The Longboard, or Longskate, has many practitioners in France and in the world.
Thanks to its accessibility and to the diversity of the types of practices, the Longboard has imposed itself as a complete discipline, dedicated to a public as large as heterogeneous. Less ungrateful than the "street" in skateboard, the longskate allows very quickly to taste sensations of sliding which approaches the snowboard or the surf.
We propose you to begin by defining the various elements which compose a longboard.
Longboard: Tray
As in skateboarding, the deck is the main part of the longboard, the one on which you will evolve. Contrary to skateboarding, there are very many formats of longboard decks. Indeed, to meet the specificities of each discipline, the decks have special characteristics that can vary. Pintail, Concave, with or without Kicktails, Droppé, Flex, Cambré, are as many characteristics that a longskate deck can adopt.
Depending on the chosen discipline, it is advisable to choose a deck that meets certain prerequisites.
If the pumping amateurs will look for a rather flex deck, the speed addicts will do the opposite by opting for a very stiff deck.
Longboard: Trucks
The trucks are the metal axles fixed under the deck and on which the wheels are fixed (via bearings).
The particularity of most of the trucks longskate is that they have an inverted Kingpin (Reverse Kingpin or RKP). Inverted compared to the traditional trucks skateboards on which the Kingpin is located towards the inside of the board. This technology allows trucks longboards to be much more maneuverable and precise, especially at high speeds.
In longboard, the rubber of trucks (or bushings) can also vary according to the practice. Contrary to skateboarding where the rubbers are very often "Medium", one finds in longboard a broad choice of bushings, as well in shape as in hardness.
Longboard: Wheels
The wheels of longboard can have various profiles. According to whether you want to go very fast or just ride, slide or adhere a maximum, you must choose the adequate wheels. Also, you will find wheels with a big diameter, very wide and very soft on one side of the range; and small, thin and hard wheels on the other. Between the two, there are hundreds of models!
As said before, the choice of wheels will depend on the discipline you practice. Keep in mind that very different wheels can totally change the feel of the board.
Longboard: Grip
The grip is the element that is glued on the board and that is in contact with the shoes. It is what allows the longboarder to adhere well to his board.
Note that there are different types of grip in longboard. If the design is often rather sober, you can nevertheless find grips which offer different levels of grip, grips with special shapes or even grips "paddés" to gain comfort against the vibrations.
Longboard: Pads (or risers)
The pad is the booster that is placed between the truck and the board. More than in skateboard, the use of pads in longboard is very frequent.
Sometimes designed in rubber or hard plastic, the Pad has several purposes: to raise the deck to gain amplitude (or install larger wheels), modify the angle of inclination of the trucks, protect the deck and offer more comfort to the longboarder.
For this reason, there are different types of pads: shock pads or angled pads (pads inclined) for example.
Longboard: Bearings
Bearings are an essential element that contributes to the gliding sensation. They are inserted in the wheels, and 8 units are needed on each board.
Most of the time, the classic bearings are more than enough to ride a longboard. With good wheels, big enough, the effort needed to maintain speed is low.
The question of the choice of the bearings really arises when one tackles the speed. For the high-speed thrill-seeker, good bearings can help you gain the few mph you're missing.
There are some very high end ceramic bearings in the range that can take you to that level.