Longboard Buyers Guide

Prepared for
Landyatchz

Prepared by
Roberto Lebron

TECM 2700
8:00AM-8:50AM

3/31/2014
Table of Contents iii
Table of Contents

Contents
Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................... iii
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... v
Chapter 1: The Parts of a Longboard .............................................................................................. 3
The Deck ..................................................................................................................................... 3
The Trucks .................................................................................................................................. 3
The Bushings .............................................................................................................................. 3
The Bearings ............................................................................................................................... 3
The Wheels ................................................................................................................................. 3
Chapter 2: The Deck ....................................................................................................................... 7
Deck Materials ............................................................................................................................ 7
Wood ....................................................................................................................................... 7
Carbon Fiber ........................................................................................................................... 7
Deck Flex .................................................................................................................................... 8
Deck Wheelbase.......................................................................................................................... 8
Deck Length ................................................................................................................................ 8
Deck Width ................................................................................................................................. 8
Deck Mount ................................................................................................................................ 9
Top Mount .............................................................................................................................. 9
Drop thru Mount ..................................................................................................................... 9
Drop Through Flush Mount .................................................................................................... 9
Shapes ......................................................................................................................................... 9
Directional............................................................................................................................... 9
Bidirectional .......................................................................................................................... 10
Deck Features............................................................................................................................ 11
Concave................................................................................................................................. 11
Wheel Wells .......................................................................................................................... 11
Chapter 3: The Trucks .................................................................................................................. 15
Trucks Parts .............................................................................................................................. 15
Baseplate ............................................................................................................................... 15
Hangers ................................................................................................................................. 15
iv Longboarders Buyer Guide
Bushings ................................................................................................................................ 15
Durometer ............................................................................................................................. 15
Chapter 4: The Wheels.................................................................................................................. 19
Size ............................................................................................................................................ 19
Durometer ................................................................................................................................. 19
Core Placement and Core Size .................................................................................................. 19
Centerset ............................................................................................................................... 20
Sideset ................................................................................................................................... 20
Offset..................................................................................................................................... 20
Lip Shape .................................................................................................................................. 20
Acute Angled Lip .................................................................................................................. 20
Square Lip ............................................................................................................................. 20
Rounded Lip.......................................................................................................................... 21
Bearings .................................................................................................................................... 21
ABEC Ratings ....................................................................................................................... 21
Chapter 5 General Maintenance Tips ........................................................................................... 25
Deck Care.................................................................................................................................. 25
Truck Care ................................................................................................................................ 25
Bearing Care ............................................................................................................................. 25
Longboarders Dictionary ............................................................................................................. 27
Index ............................................................................................................................................. 29

Introduction v
Introduction
The purpose of the Longboard Buyers guide is to educate you as much about a longboard as
possible before you purchase a longboard. This Longboard Buyers guide was made for the
Landyatchz longboard company to help with hesitant buyers. This guide will go over a list of
what parts make up a longboard which are:
The Deck
The Trucks
The Bushings
The Wheels
The Bearings
The guide then goes over each of these sections in detail and even more parts. The guide goes
over some general maintenance tips on how to take care of your longboard and increase its
longevity. The guide then goes over some useful vocabulary that will help you understand
longboard specific lingo that I use in this guide. The guide ends in with an index that will help
you find specific information when you are in a rush.

Fly Chapter 1
Chapter 1 3
Chapter 1: The Parts of a Longboard
The Deck
The deck is basically where you stand on the board. They are usually made out of two to eleven
layers of various woods, but they can be made out of other materials. The deck can come in a lot
of shapes and sizes. Each variation has its own advantages and disadvantages, which mostly
comes into play depending on the technique or personal preferences of the rider.
The Trucks
The trucks are the mechanism by which the longboard turns. Its one of the two parts of the
longboard that is made of metal. They come in a range of styles, but their shape mostly stays
generally consistent. They use the motion of the riders feet and body to turn the board by
pivoting a joint in the middle of the truck. There are two types of trucks, but we will go over
those in the Trucks chapter.
The Bushings
The bushings determine the way your board turns, and how it feels during that turn. The
bushings will usually come with the purchase of the trucks. They are regularly made of
polyurethane materials, and come in varying shapes and durometers. The two standard shapes
are barrels and cones, but these are not the only shapes.
The Bearings
The bearings are what connect the wheel to the truck and allow it to turn smoothly on the truck.
Bearings are usually made of steel, titanium, or ceramics. The bearings differ from one another
in the resistance they offer when riding and their durability.
The Wheels
The wheels are the part of the board that makes contact with the road. They are usually made
from urethane, and it is extremely rare to find a wheel that isnt made from urethane. The
performance of the longboard wheel is decided by 5 characteristics: Size, Durometer, Core
placement, Core size, and Lip Shape



Fly Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Deck
Deck Materials
Decks can be made out of any material that will hold up a moderate amount of stress. Most of the
decks available commercially will be made of wood. There are a few out there made of
fiberglass and carbon fiber, but these decks are also much more expensive. This guide will go
over their advantages and disadvantages below.
Wood
The first type of wood that this manual will cover is Oak. Oak is probably the heaviest of all the
wood you could possibly make your longboard out of. It is extremely rigid, and weighs much
more than the other woods. I would not recommend this wood for beginner decks. It is really
specialized, and only for downhill.
Next, well cover maple. Maple is one of the most common of all the woods in longboard decks.
Maple is the second most rigid and heaviest of the woods used in making a longboard. It is fairly
rigid, but it is extremely durable. Maple is fairly expensive compared to the other types of wood.
I would recommend this wood if youre looking for a medium between flexy and rigid, but more
on the rigid side. If youre looking for a board that is more flexy than rigid, koa will be your next
step.
Koa is probably one of the more exotic of these woods. It fills the middle ground in-between
bamboo and maple. Koa is not as flexible as bamboo and not as rigid as maple.
Bamboo is the second most common type of wood you will see in longboard decks. It will either
be used alone, or in a mix with maple. Bamboo is incredibly flexible and incredibly light. It
sacrifices its durability to be this way, so Id recommended a bamboo board in a more casual
board. The flexibility will help with commuting from place to place over rough terrain, but the
flexibility is going to be dangerous when going at high speeds. It will be unstable and will be too
snappy for downhill speeds.
Carbon Fiber
Carbon Fiber is the most expensive material for a longboard, so I would not recommend it for
your first board. Typically, what you will find is a combination of carbon fiber plies and maple
or bamboo plies making up a deck. The carbon fiber layers add more strength and stability to the
deck. Full carbon fiber decks are very rare, but are amazing decks. They typically come with a
foam core that lightens the overall weight of the deck. I would only recommend carbon fiber
boards to downhill veterans.




8 Longboarders Buyer Guide
Deck Flex
Deck flex is the amount of bend the board undergoes under your weight. There are three types or
flex which vary depending on different things in a longboard deck. The three types of flex are
listed below:
Longitudinal Flex
This type of flex is the bend from nose to tail. The more longitudinal flex a board has the more is
digs into carves because the midpoint of the deck drives closer to the ground under the force of
your weight. Longitudinal flex depends on your weight and will be more apparent on a camber
deck.
Lateral Flex
This type of flex is the bend from left side to the right side. The lateral flex, like longitudinal, is
felt when carving. The lateral flex depends on your weight, and will be more apparent on a
camber/rocker deck with concave.
Torsional Flex
Torsional flex is the combination of longitudinal and lateral flex going on at the same time.
Torsional flex is felt most during very hard carves and slides.
The amount of flex you want in a board is directly correlated to the style of riding you are
looking to get into. A downhill setup will require something stiff with no flex to stay stable at
speed, where a cruiser setup might have very soft flex to absorb more vibrations giving a
smoother more relaxed ride. Flex recommendations will be general at best and is more of a thing
you need to have experience in to decide for yourself.
Deck Wheelbase
Wheelbase is the distance from the inner most part of the truck (The innermost truck hole
mounts) to the other (Though, some companies measure wheelbase from one truck axel to the
other.). The wheelbase can be as small as 11 to as big as 38. Any smaller or larger would be a
rare sight. The wheelbase of a directly affects the way the board turns. The larger the wheelbase
of a deck is, the wider the turn radius. A larger wheelbase also allow for more flex in the deck.
The shorter the wheelbase of a deck is the tighter the turn radius. A shorter wheelbase does not
allow as much flex as a larger wheelbase.
Deck Length
The deck length is probably the most varied part of the deck. The range of a longboard deck is
pretty wide, going from as small as 22 on mini-cruisers to as large as 60+ decks on super
cruiser/dancer boards. Typically, short 22 boards are more maneuverable, but are not stable at
higher speeds, while the 60+ boards arent as maneuverable and typically arent as stable at
higher speeds either. A safe margin for beginners would be to stay between 33 to 42. This is
enough room for a beginner to find stable footing while not being too big and cumbersome.
Deck Width
The deck width is the length from the left side of your deck to the right side of the deck. The
width can range from 6 on a mini-cruiser to 11 on downhill decks. The width of your deck
works with the width of your trucks to affect the stability of your boards ride. Extra width adds
more foot space and stability to your board.

Deck Mount
The deck mount is how the trucks of your board are attached to the deck. There are three
different common types of mounts, which I have listed and described below.
Top Mount
The top mount is the most common of all the three mounting styles. Top mount is where the
baseplate of the truck is mounted to the bottom of the nose and tail of the deck. Relative to the
other two mounting styles, a top mount is often a higher ride height making it quicker to turn, but
is not as stable as the other two at speed. Cruiser and pumper riders will stick with top mounts
because of the quick carvability at low speeds.
Drop thru Mount
A drop thru mount has a machine carved slot in the nose and tail of the deck that allow the
baseplate of the truck to drop through the top of the deck. This makes it so that the baseplate is
on the same plane as your feet while riding. The drop thru design provides a lower center of
gravity for the boarder, which allows for more stability, easier pushing, and easier sliding. The
tradeoff for all those benefits is that a drop thru deck is much less responsive when turning. A
drop thru deck will be usually found with a bidirectional shape because the dropped through
trucks will be more prone to wheel bite without proper clearance. Drop thru mounts are better for
freeriding, freestyling, and downhilling because of the stability and control it gives.
Drop Through Flush Mount
The drop through flush mount is the rarest of all three mounting styles. It is almost completely
the same as drop thru except for a minute change. The deck features a machine carved hole
especially made so that the baseplate is flush with the top of the board. It features a slightly
lower center of gravity, but it a beginner will not notice the different. Otherwise it is exactly the
same as the drop thru deck so I would suggest the Drop thru over this every time.
Shapes
The shape of the deck will dictate mostly what kind of riding you will be doing. Though you can
do just about any kind of riding with any kind of board shape, one shape will make it easier to
one thing over another board shape.

Directional
A directional board shape is an asymmetric deck shape. These deck shapes have a different nose
and tail, though these decks can be ridden with either the nose or tail in front, they are
specifically designed to have the nose in front.
Pintail
The pintail is one of the most recognizable shapes for a longboard to have. It is a surf-inspired
shape that you will most often find on a cruiser, carving, and pumping board. The pintail deck
shape has a wide base center that sharply tapers off on the nose and tail at varying degrees of
sharpness. Their sharp tapering allows for a little larger of a wheel to turn and carve deeper
without wheelbite. Many pintail decks have wheel wells to further prevent wheel bite.
10 Longboarders Buyer Guide
Fishtail
The fishtail shape is very similar to the pintail shape save for a few exceptions. The fishtail deck
shape is typically shorter than the pintail and has a split tail to mimic the style of a split tail surf
board. Fishtail board will typically only be seen in cruiser and mini-cruiser boards and are mostly
for riders that want a smaller pintail style cruising board.
Blunt
The blunt deck shape is a wider and rounder version of the pintail deck. The nose is usually
longer than the tail on the blunt shape and the tapering isnt as apparent like in the pintail shape.
Wheel wells are very common on these boards because there is low to zero clearance for the
wheels so wheel bite is a lot more common in these boards than in the pintail and fishtail shapes.
Kicktails are often found on the blunt shape for more tail control. Blunt shapes are typically for
cruising because they are built to be naturally flexy boards.
Speedboard
As their name implies, this board shape is all about speed riding. The usually shape for these
decks is a combination of some sort of sharp tapered pin like nose and a blunt like tail. These
decks are super stiff and stable for high speed riding and have wheel wells built to accommodate
larger racing style wheels. This type of deck shape is used primarily in downhill riding.
Bidirectional
Bidirectional deck shapes are symmetric board designs. They can be ridden with either the nose
or tail facing forward and that will not affect your ability to ride it whatsoever.
Twin
The twin board shape is the traditional skateboard shape. For their longboard counterpart the
have much wider sides because of the higher need for stability with riding. The deck shape much
like the blunt shape needs to have wheel wells and/or riser pads for your trucks because this type
of deck is prone to wheel bite. This deck shape can be used in pretty much every type of riding.
Cutout
The cutout is the deck shape with the most wheel clearance. On the nose and tail are large cutout
sections of wood specifically for allow the wheel to never be able to touch the deck. The cutout
deck type is typically used in drop thru boards because its shape goes great with the drop thru
type of riding. This shape is mainly used in freestyle, freeride, and downhill setups because of
the ability to put larger, faster wheels while still being able to do deep carve.
Drop Down
A drop down deck is a very recent innovation in deck shapes. It features a lower deck that drops
down from the nose and tail. This dropped platform gives the rider more stability and helps make
pushing easier. Drop downs are usually cutout decks as well because of the wheel clearance
needed with a lowered deck.




Deck Features
Decks come with a whole variety of features outside of everything Ive listed above. You want
the features to curtail to whatever type of riding you are going to be doing. I have listed a few
examples of features a board could have below, but features are not limited to whats below.
Kicktail
Kicktails are what you see on both ends of a regular skateboard. They are the pieces of the deck
that extend past the trucks and curve up. Kicktails allow you to be able to lift one end of the
board off the ground. You would need to do this to preform tricks or hop curbs. Kicktails allow
you to make much quicker turns by putting your back foot on it. Kick tails are usually on boards
made for cruising or freestyling.
Concave
Concave is how the board is lower in the middle than at the right or left side of the board. The
concave helps hold your feet in place when turning. The concave also helps in making a board
much more responsive to turning. There are four types of concave that are featured in boards.
Flat Concave: No concave. The deck is flat from left to right. This is more for dancing
and/or cruising boards.
Radial Concave: Semi-circular concave. The deck has a semi-circular shape from left to
right. The concave helps lock your foot in during turning and sliding.
Elliptical Concave: Semi-circular, but flatter in the middle. The deck has a similar shape
to semi-circular, but a sharper transition in the middle of the concave. This concave has a
much more rigid response to turning, but makes it much easier to turn on-a-dime.
W-Concave: W-shaped concave. The concave is similar to elliptical concave except for
the middle which has a same bump in it. This concave is the most responsive of all the
concave types. This is the best concave for racing.
Wheel Wells
Wheel wells are usually right under the nose or tail of the deck. Basically, scoops of wood are
carved out of the underside of the deck where the wheels would make contact with the deck
while turning to avoid wheel bite. While wheel wells help reduce the chance of wheel bite
happening, it is still possible with bigger wheels or looser trucks.


Fly Chapter 3
Chapter 3 15
Chapter 3: The Trucks
Trucks are the only other part of the board that comes in contact with the deck in an ideal
scenario. The trucks are the metal mechanism that allows a longboard to turn. Trucks use the
motion of the riders feet (heel to toe/toe to heel) to pivot. They come in a variety of styles, but
not nearly as diverse as the decks. Now, we will dive into the parts that make up the truck.
Trucks Parts
A single truck is made up of 10 parts: 1 baseplate, 1 hanger, 2 bushings, 1 kingpin, 1 locknut, 2
speed rings, and 2 axle nuts. We will only go over the base plates, hangers, and bushings because
those are the only parts that seem to make a huge difference to beginner riders. This isnt to say
that the other parts of the trucks do not make a difference in the ride of a board, but to beginners
the difference is negligible.
Baseplate
The baseplate is the part of the truck that is attached directly to the deck. This is where the
kingpin is attached to the rest of the truck. The most important part of the baseplate is the angle
that the kingpin is oriented when put in the baseplate. The angle of the baseplate will affect the
overall stability of the board when turning. The angles range from 42 degrees to 50 degrees, but
the most common angles will be 44 degrees and 50 degrees. The lower the degree is on the
baseplate the more stable the board will be, but the wider its turns will be. The higher the angle,
the less stable the board will be, but it will have a tighter turn radius. Keep this in mind when
buying the trucks.
Hangers
Hangers are most likely the simplest part of the truck. Hangers dictate your turning radius. The
wider the hanger the more stable your ride will be. The turning radius of your board will be
wider with wider hangers as well.
Bushings
Bushings are the only part of the trucks that are not made of metal. They are also the easiest
thing to change on a truck to get a different feeling out of the trucks. Bushings are usually made
from a polyurethane material and come in varying shapes and durometers. The most common
bushing shapes that you will see are the barrel and the cone. The barrel shaped bushing will
general be more stable and have a greater rebound, while the cone shaped bushing will be less
stable, but kick back less than the barrels. The durometer of the bushings is the hardness of it, but
since the wheels use durometer too I will make a separate section for durometer below.
Durometer
Longboard wheels and bushings use a shore durometer scale to judge their hardness. In this case,
hardness is defined as the materials ability to resist a permanent indentation. There are multiple
scales for measuring the hardness, but the one used for bushings and wheels is the A scale,
which is the scale for softer plastics. Each scale uses a number scale of 0-100 as well.
Typically for longboard bushings the range will be 78a-98a and for longboard wheels it will
range from 72a-92a.
Bushings with a soft durometer will tend to be easier to turn on than a harder durometer, but a
harder durometer will be more responsive to your movements than a softer bushing.

Fly Chapter 4

Chapter 4 19
Chapter 4: The Wheels
The wheels are the part of the board that touch the ground and rotate to allow the longboard to
move. They, like the bushings, are typically made of urethane materials. Wheels are affected by
the size, durometer, core placement, core size, and lip shape. I will use this section to go over the
bearings as well because of the bearings work so closely to the wheels.
Size
The height and width of the wheel affect 2 things about the boards ride very heavily: the
acceleration and the momentum
The acceleration is affected by the size of the wheel because of the physics of a wheel. A larger
wheel has a very slow acceleration, but its top speed it very high. The opposite is true for a
smaller wheel. The smaller wheel accelerates very quickly, but it cannot maintain a very high
speed like the bigger wheels.
The momentum is affected in a similar way that the acceleration is affected. A larger wheel takes
a larger amount of energy to get moving, but it also withholds and uses that energy for longer. So
a larger wheel is able to get to a higher speed and maintain that higher speed as opposed to a
smaller wheel, which would be able to overcome that energy requirement, but it would not be
able to hold onto that energy, nor can it reach as high a speed.
Durometer
A wheels durometer is the measure of how hard that wheel is (Refer to the Durometer section in
Chapter 3 for a more detailed explanation of durometer). Wheels typically come in a durometer
of 72a-92a. The softer the wheel is, the more grip is will be able to apply to the surface you ride
on. A softer will ride much softer than a harder wheel and provide more cushion when rolling
over obstacles in the road such as cracks. The durometer is a subjective topic when discussing
what should be used for what riding style. A very general rule is that for slower riding a softer
wheel will suffice. The faster the riding the harder the wheel, but that does not always hold true.
Core Placement and Core Size
Core size has a variety of effects on how the board will ride. Most wheels will have a small core,
but some will have larger cores so this information will be very useful. Larger cored wheels will
generally accelerate and decelerate faster due to the decreased mass of the wheel. They will also
slide a lot smoother than smaller cored wheel and lose their traction earlier. This is due to a
thinner patch of urethane between the core and the road. Smaller cored wheels basically do the
opposite of larger cored wheels. Smaller cored wheels will accelerate and decelerate slower due
to the increased mass. They grip the road tighter than the larger wheel so they will not slide as
easy. The smaller cored wheels will also feel smoother over rough pavement and hold speed
much longer than larger cored wheels.





