If you want to try long skateboard dancing for the first time, the first thing you need to do is to get a long board deck. But if you look up longboard decks, you will find a lot of decks, wheels, and so on. To be honest, it is hard to know what to choose, isn't it?
I didn't have a clue either when I first started buying a longboard. And even if you do research, you won't get a very good answer. And I bought the wrong one at first.
In this article, I would like to talk about deck selection for those who want to start freestyle and dancing on longboards. I will teach you how to make a longboard deck without making mistakes by fully utilizing all the knowledge I have gained and the mistakes I have made in less than a year of longboard dancing experience.
Incidentally, long skateboards are abbreviated as Lsk8.
Should you buy the complete deck or not?
First I will talk about whether you should buy a complete deck, a deck that is already complete. Before that, let's learn about the components that make up a skateboard.
The first part of the board you ride on is called the "deck," the tire part is called the "wheel," and the part that attaches the wheel to the deck is called the "track.
And there are some small parts that are hard to explain in this picture, but for now, the parts needed to assemble one longboard are as follows.
- Deck (Plank)
- Wheels (tires)
- Trucks (the part that connects the tire to the skateboard)
- Skateboard screws (screws that attach the deck to the trucks)
- Bearing (fits in the wheel)
- Pads (cushioning material between the trucks and the deck. Or height adjustment. You don't have to have them.)
- Skateboard screwdriver
The above is all that is needed. If you are not sure at this point, there is a complete deck available for sale.
I do not recommend complete decks. If you do quite a bit of research, there are places that recommend it, but for the following reasons
- It's more enjoyable if you have the parts you like.
- Assembling a skateboard is easy
- Some stores don't make skateboards properly
Dine Bedding Dine Bedding In the first place, your favorite deck is one of the most important motivators. Of course, you may break it right away at first, but when you are doing Dancing, it is not so easy to break. So I recommend buying a deck that you like from the start.
How to choose a longboard truck for beginners
First, let us introduce some famous trucks.
- Paris
- Caliber
These two trucks are world famous and chosen by many longboarders.
There are also many other manufacturers from Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and other countries to choose from.
But at first, choose the color you like and make your own. Here are some things to remember when choosing a basic track
Hanger is 180 or 184, angle is 50
Of course, this does not mean that you have to choose the right one, but if you are not familiar with them, choose one of the above conditions for now.
Some people are concerned about the rubber attached to the truck, known as bushings, but beginners can use the ones provided with the truck.
How to choose a longboard wheel for beginners
Next, let's look at wheels. There are many different manufacturers of wheels, but first, let's learn how to look at a wheel.
First of all, you should learn how to read a wheel. 00mm means diameter, of course. And the unfamiliar "00A" means hardness. The larger the diameter, the faster the speed, and the stiffer the stiffer, the faster the speed. The harder it is, the less stable it will be over bumps and uneven surfaces.
For long skateboards, 65-70mm diameter and 75-85A hardness are often used. When buying a deck, some decks recommend the size and hardness of the wheel (especially when curving to avoid interference between the wheel and the deck), so it is a good idea to buy accordingly.
I recommend the Blood Oranfe Morgan Pro 65mm 82A, which is used by Hans Wouters, who has won the SYCLD longboarding world cup, and Natalie Pluto, an American female boarder who does more tricks than dancing.
How to choose bearings, screws and pads for longboard for beginners
First, the bearings. This is two bearings per wheel. Therefore, a total of eight bearings are needed for the deck. Bearings greatly affect the speed of the board.
There is a standard for bearings called APEC, which expresses how easy it is to spin the bearings, and the larger the number, the faster the speed. Beginners should choose APEC 5 or APEC 7.
There are two types of bearings: oil type and grease type.
- Oil type
- Grease type
The oil type is easy to speed up, but requires maintenance because of the possibility of dust getting inside. The grease type does not require any maintenance, and its speed is lower than that of the oil type.
Next is the screw, about 1 inch is OK. The screw threads are either rounded and bulging or flat, but it does not matter which one you choose. If you feel that they are in the way, you can choose the flat type.
However, if you are going to add a pad, the thickness of the pad will also affect the screw you choose. Pads are like shock absorbers (shock pads) that can be inserted between the deck and the trucks, and riser pads (height adjustment).
There are two types of riser pads: rubber and plastic, but rubber is a better cushioning material. I uses Paris plastic riser pads 1/8 (thickness) with 1.25 screws.
How to Choose a Longboard Deck for Beginners Freestyle Dancing
The next step is to choose a deck. Just to put it simply.
Choose the design you like.
That's the truth. However, if you are a beginner, you may buy the wrong one, so I'll tell you what to look out for. First of all, please look at the picture below.
For freestyle and dancing on longboards, basically choose a skateboard with a nose and tail. (where you can step on it with your foot on the opposite side of the tip)
Don't make the mistake of buying one like the one below. The one below has no nose and tail, so you can't do even basic tricks like pivot or no-comply.
What length of deck should I choose for my Longboard deck?
The problem here is the length of the deck. If you choose a longer board, it will be easier to take steps, but harder to do tricks. And the opposite is true if it is short.
The length of a board for dancing is usually
115 to 125 cm
I am 168cm tall and use a 118cm simple longboard Edina and a Majutsu BUTO47 carbon 120cm.
One producer of a manufacturer said he is 165cm and uses a 120cm board.
I actually feel like I am using it, at first I was riding Majutsu's 120cm flex 2 (Middle). The bamboo material was very good and flexible, easy to step on, and even though I was a beginner and my steps were large, there was enough room for me to cross-step and practice.
Next, I used Simple LongBoards' Edina, which I thought the 118cm flex was not so different from the Light, but the usability was totally different. Compared to the Majutsu, this board is harder and thinner, so it was harder to take steps at first. Also, as you can see from the shapes of the two boards above, the nose length is different, so tricks feel completely different. However, the boards are light and sturdy, so it was easy to do tricks with them.
Next is the flex. Basically, each manufacturer has a flex that corresponds to your body weight, so choose accordingly.
- Light (1)
- Middle (2)
There are several types of flexes, such as Light (1), Middle (2), and so on.
For men, stores will recommend Middle. In fact, when I emailed a board store in Taiwan, they recommended "Middle" because "Light" is too light.
Tips
- Length is 115 to 125 cm
- Longer length is for dancing, shorter length for tricks
- Even if the length is the same, the width of the front and rear wheels changes the usability.
- Nose length makes a big difference in usability.
- Flex is basically 2 or Middle for men and Light or 1 for women.
summary
II have talked about how to choose a deck for a longboard. In a nutshell.
Choose the one you like.
That is correct.
However, if some conditions do not apply, you will not be able to dance or freestyle well.
- Choose the parts and assemble it yourself.
- Deck length must be 115-120 cm
- Tail and nose must be
- Track is 180-184mm with a 50 degree angle
- Wheels are about 65mm and 82A
is the advice we can give to beginners.
In which case have a good longboarding life!
