Top mounts are better for hard carving and cruising. Drop throughs and top mounts are better for tricks, freestyle, and dancing. In brief, there are only two — traditional kingpin tkp and reverse kingpin Rkp. Rkp trucks are more suited towards cruising. They have a smooth turn and feel very stable. They are best suited for tricks but can also be used to cruise.
However, they are not as stable and smooth turning as Rkps. Finally, your riding style will determine the wheels you want. Typically, wheels between 65mm and 75 mm are great for cruising, pushing, freeriding, i.
Wheels around 60mm are great for freestyle and dancing. Check out our wheel guide for more information. As with any hobby, there will be a bit of wear and tear, both of the board and potentially you as a rider. I recommend buying safety gear.
At the minimum a longboard helmet. This is critically important because we never know when accidents can happen. We should be prepared to prevent the worst. A helmet will prevent concussions and brain damage. Other safety gear you can get are: slide gloves if you want to slide and safely stop going downhill, read more here , hip pads knee pad for a beginner, a helmet and some knee pads would go a long way elbow pads.
I recommend you practice foot braking. This technique of slowing down will reduce your speed in a smooth and controlled manner. You can use it in a variety of situations and it is better than simply running off and letting your board roll into the distance.
When you get your first setup, chance are the bearings will be bad. I recommend replacing them with some aftermarket ones. They will roll faster and provide a better riding experience. Also, buy some bearing oil to put in your bearings once a month.
This keeps them from locking up and makes sure you are rolling smoothly. There is definitely a lot to talk about with longboards. To summarise, go with an entry-level brand if you are a beginner and a premium brand if you are looking for your second setup. However, if something catches your eye, go for it! My favorite brand of is Landyachtz. Their boards are amazing and their commitment to the environment and communities is admirable. I hope this article has served you well and has helped you get the board you need.
As to this site my goal is to help beginner riders to find the right equipment. Everything that I write here is my own opinion…. Table of Contents. Recommended boards:. Available on Amazon. Landyachtz Drop Carve — Great, flexy all-around board. Good for downhill, freeride and crusing. Price on Amazon. Rayne Supreme — Quality built, vivid graphics. Check it out on Amazon.
Rayne Panther — Nice entry-level cruiser complete. Loaded Tesseract — This board is a freeride machine. If you have the budget. Go with this. You can check the current price on Amazon. Loaded Tan Tien — More of an all-arounder. Be it dancing, cruising around or even high speed freeriding. This board will be a good option. Check the up-to-date price on Amazon. Riviera Beta Fish — A well, high quality board.
Will work great as a cruiser. Sector 9 Chop Hop — Smaller Sector 9 Lookout — Popular cruiser longboard made from bamboo. Arbor Axis — A well made, stylish cruiser.
You just have to love their graphics. Arbor Sizzler — Shorter cruiser board, that can be easily carried around. Great for everyday riding. Santa Cruz Cobra — Old school inspired cruiser board. Premium quality for premium price. Santa Cruz Impact — A great all-arounder. You can find it here. Omen Mini cruiser — A perfect penny board alternative. This mini will ride smooth and is great for commuting, or for little kids learning to skate. Check it out here on Amazon. Omen boards sealife — An affordable cruiser board in the classic pintail shape, perfect for beginners.
Find it here on Amazon. Restless Necronaut — Looking to get into downhill and freeriding? The Necronaut is a perfect beginner board to get you started. Restless Furabu — The Furabu is a great deck to take you from point a to b, or for cruising around on those lazy Sundays.
Prism Grit series board — Another great Penny alternative. The Grit is an affordable, nimble cruiser, with a timeless design. Take a good look at it here on Amazon.
Prism Cruiser — The Cruiser series is a great take on the fishtail shape. Again, featuring a classic design that stands out. Lush Grifter — Looking to set some speed records like Pete? Great for beginners too. Lush Machine 80s — The Machine is a similar downhill board with a kicktail. It also features an 80s inspired graphic. Bustin All knowing — Looking for a budget-friendly, durable cruiser board? The All-knowing is a great option. Bustin Sportster — A bit on the pricey side, the Sportster is a great commuter and purpose-built long distance longboard.
Earthwing Hope — The hope is a great cruiser that rides well and turns smoothly. It features two kicktails so beginners can learn to kick turn or ollie down curbs. Check it out here on Amazo n. Earthwing Super 8 — The Super 8 is an 8ply downhill machine. Its drop through, which makes it suitable for beginners and stable for cruising around. Find out more about it here on Amazon. Mike Valley cruiser — Check it out here on Amazon. Subsonic Shadow — Versatile longboard complete, can be used as curiser or a freeride board.
The most common place to ride a longboard is in the streets. They make the perfect vehicle for commuting from A to B on roads and footpaths. They also have a much longer wheelbase, which offers a bit more stability when you pick up some speed.
