How Much Does Longboard Wheels Affect Your Slides?

Dec 1

After having so many discussions with fellow longboarders, it’s been quite clear that there is still many more factors to consider other than just the hardness of your longboard wheels when it comes to sliding. This is a small summary of what I think does and does not work in a wheel when sliding.

This is a bare bone fact sharing I’d like to write here and the main intention of me writing this is to try my best to bring all that I know based solely on my own interpreations or understanding.

What Is Durometer Rating and Why Should I Care About It?

I guess the more experienced skaters are already aware of this important piece of criteria. For those who are not yet aware…well a durometer is a way to measure the hardness of a substance and in our case, the longboard wheels. The bigger the durometer number, the harder the longboard wheels will be.

While it is true that the harder the compound the easier the wheel will slide, this is not the only factor. All wheels will slide if pushed hard enough or with sufficient speed, just watch out for high siding on real soft wheels when they finally regain traction. The last thing you’d want is to go flying and ending with nasty road rashes.

How Much Does Wheel Side Wall Shape Affect Sliding?

My personal opinion would be that this is should be given more consideration than what your wheels are made of. How much surface area contact between the wheel and the surface being ridden on will ultimately determine how much grip you’ll have when riding.

The below snapshot is based on an assumption that all longboard wheels are 70mm and that the maximum width is the same.

longboardwheels-diagram

The side wall shape of the wheels are critical to the amount of total contact patch and determines how the wheels will release or break away from traction. 70s Flashbacks for example with no side wall radius will typically hang on untill the very last minute before snapping away fast.

Kryptonics classic K which has longboard wheels with a siingle radius on the outside will break away smoothly but may not glide the best through a slide. The inside edge of the trailing wheel offers a good degree of resistance due to its square profile.

Lastly, longboard wheels such as the Gravity Super G have a radius on both the leading and trailing edges of the wheel. Both these edges are able to absorb the differences in the surface and allow the slide to continue, but due to the smaller contact area, slides can be done much more easier and can also happen when you don’t want to slide in the first place.

Below are some general guides that I know of and further suggestions base on your own riding styles:

  • If you ride vert: You’ll find that most vert surfaces are designed for harder wheels – they are smooth to combat the lack of vibration dampening and somewhat grippy to make the slick wheels easier to control. Go with a set of wheels at the higher end of the durometer scale: think 97A or above.
  • If you ride street: Skaters who enjoy the technical side of the sport need a wheel that will add pop and road feel to their set-up. Hard wheels – 97A and higher – are best for all of you park riders.
  • If you are an all-around rider: If you rarely go anywhere without your skate, you may fall into this category. All-around skaters like to cruise around town, but can also drop in on a pool any day of the week. You’ll need to compromise a little, so go for a medium-hard wheel, somewhere between 90A and 97A.
  • If you cruise/longboard: Pavement tends to be bumpy and cracked, so a set of wheels that will ease the rattle of the road will make your board feel and perform much better. Soft wheels are designed for just this purpose; with durometer ratings of 75A through 85A (78A is pretty standard), cruising wheels help dampen the vibrations to let you glide with style.If you ride vert: You’ll find that most vert surfaces are designed for harder wheels – they are smooth to combat the lack of vibration dampening and somewhat grippy to make the slick wheels easier to control. Go with a set of wheels at the higher end of the durometer scale: think 97A or above.
  • If you ride street: Skaters who enjoy the technical side of the sport need a wheel that will add pop and road feel to their set-up. Hard wheels – 97A and higher – are best for all of you park riders.
  • If you are an all-around rider: If you rarely go anywhere without your skate, you may fall into this category. All-around skaters like to cruise around town, but can also drop in on a pool any day of the week. You’ll need to compromise a little, so go for a medium-hard wheel, somewhere between 90A and 97A.
  • If you cruise/longboard: Pavement tends to be bumpy and cracked, so a set of longboard wheels that will ease the rattle of the road will make your board feel and perform much better. Soft wheels are designed for just this purpose; with durometer ratings of 75A through 85A (78A is pretty standard), cruising wheels help dampen the vibrations to let you glide with style.

