OT: Skateboarders: Which longboard for a beginner?

[Lewis Moon]

My daughter is interested in a longboard so I thought I'd get her one for Xmas. Any suggestions?

[bcroslin]

How tall is she? Is she interested in just cruising or does she want to go fast?

These guys are good friends of mine and won't steer you wrong if you need to pick up the phone and ask some questions: http://theboardr.com/

They sell completes as well: http://theboardr.com/shop/Complete_Skateboards

[Lewis Moon]

How tall is she? Is she interested in just cruising or does she want to go fast?

These guys are good friends of mine and won't steer you wrong if you need to pick up the phone and ask some questions: http://theboardr.com/

They sell completes as well: http://theboardr.com/shop/Complete_Skateboards

She's 5'5" and is just interested in cruising.

[William]

Here are two previous threads on Longboards with lots of info in them.

http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=79561&highlight=longboards

http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=129836&highlight=longboards

Like anything (bikes), there are your dept store versions, low quality, crappy wheels etc....

Then your better quality skateshop options.

Then your customs (which I've done the last few years).

Sector 9 makes a bunch of good starter LB's and also better quality boards.



William

PS: I still have a few...:D

[William]

If it's just for cruising around, something with a kick tail 30" - 40" with some decent wheels and trucks should be fine.

Complete setups...

https://www.sector9.com/shop/bamboo-series

These guys are local to me but make some top of the line boards...
Edit: sorry, there is a dirty word in the URL that the forum software deletes so you can't get to it.







William

[Lewis Moon]

If it's just for cruising around, something with a kick tail 30" - 40" with some decent wheels and trucks should be fine.

Complete setups...

https://www.sector9.com/shop/bamboo-series

These guys are local to me but make some top of the line boards...
Edit: sorry, there is a dirty word in the URL that the forum software deletes so you can't get to it.

William

Thanks. The Sec9 boards look great.

[ergott]

Any of you try one of these Carvers?

I got this one. I don't have a lot of experience with boards but I did like it enough to buy after a test ride.

http://shop.carverskateboards.com/collections/surfskate/products/32-inallofus-complete-cx

[David Kirk]

I have one of each of these - they are less a traditional longboard and more about hard carving. I use them on steep hills and they allow very tight turns. They are not good for bombing hills but wonderful for surf turns. With a bit of practice you can turn and come back up the hill and stay in your own lane. Very cool.

The carveboard is big and heavy and not good for transportation but the absolute best for hard turns on a steep hill - as close to surfing pavement as you can get.

The Stik is closer to a normal longboard but turns might tighter and the deck angle much steeper. Great for pavement surfing or getting from A to B.

Fun stuff - http://www.carveusa.com/index.html

dave

[William]

Btw, better quality boards/equipment, esp wheels are much safer. Cheapo wheels tend to have crappy bearings and hard durometer wheels that catch on the slightest rock bits and throw the rider. Good quality wheels will usually glide right over the imperfections.







William

[tuscanyswe]

I have one of each of these - they are less a traditional longboard and more about hard carving. I use them on steep hills and they allow very tight turns. They are not good for bombing hills but wonderful for surf turns. With a bit of practice you can turn and come back up the hill and stay in your own lane. Very cool.

The carveboard is big and heavy and not good for transportation but the absolute best for hard turns on a steep hill - as close to surfing pavement as you can get.

The Stik is closer to a normal longboard but turns might tighter and the deck angle much steeper. Great for pavement surfing or getting from A to B.

Fun stuff - http://www.carveusa.com/index.html

dave

Without loosing traction?

[William]

Nothing wrong with just carving and downhilling on a longboard, but for those who think that's all you can do with one...

My 51" custom Clutch Hoodwalker on a local 1/4 pipe...:D






William

[William]

Without loosing traction?

Sometimes you "want" to slide!!:D







William

[tuscanyswe]

Sometimes you "want" to slide!!:D

Hehe yeah i get that was nearly wondering about turning radius as it sounded pretty amazing.

[ergott]

Hehe yeah i get that was nearly wondering about turning radius as it sounded pretty amazing.

