BUYER'S GUIDE

Most longboard manufacturers make sure that their boards are compatible with every truck on the market with the exception of specialty trucks with springs or pistons, e.g. Original, Revenge, and Seismic trucks. Trucks that are assembled with a kingpin and hanger (Paris, Randall, Bear, Caliber...) will most likely fit any drop-through board. Mounting the trucks requires disassembling the base plate and hanger by loosening the kingpin nut all the way. If you are unsure how to do this, follow this link to our instructional video on mounting a drop-through.

The answer is simply, yes. The way in which the wheel base measurement affects the riding characteristics of a longboard is by determining the distance between the trucks. A longer wheelbase is going to increase the turning radius of the board and also offer more stability at downhill speeds. Having a shorter wheel base will give the board a more responsive feel and offer a smaller and tighter turning radius.

There are two main ways to slow down. The most common way to stop is by what is called foot braking. This is when you literally take your back foot off your board and drag it on the ground while your lead foot stays firmly planted on the board. This may seem like a death wish at first, but once you are comfortable with it you will feel much more in control of your board. The other way to stop is by sliding sideways. This isn't for the novice rider but it can be learned fairly quickly if sliding is something your into. Sliding is the preferred way amongst most longboarders and it is actually safer and more effective at high speeds. Learning to stop by sliding also teaches you the basics of "speed-checks" (scrubbing off speed) at higher speeds which is essential for anyone interested in racing. However, if sliding doesn't interest you then it's probably best to stick with foot braking.

Wheel life all depends on how often you ride and what kind of riding you do. If you are sliding a lot, you will burn through wheels much faster than someone who is just cruising around. If you take good care of your board, rotate your wheels, and don't slide, your wheels may last twenty years. On the flip side, some people can burn through a set of wheels in a day if they are having an intense session. Other things that can ruin a set of wheels are flat-spotting, ovalling, and coning. See the descriptions below.

Flat-spotting: Flat-spotting occurs when you slide and kick your board passed a 90-degree angle. When you do this you actually completely stop the wheel from spinning throughout the duration of the slide. This wears down a single part of the wheel rather than creating an even wear when the wheel is able to rotate throughout the slide.

Ovalling: Ovalling is really more annoying than anything else. Your wheels can become an oblong shape due to sliding more in one direction than another. When your wheels become ovalled you will feel a constant bumping feeling as your wheels rotate. It is very difficult to even out wheels that have ovalled.

Coning: Coning naturally happens to wheels as you slide them down, which it is why it is important to rotate your wheels around your board as much as you can if you are heavy into sliding. Riding on center-set wheels is a great way to fight coning. You can flip your wheels over once they start to cone and wear them back down in the opposite direction.

You should always visually inspect your longboard or skateboard before you go shred. If you see that there is a lot of dirt and grime surrounding your bearings and you're not travelling as far or long as you had before, you may want to think about cleaning them. Another sign that it is time to clean your bearings is if they make an unusually loud noise when they spin. Bearings always make noise, but if you notice it more and more then chances are it's time to clean. If you spend money on a nice set of bearings, you should always consider cleaning them before you drop a boat load of cash on a new set. Many bearings will last years and years with the proper care. Unfortunately, there is no set schedule for bearing cleaning, but generally, if you use your longboard for transportation purposes or multiple times a week, you should probably clean your bearings at least once every two months.

Longboards come with different levels of flex, both my manufacture design and by the weight of the rider. Flex is both a personal preference and also dependent on what style of riding you want to do. Generally downhill or race-oriented boards are going to be stiff with no flex for greater stability at high speed. Many freestyle and cruising type boards will have some flex to emulate the comfort and feeling of surfing or snowboarding. Flexible boards are great for initiating slides and turns at lower speeds while stiffer boards will be better at doing the same things at higher speeds.