Longboards are great for bombing hills and going really fast. If you are looking at getting involved in racing and going very fast downhill, selecting the right board is crucial. Downhill racing boards are made for mostly going very fast in a very straight line.
They use a very stiff deck with a long wheelbase. They are also designed with the deck to be very low to the ground to reduce your center of gravity. They are set up using a much larger wheel and a truck that is very stable at high speeds.
Freeride boards are used for carving and sliding on big hills. They may use a slightly harder wheel and a truck that is better for turning and carving. For all these types of skateboarding you will need extra protective equipment such as a helmet, knee, elbow and other pads for impact protection. Slide gloves to protect your hands and assist in low sliding maneuvers.
These types of longboarding are most common and are really just riding around the streets, bike tracks, waterfront boulevards, local basketball courts or car parks. Freestyling and street skating boards often have a kicktail at the rear and sometimes the front of the board to help you do tricks and control the board in a similar way to a regular skateboard. Yes you can. If there is a well-worn path through a grass field or a hard packed dirt track you want to take a short cut over, no problem.
The larger wheels and a bit of speed will handle it with no problem. Dirt and sand however are your skateboard bearings worst enemy, so it should really be kept to a minimum. There are some special longboards and mountain boards that are made for off road use. Like the difference between a road bicycle and a mountain bike, they have a special set up and components for off road use.
These special skateboards have much larger wheels often with pneumatic tyres and other specific weatherproof components to resist damage from mud and water. We have a great range of longboards you can buy ready to roll straight off the shelf. With a couple of minor adjustment we can have it tuned perfectly for you straight away.
The short answer to that question is — NO! Like all things in life if you buy cheap, you buy twice. The timber they make the decks out of is usually a much softer, cheaper timbers and glues that will split and delaminate easily.
The trucks are usually cheap die-cast metal instead of the aircraft grade alloys you get with good quality trucks. When it comes to bearings, unless you really like pushing a lot more than your friends, go for a good quality precision bearing option every time. When buying a board you are doing it for your own enjoyment.
If you buy something that is not nice to ride you are only ripping yourself off. When you buy a cheap board you will be replacing most of the parts and spending money just to make it ride a little bit better. So remember when buying a skateboard - good skateboards aint cheap and cheap skateboards aint good!
We always recommend wearing a helmet for all types of skateboarding. Wrist guards, elbow pads and kneepads are all worthwhile when starting out.
If you are going to be downhill racing, as we mentioned, you will need more specialized protective gear. A full-face helmet, special protective padding and racing leathers are a must. We have years of experience selling longboards so you are in good hands with Basement Skate. The good news is that in the last few years the longboard companies have really lifted their game when it comes to quality and diversity in what they offer. We have compiled a list of our top 5 best selling complete longboards and longboard decks below for Sector 9 Mini Lookout Complete Longboard is a bamboo carve machine, ideal for surfing the hills, cruising the streets and commuting to work in style and comfort.
A pintail is the longboard of choice for relaxed cruising. The deck style is a flat deck with moderate flex for easy cruising. Flex gives a comfortable ride as well as less joint stress.
Choose big wheels for a balanced suspension feel. Long-distance cruising, commuter cruising, and boardwalk cruising are some other forms, which use longboards different from our cool boardwalk cruising. Bamboo longboards without saying, are very flexible and featherweight.
No wonder, the youngsters simply go gaga over bamboo longboards. And you get to make a statement; they are organic. Going on a picnic or a trek and want to lug your board, no problems since they are so light.
The great drawback is in changing the wheels but that is not so much of a problem given that bamboo longboards are very inexpensive. Pintail longboards have a teardrop shape that allows deep carving with a minimum risk of wheelbite. For cruising and carving on flat surfaces and hilltops, they are the numero ono choice. A pintail longboard is high because of top-mounted trucks.
The height of the rider is another factor that plays a decisive, significant role in choosing the correct longboard. The length of the board should match. Foot size is proportional to height.
Your feet should sit well on the board and not be dangling out. Your weight is another consideration as it impacts the overall flexibility of the board and how well you can maneuver. Heavier riders should choose a larger board and vice versa. These are easily recognizable with the trademark cleft in the tail, hence the name fishtail. Fishtail longboards are actually Pintails with the difference that sharper turns are possible. This is because of steeper radial concave, they outplay a kicktail.
More heel and toe control because of its low flex and sharper concave. Intensive wide carving and easy speed checks are made possible. And you have to give it to them; they are snazzy, classic surf style. Durability and stability are the trademarks of Blunt longboards. The blunt design is simply a result of blunting the nose and tail parts of a Pintail.