20 Longboarders Buyer Guide
The core placement will play a part in the feel of the board as well. There are three types of core
placement which I will go over: Centerset, sideset, and offset.
Centerset
A centerset core is directly in the middle of the wheel, so it has an equal amount of urethane on
either side of the core. Centerset tend to be stickier types of wheels, because of the large amount
of the force is focused on the inside lip of the wheel. These types of cores will allow for an even
wear of the wheel because of the location of the core. The only negative aspect of centerset
wheels that beginners will notice are that they cause wheel bite a lot easier than the other cores.
These types of cored wheels go great with top mount boards.
Sideset
A sideset core is closer to the inner lip of the wheel, so closer to the truck. These types of cores
will slide much more than centeset wheels. These wheels go great with freeride boards, but they
wear in a cone shape very easily and as a result dont last nearly as long as centerset wheels.
Offset
An offset core is one that is anywhere between a centerset core and a sideset core. Because offset
cores can vary in core placement, their performance varies. They will either be just as grippy as a
centerset or just as prone to slide as a sideset wheel. I wouldnt recommend it to a beginner
because of this.
Lip Shape
The lip of the wheel is the edge of the wheel, so when I say the lip that is what Im referring to.
The lip shape mostly affects how easily the wheel will go into a slide. The 3 types are Acute
Angled, Square, and Rounded.
Acute Angled Lip
This type of lip goes from flat across the bottom of the wheel, comes to a sharp point and heads
back towards the center of the wheel at an acute angle. These types of wheels are very grippy
and thus are amazing if you want a very maneuverable board. The grip that this type of lip
provides is intense and they provide the most possible traction available. This type of lips makes
it impossible to slide without completely ruining the wheel so I wouldnt recommend it for a
beginner that wants an all-around wheel.
Square Lip
This is the most common type of wheel shape in production at the present moment. The bottom
of the wheel goes straight across, and then goes straight up at a 90 degree angle at the lip. This
type of wheel provides exceptional traction, not as great as the acute angled lip, but still a fair
amount. The square lip last much longer than the acute angled lip and it is able to slide after
being broken in.




Chapter 4 21
Rounded Lip
The rounded lip curves from the bottom of the wheel up to the side of the wheel. They tend to
have the most progressive transfer from a gripping to slipping and tend to be the best sliding
wheel shape. Rounded lips will typically have a much easier time rolling over objects and up
curbs better than a sharp-lipped wheel.
Bearings
For a beginner, this part of the longboard is among the least important. Bearing quality changes
typically go unnoticed right at the beginning of learning unless the change in quality is drastic.
The things that change from bearing to bearing are the bearing material, durability, and bearings
resistance. I will touch lightly on the materials, the spacers, lubrication, and rating. In this guide,
we will specifically go over the ABEC bearings in this guide. Remember that not all bearings use
ABEC ratings, and they use their own scale from rating, but ABEC is probably the easiest thing
to understand.
ABEC Ratings

