Longboard Skateboard Styles

Whether you're racing on a downhill slope or just cruising around town, there's a type of longboard that suits your needs and preferences. A longboard is type of skateboard with wider and longer decks. They come in many styles suitable for various riding purposes. When choosing a longboard, consider style, purpose, speed and your usual riding terrain.

  1. Transportation

    • Longboards are typically used for commuting or transportation. This style of longboard is about 40 to 50 inches long and offers plenty of flexibility and comfort when riding. Longboards designed for commuting are shaped like surfboards with trucks that are set up loosely for making narrow turns. Transportation longboards are the most common type of longboard. When it comes to styles of transportation longboard wheels, choose ones with high rebound for better roll speed. Wheels with radiused edges are ideal for rolling over rough surfaces, while wheels with large diameters allow the board to roll for a longer periods.

    Slalom

    • Slalom style longboards are used for racing and usually measure between 25 and 35 inches long. Typically constructed of more costly materials like carbon fiber, these boards perform well on narrow courses and steep terrains. The ends of slalom boards are often narrow so that riders can complete tight turns. Many slalom boards have trucks that are attached to the very edges of the board. Compared to other longboard trucks, the slalom trucks are much narrower in design. Choose this style if you prefer faster rides of if you are interested in speed racing.

    Downhill

    • A downhill skateboard is a longboard style used mainly for riding speedily down mountain roads and other downhill terrains. Downhill boards are usually shorter compared to transportation longboards, ranging just 38 to 43 inches. These boards are very stiff with trucks connected to the ends of the board for optimizing the wheelbase. Many downhill boards have lowered platforms for a lower center of gravity. This is achieved by mounting the deck below the axle base plate.

    Cruisers

    • Cruisers or cruising longboards are very long, ranging between 60 and 80 inches in length. Though cruising is a relaxed style of boarding, many riders use cruisers to perform and show off different moves and tricks at slow speeds. Cruisers are ideal boards to perform tricks such as cross-stepping, hanging 10 and drop-knee turns. This board style is easier to control and to glide through surfaces because of their length. They often resemble surfboards in shape.