How to choose your longboard?  

The choice of model is very wide, from colorful models, different shapes, thousends of brands. I think the first question you should answer is the following:  what use will I make of my longboard?

In this section you will be able to see a description of the various uses that can be made of a longboard and the different types of longboard linked  to them and the different terms used to be taken into account when choosing the longboard such as "camber ", " Concave "," w concave ", " dropped "," Top mount "," Drop Through ".

 

The different uses

- Carving/Cruising: Built for casual rides around the town, these longboards  provide the perfect speed and control for non-professionals who just want cruise on these wheels and carve in the hills. Whether it's for the fans of the turns, simple commuting, or move while taking pleasure, these types of models often combine a pointed shape called "Pintail" or other forms. They  have the particularity of benefiting from a relatively large flexibility in order to facilitate rebound of the board. These  boards are often made of  bamboo layers fairly resistant and known for its characteristics of flexibility, erable, a little more rigid as well as slices of fiberglass providing the robustness necessary for the board. The camber of the board is generally flat or the opposite of convex.

Trucks mounted: trucks Topmount 50°, wheels not too hard (78 ou 80A).

Here the models we recommend for carving or cruising: Mike Jucker Hawaii Skatesurfer, Mike Jucker Hawaii Makaha,  Kahuna Creations Retro, Kahuna Creation Haka Moko ou Pohaku, Ledger Pintail sector 9. 

 

  

- Dancing: Longboard Dancing is the term made up by Adam Colton and Adam Stokowski, two avid longboarders who combined elements of freestyle skateboarding, surfing, dance and whatever else they found lying around into a new creative form of riding a longboard. These aren't tricks like in regular skateboarding, where the skater does a quick technical flip of the skateboard - rather, these are all about show, style, and incorporating all this into riding longboards.  Eg "shove-its", "manuals", "peter pans". 

These boards are often long a (from 100cm), normally they have  an important flex (which helps to do  the figures on the board), as well as most of the time a "nose" "And" tail "of the same size to facilitate certain figures. What differentiates this type of boards from those oriented for carving / cruising is sometimes the shape of the board, that for dancing is generally a "twin-shape" that is to say symmetrical! 

What matters in choosing a good Dancing board? a good size and a large width!

Trucks mounted: trucks top-mount 50°, hard wheels.

Our suggested models: Kahuna Beach Board Rasta Retro, Kahuna Pohaku Surf Rider, Globe Kaguya Bamboo.

 

Example of a Nose manual on a longboard.                                Exemple of a Kahuna Creations board with a pintail shape and very flexible with a convexe shape (camber).

 

- Downhill: Going down the hill with amazing speed, tearing the wind apart with your momentum and shaming others with amazing control, these longboards are built for passionate professional riders, those who can take on any challenge. Pick one in this category and feel the adrenaline surge in your body. Some riders prefer shorter board for a maximum of control on high speed.

Normally  good downhill longboard have concave shape of the deck. Why? Most concave shapes allow riders more foothold than a flat longboard, which can take sliding, drifting, and turning to the next level. 

Cambre "Concave": the subtle U-shaped curve is the most common deck shape, though some boards have a deeper curve than others. This type of concave allows your feet better grip, which can be useful in downhill.

 and  "W concave":  This concave actually has a W shape to it just like the name. It would be like putting two radial concaves on the same deck. The result is a center line that acts sort of like a pivot point for your foot to transfer even more energy toe to heel for even more response than a radial or eliptical concave. Racers who need the ultimate precision and quick turnability prefer this style. 

Trucks mounting: trucks drop-through ou Top-mount 40-44°, wheels intermidiate hardness.

Recommanded model: Rayne Fortune P-Swiss Pro Model, Rayne Rival, Rayne Vendetta, Sector 9 Ginger

 - Freeride: Freeride is focused on going fast and doing slides. So that will include deep carves, hard slides and high speed riding. They provide control while speed is kept to moderate levels. These longboards focus more on technical maneuvers when compared to other speed oriented longboards.

Trucks mounting: trucks drop-through ou Top-mount 45-50°, wheels intermidiate hardness.

 

 

Truck mounting types

There are several different skateboard truck mounting styles that can affect the leverage a skater can get on their board. Changing how your trucks attach to your deck can make a huge difference in how you turn, and how the deck feels generally. Here's the lowdown on some basic types of truck mountings.

	Top Mount This is without a doubt the most common type of truck mounting. The trucks are attached to the bottom of the deck with screws, so they are always beneath the rider's feet. The leverage and control offered make this a no-brainer for many skateboarding styles.
	Drop-Thru Drop-thru truck mountings are increasingly popular with longboards and cruisers. Rather than screwing your hardware through the mounting holes to attach the trucks, drop-thru decks have cut-outs in the nose and tail so you can literally drop your trucks through it and attach on the sides. This mounting style offers more stability than a traditional top mount, but the board is less responsive
	Dropped Deck In a dropped deck, the trucks are attached in traditional top mount style, but the deck itself "drops" down in the middle of the deck so only the nose and tail are raised. The low center of gravity offers stability and better slide control. The steepness of the drop varies from deck to deck. Some skateboards and longboards also use a dropped deck with a drop-thru truck mounting (this is called a Double Drop). To avoid dangerous and potentially disastrous rail bite, which is when your board comes into contact with the ground, choose a wheel diameter that will offset how low your board is.
	Flush Mount A flush mount is a good option if you want a lower center of gravity but still strong leverage over your trucks. In this style, trucks are fitted through the deck, but the top of the truck is even (or "flush") with the surface of the deck (unlike drop thrus). A deck fitted for flush mounts can only take one type of truck, meaning that riders can't change their setups once they've committed to a flush mount deck.
	Drop Mount A drop mount is essentially a hybrid of top mounts and drop-thrus. In this style, trucks are fitted into the deck rather than through it, so the truck is not visible from the top of the deck. Drop mounts offer more leverage than a full drop-thru mount, but less than a top mount.

 

 

SportMania Team