Longboard (skateboard) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

A longboard is a surfing

Surfing

Surfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...

variant of a skateboard

Skateboard

A skateboard is typically a specially designed plywood board combined with a polyurethane coating used for making smoother slides and stronger durability, used primarily for the activity of skateboarding. The first skateboards to reach public notice came out of the surfing craze of the early 1960s,...

, similar and related to a surfboard

Surfboard

A surfboard is an elongated platform used in the sport of surfing. Surfboards are relatively light, but are strong enough to support an individual standing on them while riding a breaking wave...

or snowboard

Snowboard

Snowboards are boards, usually with a width the length of one's foot, with the ability to glide on snow. Snowboards are differentiated from monoskis by the stance of the user...

with wheels. It is used for cruising, downhill racing, slalom racing, sliding, and/or transport

Transport

Transport or transportation is the movement of people, cattle, animals and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, rail, road, water, cable, pipeline, and space. The field can be divided into infrastructure, vehicles, and operations...

. However, most stunts, and the boards themselves are very different from that of a typical skateboard. They usually are designed for the descent of a hill, slides, carves, manual

Freestyle skateboarding tricks

A freestyle skateboarding trick is a trick done on a skateboard while freestyle skateboarding. Some of these tricks are done in a stationary position, unlike many other skateboarding tricks. The keys to a good freestyle contest run are variety, difficulty, fluidity, and creativity...

or "dancing" with the board. The first longboard was invented by Tyler Danger Gronseth. He used a tree he cut down by hand, a pair of skateboard trucks and wheels, and some rusty nails.

Dimensions

Most longboards measure 84 to 150 cm (33.1 to 59.1 in). There are several shapes of longboards, such as pintails, flat-nose riders, drop through decks, drop decks and boards with the same shape of a standard skateboard

Skateboard

. Pintails permit looser trucks and larger wheels which are better suited for carving or a "surfy" feel where as drop decks and drop throughs allow the rider to be closer to the ground, hence a lower center of gravity which increases stability and allows these boards to support more high speed downhill riding disciplines. Mid-length boards, 94 to 127 cm (37 to 50 in) are the most versatile. Their greater weight and bulk makes them less suitable for many skateboarding trick

Skateboarding trick

A skateboarding trick, or simply a trick is a maneuver performed on a skateboard while skateboarding. Learning and perfecting new tricks is the primary goal of many skateboarders, for whom most of the time spent skateboarding is spent on tricks....

s, but contributes to a fluid motion by providing more momentum

Momentum

In classical mechanics, linear momentum or translational momentum is the product of the mass and velocity of an object...

. The longboard's design allows for big turns or quick short carves similar to the motions of surfers or snowboarders.

The previous record for the longest distance travelled on a longboard was set by David Cornthwaite

David Cornthwaite

Dave Cornthwaite, is an English adventurer, writer and filmmaker. He is best known for his Expedition1000 project, a unique and ambitious plan to undertake 25 separate journeys of 1000 miles or more, each using a different form of non-motorised transport. To date he has completed three journeys...

in 2006 when he skated 3,638 miles (5,820 km) from Perth

Perth, Western Australia

Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....

to Brisbane

Brisbane

Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...

across Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

.
This record has since been broken by Rob Thomas of New Zealand.

Longboard equipment & protection

Longboard equipment is similar to standard skateboard equipment. Many skaters wear slide gloves and helmets. Additional protection includes; wrist-guards, knee-pads,sliding gloves, and elbow-pads. Many professional longboarding teams and riders are required to wear and advocate all aspects of protection. In the sliding and downhill disciplines, riders wear "slide gloves" which are specialized gloves made out of a strong materials such as leather and synthetic fabrics, and have large discs, called "pucks". These are attached to protect the hands as the rider uses them to pivot during slides along the ground. The pucks are usually made of synthetic polymers: delrin, UHMW

Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene

Ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene , also known as high-modulus polyethylene or high-performance polyethylene , is a subset of the thermoplastic polyethylene. It has extremely long chains, with molecular weight numbering in the millions, usually between 2 and 6 million...

, or corian

Corian

Corian is the brand name for a solid surface material created by DuPont. It is composed of acrylic polymer and alumina trihydrate. Corian can be thermoformed by heating it to 300°F , allowing unique shapes to be created...

