, and absorb vibrations more efficiently.
Longboard wheels typically range from 78A to 85A, which is relatively soft compared to regular skateboard wheels. This softness is essential because longboarders often ride on rough surfaces at higher speeds.
Longboard Wheel Width & Shape
The width and shape of the wheel determine the contact patch of your longboard wheels, which refers to the part of the wheel that makes contact with the ground when you ride.
- Wide contact patch: More grip.
- Narrow contact patch: Less grip and easier slides.
The edges, or lips, are important factors in longboard wheel shapes, are also important for the performance of the wheels. Especially because they define the contact patch of the wheels. Wheels with sharp edges have wider contact patches than those with rounded or beveled edges.
- Longboard wheels with sharp edges have a wider contact patch, providing more grip and stability for your speedy rides.
- Longboard wheels with beveled or rounded edges have narrower contact patches, facilitating easier slides and offering lighter weight. As a result, they are more agile and maneuverable.
Choosing the Best Longboard Wheels
By considering the key factors of size, hardness, and shape, you can determine the right wheel for your setup. However, what works in theory may not always work in practice, and you'll likely experiment with new wheels from time to time until you stop longboarding.
Here are a few frequently asked questions about specific longboard wheels:
What Are the Best Wheels for Longboard Sliding?
If you are looking for longboard slide wheels, opt for smaller wheels on the harder end of the durometer range (up to about 85A), preferably with a narrow contact patch (beveled or rounded edges).
How to Choose the Best Longboard Wheels for Cruising?
For cruising, prioritize smooth-rolling wheels that efficiently absorb vibrations from rough surfaces. Opt for softer wheels (74A - 78A) that are relatively large (65 - 70 mm). If you desire maximum grip, select wheels with sharp edges; for enhanced agility and smoothness, opt for models with rounded or beveled lips. This will give you the perfect cruiser or commuter wheels.
How to Choose the Best Longboard Wheels for Dance and Freestyle?
For dance moves and tricks, prioritize wheels that are easy to control and lightweight. Agility and maneuverability take precedence over speed and stability in the context of longboard dancing and freestyle. Opt for wheels with a diameter of around 65 mm and rounded or beveled edges, along with a soft durometer rating.<
