LONGER BOARDS:

• Are Heavier
• Have more room to stand on, which makes them more suited to total beginners
• Offer less turn (although this can be negated by setting up your trucks differently)
• Are way more Stable
• Are way nicer to carve on
• Are more comfortable, especially if they have a bit of flex
• Are harder to chuck around - kick turns, ollies etc are much more difficult

SHORTER BOARDS:

• Are Lighter
• Have less room to stand on, which makes them more suited to advanced skaters
• Generally offer more turn and less stability
• Are way nicer to carve on
• Are more comfortable, especially if they have a bit of flex
• Are easier to kick turn, ollie etc

WIDER BOARDS:

• Are Heavier
• Have more room to stand on
• You have more leverage over the trucks with a narrow board. So depending on your truck setup, they can actually be MORE turns, as you are putting less force through the bushings.
• More prone to wheel bite

NARROWER BOARDS:

• Are Lighter
• Have less room to stand on
• You have less leverage over the trucks with a narrow board. So depending on your truck setup, they can actually be LESS turns, as you are putting less force through the bushings.

SHORTER WHEELBASES ARE:

• Less Stable at Speed
• More Turns and Responsive
• Grippier
• Less forgiving whilst sliding

LONGER WHEELBASES ARE:

• More Stable at Speed
• Less Turny and Responsive
• Slidier
• More forgiving whilst sliding and drifting

Pintails are "top-mounted," in other words the trucks are mounted on the underside of the deck like a regular skateboard. As long as a pintail has a quality pair of trucks, it'll give a mellow, cruisy turn that feels much nicer than a drop through.

Pintails also have more deck space than a drop-through, which makes them a bit easier to stand on for total beginners.

The downside of a pintail is that it's higher than a drop-through - so less stable, and harder to push, brake and slide.

Drop-through

Functionally the best for beginners. They are super-low to the ground, which makes them easy to push, footbrake and slide. Drop-through longboards are a great place to start longboarding, as they make it easy to learn all the basics of longboarding.

Compared to a pintail, a drop-through will not turn as nicely - although this is a very subjective thing and can be largely remedied with a quality pair of trucks.

Drop-throughs can have less deck space than pintails, which makes them less suitable for dancing and tricks.

Dancing longboards

Longer than other boards to allow room for footwork and dancing steps. They are often symmetrical, and have kicks at the nose and tail to make flips, manuals and shuvits easier. Dancing longboards sometimes have composite construction to make them lighter, tougher and stronger.

Cruiser board

If you are skating shorter distances and value portability, we'd recommend you look at cruiser boards rather than longboards. They are harder to skate, but the ability to ollie up and down kerbs and carry around a bit more easily makes them very suited to inner-city environments. For longer distances and a mellow, cruisier ride, a longboard is the way to go!

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How to Longboard

Longboarding is a sport similar to skateboarding. It uses a longer board, bigger wheels and sometimes bigger trucks to let the sport of longboarding include speed, freeride, slide and slalom. Longboarding is a lot of fun, and it's arguably easier to pick up as a beginner than skateboarding is. If you have a longboard and a little bit of time on your hands, get out there and start practicing! Before you do, read this handy tutorial.

1, Decide what you are looking for in a board. Are you looking for a board to cruise on around town? To hit the skatepark with? Or are you looking to rip down big hills?

• Different sized longboards have different advantages and disadvantages. Shorter longboards are more agile (meaning you can turn more) but less stable (meaning it's easier to fall over). Longer boards are more stable but less agile. Beginners should stick with longer boards.

2, Get some protective gear. You may not think it's the coolest way to longboard, but especially when you're practicing, it's a good idea to be padded up. If you're doing more extreme versions of longboarding, getting padded up is essential.

• For gear, be sure to get:
  • A good-fitting helmet
  • Skateboarding shoes (flat bottomed)
  • Elbow pads (optional)
  • Knee pads (optional)
  • Slide Gloves (depend on the board you have)

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3, Figure out if you are goofy or regular. Do you skate with your right foot forward? That's called riding "goofy." Do you skate with your left foot facing forward? That's called regular.

• To find out whether you ride regular or goofy, have someone shove you from behind with no warning. Whichever foot you put out to catch yourself is the one you want to lead with on the skateboard. If it feels wrong, try switching to the other foot.
• Another way to find out is to slide on a smooth surface in socks or lay on the ground; whichever foot you use to get up with will be the foot you want to lead with on your longboard.

4, Try riding it around a couple times on a flat surface. Try to feel the smooth flow as it rolls over the concrete. The lower you keep your canter of gravity, the better you will feel. Make sure you feel comfortable before moving on.

5, Get the basic stance down. Stand with your feet between the trucks (the bearings that hold the wheels), a little longer than shoulder-width apart. Angle your front foot slightly forward, at about a 45 degree angle. Have your back foot be pretty much sideways, perpendicular to the direction the board is traveling in.

• This is just one stance that you can use. After getting comfortable with your longboard for a little bit, you very well could find that other stances work better for you. Go with what feels comfortable.

6, Practice balancing on your board by finding a gentle slope and going down it on the longboard. Get the hang of what it feels like to be on a longboard. Use your arms for balance and bend your knees a bit.

7, Balance yourself. If you feel out of control, make sure you focus far in front of you using your peripheral vision to guide you. This will allow your body to naturally gain control or balance.

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