I tried skateboarding for a bit when I was younger, but seeing as I lived in a place where the roads had more holes on them than asphalt, I gave up pretty early. However, I have recently moved to a new area with actual decent roads and have decided to give skateboarding another try, but with a bit of a twist. The twist being that I am now on a longboard and I really didn’t know much about it since it is surprisingly quite different from the standard types of skateboard. If you would also like to give it a try, then here are a few basic things I think you should know, speaking as a beginner to beginner.
I would recommend that you start out with one of the drop through longboard decks. The thing that characterises and separates the drop through longboard decks from the alternative choices is that they have a cut out where the trucks (the components the wheels are attached to) come through the board and are bolted on from the top. This significantly lowers the centre of gravity and makes it much easier to control and balance. Of course, this also means that it isn’t as reactive as the standard type of decks, but this can work to your advantage because you won’t need to worry about careening into a hedge or a wall from the slightest leg twitch.
You will also need to know about the trucks and the wheels if you want to become a true boarder. The first thing you should know is that there are different sizes of wheels and trucks as well as wheels made out of different rubber and trucks made out of different types of metal or alloys. The differences aren’t for purely aesthetic purposes, but rather play a big part in the strength of the board itself as well as the type of tricks you can do with it and how long it will last you if you have a particularly aggressive riding style. You can easily find versions of both components that would be ideal for any riding style, so the important part is not to rush when choosing them, but rather to see what king of boarder you are and then pick out the items that are better acclimated to your personal needs.
There are also many kinds of accessories and additional items you can get and bolt on to your board, but aren’t that important. What is important though is knowing how to maintain it. Truth is there really isn’t all that much you need to do as standard upkeep involves exactly what you might assume. Make sure that all of the bolts are tight and that the wheels are not too wobbly or loose, check the trucks for any signs of warping, and make sure you replace any component that is damaged or worn out. That’s all, happy boarding.