It's very tight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-IFCCXXOsA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QBIqcJ_hZ8

[mg2ride]

+1 on Sector Nine. Decent quality, decent price and wide selection. They are the standard starter board. Landyacths is another good option.

[David Kirk]

Without loosing traction?

Yeah......big rubber slick grip hard enough to nearly drag a hip on frontside turn.

dave

http://www.carveusa.com/images_slider/Brad-Garlach-surfer-carving-on-a-carveboard.jpg

[William]

Yeah......big rubber slick grip hard enough to nearly drag a hip on frontside turn.

dave

http://www.carveusa.com/images_slider/Brad-Garlach-surfer-carving-on-a-carveboard.jpg



My wheels will let go before I get to that point...but that's okay! :D







William

[JAllen]

Longboarding is something I could never get into. I was an avid skateboarder in my younger years until a few gnarly injuries on a stair set. My ankle still reminds me of some of those falls over ten years later. I think longboards are pretty nifty, especially in the hands of someone who is proficient on one.

[William]

Longboarding is something I could never get into. I was an avid skateboarder in my younger years until a few gnarly injuries on a stair set. My ankle still reminds me of some of those falls over ten years later. I think longboards are pretty nifty, especially in the hands of someone who is proficient on one.

Totally understand. For me it was a back injury that is intermittently reoccurring that came from a serious wipe out downhilling on a prototype board. My limbs and joints on the other hand came out unscathed (knocking on wood). I was into downhill, ramp, pool, and park riding. Never got into the stair jumping railing sliding thing which was likely a good thing for me. Doing tumbling classes as a tike really helped me out when it came to skateboard wipe outs, things would have probably been worse if I didn't know how to dive-tuck-and roll.









William

[p nut]

Wait, I thought I was on Paceline. You don't need them fancy modern rubberized wheels. This is all you need:

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5326/6919265290_8c30c972b7_z.jpg

[Keith A]

Just like with many things, there's a lot to choose from. William gave some good advise, and wheels and bearing do make a big difference. There are two main types of boards:
o drop throughs -- trucks mounted through the deck which puts the deck lower to the ground
o standard -- trucks mounted under the board and the deck is a bit higher off the ground

There are also models for downhilling, cruising, and dancing. There's a rather large forum for all things longboarding, which is:
https://www.silverfishlongboarding.com/forum

You'll find plenty of questions about buying a first LB and you might want to do a little searching and read the replies on this forum.

[Keith A]

Here's just an example of some of the info on this site...
https://www.silverfishlongboarding.com/forum/longboard-skateboard-reviews-and-comparisons/402709-best-cruiser-out-there-sector-9-lookout-review-salty-peaks.html

One more thing to consider is the deck flex...they range from super stiff to very flexy, and everything in between. If you have a local surf/skate shop in town, I'd suggest stopping by and see if they will let your daughter try some out and see what she likes.
http://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=Skateboard+Shops&find_loc=Tempe%2C+AZ

[Keith A]

Wait, I thought I was on Paceline. You don't need them fancy modern rubberized wheels. This is all you need:

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5326/6919265290_8c30c972b7_z.jpg

How about this one?

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--q80NiR8y--/1224706095875434087.jpg

[JAllen]

Totally understand. For me it was a back injury that is intermittently reoccurring that came from a serious wipe out downhilling on a prototype board. My limbs and joints on the other hand came out unscathed (knocking on wood). I was into downhill, ramp, pool, and park riding. Never got into the stair jumping railing sliding thing which was likely a good thing for me. Doing tumbling classes as a tike really helped me out when it came to skateboard wipe outs, things would have probably been worse if I didn't know how to dive-tuck-and roll.









William
It's always that one time that it goes gnarly. The accumulative falls add up. I miss it thoroughly.

[ajhapps]

I picked up an Arbor pintail for a pretty good price - <$100. It is really just for goofing around when in the suburbs after bike rides with a buddy who lives outside of the city. Anyway, his 9-year daughter old seems to like it a lot (which means I'm stuck riding her penny board). Plus, they're sustainably sourced and fairly responsible as a brand, which I like.

Probably much better quality boards out there for serious skaters, but Arbor makes pretty decent stuff in general, and it gets a nine-year-old's stamp of approval.