Intro to Longboard Skateboarding Part II.5,a (Longboard Skating)

Name: Nassos

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Product:	Longboard Skating
Date:	24/04/01 (1281 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great Fun

Disadvantages: ohh, the pain..

You will find the first part, and a more general approach to longboarding under the Skateboarding>general category of this site...

This one though is totally dedicated to longboarders.
As we have said longboarding utilises bigger wheels than normal skateboarding. The wheels come in different sizes and degrees of softness. From the smallest ones (60mm) to the biggest (82mm), each wheel provides a diferent ride. Generally the bigger the wheel the more the speed and the acceleration of the board. As far as the softness and the hardness of the wheels is concerned that has to do with the grip on the road and with the type of surface that you are skating on. The wheels range from 74A (softest) to 102A (hardest)

For example if you are skating on fairly rough but skatable streets you will need softer wheels as they tend to provide better grip on the road. (they are made of rubber of course)
On the other hand if you are skating on ramps, where the surfaces are extremely smooth, it would be better to use harder wheels, since they would be far faster.

Again the secret here is to find the combination of size and hardness the best suits your style of skating. I have been riding on two pairs of 65mm 76A wheels and I think that they are perfect for the streets and pedestrian roads of Canterbury, which consist of rough or semi rough tarmac or cement streets, with the occasional joy of a new laid smooth like hell part new black tarmac.
There is a wide range of different wheels on the market, from different companies, all in different colours shapes and designs, look for the ones suited to you and do not forget that the softer the wheels the smoother the ride, but the softer wheels will also wear down faster than harder wheels.
TIP. Once you notice that your back wheels are a bit more worn down than the front (which is normal) change them around!!
So you will wear all the wheels down equally.
Finalle we
must mention that with the right amount of risers you can use off-road wheels and enjoy cruising down some smooth hills with grass.

Risers are the plastic square things that go in betwwen the truck and the board. They provide protection and mild cushioning. The bigger the riser pad the higher you are off the ground, and that allows for bigger wheels to be put on the trucks.

Off-road wheels are quite big and wide and they come in different shapes and sizes. The biggest ones are considerably bigger than the wheels of a a baby's pram.
Work hard and skate harder...



Update:

Here are some interesting websites that will give you a better picture plus more information about long boarding.

First of all, from what I have heard, Sector9, is one of the best longboard manufactureres around, and they have made a very cool website at sector9.com There are photographs to see, a video to download, and of course all their board and history. The music on the site is also a nice touch. The only problem is, that the company is based in the US. For more information on sector 9 availability in the UK you may want to visit hunter-boardwear.co.uk

Other companies include
gravity, envyskateboards, purelongboards, afroman, landyachtz, and fluidskateboards (all with .com at the end can be found on the web)

finally there is a longboarding magazine out there, that goes by the name of International Longboarder Magazine which I think is based in Canada and can be found on the web at longboardermag.com

more soon...

Summary: