Carving Longboard Shape Characteristics
A carving longboard may be any shape of longboard. Carving is a style of riding that involves shifting your weight from side to side while riding. This can be achieved my making wide and mellow turns or can be done quickly my making sharp turns. When looking for a carving longboard there are qualities a rider should look for in a board that will allow them to make sharp turns.
Trucks on a Carving Longboard
Most longboards that are set up for carving have loose trucks, allowing the rider to make sharp turns in any direction. The looser your trucks, the more reactive your longboard will be when you turn. This is great for carving and maneuverability of the longboard.
Traditional reverse kingpin trucks are great for carving. They usually have a wide hanger which makes them more stable than narrow trucks, and they can be loosened at the kingpin. There are a variety of trucks engineered specifically for carving from numerous different brands. Some of these styles include double bushing trucks, spring loaded trucks, and even a carving device that requires the addition of hardware to your longboard such as the “Surf Adapter” by Waterborne Skateboards.
Possible Outcomes of Loose Trucks
Having loose trucks on a carving longboard is essential to increasing the responsiveness of the board. But there are some possible risks to having your trucks too loose.
A drawback to having loose trucks on your longboard is a lack of stability at high speeds. If you have loose trucks and try to go straight down a hill you may get speed wobbles causing your longboard to wobble back and forth so much that it will shoot out from under you. This is often called the Death Wobble… Once your board wobbles so much there is very little chance of recovery, usually leading to a crash or having to bail.
Luckily, this can be prevented by carving down hills. Although your board may still wobble, carving makes it so you can control your wobbles by pushing the momentum through the turns. Carving can also be used to slow your roll, helping to control your speed.
Wheelbite! Like the death wobble, wheel bite is something else that you want to avoid. Wheel bite is when one of the wheels of your longboard gets squeezed between the cement and the longboard deck. This usually causes your board to instantly stop at any speed often resulting in the rider falling off. This can be dangerous to anyone and should be taken into consideration when looking for a carving longboard.
Avoiding Wheelbite
Luckily, there are many ways to avoid wheelbite. The main way to control wheelbite is to make sure your trucks are not too loose. You can check this by standing on your board while not moving and leaning as far as you can in either direction. While doing this, you want to make sure that your wheels do not touch your deck when you put all of your weight on edge of your board. If your wheels do touch the deck when all of your weight is on one side of the board then you should tighten your trucks until this no longer happens.
But if you still want to keep your trucks very loose so your board turns very sharp, you can also add risers to your carving longboard setup. Risers are small rubber or plastic pieces that fit between your trucks and your deck. The thicker your risers are the more room there will be between the wheels and the deck. You may need to get new hardware (longer screws) if you put large risers on your board.
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Having large risers on your longboard will give your trucks and wheels more clearance between the deck. As a result, your longboard will now be higher off the ground. This will make kicking and foot braking feel a little different and may take getting used to.
Another feature that protects your carving longboard from wheelbite are wheel wells. Wheel wells are a kind of cut out feature incorporated into a longboard shape that helps create more clearance between the wheel and the deck.
There are some longboard shapes that are better than others at preventing wheelbite. For example, a freestyle longboard shape is a great for a carving longboard because of the cut outs on either end of the board. These are specifically designed to avoid wheel bite. This shape is created with a designated space for the wheels to go when the rider is performing a sharp turn.
Carving Longboard Materials
A carving longboard can be made of a variety of materials. Different brands and different companies use a variety of materials or woods to make their carving longboards. The type of material used in the construction of a
longboard can affect the ride and performance of the board.
When looking for a carving longboard most riders look for a flexible board that has some bounce. This allows the rider to pump through the turns and carve. The flexibility also provides some bounce that makes carving fun. If a rider is looking to have a very sturdy board that will carry momentum and speed well, then a hardwood or stiff material would be recommended instead.
Looking for a Carving Longboard?
Longboard carving is a fun longboard riding style that gives riders the feeling of surfing the streets and cement. Here at Lost Coast Longboarding we provide a variety of lengths and materials of longboard decks that are
great for longboard carving!
Check out our longboard shop at Lost Coast Longboarding to see what hand painted longboards we have in stock! If we don’t have what your looking for, we would be happy to help you with your custom longboard order! We can build a board to suit your needs and we will provide you with a one of a kind longboard complete with hand painted artwork.
Thanks for Reading!
Hopefully this article answered any questions you may have had about the fishtail longboard shape. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask in the comment section below!
And if you’d like to read about different longboard shapes, click the links below:
To see some longboard adventure articles, check out the articles below:
- Broomfield Pump Track
- Volcom Brothers Skatepark in Mammoth Lakes
- Longboarding Wetlands Loop Trail
- The Basin Skatepark and BMX Park in Flagstaff
When we’re not out skating or adventuring, we’re working hard on our hand crafted longboards. You can head over to our Lost Coast Longboarding Shop to see our latest lineup of hand painted longboards! We also design and screen print our own shirts.
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