What is a Longboard?

A longboard can be different things for different people. A longboard is a mode of transportation, but also a sport, hobby, and a way of life. Similar to a skateboard, it is a board with wheels, but different from a skateboard because of size. Longboards are longer than the typical skateboard. Longboards also tend to be faster than skateboards for a number of reasons. Longboards are most often used for transport, cruising, sliding, and downhill racing.

There are many parts that make up a longboard. The main parts of the longboard include the deck, trucks, and wheels.

The largest part of the longboard is the deck. This is the “board” in longboard. Longboards are traditionally made of wood, but can be made of other materials such as plastic, carbon fiber, or even metal. Decks come in a variety of shapes and sizes that can affect your ride. Boards also come with a variety of flex and camber. Flex is the amount of “bounce” in the deck, and camber is the arch engineered to balance the amount of flex. Deck shapes can also be made concave. This is when the outside edges of the deck rise above the middle of the deck to improve foot traction and grip. Some decks are very stable at high speeds, while other decks are made for carving and sharp turns. Trucks and wheels are also important aspects of a boards stability. The top of the deck usually has grip tape for traction, and the bottom of the board is pretty much a canvas for any type of graphic.

The classic longboard shape is a pintail, a rounded wide nose which narrows to the round tail. These are most often used for cruising and carving. A free style deck has no definite front or back which is ideal for sliding and switch riding. A drop-down deck is when the board drops down from the mounted trucks to allow the board to be closer to the ground. This type of deck is designed for speed and aerodynamics. There is an endless amount of deck shapes that could be made and riders will have to choose a deck shape to fit their style of riding.

There are many different longboards along with many different riding styles. Some are made to break the world record speed on a board, some are made to slide the harshest curves, and some are made to just cruise and relax. No board or style is “right” or “wrong” they just “are”. So find a board you like and ride it however feels natural. Have fun and stay safe!! If your riding and the thought pops into your head “should I have a helmet on for this?” The answer is always YES.