Longboard decks

What longboard decks are available

Just like normal skateboards, there are also very different decks for longboards for different applications and riding styles. Here is a small overview of the most important ones:

Cruising deck

The cruising decks are, as the name suggests, used for "just cruising around" or really as a means of transportation. The focus is on handling and maneuverability in addition to the beautiful look. As they are usually hard to medium in terms of flex, wooden boards are often used for this purpose. If you want more flex, it has to be a composite construction with reinforcement layers.

Freeride deck

The freeride deck is a good transition from skateboard to longboard, as it comes closest to a skateboard in terms of functionality. Tricks, slides and maneuvers are also easily possible with the Freeride.

Dancing deck

Dancing comes from a surfing technique called "boardwalking". As with dancing, turning and running movements are performed here. For better maneuverability, these "dancer boards" have a weaker concave and longer ends with a "nose" and "tail".

Carver deck

Surfskating is becoming increasingly popular and the idea of skating actually came into being in the first place: moving on land as if you were riding waves. Special axles are used for this, which enable much tighter turns. These "surf trainers" are usually between 70 and 88 cm long and only have a slight kick tail and little concave.

Downhill deck

Downhill decks are designed for fast starts. The wheels are exposed through the cut-outs to avoid wheel-board contact, as this can lead to fast, uncomfortable braking actions, which are not at all desirable when riding downhill. In fact, the first longboards were specially made for downhill riding in order to provide more stability during fast rides. In other words, long decks and wheels further apart.

Flex levels refer to the degree of hardness or flexibility of the decks, which is created during construction by the different materials:

Stiff (hard)
Medium (medium)
Flexy (soft)