They are not suitable for sharp turns and so are unsafe for hill riding. Larger wheels are generally used proving stability. One can safely go longboarding with these boards. It has little flex and is safe for beginners who can learn the basics of longboarding easily. People on the larger side also find it more comfortable to use.
It may sound like an oxymoron, but these longboards are actually short skateboards. Although if you know their differences , this might not be so obvious. The smallest longboard is undoubtedly the mini cruiser board. They are also referred to as compact cruiser boards. The stability of these boards is very low and hence can be used only by advanced and experienced longboarders.
Another advantage is being lightweight, they are portable. The traditional design of longboards is the twin skateboard, a modified design for multi-directional street skating. By using a design giving the deck additional width earned these boards the handle, twin boards. Its design is attractive witha curved nose and tail structures. The stability is high and therefore is used by professionals.
Sharp turns and cuts are made permissible and so it may be used for downhill riding. Select personalised ads.
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We may receive commissions on purchases made from our chosen links. Longboarding is a style of skateboarding that involves riding a long, narrow board. Though longboards can vary in terms of shape, size, and style, there are a few characteristics that set them apart from traditional skateboards.
Typically, they are flatter than skateboards and they come with larger and softer wheels for a smoother ride. Some of them have concave decks, but their curve is generally more subtle than the curve you'll find on a skateboard. Common sense I know , but so many people buy something over the top just to have it collect dust the next month. Here are the best longboards on the market. The wide deck is designed to give you a comfortable ride and it comes with large wheels for soft cruising.
The cutouts lining the front and the back of the board minimize the chance of wheel bite—when the wheel comes in contact with the board—so you're sure to experience a smooth ride. The longboard has a drop-through design giving it a low center of gravity for stability. However, the board comes with precision bearings for precise turns and carving.
This combination makes it a versatile option for any riding style. If you're riding on a budget, Slendor's Longboard is an affordable option that still promises durability. Crafted with nine-ply maple, it's designed to stand the test of time, and made to feel incredibly lightweight. The drop-through composition is built for a smooth ride, making it ideal for cruising, commuting, and downhill skating.
It also boasts high-speed bearings and a tight turning radius to make cutting corners and dodging obstacles easy. The deck is slightly concaved, which provides a comfortable place to rest your feet. The longboard comes with large 78A wheels and high-rebound bushings for smooth riding. And since it has large cutouts, the wheel bite should be kept to a minimum.
Plus, the board has a low center of gravity to keep your rides stable and controlled no matter how fast you're going. Compact and durable, it's made from multi-ply hardwood, which is ideal for both cruising and carving. The board is outfitted with durable aluminum trucks and speed-friendly bearings for a sturdy and smooth ride. Retrospec's Rift Drop-Through Longboard is great for carving thanks to its flexible and nimble composition.
Featuring a deck crafted with Canadian maple, it's covered in grippy material that improves traction to help you carve like a pro. The grip also makes it easier to stay balanced and in control of your board. When carving, you need large and soft wheels to tackle tight turns. Luckily, Retrospec's 2.
To top things off, high-rebound bushings and precision bearings will give you great speed and response for carving. Deck Length: 41 inches Deck Width: 9. Carving is a style of longboarding that resembles surfing. Made with six-ply maple and bamboo, it's durable and provides a super smooth ride thanks to 3. The attached hub motor allows you to reach speeds up to 15 miles per hour, and you can ride up to 10 miles at a time on a single charge. The concave deck offers plenty of room to shift around while on the board, and it can fully charge in three hours to ensure you'll be on your way in no time.
It's made with eight-ply maple for durability, and it's lined with grip tape to ensure ultimate traction when riding. It also has aluminum trucks and angled riser pads that offer fast speeds with minimal wheel bite. While it's a great option for kids, it can support up to pounds at a time—meaning your little one won't have to swap it out when they hit a growth spurt.
If you like to cruise, a comfortable and easy-to-control longboard—like Seething's Longboard—is necessary. It features a inch wide deck that will give you plenty of room to stand on longer rides. It's also crafted with durable, nine-ply hardrock maple, which is designed to stay in good shape no matter the weather. Since it has a kicktail, it's easy to steer and control on any terrain. Precision bearings and responsive 80A wheels make navigation even easier. Cruising is a style of longboarding that involves covering long distances at a pretty leisurely pace.
Downhill rides can get fast and unwieldy. Though it's pretty low-riding, large cutouts will minimize wheel bite. Soft, high-rebound 78A wheels will keep the ride smooth and comfortable, while the perimeter shape of the board makes turning easy. Since it's easy to push on a flat surface, the longboard is especially versatile—meaning it can be used for cruising, carving, or downhill riding. If you're looking for a longboard that can withstand your daily commutes , Junli's Freeride Skateboard is made with eight-ply maple to keep it strong day after day.
At 8 inches wide, the supportive deck makes balancing easy while the brushed surface provides ultimate traction.
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