BEST SIZE LONGBOARD FOR BEGINNERS
Longboarding is not only a hobby, a mere fitness routine or simply a style imitation. It is a complete craze that makes people, practices it with all their soul and body.
When you have decided to ride on a board from that very day, you would like to gather all the necessary information related to it. Whether it is;
- A style,
- The Weight of the board,
- Famous brands,
- Famous longboarders
- The size and shape of the board.
In this article we would discuss some basic size options for beginners. Before we move to the size details let us discuss some basic questions you need to ask yourself before falling for this particular sport.
BASIC QUESTIONS FOR BEGINNERS TO CONSIDER
As a beginner, you need to ask yourself some questions which would help you decide your course ahead.
- Why do you want to buy a longboard?
- What style would you like to opt as a beginner and in the future?
- What are the pros and cons of the style I am going to adopt?
- What shape of the board I would like to choose?
- What is my budget?
Let us help you find out some options for your questions.
Why do you want to buy a longboard?
It can’t be the case that you wake up one morning and decided to buy a longboard. There is always a thought process behind every decision.
The answer to this question depends upon your personal view but here are some reasons that could have stimulated you to pick this sport.
- You might be inspired by someone.
- You might have seen someone performing tricks around in your educational institute.
- You might have decided to use it as a means to commute.
- Or simply your thrill loving nature has convinced you to enjoy the excitement this sports offer.
Whatever reason you choose but rest assured that longboarding requires long-lasting commitment and hard practice. From basic to Pro, practice is your key to make you worthy of this discipline.
What style would you like to opt for as a beginner and in the future?
This is a crucial question and vital too. Longboarding has different styles, each style carries its pros and cons and each style has distinctive longboards specially designed for it. There is the whole anatomy you need to understand as a beginner before you jump to your decision.
There are some basic rules for choosing a longboard. Set your precedence and then select accordingly. Pick your style first from the following:
Since you are a newbie, you will initiate with cruising. Later on, your awareness and fondness would let you pick the right style for you.
Your future choices very much depend upon your preference of the style as a beginner.
Let us discuss each style briefly. You must understand that the size of your longboard varies with the specific style you choose along with other factors.
Freestyle:
It is a style of longboarding which has mainly inspired many youngsters to choose this sport. This is extremely procedural, special practice and understanding are required to do all the tricks and jumping. However, once you master the tricks and techniques, the style becomes a piece of cake for you.
Freeriding:
It is a discipline of longboarding that requires control of speed and stability of a ride. It is riding downhill with normal to modest speed.
Downhill:
It is also called speedboarding. It is riding at high speed while showing some tricks and performing slides and drifts with your longboard.
Cruising:
Cruising is mainly commuting from one place to another with some moderate speed. All the beginners start from cruising and then eventually start performing tricks or adopt other styles.
Other than the above-mentioned longboarding styles there is another discipline that is called long distance longboarding. In this discipline, longboarders customize their longboards to travel longer distances. It requires a lot of patience, meticulous choice of board, proper planning, and strength to travel to a great deal of distance.
In the section where we would discuss the factors that affect the size of the longboard, I will give a detailed explanation about the relationship between the style and the size of a longboard.
What are the pros and cons of the style I am going to adopt?
For any style, you choose there are certain pros and cons. You must gather all the information and consider the choices carefully. Typically it is related to the shape of the board you prefer to ride.
What shape of the board I would like to choose?
The shape of the board is the opening stair in your expedition of longboarding. Many proficient longboarders have glued to their first pick of longboards so, it is decisive for you to devote some time and invest in the right shape of longboard for you as it is going to be the foundation step for your extensive voyage.
There are some common shapes of longboards available in the market. Each shape holds an exclusive aptitude to go well with your style. Some of the general shapes are:
The following picture would help in understanding the relationship between the style and the shape of the longboard.
What is my budget?
As a beginner, you certainly want to invest in something affordable and economical. Don’t buy a board that is expensive and equipped with all the extravagant options. You never know how long you would continue with this sport. You might lose your interest after a while and your costly board lay in the corner of your garage gathering dust.
Don’t buy cheap longboards especially if you are not sure about the details of that board. Cheap boards are usually not comfortable to ride. The deck, trucks, wheels, and hardware are not made of sturdy material and therefore the low comfort level might discourage you to ride on your latest obsession.
Always go for the longboard whose specifications are justified by the price tag offered by the manufacturers. Many longbaords are recommended to be best for beginners yet not heavy on the pocket of buyers. You can check “BEST CHEAP LONGBOARDS FOR BEGINNERS” for the comprehensive research but for your convenience, I am mentioning names of some affordable brands.
- QUEST SUPER CRUISER
- AODI 46” CANADIAN MAPLE WOOOD COMPLETE LONGBOARD
- SANTA CRUZ MAHAKA RASTA FADE PINTAIL CRUZER
- SCSK8 NATURAL BLANK PINTAIL
- RIMABLE PINTAIL 41’
- MINIRITY DOWNHILL MAPLE LONGBOARD
- TEN TOES BOARD EMPORIUM ZED
- VOLADOR 42’ FREE RIDE
- ATOM DROP-THROUGH
THE RIGHT SIZE OF THE LONGBOARD.
As a beginner, it is pretty much natural to ask a question about the best size of the longboard for you. You may raise inquiry that how you know which size is best for you.
Since the online world and the real market is bombarded with a lot of choices. A meticulous consideration is required before making choice.
Some fundaments affect the size of the longboard pretty well. They not only influence your riding style but also impinge on your comfort level.