Top mount and drop-through longboards both have their strengths and weaknesses. Drop-through boards have taken the longboarding world by storm in the last ten years. Many riders like them because they feel very stable due to their lower center of gravity. However, some people find that drop-throughs can't offer enough stiffness, response, or grip for their taste due to the hole that must be cut into the board to allow it to be mounted underneath the truck. Top mount boards are great for downhill and freeriding because they are very responsive and controllable when sliding and riding at high speed. With top mount boards you will sit a bit higher up giving you a little more room to lean down on either side before putting enough tension on your board for you wheels to slide out. Drop-through boards sit much lower to the ground and will slide out sooner than a top mount. Again, both styles have their benefits and can be used to your advantage depending on your riding style and terrain. For example, a top mount would be a great downhill racing board on a high-speed course with big sweeping corners where you want to keep the maximum amount of speed without breaking your tuck. A drop-through would be a great racing board on a course where the riders have to slide and drift in order to properly and safely continue through multiple technical corners and turns. Drop-through boards have a very low ride height that makes pushing less strenuous because the rider is closer to the ground they are pushing on. Also, freestyle riders who are into doing technical tricks often prefer a drop-through that has flex and kicks on the nose and tail. Of course, personal preference plays a huge role in choosing a drop-through or top mount. If you snowboard or surf and want to emulate that feeling on your longboard then look at a drop-through first. If maximum downhill speed is what you are after then you may lean more towards a top mount.

The durometer (or "duro") is the hardness of the urethane in a bushing or wheel. It is that number and letter that follows the size, like 81a. The higher the number, the harder the urethane. There are other durometer rating scales (B and D) that are used but they are generally only seen in skateboarding where the wheels are too hard to be properly rated on the A scale.

Here are a few examples of different durometers of wheels that are common in longboarding:

A 78a - 80a wheel is going to be smooth and grippy. If you are using it for sliding you will have to slide going much faster than normal but your slide will be very controllable. 78-80a wheels are extremely versatile and are considered to be excellent for all-around riding.

An 81a - 83a wheel will be faster with slight resistance but will wear down much less than a softer wheel. These wheels are particularly good for riders of intermediate skill who want to learn more advanced sliding.

An 84a - 86a wheel will be hard with minimal grip. Harder wheels generally have a higher roll speed and slide much easier but aren't as smooth or controllable as softer wheels. Beginning sliders tend to favor wheels in this durometer range.

An 87a and up wheel will be very hard with little to no grip. They are ideal for technical sliding set-ups, pool and park riding, or traditional street skate boarding.

Bushings, just like wheels, come in an assortment of duros, usually ranging from mid 70's to upper 90's. Softer bushings are easier to turn on and more responsive. Harder bushings are more stable and can handle higher speeds. There isn't any "rule" on what duro is best for what. It depends on the rider's size and preference of riding style. Don't be afraid to try multiple durometers.

The material that is used for the actual balls of the bearing and the precision at which those bearings are manufactured affects the performance, and therefore the price, of the bearing. A more precise bearing will provide a faster ride for a longer period of time by creating less friction than a lower end bearing. Higher end bearings will come loaded with better lubricant that lasts longer and protects against abuse. Bearing materials come in two flavors: steel and ceramic. The vast majority of ball bearings are steel. Ceramic bearings are more expensive as they tolerate higher heat and are easier to shape than steel so they are more precise. In the end, a more expensive bearing is going to roll faster and last longer than their lower cost competition.

Concave is the curve of the board from edge to edge. Its main job is to give a board a more responsive feel by raising the edges of the board tightly up against the rider's heel and toes. Boards that are designed for more downhill or freeriding often have very aggressive concave shapes because the riders need to know that their feet aren't going to slide off the board while more traditional shaped boards usually have a fairly mellow concave that is just enough to help the rider initiate turns quickly but doesn't feel uncomfortable over longer distances and while pushing.

In order to understand the benefits of different bushings, you should understand what role the bushing plays in the way your longboard turns. The bushings are what determine how easy or hard it is to turn your longboard. A softer bushing is going to enable more responsive turns, i.e. you will turn with great ease. However, softer bushings are more prone to speed wobbles at higher speeds. A harder bushing will be more stable at higher speeds but you sacrifice responsiveness. The shape of the bushing will provide different characteristics too by either having more material for stability (barrel, stepped barrel, etc...) or less material (cone) for agility. Aftermarket bushings tend to be made with higher quality urethane than stock bushings. This gives them the ability to respond quicker, get the truck back to center faster, and last longer. Upgrading the bushings in your trucks is like upgrading the suspension of a race car. Softer suspension for a road course and a stiffer suspension for the Super Speedway.

