What kind of longboard should i buy

Really leaning into turns and laying them down with a consistent flow. Carving is a blast and even the most seasoned pros still love to really lay a turn out. Boards for carving are typically set up similar to cruisers but with more concave. The concave is the curve on the top of the board that keeps your feet securely in place when you lean in either direction. Most cruiser boards will be very similar to carvers. The trucks are set loosely and there are often spacers between the trucks and boards to avoid wheel bite and gain height for a deeper carve.

Wheel bite occurs when you really lean into a turn and the deck and wheels collide. This can stop your motion and even cause you to fall off the board. Most boards have a wheel well cut into them similar to a car but on a very small scale to combat wheel bite and let you carve deeper.

Carvers can feel a little more sketchy because they typically sit higher off the ground. Ultra-soft wheels help the board maintain traction at all times. The goal is not to slide but to grip and lean as far as possible into the turn.

Almost all cruising boards will let you have fun with carving and vice-versa. These boards are still very fun for cruising and carving, but are less responsive and forgiving.

These longboards come in all shapes and sizes and feature somewhat smaller wheels that allow the skater to slide. Sliding is the same as drifting in a car. Wheels for sliding are made of a harder urethane compound that can release when pushed into a slide at speed. Freeride boards are most commonly drop-through decks. Drop-throughs have holes cut into the board that allow the board to hang off the bolts under the trucks.

By doing this they sit closer to the ground which makes them more stable for sliding and speed. Boards made for freeride can vary dramatically and feature different concaves and cambers for more secure foot placement with slides, and to maintain control at higher speeds.

Some are built with a double-drop. Double drops lower the board to the ground even further than the truck mounts on both sides. They also give you another place to push your foot against as you practice different tricks and slides. Freeriders typically wear gloves so they can drag a hand for balance as they slide and get as low to the ground as possible. If you are looking at freeriding, be sure to get pads and a helmet to stay protected at speed!

A lot of confusion exists around the difference between freeride and freestyle, and with good reason due to the names! You can call it whatever you want but in most skater's minds, freestyle is a whole different realm. It even somewhat includes Dance.

Whereas freeride is more focused on fast hills and sliding, freestyle features sliding but exists on flat land as well. It even usually includes flatland style tricks. Freestyle boards tend to look a lot like Freeride boards but are generally more playful. The style is almost always a dropthrough and the decks can be larger for more space to move around and try tricks. They may also have a kicktail like a street skateboard. These boards are often so specific that if you turn them like a carver or cruiser the deck will actually hit the ground.

The deeper the drop, the easier to push. Wheels are typically mid-size and trucks often run narrower to give you space to push without catching the wheel. If you are looking to mainly commute or travel distance, this is the longboard type to check out. Anything else you want to do is best served by the other categories. One brand is synonymous with Push: Pantheon longboards.

In our opinion, these guys have the best-designed push boards on the market. Longboard dancing is very popular in Europe and there is also a dedicated crowd in the USA.

It requires great balance and a willingness to fall as you attempt new longboard tricks. You perform dance moves on your longboard, walking up and down your deck, spinning and cross stepping while riding. Read more about freestyle longboarding in this article. Choosing the right longboard for you is a complex question due to the endless range of combinations of decks, trucks and wheels — not mentioning the subcomponents within and between these, bearings, bushings, hanger, spacers, etc.

Which combination works for you depends on your own personal usage pattern, riding style, and physical abilities. In this post I tried to sort through the information and recap the most common choices longboarders make for each kind of riding. If you are a human, do not fill in this field. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Table of Contents. Photo credits : Featured image : Vector Design by Vecteezy! Click here to cancel reply. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits.

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This is especially important for beginners who are building their board from scratch for the very first time. Not every set of trucks will work perfectly with every deck. Bushings are a really important part of tuning your ride as you progress but as you begin, the bushings supplied with your trucks will be generally sufficient. You will care more about performance as you gain more confidence and skill on your longboard.

All of our suggested beginner longboards come with stock bushings that are more than enough for you. Interested to learn about trucks in detail? Read our guide to the best longboard trucks and get detailed information on the different types of trucks and the top brands that sell them. Remember to have fun first! Once you get the hang of it, revisit your gear to dial in your setup. The short answer is, yes!

Longboards, especially long, wide boards and decks that are considered drop-through. The drop-through will lower your center of gravity. This will help you maintain your balance just a little bit better than a skateboard. A wider or longer board does something similar. It is more forgiving if you lean back, forward, or to either side.

As a beginner, you will probably find this to be easier than a small skateboard or penny board. The drawbacks are really for more skilled riders: you will probably want a more sensitive board so you can make sharper turns and slide a little more freely. We do want to be clear: if you want to learn how to skateboard more than you want to learn how to longboard, then just start skateboarding! You know what they did when they were beginners?

They fell. All the time. Let us be clear. If you are a beginner, you need to wear safety gear at all times. You will fall. A lot. It will hurt. Why is it so important to stay injury free? Because the more time you spend on your board, the better you will get. Protective equipment includes helmets, knee pads, elbow pads and slide gloves.

Do you need all of that? Not necessarily as a beginner. The two most important pieces of gear for a beginner will be a solid, safe helmet and elbow pads. As you learn how to push and take on more tricks, you can expand into knee pads. Lastly, when you start taking on small hills as you get excited about downhill longboarding, you can invest in some quality slide gloves to keep you hands in good shape.

Once you feel great on flat ground with plenty of space, you can try some slight downhill or push through a more crowded area. You will be carving before you know it! Start with the helmet. After that, slide gloves, knee pads. These protect you in case of a fall, and allow you to put a hand down without injury. The faster you ride, the more gear you will need at the beginning.

We doubt you will be trying downhill longboarding in your first week. However, if you find yourself atop a small hill early on then we want you to be protected when you inevitably fall.