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Longboards
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The variation in longboards and equipment is huge, it's why we tend to have a rack of different demo boards in the shop so our customers can try out each of the different combinations
To my mind longboarding covers everything tiny slalom boards to 6 ft plus cruisers and everyting in between, it is not just mellow either...bombing down hills and power sliding can really get the blood flowing..somedays though it's just good to carve the snowboard like edge to edge turns you can push from a good setup
The nice thing is that it's the accesible form of skateboarding and yet you can go a long way with it. It's also an awesome crossover from other boardsports such as surfing and snowboarding.
So how short/ long is a longboard?
Now there IS a question, my view is that a 28" slalom deck qualifies as it is just part of that overall feeling, most people seem to think that a proper longboard is in the 44" plus range
At the other end, I have had people walk in to the shop with 6' homemade decks that are unbelievably good to cruise around on, difficult to get a good turn on a 6' plus board tho, think oiltanker :).....although now with advance in torsion trucks, these monster decks can become quite carvy
In the middle is the majority of longboarding territory, mostly decks that flex and have wheel clearance so full laid out carves can be achieved
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Decks - Where to start.....
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Flexible carvers......Carving decks might be wood only, composite or a combination................the plan is to make a deck with enough strength and flex for the use it is intended
The longer the deck (and therefore the wheelbase), the more laid out the carves while shorter decks will be snappier turners (also comes down to truck choice, placement, risers etc. too of course).......generally a wood only deck will do a reasonable job, especially for lighter riders and will be cheaper, combined composite/ wood decks usually have more response and strength and are definitely worth the extra money. Your weight will make a big difference to the response of the deck, though some of the Motion boards have several holes for truck mounting which lessens or increase the flexible span.
Why do you want this flex anyway - as you carve each turn the deck will flex downwards from the g-force of the turn, this sharpens the turn radius and also provide a springy platform to pump into the next turn, as you transfer to each turn you are able to project the board forwards merely from the pumping action the flex allows...
Some good examples are:
Motion carving decks - combinations of hardwoods, carbon, glass , make for fantastic technical decks, generally have classic plan shapes with plenty of clearance for wheels............so what? end result is great looks, performance, durability and a ride that naturally unweights out of each turn. Don't want to underplay the looks, the graphics and finish on these decks i truly amazing.
Landyachtz V-LAM, Landyachtz Chief. These use birch ply laminates and fibreglass. Great looking decks again, very good build quality, a slightly firmer flex so good for heavier riders, the V-LAM has a kicktail and need risers for wheel clearance wherea the Chief Pintail can sit lower as the wheels will clear with the right trucks, they also make a glass/ wood composited deck (the dropcarve) that allow you to mount the truck base on top of the deck, lowering and stabilising the whole set-up
Cruising decks - you can use a carving board for cruising, but if you want that extra length (and who doesn't? :) )and the stability for longboard crossovers, hang tens and all that, then you need something a bit special........
Generally you will want a stiffer deck, often flat , plan shapes vary widely. A good example is the Landyachtz B-ride which is nearly 5 feet long, flat and wide. You can set this up with Randals for a super stable ride or try some of the new generation torsion trucks (such as Revenge) which will give you the best if carving and stability.
Speed decks - There is also now a growing trend for gravity sports and the skate end of this includes luge and stand up disciplines. Landyachtz make great example of downhill boards such as the DH race and the Drop Speed. Both are designed to offer a good stable foot platform and a lower ride (lower C of G makes for less speed wobble). The DH race achieves this by raising the ends of the deck and the Drop Speed takes the baseplate off a Randal truck and mounts it on top of the board instead of underneath. The extra stability is amazing and even just for cruising around they feel really steady underfoot. Weight is not usually a consideration in this type of deck construction, which is generally lots and lots of laminated wood!!
This section really could go on and on though, what about bombers, street luge, slalom.......? There are hundreds of longboard deck shapes and we will try and get back to this section to cover more genres.
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Longboard Trucks
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The grandad of longboard trucks are the Randals. Randals are cast trucks that use a reverse king pin geometry to allow nice carving action with stabilty at moderate speeds. The R-II range is the most popular with two widths for carving (150 and 180). The wider truck will be more stable and, the narrower will turn quicker, but you need to also consider clearance requirements. New last year are the Holey trucks, similar in concep but more carefully built they make an excellent choice for taught carving set-ups.
Seismic came on the scene a few years back and last year introduced a metal/ composite version. They use springs rather than urethane bushings to provide the resistance and come in two geometries for stability or tighter turns. We often build boards with a quick turn Seismic on the front and stable on the back as it allows the board to be cranked tru the turns without getting out of shape.
Then there are torsion trucks. They generally carve much deeper and further than similar sized traditional trucks. We are big fans of Original trucks, which use a single spring and synthetic cam mechanism to achieve resistance through a wide range of angulation. These are not recommended for huge speeds but at moderate speeds you can really get that 'cut back' feeling and drifting into a slide is much easier. We also find the Revenge trucks to give a very nice slightly tauter ride, the nice thing is the Revenge truck give you tight angulation but plenty of wheel clearance. Originals on the other hand offer awesome turning but you do need to allow clearance (by chhosing the right truck size, adding risers, using the righ shape deck, reducing wheel size)
For speed boards, the next step is to take a look at Randal downhill trucks which have a more laid out gemoetry for stability, we often fit these to the Landyachtz DH Race decks.
For cruising or for crossover (longboards in skateparks etc.) you could put on a set of wide trucks from Independent Grind King, which would be much more comfortable when rying to perform tricks.
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Wheels
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Big wheels for speed, hard wheels for sliding, softer for carving grip, conical profiles for extra grip.......what more do you need to know?
Big wheels such as Kryptonics 76 or 85mm go really well with cruisers or bombing boards, generally a medium/ soft compound.
For sliding you want go medium to big, raise the durometer number (hardness) and look for wheels with radiused edges, good example might be ABEC11 No Skoolz in a 94A compound
On carving boards you might look for grip, wheels such as 3DM Avalons will have nice soft componds and super conical edges for hold in the turns and yet be solid in the core for straight line speed
ABEC11 are fast producing the widest range of carving and downhill specialised wheels. For example the Grippins have both inside and outside conical edges for ultra carving grip yet they also make huge 97mm wheels for racing
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Bearings
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If you take care of them, a good quality budget set of bearings will get see you through many situations. It is important though that you set them up with the correct spacers and always use axle/ speed washers. One bearing i really like with ABEC11 wheels are their Biltins which have the spacer attached and provide a totally accurate fit inside the wheel hub, good alignement makes for good running. Clean and lube regularly and you will get more life and better running out of your set.
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Risers
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You should always at minimum use a shockpad riser between the deck and truck, to protect the deck and damp out the ride slightly. 1/2 inch block risers are used where wheel clearance is needed and angled risers are used to change the angle of the truck so changing it's stability/ carving depending on which way you turn it. You should use the correct bolts, domeheads for thin composite decks (so they don't crack), you can use countersunk on normal thickness maple laminate decks.
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To the set-ups......
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Our most sold type of longboard - 48" firm flex pintail with Randal or Holey trucks and conical profile soft wheels such as 3DMs.
Typical speed set-up - Landyachtz DH race, Randal DH trucks and monster ABEC11 97mm wheels, speed camera warning system!
Typical ultra carver - low flex pintail such as Landyachtz pinner, Original Super 8's and ABEC11 Grippins
As you can see, the combintions are endless, feel free to get in touch with us and we will try to help you navigate through the possibilites
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