ABEC ratings are based off the ABEC scale of bearing ratings. Basically the ABEC scale
measured the bearing tolerance on a scale of 1-9 only using odd numbers. The smaller the
tolerance the less the bearing rattles around instead of continuing to rotate around. Basically, the
smaller the tolerance the faster the bearing can spin, the smoother the ride, and higher quality the
bearing. The scale itself is shown below:
ABEC number Tolerance in Millimeter (Inches)
ABEC 1 0.0075 mm (0.000295")
ABEC 3 0.0050 mm (0.000197")
ABEC 5 0.0035 mm (0.000237")
ABEC 7 0.0025 mm (0.000098")
ABEC 9 0.0012 mm (0.000047")

Fly Chapter 5

Chapter 5 General Maintenance Tips 25
Chapter 5 General Maintenance Tips
These are some simple maintenance tips to help you care for your longboard.
Deck Care
Never allow your deck to stay wet. Water will get in between the layers of wood and
create space that will eventually grow and cause huge splits in the deck.
Dirt will not hurt your deck, so cleaning it is purely for aesthetic purposes. I suggest
cleaning it by using a brush and small amount of water.
After your deck takes any kind of hit check it for any cracks or defects just to stay on the
safe side. Never used a very damaged and cracked board.
Truck Care
Again like the deck, dirt will not hurt your trucks. You can clean them with water and a
brush, but dont water log your trucks. They can rust so be aware of that.
If your trucks are squeaking every time your turn, get something bar soap and shave it
down. Take the shavings and put them in the pivot cup of your baseplate.
Periodically check for crack in the metal of the trucks, as well as the pivot cup. Also
check for the hanger bending. These can make your trucks unusable and the only thing
that can be done is to replace them.
Bearing Care
Bearing are one of the only parts of boards you can actively take care of it.
Dirt and grime will get into your bearings and there is almost nothing you can do to stop
it. The best thing to do is to clean them are approximately 50 hours of use.
You can clean bearings by taking them apart and letting the soak in odorless paint
thinner. Before putting them back together make sure you lubricate your bearings with
some kind of bearing lubricant.
Longboarders Dictionary 27
Longboarders Dictionary

Axel Nuts
o This is usually a 5/16 nut that holds the wheel onto the axle.
Board
o Another word for Longboard.
Breaking in(Broken In)
o Breaking in usually refers to longboard wheels. A broken in wheel is one that has
been used a fair bit and possess unique characteristics that its none broken in
counter part wouldnt have.
Camber
o The amount of upward bend along the length of a longboard between the nose and
tail.
Carving
o The act of turning back and forth down a hill as a form of speed control or for
enjoyment.
Cruising
o The most relaxed form of riding a longboard. Usually refers to simply using the
board as a means of transportation.
Dancing
o The act of using the longboard as a dance floor.
Downhill
o Speedboarding. High speed longboard racing.
Freestyle
o Doing tricks similar to how you would on a skateboard.
Freeride
o A form of downhill longboarding that is more trick oriented.
Kingpin
o The main bolt that holds the truck together.
Locknut
o Nuts that prevent anything from backing off an axle.
Pumping
o Propelling yourself with a series of turns based on weight shifts.
Pushing
o The act of propelling yourself by pushing off the ground with your non leading
foot.
Rebound
o The board tendency to return to the center.
Riser Pad
o A pad that your put inbetween you board and your baseplate to raise it in order to
avoid wheel bite.
Setup
o A completed longboard made for whatever purpose.

28 Longboarders Buyer Guide
Sliding
o Preforming powerslides of drifts with your longboard.
Speed rings
o Small metal rings that are placed inbetween the axle nut and the bearing as well as
the inner bearing and the hanger.
Wheel bite
o When the longboard deck makes contact with the wheel, stopping is wheel
abruptly and most likely throwing the rider off

.
Index
29
Index
The hell do I put here?