A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO LONGBOARD SKATEBOARDS

Skateboarding began in the 1960's as a way for surfers to continue their surf sessions when the waves went flat.  Skateboarding evolved quickly from "sidewalk sufring" to the high performance skating of today.  The creation of skate parks, pool skating, and professional  vert competitions have brought millions of new participants to the sport.  Skateboarding has recently seen a retro movement of the sport, and longboard skateboards are growing more and more popular every year.  The number of longboards on the market today can leave a beginner confused or fustrated.  This quide will help answer some of the common longboard questions you may have, so you can get out there and start enjoying one of America's fastest growing pastimes.

OLD SCHOOL VS. NEW SCHOOL:

The most noticeable difference between shortboarding and longboarding is the size of the board.  Most shortboards are 30 to 31 inches in length and 7.5 inches wide.  These boards feature hard wheels and low trucks, and are great for performing tricks or riding at skate parks.  Longboards can be classified as any board over 32 inches long, and most longboards are 9 to 11 inches wide.  Longboards are designed for higher speeds over a great distance.  Longboards have higher profile trucks which have a wider turn radius and soft wheels which provide a smooth and grippy ride.  Longboards are generally used for skating flatland areas, downhill runs or racing, and cruising with friends.  Go down to any beach boardwalk and you are bound to see people just cruising up and down the boardwalks.

CARVING:

Carving is simply applying pressure to the sides of the board to perform a wide, stylish turn.  Linking turns together has a similar feeling to turning on a snowboard or surfboard. 

LONGBOARD SHAPES:

Longboards may resemble surfboards at the quick glance, but the performance of a longboard is determined by it shape.  Pintails (a board with a small nose and narrow tail) are designed for downhill skating and carving.  Boards with kicktails and raised noses are designed for a more advanced rider who wants to make quick kick-turns, do manuals (riding on only the front or back wheels) and aggressive cutbacks.  Longboards with wide noses allow for nose-riding.  And some boards feature cut-outs above the wheels to prevent the wheel from hitting the board (wheel bite) during a hard turn.

LONGBOARD TRUCKS AND WHEELS:  

Your trucks and wheels are a very important part of boards performance.  This hardware transfers the energy from the rider to the street.

The important thing to remember when choosing trucks and wheels is that you will usually get what you pay for.  Tracker and Independant are good middle of the road trucks for normal longboard riding.  Randal, Exkate and Seismic offer better performance and allow for higher speeds, are more responsive, and less likely to wobble during high speed turns.

Wheels are also designed for different riding styles.  Low hardness wheels (74A to 80A) provide great grip on the street and tend to be a little slower.  82A to 90A wheels are balenced between grip and speed.  92A+ wheels are the hardest wheels, and are to be used only on super smooth surfaces like a skate park.

RISERS AND BEARINGS:

Risers serve three functions on your board: 1) they raise the board up off the trucks to help prevent wheelbite. 2) they absorb vibrations from the road offering a smooth ride. 3) angled risers can cut down on turning radius, resulting in a quicker and tighter turn.

Bearings are what helps your wheels spin on the trucks.  The number of ball bearings inside your wheels will determine how fast your longboard can go.  ABEC 3 bearings have the slowest spin, while a higher ABEC level (ABEC 11's) will spin very quickly.  Most riders ride on bearings somewhere between ABEC 5 and ABEC 7.

HOW MUCH TO SPEND?

Watch out for cheaply made longboards.  Many longboards are mass produced overseas and come with substandard hardware.  These boards will breakdown quickly, the trucks will wear out, the wheels will lose grip.  A good longboard should be over $100.  Anything cheaper than that may not have quality craftmanship.  Sector 9, Gravity, and Arbor have all been around a long time and are considered industry leaders in longboard production.  Please remember to always ride safely on whatever board you decide to ride.  Always be aware of road conditions, traffic, and always check your equipment before you ride.   

GET OUT, GO LONGBOARDING, AND GET STOKED!!