Longboard (skateboard)

A 40 inch cruiser

A longboard is a surfing/skateboard variant, similar and related to a surfboard or snowboard with wheels. It is used for cruising, downhill racing, slalom racing, sliding, and/or transport action, most stunts, however are very different from the typical skateboard. They usually take place during the descent of a hill, mostly slides, carves, manuals and "dancing" the board. In general, longboards can be substantially more expensive than regular skateboards. This depends on the quality, materials used, and choice of setup.

Dimensions

Most longboards measure between 90 and 150 cm (35.4-60 inches). There are several shapes of longboards, such as pintails, flat-nose riders, drop through decks, drop decks and boards with the same shape of a standard skateboard. Pintails permit looser trucks and larger wheels which are better suited for carving or a "surfy" feel where as drop decks and drop through's allow the rider to be closer to the ground, hence a lower center of gravity which allows these boards to support more downhill riding. Mid-length boards, 94-127 cm (37-50 inches) are the most versatile. Their greater weight and bulk makes them less suitable for many skateboarding tricks, but contributes to a fluid motion by providing more momentum. The Longboard's design allows for big turns or quick short carves similar to the motions of surfers or snowboarders.

Longboard equipment

Longboard equipment is similar to standard skateboard equipment. Many skaters wear gloves, a helmet, wrist, elbow and knee protection. In the sliding and downhill disciplines, riders wear "slide gloves" which are specialized gloves made out of a strong material such as leather, and have large discs, called "pucks," attached to protect the hands as they pivot them for slides along the ground. The pucks are usually made of delrin, UHMW, or corian. Some skaters make homemade versions of these gloves by using a heat gun or hot glue gun to melt glue onto a heavy duty gardening glove then glue pucks made from plastic chopping-boards over the fingers, thumbs and palms. These gloves protect the hands when a longboarder gets low enough to pull up on his or her board making the wheels lose traction on the ground allowing them to slide.

Decks

A 44 inches long pintail shape deck.

Longboards are commercially available in variety shapes and sizes. Each shape and length of deck has certain advantages and disadvantages, depending on what the rider wants out of the board.

A popular shape is the Pintail which is a teardrop-shaped deck that is typically flat and suitable for beginners. The pintail shape is used to prevent the wheel from coming in contact with the board (called "wheelbite") while still providing ample footspace.

Another popular deck type is the Drop-deck. Drop-deck boards have a unique shape where the middle of the deck is lower than where the trucks are mounted. This can be achieved by either a "drop through" cutout, where the trucks are mounted through the deck, or a "dropped" deck where the deck is pressed in such a way that the truck mounts are placed higher than the standing platform. The lowered platform allows for greater stability at high speeds. However, this deck type is not well-suited for loose trucks, which can lead to condition called "railbite" where the rails of the deck scrape the ground. Speed bumps can create a hazard, where the dropped platform impacts the speedbump, stopping the deck.

Hybrid longboards include wheel cutouts which provide room for the wheels to turn at sharper angles while avoiding wheelbite. Hybrids also tend to be shorter than other longboards, which allows the rider to complete the same tricks as on a standard skateboard. A downside of hybrid longboards is the potential for "shoebite" which happens when the rider's shoe rubs the wheel, slowing or stopping the rider.

Another classic deck shape is the Cruiser shape. These have a somewhat similar shape to normal skateboards, in that they have a kick-tail on the back.

Decks intended for riding downhill are typically stiff and have a wheelbase of around 30". There are three primary shapes for these decks: topmount, dropthrough, and dropdeck. These different decks have different ride heights, which affects the cornering ability. Footspace is important on a downhill deck, so the board can facilitate a user's aerodynamic "tuck". Stiffer boards provide for a more direct response, rather than effort being lost to flex.

Some boards are designed to be flexible. Flexible boards are usually intended for lower speed riding.

Longboard decks can be shaped in such a way that they bow up or down along the length of the board. They can also have a downward bend along the width of the board. Concave boards, which bend upward on the sides, give the rider more friction for their toe and heel, thus giving them more control. A camber board is a gradual upward arch along the length of the board. This sets the center of the board above the truck mounts. This is often used on flexible boards to prevent the board from sagging when it is being ridden. A "rocker" shape is the opposite of camber, which sets the center of the board below the truck mounts when it's being ridden. This lets the rider more easily perform tricks like sliding.

Trucks

Trucks are the metal turning mechanism that attach the longboard wheels to the deck. They come in a wide range of styles, with wider trucks meaning a wider turning circle. They use the motion of the riders feet and body to turn the board by pivoting a joint in the middle of the truck. There are generally two types of trucks used on longboards: reverse kingpin trucks and conventional skateboard trucks. Conventional skateboard trucks have the axle on the outside side (towards the nose and tail) of the kingpin, whereas reverse kingpin trucks have the axle on the inside side (towards the center of the board) of the kingpin.