. Homemade versions of these gloves can be made by using a heat gun or hot glue gun to melt glue onto a heavy duty gardening glove then glue pucks made from plastic chopping-boards over the fingers, thumbs and palms. These gloves protect the hands when a longboarder gets low enough to pull up on his or her board making the wheels lose traction on the ground allowing them to slide.

Longboard components

Longboards are anatomically similar to skateboards with some exceptions associated with dimensions, trucks and wheel size and hardness, combined though make a completely different feel

Decks

Longboard decks are typically made from wood ply anywhere from two to eleven layers usually 2mm in thickness, composed of birch

Birch

Birch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...

, bamboo

Bamboo

Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....

, or maple

Maple

Acer is a genus of trees or shrubs commonly known as maple.Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or together with the Hippocastanaceae included in the family Sapindaceae. Modern classifications, including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system, favour inclusion in...

. Longboards are commercially available in variety shapes and sizes. Each shape and length of deck has certain advantages and disadvantages, which can come into play depending on the technique or focus of the rider.

Pintails

A popular style of board that has a teardrop-shaped deck that is typically flat and suitable for beginners. The pintail shape is used to prevent the wheel from coming in contact with the board (called "wheelbite") while still providing ample footspace.

Drop-deck

Drop-deck boards have a unique shape where the middle of the deck is lower than where the trucks are mounted. This can be achieved by either a "drop through" cutout, where the trucks are mounted through the deck, or a "dropped" deck where the deck is pressed in such a way that the truck mounts are placed higher than the standing platform. The lowered platform allows for greater stability at high speeds. However, this deck type is not well-suited for loose trucks, which can lead to condition called "railbite" where the rails of the deck scrape the ground. Speed bumps can create a hazard, where the dropped platform impacts the speedbump, Some examples for drop decks are the Landyachtz Switch and the Rayne Nemesis and some examples for drop through decks are the Landyachtz Drop speed and the GMR M80

Hybrid

These kind of longboards include wheel cutouts which provide room for the wheels to turn at sharper angles while avoiding wheelbite. Hybrids also tend to be shorter than other longboards, which allows the rider to complete the same tricks as on a standard skateboard. A downside of hybrid longboards is the potential for "shoebite" which happens when the rider's shoe rubs the wheel, slowing or abruptly stopping the rider.

Cruiser

A classic deck shape, these have a somewhat similar shape to normal skateboards, in that they have a kick-tail on the back.

Decks intended for riding downhill are typically stiff and have a wheelbase of around 30". Designers and manufacturers aim to make these boards as stiff and light as possible. The primary three designs of downhill boards are "drop decks", "top mounts" and "drop throughs". Each design has its own advantages. The drop deck has a lowered foot platform that sits below the height of the trucks, as a result, there is a lower center of gravity which adds to stability but gives you less traction and maneuverability. Wooden drop decks with concave have foot pockets by the drops. However, some carbon boards are able feature concave by the drops instead of foot pockets giving you more leverage in your turn. The drop through design has cutouts that allow the baseplate of the truck to protrude through the board, thus lowering the deck and providing more stability. In addition to this, drop through decks decrease grip, as the deck is closer to the axel and Moment arm of the wheel. There is also less leverage on the truck, which makes turning negligibly more difficult. Top mount boards are the simplest design of the three. There are no dramatic bends aside from the foot concave. The board sits on top of the trucks as it would in a street skateboard. Advantages to this design include increased grip and ease of turning; disadvantages include a high center of gravity, which could contribue to a lack of stability. There are numerous variations of the aforementioned designs, including a "double-drop" board, which incorporates both a drop through and drop down pattern. These are preferable for "freeride" as they are extremely low to the ground, which allows for ease of sliding. Footspace is important because there must be enough room on the board for the rider to form an aerodynamic "tuck". Downhill boards are made as stiff as possible to minimize the amount of energy stored in the deck in order to ameliorate the creation "of speed wobbles".

Some boards are designed to be flexible. Flexible boards are usually intended for lower speed riding because when going faster, a flexible board can have torsional flex which is one cause of speed wobbles.