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Learning How To Longboard Vs Learning How To Skateboard

Dec 25




While skateboarding is largely more popular than longboarding, they each have their own merits. If you don’t know how to do either, you should know that both are a lot of fun, but it’s slightly easier to learn how to ride a longboard. While longboarding has not become so popular that it has become a full-blown sport like skateboarding, there are people who make a living by longboarding and getting sponsored. At its essence, the longboard is really just a variation of the skateboard, but it’s different in the sense that just about anyone can learn how to longboard much faster than they could learn how to skateboard. The bad news is that it can take quite a while before you are longboarding at the same level as the pros, but this is the same as most pursuits. It will require hard work, but here are some great tips to get you started.

It takes time to figure out which foot goes in front and which foot goes in back. First of all, it really makes no difference if you’re right-handed or left-handed. You’ll have to know which leg is your dominant leg, but that should be easy to figure out. The best way to do this is to think about the way you approach things. Which leg do you always use to kick something like a ball? With which foot do you usually start walking up a staircase? If you begin to lose your balance, which leg do you use to save your balance with? The side you always use in those situations is the side that goes to the back of the longboard. It really has to do with your dominant leg and nothing to do with the direction you want to face.

Start with an inexpensive but very durable longboard. High quality, beautiful longboards can be outrageously expensive. They’re so expensive you’ll probably just want to hang it on a wall and look at it! This is why you need to start with a beginner’s board. They have strong wheels and are thicker. These boards will be able to take the pounding and abuse the beginner longboarder will give it. Ask your local skate shop to point out the more newbie friendly longboards.

Next, you should know that stopping the board is a bit more involved than starting is. To practice, it’s probably easiest to drag one foot to slow down and eventually stop. You can also try taking small steps to lose speed, kind of like the opposite of the push-off. This is a lot like stepping in the reverse direction of your travel.

This isn’t great for your feet, but it should do the trick. When you get better at this, you can stop yourself quite smoothly by dragging the tail-end of the board, but you do want to avoid tail-grinding if you’re going a bit fast. With practice, you’ll begin to take note of differences in the stances of other longboarders. You’ll just need to practice and in time you’ll discover what you like best. It’s important to make an effort to work on the basics. You’ll make excellent progress before you know it, and then you may realize just how comfortable you really are on a longboard.

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Skateboards Vs Longboards – The Key Differences Between The Two

Dec 8




Longboards are usually comprised of the same components as skateboards are, but their individual parts have different specifications. As the name might suggest, longboards are usually longer than skateboards, but this is not always the case. While this is not the norm, some longboards are actually shorter than a regular skateboard. Technically speaking, these shorter boards are referred to as poolboards, but they are usually lumped in with longboards because they are more similar to longboards than the modern-day skateboards. A rule of thumb is that any board without a defined nose and tail end or some other drastic modification is always going to be a longboard. Furthermore, the trucks and wheels of a longboard are almost always bigger than those of a skateboard. Street skateboards almost never have trucks that are wider than 130 millimeters, nor do they have wheels that are bigger than 55 millimeters. Longboards, on the other hand, tend to begin at 149 millimeters and 63 millimeters, respectively.

Besides differences in the actual board, the goals of each board vary drastically. This helps explain why most skateboards are very similar in design, while longboards have many different designs. Nowadays, skateboards are intended for performing tricks and jumps. Longboards, however, are designed for the thrill of the ride itself, whether it is simply a means of transportation or for cruising around town. You can race, slide, and carve on a longboard, but ultimately the point is to enjoy the ride and not worry about performing the coolest tricks on your board.

As far as people go, it’s very easy to stereotype the kind of people who are skaters and those who are boarders, but the two are not mutually exclusive. Some skateboarders also own longboards, and love longboarding just as much as skateboarding. Some skaters even think that longboarding is the best way to learn how to ride. This makes sense, as longboards are usually more stable due to their length. And not only can they be used for enjoyment, but they also help you save gas when used for commuting. If you want to get a great workout while travelling to your intended destination, consider learning how to longboard.

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