Popular conventional skateboard trucks include Independent and Tracker. Popular reverse kingpin trucks include Randal, Paris, and Gullwing. Reverse kingpin trucks were created with longboarding in mind. While they are usually considered to have more grip and stability (two important things in the downhill discipline), conventional trucks have a very different feel that is often preferred by many longboarders.

Hanger width can greatly influence the turning characteristics of a truck. A wider hanger is thought to be more stable (turn less quickly). This is because the board generally has less leverage over the hanger , the wheels have a further distance to travel to get to an angle, and more board lean is lost due to bushing compression.

The angle of the baseplate can also greatly influence the turning and stability of a truck. As a general rule, as the degree gets smaller past 45 degrees, the truck will be more stable, but turn less (its turn essentially becomes more vertically oriented rather than horizontally oriented). For example, trucks with 44 degree baseplates will generally be more stable (turn less) than trucks with 50 degree baseplates.

Bushings

Bushings are perhaps the easiest things to change on a truck in order to change the feel of how it turns. Bushings are usually made of a polyurethane material, and come in varying shapes and durometers (hardness). Two of the most standard bushing shapes include barrels and cones. Barrels, having a larger shape, are often thought to have more stability whereas cones, having a more narrow shape allow for more turn. The durometer of the bushing also greatly influences its characteristics. a harder bushing (such as a bushing with a rating around 91A) with be much harder to turn on than a softer bushing (something around 84A). The type of washers used with the bushing can also greatly affect the bushing's characteristics. While it depends on the size of the washer, generally a cupped washer will be the most restrictive on a bushing, a flat washer will be neutral, and a flipped cup washer will be the least restrictive.

Riser Pads

Riser pads are used to increase the distance between the wheels on a longboard and the deck in order to prevent wheel bite (when the deck scrapes the wheels causing the wheels to stop turning. They also reduce the strain on the deck from the trucks being directly in contact with it. Riser pads are normally made of plastic. Shock pads, which are more rubbery than riser pads, serve the same function only with more emphasis on reducing strain and less on increasing the distance between the wheels and deck. In some decks such as drop throughs riser pads are not needed because it is impossible to get wheel bite.

Bearings

Bearings connect the wheel to turn smoothly. Bearings can be made of many materials, including steel (which is most prevalent), titanium, or ceramics. Ceramic bearings are the most expensive. Bearings are usually rated in the ABEC scale. The ratings run from 1-9, using only odd numbers. The higher the rating, the more precise, or smoother rolling, the bearing. However, higher rated bearings can be damaged more easily. However, not all bearings use ABEC ratings. These companies will use other methods to describe the bearings' resistance and durability.

Wheels

Longboard wheels are typically larger than regular skateboard wheels ranging from 65 to 85 mm, however, larger and smaller longboard wheels are found. Longboard wheels are also typically softer than regular skateboard wheels, which makes riding on of the wheel, meaning a wheel can be 'set' in different ways. If the bearings are mounted equidistant from each lip of the wheel, they are referred to as centre set. This design is preferred for sliding, as it distributes the load across the wheels and therefore wears more easily, and begins to slide more smoothly. If the bearings are mounted flush with one edge of the wheel, the wheel is referred to as side set. This design is grippier, as the lip (side of the wheel) is less supported on the outside edge, so can deform easily to grip tarmac. These wheels tend to be favoured by downhill and slalom riders, as well as cruisers. The shape of the lip (side) of the wheel also affects its characteristics. The hardness of the wheels is measured by a durometer. Some wheels are made from a grippy urethane material. Others are designed to slide across pavement. Wheel durometers usually range from 75a to 88a the higher the durometer the harder the wheel, softer wheels are preferred by speedboarders as they conform to the road and therefore are more grippy, while harder wheels are used for sliding.

See also

• Skateboard
• Longboarding
• Freeboard (skateboard)
• Sector 9
• Slalomboard
• Adrenalina Skateboard Marathon

External links

• http://www.silverfishlongboarding.com/ - Longboard community with reviews, forums, articles, photos, and tip tricks
• http://www.skateslate.com/ - Longboarding News Site with original articles & daily videos, gear directory, and rider profiles
• http://www.riderguru.com - non-profit longboard network.
• http://longboardinguniverse.com - Learn how to longboard
• http://www.mylongboardnation.com/ - Longboarding nation, collection of articles, videos, photos, and reviews from around the web.
• http://www.kallio.org/longboard (www.offshore.fi)
• Longboard (skateboard) at Curlie
• http://www.daddiesboardshop.com/ -Longboard store with wide variety of items.