Longboard decks can be shaped in such a way that they bow up or down along the length of the board. They can also have a downward bend along the width of the board. Concave

Concave

The word concave means curving in or hollowed inward, as opposed to convex. The former may be used in reference to:* Concave lens, a lens with inward-curving surfaces.* Concave polygon, a polygon which is not convex....

boards, which bend upward on the sides, give the rider more friction for their toe and heel, thus giving them more control. Longboards, typically boards designed for downhill and or freeride, can also have W concave which is concave with a ridge in the middle forming the "W" shape. W concave is helpful in a slide or corner by giving your feet extra grip so that your feet (especially back foot) stays on the board. A camber board is a gradual upward arch along the length of the board. This sets the center of the board above the truck mounts. This is often used on flexible boards to prevent the board from sagging when it is being ridden. A "rocker" shape is the opposite of camber, which sets the center of the board below the truck mounts when it is being ridden. This lets the rider more easily perform tricks like sliding by locking your feet into the board.

Trucks

Trucks are the metal turning mechanism that attach the longboard wheels to the deck. They come in a wide range of styles, with wider trucks meaning a wider turning circle. They use the motion of the rider's feet and body to turn the board by pivoting a joint in the middle of the truck. There are generally two types of trucks used on longboards: reverse kingpin trucks and conventional skateboard trucks (vertical kingpin). Conventional skateboard trucks have the axle on the outside side (towards the nose and tail) of the kingpin, whereas reverse kingpin trucks have the axle on the inside side (towards the center of the board) of the kingpin.

Popular conventional skateboard trucks include Independent and Tracker. Popular reverse kingpin trucks include Paris, Randal, and Gullwing. Reverse kingpin trucks were created with longboarding in mind. While they are usually considered to have more grip and stability (two important things in the downhill discipline), conventional trucks have a very different feel that is often preferred by many longboarders.

Hanger width can greatly influence the turning characteristics of a truck. A wider hanger is thought to be more stable (turn less quickly). This is because the board generally has less leverage over the hanger , the wheels have a further distance to travel to get to an angle, and more board lean is lost due to bushing compression.

The angle of the baseplate can also greatly influence the turning and stability of a truck. As a general rule, as the degree gets smaller, the truck will be more stable, but turn less (its turn essentially becomes more vertically oriented rather than horizontally oriented). For example, trucks with 44 degree baseplates will generally be more stable (turn less) than trucks with 50 degree baseplates.

Bushings

Bushings are perhaps the easiest things to change on a truck in order to change the feel of how it turns. Bushings are usually made of a polyurethane material, and come in varying shapes and durometers (hardness). Two of the most standard bushing shapes include barrels and cones. Barrels, having a larger shape, are often thought to have more stability and rebound whereas cones, having a more narrow shape, allow for more turn and less rebound. The durometer of the bushing also greatly influences its characteristics. a harder bushing (such as a bushing with a rating around 97A) will be much harder to turn on than a softer bushing (something around 78A). The type of washers used with the bushing can also greatly affect the bushing's characteristics. While it depends on the size of the washer, generally a cupped washer will be the most restrictive on a bushing, a flat washer will be neutral, and a flipped cup washer will be the least restrictive.
Another aspect of the longboard that has an influence on bushing performance it the bushing seat on the truck. The bushing seat is the area on the hangar where the bushing makes contact. This area often has a rim to cup the edge of the bushing, adding a small amount of restriction as the bushing deforms through a turn. Some trucks have very loose or even non-existent bushing seats, whereas others have very restrictive bushing seats, greatly reducing bushing deformation. More restrictive bushing seats are generally found on trucks designed with faster riding in mind as they offer more stability and lean.

Riser pads

Riser pads increase the distance between the wheels on a longboard and the deck in order to prevent wheel bite (when the deck scrapes the wheels, causing the wheels to stop turning). They also reduce the strain on the deck from the trucks being directly in contact with it. Riser pads are normally made of plastic. Shock pads, which are more rubbery than riser pads, serve the same function only with more emphasis on reducing strain and less on increasing the distance between the wheels and deck.

Bearings

Bearings connect the wheel to turn smoothly. Bearings can be made of many materials, including steel

Steel

Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...

(which is most prevalent), titanium

Titanium

Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. It has a low density and is a strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant transition metal with a silver color....

, or ceramics. Ceramic bearings are the most expensive. Bearings are usually rated in the ABEC scale

ABEC scale

The ABEC scale is an industry accepted standard for the tolerances of a ball bearing. It was developed by the Annular Bearing Engineering Committee of the American Bearing Manufacturers Association . There are five classes from largest to smallest tolerances: 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9...

. The ratings run from 1-13, using only odd numbers. The higher the rating, the more precise, or smoother rolling, the bearing. However, higher rated bearings can be damaged more easily. Though not all bearings use ABEC ratings. Some companies will use other methods to describe the bearings' resistance and durability.

