Introduction
How to choose the best sliding longboard setup when you are a novice? Being a big fan of freeriding and downhill sliding, you are properly seeking a longboard setup that fits you most.
Are you still up in the air? No worries! You’ve landed in the right place.
Now, choosing a suitable longboard is a pretty difficult process and requires huge consideration of individuals’ riding styles, skills, and a lot more. So, how do we know what to choose?
You need to identify what level you are at and what sliding style you’d prefer. Then, have a thorough search on different longboards’ types and structures to see what is inside.
Among those components are 3 things you should focus on (the deck, the wheels, and the trucks). These are the main parts of a longboard and also a distinguishable feature with the unique color and design. So you won’t want to miss this part!
Also, pay attention to the flexibility, durability, the material of each part, and prices, too! Try to stick closely to your budget, because there’s a lot to buy.
First, let’s have a brief look at the structure of a longboard to find out what we need for a perfect setup. And remember to list them down!
Now, let’s jump right into it! Skateboard Cast.
[toc]
Structure of a Longboard
A longboard is a kind of skateboard but much larger than any ordinary board you’ve ever known (normally over 36 inches).
There are 3 core components you can find on a longboard (deck, trucks, and wheels), along with some important supplements to join them together (bearings, grip tape, axel, etc.).
The signature features of a longboard are its deck and design.
The deck is way much longer than usual. Some have concave designs to enhance the stability when sliding and create foot space to stand in, allowing you to control the board easier in complex techniques.
Because these longboards are used for sliding downhill or free riding at higher speeds, their components must acquire stability, durability to achieve the desired speed.
The wheels are usually placed nearer to the edges of the tip and tail, while trucks are moderated to bear and reduce the whole weight and pressure on the wheels.
So, do you want to know more about how to choose the best sliding longboard setup? Take a closer look at the next 3 parts!
Best Setup For Sliding Longboard
Deck
The deck is the biggest part of any longboard. Choosing a high-quality and weight-resistant deck is the first requirement since you directly step right on this part.
These decks are normally plywood, bamboo, or oak wood-made with two to eleven layers (2mm thick).
There are different designs of decks for different kinds of purposes you use a longboard for:
Lowrider: this deck is great for those who love downhill cruising; it helps a lot in balancing and increasing your speed while riding.
Drop Down: its shape is lower and closer to the ground than the Lowrider. The concave design enables you to do more complex techniques with impressive speed and balance. Thus, beginners will benefit from its stability.
Drop Through: best for sliding, great for ripping around corners, concave design (recommend)
Pintail: a pretty standard deck that looks like a surfboard, create a surfing-on-land feeling; no difficult techniques required to ride on (good for beginners)
Dance-style Cruise Board: most dancing decks are longer than ordinary ones. It has a curved-up tip and tail for various tricks and complex techniques in sliding. You should only pick this board when reaching an advanced level.
Some modern styles we found suitable for all levels’ riders:
Atom Drop Deck Longboard – 39 inch
DB Longboards Keystone Downhill/Freeride – 33 inch
Yocaher Aluminum Drop Through Deck
Retrospec Zed Longboard Pintail
Wheels
As we have talked about in a longboard’s structure, the wheels’ positions change. And different features of the wheels could also affect the sliding style!
If you’re a stranger to longboarding, be wise and choose bigger wheels (above 70mm)!
They run smoothly and faster on rougher surfaces, and they won’t pose many dangers in practicing. An ideal choice for beginners!
You’re a professional in this? Choose whatever you want!
You want to be faster, then choose the smaller pact. Don’t pick the bigger ones because they would slow you down. The large size also makes it harder for all the turnings.
Apart from the size, it is better to consider some of these factors before making a purchase:
Temperature: whether it’s hot or cold in your sliding area because the wheels could be deteriorated facing the wrong climate.
Flat resisting feature: you don’t want your wheels to end up an oval and lose their maneuverability High flat resistance ensures stable quality despite frequent practice.
Contact patch: remember this! The larger, the slower! If you’ve just started the journey of longboarding, choose the large patch for easy practice. Otherwise, the small one is fine.
Colors: What could be better to ride on a stylish and trendy board? Consider its color and drawings to opt for an attractive longboard.
Take a look at some of these wheels:
Bigfoot 76mm 80A SHR
MBS All-Terrain Longboard Wheels
Orangatang Caguama 85mm Wheels
Cloud Ride Wheels 69mm 78A
The journey to answer the inquiry about “How to choose the best sliding longboard setup” is almost there! We only have one more part to go, and here it is.
Hight Quality Wheels to here.
Trucks
The truck is a very important part of a longboard linking between the deck and the wheels, it sustains the whole-body weight, the bouncing, and landing-offs.
But the problem is, there’re too many kinds of trucks out there on the Internet. How about keeping it more simple?
First, take the baseplate angle into account. If you’re into freeriding, choose trucks with 44 or 50 degrees. For downhill sliding, go for trucks from 43 to 45 degrees.
They’re typically 2 kinds of trucks, the 44- and 50-degree. If you love to turn more than to lean, choose the 50-degree one. The 44-degree is the perfect balancing between leaning and turning.
Moving on to hangers!
The hangers are actually equivalent to the width of your board. So, if you have a 10-inch longboard, pick 10-inch hangers. And if you’re an advanced rider in freeriding or downhill sliding, you’d probably know that 10-inch hangers with whiteboards have the greatest stability and fastest speed!
One more thing about the measures, inch is the full width of the axel, while millimeter is the width of the hanger alone!
Here are some recommendations:
Caliber Trucks Cal II 50° RKP
Paris V2 180mm 50° Trucks (Matte Black)
Final Thoughts
Choosing your best longboard setup is not that easy right? You have a lot to take into consideration. Knowing your level and purpose is the first step to choose a proper longboard. Then, think of your personal favor like color and style.
Depending on your goals, make the proper decision. Eventually, you’ll know how to choose the best sliding longboard setup and own one of the coolest longboards ever. And don’t forget one thing! The safety gears are important too!
Related posts: Skateboard Wheels Tight Or Loose
Reference: Setting Up a Slide Deck for Downhill Longboarding
