Longboarding
Longboarding is a variation of skateboarding typified by the use of longer boards with longer wheelbases and softer wheels. While longboards vary widely in shape and size, compared to street skateboards longboards are designed to be more stable at speed and to have more traction due to larger wheel sizes and softer wheel durometers. While standard street skateboards may typically be between 28 and 34 inches long, longboards can range anywhere from 32 to 50 inches in length. Ride characteristics of longboards generally differ from that of street skateboards due to the use of specialized longboard trucks that have different properties than those typically used with skateboards; while street skateboards use "traditional kingpin" trucks that are optimized for tight turning radii, ollie and flip tricks, slides, grinds, and transition skating, longboards are typically paired with "reverse kingpin" trucks that are designed for increased stability at higher speeds, more "surfy" carving characteristics, and/or greater ride comfort for commuting over longer distances.
The term "longboarding" encompasses multiple disciplines. These include downhill/race, freeride, freestyle, dance, and long-distance pushing. Longboarding's disciplines vary significantly in terms of physical requirements, intensity/impact, risk, and intended user base. While it is not altogether uncommon for riders to practice multiple variations of longboarding, there are dedicated communities for downhill and freeride, freestyle and dance, and long-distance push.
History
The idea of longboarding originated with surfers in Hawaii in the 1950s, who sought to bring surfing to land. They made a new kind of skateboard of thick plywood shaped into a smaller version of a surfboard, with trucks and wheels screwed to the decks, and used their surfing moves on small hills.In 1970s, a small group of longboarders honed their techniques, and some were profiled in a 1978 SkateBoarder magazine article, "Cult of the Longboard". These pioneers saw longboarding as a form of self-expression, and were influenced by surfing. Despite the advent of polyurethane wheels, longboarding did not become popular until the 1970s.
Longboarding lived on as an underground sport with home hobbyists continuing to make boards in their garages or strap trucks onto snowboard decks using old Kryptonic wheels from the 1970s or roller skating wheels.
Randal Truck Company created the first Reverse Kingpin Trucks in 1984.
In the early 1990s, Sector 9 started mass-producing and selling longboards.
The Internet has made it possible for small groups of skateboarders to communicate with each other and also gain an audience they might not have had locally, allowing the sport to grow further. Silverfish Longboarding was an active message board website during the 2000s and early 2010s before it closed, operated by Malkai Kingston. Multiple subbranches of longboarding exist with relatively small but hardcore groups of adherents like slalom, LDP, downhill, dance, freeriding, technical hard wheel sliding and more.
While diversifying, longboarding has also come back around full circle to embrace more street-oriented tricks and crossover events using ramps while continuing its earlier beginnings in slalom, ditch skating, cornering, and seeking to reach greater speeds.
Uses
Transportation
Longboards are commonly used for commuting in urban environments due to their smoother ride and stability.Commuter longboarding uses designs that take many different shapes, including long, wide cruisers as well as shorter hybrid boards. Their trucks are designed to be loose to allow for sharper turns. It is useful to have a kicktail on a commuting longboard to corner on sidewalks and lift the front of the board when riding off curbs.
Generally a shorter board,, is used for commuting, with medium-sized wheels to overcome bumps, cracks and other minor surface obstacles. Commuting by longboard can be more difficult in jurisdictions that restrict skateboarding and treat longboards as a kind of skateboard, and longboarders have been cited for unauthorized skateboarding.
Freeride
"Freeride" is a newer variation of downhill developed in the mid to late 2000s that focuses on sliding in creative ways, typically without the use of slide pucks. The decks, which are often symmetrical, may have kicktails on both sides that allow for tech slides. These decks are typically long and wide. Most freeride decks utilize similar construction to downhill boards. Some companies are now trying to produce freeride decks that also do freestyle. They make these hybrid boards using lighter materials and adding kicktails.Downhill
Downhill longboarding is usually done with gloves with slide pucks as a point of stability. It features speeds faster than one can push, generally between 20 miles per hour and 80 miles per hour. Speeds in excess of 80 mph have been obtained. These boards are usually long, with wheelbases of, and are very stiff to improve control at speed. "Speed wobbles" pose a problem for beginner downhill riders but intermediate and advanced users overcome this keeping their weight on their front foot and elevating the heel of their back foot. Downhill decks usually fall into Six categories: top mount, micro drop, drop thru, drop deck, double drop and flush mount. Topmount boards provide the most traction but tend to be less forgiving. Micro Drops lower the ride height slightly, which results in a great all around board. Drop thru decks consist of mounting the baseplates of the trucks on top of the board with the trucks hanging through a hole. Like micro drops these tend to be all around boards and were very popular 2009–2011. Drop Decks get the rider very close to the ground, providing an easy to push and drifty ride. Double Drop decks are a drop deck with drop thru truck mounts. These decks were fairly popular in the mid-2000s but have largely fallen out of favor due to their unresponsiveness. Flush mounts seek to lower the ride height by mounting the trucks in a recessed area on the board. This minimally lowers ride height but increases the chance for wheel bite Carbon fiber with a foam, balsa or hollow core. 2) Aluminum, either pressed or milled. And 3) Carbon Nano Tubes, although this proved prone to failure and no current company is using this material.Downhill boards and freeride boards are often used interchangeably. The main distinguishing factor is that downhill boards are usually directional, with a defined front and rear, while freeride boards are symmetrical front to back.
Downhill longboarders usually use Reverse Kingpin Trucks, whereas skateboarders use Traditional Kingpin Trucks. RKP trucks tend to hold traction better and are easier to handle at speed, whereas TKP trucks are more suited for tricks, bowl skating and usually sport a lower ride height. Other forms of trucks have been seen in the downhill but remain on the sidelines. These would include torsion trucks and CAM trucks. Downhill trucks are separated into two further categories: Cast and Precision. Cast trucks are the economical choice as well as the most common, although Precision Trucks are becoming more common. Cast trucks are usually a gravity cast aluminum with a solid steel axle that is non-removable. Due to the casting process cast trucks have 'slop' which is caused by small gaps in between parts. This causes small shifts and movements at speed and results in slightly diminished control. Cast trucks are also prone to warping slightly, causing uneven contact pressure on the wheels. Precision trucks can counter these limitations at a much higher price tag, although not all brands achieve this equally. Precision trucks are milled out of Aluminum billet and usually house two separate axles.
The angle and width of trucks also come into play with most falling in the 35°-52° range. A 45° truck is the center point, providing an equal ratio of lean to turn while also providing the most overall turn. A higher degree truck initiates a turn faster with less lean, but reduces the overall turn of the system. This is useful for riders seeking to maximize traction. A lower angle truck initiates a turn slower with more lean, and this results in less overall turn. These trucks are useful for making sliding easier, and also for many beginners who are struggling with speed wobble. The most common widths used are 115-200mm, with 150mm and 180mm being the most common. Generally, a narrower truck increases traction but is less forgiving. However, this is directly related to the width of the board as the truck and the board work together to form a level against the bushing.