A
lot of people are nervous and worried when they first go to buy a longboard;
they wonder what the best board for them. But have no fear there are some easy
ways to pick what board will be right for you.
Firstly
let’s see what boards are out there. Longboards are divided into three
different categories; downhill (or DH), cruisers and freestyle boards. Downhill
boards tend to be a lot longer than other boards (between 35 – 45 inches).
Downhill boards are separated into racing boards and freeride boards, racing
boards are usually the longer and wider of these boards so that the rider has a
larger “active platform” locking them in and keeping them steady at high speeds
making cornering no issue. Race boards also usually have a drop-through option
allowing riders to put their trucks through their deck giving them a lower
centre of gravity reducing the chance of speed wobble and increasing their top
speeds, an issue with these racing boards is that it is harder to slide them
than most boards due to their size. Freeride boards vary in length and width to
fit the rider it is designed for. The shorter of the freeride boards will be
more responsive and easier to slide for taller riders and will be small and
light enough for the smaller shredders to slide and control on the hill,
although these boards may experience speed wobble at slightly lower speeds than
the longer boards. The longer of the freeride boards will allow riders to have
controlled slides at high speeds, although they may be harder to slide at lower
speeds and harder to use for people who have a smaller stance. Some freeride
boards may also have the drop-through options allowing the rider to hold out
slides for longer due to the low centre of gravity. Both racing and freeride
boards have the drop down boards; these boards do not usually have the
drop-through option as they are already lowered to the ground, drop down boards
have a lowered platform meaning that the active platform is lower than the top
of the trucks, this allows riders to push their feet against the raises
enabling them to tuck at high speeds or to have more control over their slides.
A general disadvantage for downhill boards is that they aren’t that good at cruising
around in public place due to their size.
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Cruiser
boards are usually pit-tails which are long and thin allowing the rider to
manoeuvre around town and carve roads with ease, although very useful for
commuting they tend to suffer with speed wobble and are harder to slide than
other boards. The other type of cruisers are short-boards, these tend to be no
bigger than 30 inches and are popular with younger/smaller riders and riders
not looking to go downhill. An advantage of short-boards is that they are easy
to carry and are very responsive, although a disadvantage is that they are not
very stable downhill.
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The
Final board type is the freestyle boards, the freestyle boards are split into
free-ride freestyle, dancers and bowl boards. Free-ride freestyle boards are
usually similarly shaped to skateboards but longer although they can come in a
variety of shapes. These boards are used to do flip tricks and technical slides
downhill, technical slides are when to board is slid using only two or less
wheels e.g. using the tail or nose of the board to perform a slide. Technical
slides also allow the rider to use slide gloves enabling them to vary their
sliding technique and hold positions closer to the ground. Free-ride freestyle
boards also allow you to do a variety of flat land tricks allowing you to move
off the hill and expand your horizons to new locations. These boards are
perfect to perform slides and other tricks, but they are not great for racing
downhill due to their smaller size. Dancers are very long boards as they are
used to walk up and down on, they tend to have a fair amount of flex allowing
the rider to pop in and out of stances. They usually come as either pintails or
with a double kicker shape. This gives the rider the choice of having either a
more freestyle/freeride orientated board or a more cruising style board. The
pintail shaped board will allow the rider to cruise around and carve hills with
no trouble as well as keeping the dancing flex of the board. The double kicker
style board will enable the rider to combine their flatland tricks with their
dancing style board. Dancers are brilliant for taller riders and riders who
want a smooth soft feel to their ride, although they are fairly hard to ride
downhill due to the softness of the board and its quick turning increasing the
chance of earlier speed wobble.
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