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Longboard Size Chart – Quick Way to Choose Right Longboard Size
- By Ryan Barnes
While buying a longboard, size is one of the most important criteria which must be considered. You might be thinking why? Because this is one of the most crucial factors that affect the performance of the longboard. And so, it becomes essential to choose the right product to get the maximum return.
Usually, longboards are available in size ranging from 22 to 45 plus inches. However, choosing the right longboard size is not as easy as you must consider some critical factors while selecting the right size for you. So, to help you find your ideal longboard, we have laid some factors which you should consider while choosing the right size longboard for you. So, let’s jump on to discover more!
How to Choose the Right Longboard Size
As we mentioned above, there are some factors. First of all you should know about the factors including length, width, flex, style, longboard shapes, and a couple of other features that you can consider while finding the right longboard size for you. However, in general, everything relies upon what you intend to utilize the longboard for.
As you probably are aware, longboards are classified into four sorts relying upon the styles of longboarding they are utilized for. Usually, you can find longboards for cruising, downhill, freeride, and freestyle. All of them varies by size, flex, shape, and some other factors. But before we proceed for the recommendation, let’s take a look at how the factors mentioned above affect the performance of the longboard.
1. Length:
As for the length of the longboard – the longer the board, the more stable it will be. In the same way, the shorter the board, the less stable it will be. However, shorter longboards have more maneuverability, and so, they are best for cruising and craving.
2. Deck Dimension:
The deck size or dimension follows the same formula as of length. The wider the board, the more it is stable and vice-versa. Usually, you may find longboards with width varying from 7-inches to 9-inches. They are best for general purposes.
3. Board Flex:
Board flex is additionally one of the most significant elements to be considered while purchasing longboards. It is the ability of the longboard that absorbs shocks and offers you a comfortable ride. It also adds stability to the board. Typically, you will find the soft, medium, and the stiff type of board.
4. Style:
Also, you should consider the style of the longboard you want. We are not saying explicitly about the shape. Here style means what type of deck you want. You can go for top-mount, drop-through, drop deck, and twofold drop. All of these are sorted in according to their increasing order of stability. So, you can choose the most preferred one for you.
5. Shape:
At last, the shape is another essential criterion to be considered. However, this solely depends upon your requirement of what you are looking to do with your longboard. Currently, there are two options for you to choose from – either directional or symmetrical. Directional longboards are best suited for cruisers, carvers, and downhill longboarders, while the symmetrical is an excellent option for freeriding and freestyle longboarding.
Apart from these, few more factors are there that you need to take into this account. However, all those are not as significant as those mentioned above. So, you can better judge your requirements and consider these factors to buy the right longboard sizes for you.
Additionally, for a stable longboard, you should choose an excellent set of longboard trucks and wheels. They also play a very crucial role in the performance of the longboard.
As for the trucks, you should go with trucks anywhere ranging from 6 to 10-inches in size corresponding to the width of the deck. Trucks enhance the board’s performance and also prevent it from wheel bite. So, you should choose the truck for your longboard very carefully.
While for the wheels, you can go anywhere between 52 to 58-inches with proper hardness depending upon your requirements. Good sets of wheels offer better traction and stability to the longboard at a higher speed.
Longboard size for different longboarding styles
As we mentioned above, different types of longboards are available that differ by longboarding styles. So, what longboard size you should choose as per your riding styles? Let’s take an in-depth look at this.
1. Cruising
If you love cruising down the streets or on your campus at breakneck speed, you better need to be quite stable and comfortable to balance yourself on your board. For that, you need to choose the board that offers better stability.
As for the length, anything ranging from 28-inches to 46-inches is good for cruising and carving. For quick turns at sharp angles, you should choose the shorter one, while the longer one is better for stability at a higher speed. At an average, the ideal length lies anywhere between 32 and 42 inches.
3 best longboards for cruising reviewed by our expert team.
2. Downhill
In longboarding, downhill longboarding is one of the most favorite activities of most of the longboarders. Well, why doesn’t it be? Most of the riders can achieve a breakneck speed of up to 50mph. In case, if you also love downhill, you need to choose the longboard that offers maximum speed even at a higher speed.
All you need to choose a longer board – must be at least 36-inches or longer. Also, the longboard you are selecting for downhill should have a drop through the deck, w-concave, and square-lip wheels.
If you are a beginner in downhill, you must consider 40-inches or longer longboard as we mentioned above – the longer the board, the more stable it will be. However, if you are a beginner, we don’t recommend you to downhill boards as it might be dangerous for you.
3 best longboards for downhill reviewed by our expert team.
3. Freeride
Freeriding includes cruising and carving at hills at a moderate speed that consists of some sharp turns and slides. So overall, you still need to go for a stable board that offers excellent stability even at the roughest surface.
So, for this purpose, you need to go for anything between 38 and 42-inches. We don’t recommend you to go below this bar – neither lower than 32 nor longer than 42. Just stick between this range as this is the ideal longboard length for freeriding.
3 best longboards for freeride reviewed by our expert team.
4. Freestyle
Now here, you got all your choices. As its name suggests, you don’t need to follow any specific size chart for selecting the longboard for freestyling. You can choose the longboard of your choice that offers a healthy combination of stability, style, and look. So, it’s all your call to determine your longboard for freestyle.
3 best longboards for freestyle reviewed by our expert team.
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