Wheels

Almost all longboard wheels are made from urethane

Urethane

Urethane can refer to*Carbamates, compounds with the functional group RONHR'*Ethyl carbamate, the colloquial name of which is urethane*Polyurethane in colloquial usage...

. The performance of longboard wheels is determined by five characteristics: height, lip shape, contact patch, durometer, and hub setting. Typical longboard wheels range from 65 to 107 mm. A taller wheel will have slower acceleration but a faster rolling speed. Smaller wheels have the opposite effect. The durometer of a wheel is how hard the urethane

Urethane

Urethane can refer to*Carbamates, compounds with the functional group RONHR'*Ethyl carbamate, the colloquial name of which is urethane*Polyurethane in colloquial usage...

is. A softer wheel will be ultimately slower than a harder wheel on smooth surface. When the road surface gets rougher a softer wheel provides a smoother, faster ride. The fastest duro for the normal road is around 80a. Softer wheels have more grip than harder wheels on any surface. The contact patch of a wheel is the width of the wheel. The wider the wheel the more traction it will have. Wheels can be anywhere from 30 to 80 mm in width, but most commonly between 40 and 56 mm. The shape of the lip is all about traction. Rounded lips are made to break loose into a slide and square lips are made to grip. Square lip wheels do break loose but the slide is not as smooth as a round lip wheels. A wheel hub (or core) is typically the plastic or aluminum center of a wheel that holds the bearings. The position of the hub affects the properties of the wheel.

Center-set wheels

The hubs in center-set wheels are set equidistant from each lip of the wheel. Center-set wheels typically preferred for sliding because they wear more evenly and when they become coned you can flip them and still have the same feel. Center-set wheels are hard to break loose than other wheels but the slide is much smoother and controlled because the weight is distributed more evenly over the wheel. This type of wheel often has rounded or beveled edges, making slides easier to initiate.

Side-set wheels

Side-set have wheel hubs set flush with the inside edge of the wheel. Side-set wheels offer a smooth transition from grip to slide, the slide typically being longer than any other wheel. This type of wheel has by far the fastest and most uneven wear because the weight is on the very inside of the wheel. Free riding and cruising are the typical disciplines of this particular kind of wheel.

Off-set wheels

The hub on an off-set wheel is between the center or the inside edge of the wheel. Off-set wheels provide the most grip of any of the wheels. These wheels usually feature square edges for more traction around corners or in carves. Off-set wheels are the most common wheel typically used and designed for Downhill but are a favorite of many carvers and cruisers.

Slide gloves

Typically slide gloves are used for racing as well as to give the rider extra control while on their longboard. Slide gloves can be quite handy while the rider is maneuvering around a large curve. Generally sliding the longboard is accompanied in Freestyle Longboarding

Longboarding

Longboarding is the act of riding on a longboard.Longboarding is an offshoot of street skating, but, like all board sports, its roots lie in surfing. Developed as a single sport on the west coast in the 1950s, by the 1990s, Longboards and Skateboards branched off into their respective disciplines...

and Sliding

Longboarding

, this sliding of the hands and board is also another way to create enough friction

Friction

Friction is the force resisting the relative motion of solid surfaces, fluid layers, and/or material elements sliding against each other. There are several types of friction:...

to break i.e. slide breaking.

Big stick

A large paddle (usually a pole or stick), sometimes with wheels or rubber on the end. This can be used to propel the rider far distances without the use of the riders legs, and is primarily a form of locomotion

Locomotion

The term locomotion means movement or travel. It may refer to:* Motion * Animal locomotion** Terrestrial locomotion* TravelLocomotion may refer to specific types of motion:* Gait analysis* walking* running, including trotting...

derived by the riders arms.

External links

http://longboardreviews.org/ - Longboarding site with several longboard reviews for beginners
http://www.silverfishlongboarding.com/ - Longboard community with reviews, forums, articles, photos, and tip tricks
http://www.skateslate.com/ - Longboarding News Site with original articles & daily videos, gear directory, and rider profiles
http://www.riderguru.com - non-profit longboard network.
http://longboardinguniverse.com - Learn how to longboard
http://www.mylongboardnation.com/ - Longboarding nation, collection of articles, videos, photos, and reviews from around the web.
http://www.originalskateboards.com/ - See Longboarding Differently, Longboarding Company.

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.