There are few right answers with bushing choice. It's a matter of personal preference and experimentation. We recommend that first time riders stick with the stock bushings on the trucks you buy, and then go nuts with bushing customization down the road.

Longboarding trucks (also known as reverse kingpin trucks) come in two common sizes - 180mm and 150mm, although many truck companies offer slight variations relative to these sizes. Truck sizes accommodate different riding styles. One hundred and eighty millimeter trucks are much more common on most longboard set-ups. They are responsive and turn well, and their broader profile provides the stability that most longboarders prefer. And if going fast ruffles your feathers, 180mm trucks are for you. One hundred and fifty millimeter trucks are more nimble and will be more responsive than 180mm trucks. They tend to be popular on cruiser boards because they are easier to rip turns on mellow terrain. However, the shorter axel means that the trucks won't be as stable at high speed.

In longboarding, there are a couple different types of wheel shapes. Some are very specific to a certain style of riding while others have a variety of uses like the Dano's Downhill wheels that come as the default option on our Completes. The specific types of wheels are sliding, downhill, and cruising wheels.

Before choosing a wheel, keep a few things in mind. First, remember that a bigger wheel will mean the possibility of wheel- bite, more weight, and more effort to start pushing. However, a bigger wheel will roll faster and more smoothly over rougher terrain and debris. Second, most people looking for a good all-around wheel find that a 78a-81a durometer is best for a smooth and stable ride. Lastly, if you want a board that will cruise with ease over a longer distance you should look for a large core or "hub". A larger, dense core creates an overall higher roll speed. Some wheel companies even offer a "dual-durometer" wheel with a harder urethane wrapping around the core that will create the same feeling as a larger core.

See the following for more detailed wheel descriptions.

SLIDING WHEELS: Sliding wheels or "freeriding wheels" are designed to provide a little grip while still being able to slide sideways on demand. Typically they are narrower and have a harder urethane than downhill wheels. Also, sliding wheels often have a rounded profile along the edges of the wheels. This will help the wheel initiate and stay in the slide by not catching any sharp corners or "lips" on the ground. Some slide wheels will come with a stone ground finish to the contact patch area. This is quite popular because when a wheel gets ground down it slides a little bit easier by not having a perfectly flat surface with sticky urethane. However, some riders still prefer non-stone ground wheels so that they can get used to how a wheel is going perform during the "breaking-in" process.

DOWNHILL WHEELS: Downhill wheels are designed for two things; speed and grip. The speed comes from the size of the wheel (the bigger, the faster) and the urethane compound that it's made of. Downhill wheels also feature a wider profile with sharp edges. The increased width will provide more grip at high speed by maximizing the amount of urethane that is in contact with the ground at all times. Having sharp edges ensures that the wheel will not slip out at high speeds when taking corners. A common term for describing a downhill wheel is “conical” due to the inside shape of the wheel that leads to the core.

CRUISING WHEELS: A cruising wheel can take many forms. Usually they resemble downhill wheels by having a conical shape. Typically, cruising wheels don't need the most advanced urethane compound to provide a quality ride which often makes them a less expensive wheel. Most people like a 60-70mm wheel for cruising because it will provide a smooth ride and won't require the board to be really high off the ground.

Don't be alarmed if your trucks start to make a mild squeaking noise after you ride them for a while. The squeaking usually comes from two things. One, the dirt and dust that get into the pivot cup will cause the truck hanger to squeak a little. The most common cure for this is to remove the hanger and place a few shavings of bar soap into the pivot cup. The other cause of squeaky trucks is the friction between the hanger and bushing. When the urethane of the bushings gets old and dirty, it will start to make more noise than when it's new. Again, a little soap shavings will help but this noise is nearly impossible to get rid of without replacing the bushings. The biggest thing to know about squeaking is that it's mostly just annoying - squeaking trucks won't affect your ride.