Longboards come in many shapes and forms. They can be accelerated to insane speeds, show the most effective tricks and can let you experience unrealistically cool sensations.
Here, the most important thing is to choose the right board, deciding which is more important to you – speed or manoeuvrability.
Every experienced rider at first glance will understand what a board is capable of, and our advice will help you understand all the other nuances of the choice.
The Best Manufacturers of Longboards – Which Company to Choose
If you are looking for a longboard as a gift for a friend and do not want to study longboards in-depth, just choose a model that bears the name of a famous company. You do not need to go into the nuances of design and deal with the quality of materials – the long life and good performance of the board will be guaranteed if you chose a good manufacturer.
The best companies that produce longboards are, in our opinion:
Rayne; Yocaher products; Madrid; Beetle; Oxelo; Sector.
The class models of the “long skates” of these manufacturers are presented in our rating. You can simply choose one of them or set a goal and find the perfect tip by following the tips given below.
Types of long boards
Cruiser Models
Among the various types of longboards, these are some of the most comfortable and stable. The decks are of medium hardness, have the shape of an elongated oval and their length can be from 70 to 130 cm.
The wheels are often installed soft, with a diameter of up to 76 mm, which allows you to easily overcome small bumps in the asphalt. They, in turn, are equipped with bearings type ABEC 7 – reliable and mobile, which help to develop high speeds.
The models of about 70 cm are more suitable for lovers of tricks and carving, and the long and wide boards will perfectly cope with the role of cruise ships.
Pros:
- Great manoeuvrability for their size;
- Suitable for commuting long distances;
- You can develop a speed of up to 100 km / h;
- Abbreviated models are good for doing different tricks;
- The wide and soft wheels are suitable for a soft ride on uneven asphalt.
Cons:
- Quite generic;
- There are difficulties in performing tricks, as even the shortest model exceeds the size of a standard skate.
Slalom models
These longboards are designed for tricks and manoeuvres. The length of the deck here does not exceed 60-70 cm, the front is significantly narrower.
The wheels are of low or medium hardness, 69-72 mm in diameter, on the slalom boards. As a rule, they come with straight edges as to not allow the board to drift for a long time.
Pros:
- Excellent manoeuvrability;
- Ability to perform tricks;
- You can Develop a high enough speed;
- You can spread the board without pushing your feet, ie. pumping.
Cons:
- They are not designed for long rides and descents;
- Less stable than other models.
Descent models
The characteristic features of these longboards are the long and hard decks (about 1 m) and the strong routes. The board is designed for high-speed descents so its design excludes the “twisting” of the board.It has a good thickness of 9-11 layers of wood and a hard indentation.
The wheels here have a diameter of 70-75 mm, the width of the tracks corresponds to the dimensions of the deck and for reliability, they are screwed with bolts that are sewn through the board.
Pros:
- Allows acceleration up to 140 km / h;
- Stable on the track;
- Strong and reliable;
- Always equipped with good ABEC 7 bearings.
Cons:
- Due to the low manoeuvrability, it is difficult to turn around the corners;
- Not suitable for tricks.
Sliding models
These models of longboards are designed for a disciplined riders, with an abundance of technical turns and slides – slides (hence the name). The length of such boards starts from 90 cm, the platforms themselves are characterised by hardness and a fairly large thickness, reaching 1.3 cm.
The wheels of the sliders are small and solid, with mandatory bearings ABEC 7, the tracks match the size of the board. Such longs have a symmetrical shape, so that during the descent it is possible to “deviate” in any direction and rotate in motion.
Pros:
- Easy to reach speeds up to 100 km / h;
- You can place the board in a controlled deviation;
- Safe and stable enough;
- They are characterised by good manoeuvrability;
- Robust and durable.
Cons:
- They take up a lot of space;
- Narrow “specialisation” of boards.
Surf style boards
These longboards can not be mistaken for anything else, as they reach a length of 1, 5-3 meters and are aimed at surfers.
On such boards during the trip you can walk, sit, lie down or ride in pairs. The deck here is always very hard, up to 2 cm thick, the diameter of the wheels reaches 100-120 mm. Tracks must also be strong, reliable and the same size as the board.
Pros:
- Unrealistically stable and reliable;
- During skating, you can move on the board, sit and even lie down;
- Great for long distances;
- Great for practicing surfing.
Cons:
- Huge size and weight;
- Minimal manoeuvrability;
- They require good surfaces.
Dancing Longboard Models
Such boards are designed to perform various dance tricks. The length of the deck varies from 80 to 150 cm, the width is about 8-10 cm. The board is quite elastic and thin (not more than 1 cm), which makes it slightly more mobile in the middle when riding.
The wheels are set to a medium diameter (70-75 mm) with minimal stiffness. And since the high speed of dancing is not important, there is an opportunity to save on camps – “dancing” longboard is enough three or five.
Pros:
- A variety of tricks that can be performed on such a board;
- Very good stability;
- Excellent manoeuvrability (adjusted for the length of the deck), and if the board itself is well handled by the owner;
- Really unique appearance.
Cons:
- Problems with long distances;
- Short-lived.
Mini Cruiser (Padding)
Strictly speaking, these longboards are really small, with a deck of only 57 cm – they are considered the younger brothers of more traditional longboards. But the urban youth like the bright models of this longboard because they can travel for hours in the city and, if necessary, it is easy to put them in a bag or attach them to a backpack.
On the other hand, the growing popularity of these plastic deck boards is forcing manufacturers to seriously expand the range of sizes of mini cruisers. Now their length can reach 115 cm, which automatically makes this board jump into another category.
These models always come with a curved tail, a wide range of trains, and small (up to 70 mm) wheels made of PU with medium hardness, which makes it comfortable to ride even on bad asphalt.
Pros:
- Light and easy to carry;
- Wheels and a plastic deck dampen vibrations and “absorb” road roughness;
- Bright, recognisable design;
- Suitable for both cruises and simple tricks;
- Good manoeuvrability;
- Relatively affordable price.
Cons:
- Classic mini cruisers (22 “) are not stable enough;
- Plastbordy has restrictions on the weight of the rider.