Let us have a look at some of the fundaments that need to be considered before choosing the right size of the longboard.
These fundaments are divided and explained under the following headings:
- Length and width formula
- Height and shoe size equation
- Weight of the rider
- Style and size Relation
LENGTH AND WIDTH FORMULA:
There are certain rules to measure everything. All the newbie surely want to understand the math behind the measurement of a longboard. The picture below would let you understand the concept more clearly.
The size of the longboard is measured in the length and width of the deck. The deck is the main part where you are going to place your feet and keep balance while riding.
There is a common belief that measuring the length of the board is enough to buy the right size for you but trust me when dimensions are concerned, always measure the length as well as the width of the deck. The length and the width both play a varied yet vital role in the performance of a longbaord.
Based on different sizes, the longboards can be categorized as follow:
- Full-Size Deck Longboard:
All the boards with width size 7.5” or greater are called Full-size Deck longbaord. It is suitable for all the riders above 13 years and taller than 5’.3” with the shoe size 9 and up.
- Mid- Size Deck Longboard:
All those riders who are between 9 years to 12 years old, having a height between 4’.5” to 5’.2” and wear a shoe size between 7-8, qualify for this category of longboard. This longboard comes with a deck width of 7.3” and length of 29”.
- Mini- Size Deck Longboard:
The category folds within the width of 7” and length of 28” of a longboard. It is mostly suitable for riders who are between 6 years to 8 years old with a height ranging between 3’.5” to 4’.4”. The ideal size to go with this width is 4-6 shoe size.
- Micro- Size Deck Longboard:
For all those cute riders who want to learn longboarding at the tender age of five years or less, Micro-Size Deck Longboards are created for you. To adjust their tiny shoe with the size of 3 or smaller, the width of the deck is adjusted somewhere between 6.5” to 6.75”. For the stature of 3’.5” tall or more, the length of 27.2” to 27.6” is accommodated.
- HEIGHT AND SHOE SIZE EQUATION.
Consider it a thumb rule that the length of the deck must be according to the height of the rider and the width of the board must not be less than the shoe size of the rider.
Being tall or short is not in your hand but picking the right size of longboard is in your hand. If your stature lets you fall in the category of taller people then a longer board is the right choice for you. Taller people have a higher weight center as weigh against shorter people. It is important to ride a board that provides you with great stability as a new learner.
Similarly for the taller riders wider decks are preferred due to their bigger shoe size. As a new learner, you must understand that while riding your heel and toe are placed on the two rails of the deck. It gives you a proper leverage over the truck. If your foot placement is not proper, you won’t be able to ride confidently, perform spin and turns and maneuver any moves. You would definitely get yourself hurt.
For the shorter people, small and narrow decks are the exact choice. Since their shoe size would be naturally smaller due to their stature. A narrow deck is recommended to ride for them.
- WEIGHT OF THE RIDER
Each board comes with the specification details. Along with all the details they have mentioned their board has load capability. The specification tells you the amount of weight your longboard can endure. Even though the topic required a spate detailed discussion but I would like to mention some little details to it.
The amount of weight a deck can hold mainly depends upon the material used to build it. Nowadays decks are made of durable materials like fiberglass, maple wood, bamboo wood, etc. These boards have the ability to hold up to 250lb of the rider. Some manufacturers advise adding extra ply if the rider wants to exceed the limit given by them.
For your convenience of carrying the longboard, there is an important point to remember that if you travel a lot and have to carry your longboard with you then select a small to medium-sized longboard.
Shorter boards are light-weighted and more nimble whereas the longer boards are heavy to carry in comparison to their counterpart. Mid-size boards are a safe option to consider if you are not sure of your choice.
- STYLE AND SIZE RELATION
A Certain style of longboarding gave birth to certain shapes of longbords. Though most of the boards facilitate more than two styles of longboarding , still choosing the style directly affects your preferred size of the board.
Cruising
As mentioned earlier, every beginner starts with cruising. If your basic intention is to enjoy your ride to college or university or moving around on campus. Then longer boards are the best options. Longer boards are stable and provide you with enough space to place your foot.
Usually, for cruiser boards, a range of 28 inches to 46 inches is available. You can choose according to your comfort with careful consideration of all other factors.
Downhill
Downhilling is all about high speed and thrill games. When your main interest is an adventure and swishing the wind while riding down the hill then most of the riders prefer boards with a length of 36 inches or slightly more. It equips you with stability along with the desired speed.
So for downhill, your longboard with the size of 36+ inches is considered to be ideal.
Freeride
The longboards with a length between 38 inches to 42 inches are ideal for Freeriding. Freeriding is a discipline that holds the control of speed as well as maneuverability of the board. Performing tricks and riding down the hill need a perfect size of the board that can accommodate fast movement.
So for all the free-riders the length between 38” to 42” is the best option
Freestyle
Freestyling as suggested by the name doesn’t have any rules and regulations. You are free to choose whatever length you like. It mainly depends upon your expertise. The drastic movements and speed is somewhat you going to decide. The design of the board actually adds colors to your riding talent. Consider all other factors and select a board of your choice to quench your thirst of this very style.
Dancing is another discipline of the longboarding. It involves activities like dancing, performing different moves, and cross-stepping on a moving longboard. Riders require broader space on deck for their stable stance and flips. Longboarders practicing this order recommend 40+ inches to 60 inches board for this purpose.
COMPARISON
To make it further clear, the topic is concluded with the comparison of the two probabilities given.
| LONGER BOARDS | SHORTER BOARDS |
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And for width,
| WIDE BOARDS | NARROW BOARDS |
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