#15

Longboarding is a prominent style of skateboarding. While skateboards focus on the flipping and spinnig of the board, longboards are focused on more on executing turns at high speeds. They say that surfers invented longboards for a way to entertain themselves when the waves were flat. Surfers soon began to realize that you can perform the same turns and maneuvers on the pavement. According to skate-log, Makaha and Hobie began to produce the first surf inspired longboards in the 1960s. In the 1960s they used clay wheels which made many people turn away from the sport because it was unsafe according to government officials. In the 1970s the sport began to take off with the new invention of the urethane wheels. This provided better traction allowing maneuvers to be easy. In the 1980s- 1990s longboarding was mostly unknown thanks to skateboarding. Skateboarding dominated until the early 1990s where longboarding became recognized as a sport. Today longborders can now hit up to +30mph and has many different styles of decks, trucks and wheels.

  Foster, Philip. "The History of Longboard, Skateboards."Live Strong. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 2012. <http://www.livestrong.com/article/367818-history-longboarding-skateboards/>.

#14

     The History of Longboarding

     Longboarding originated in Oahu, Hawaii. They used longboards when the waves were bad. The rider would imitate surfing by putting their hands close to the ground while riding and carving quickly. Longboarding was called Sidewalk surfing until 1959 when it was called skateboarding. Skateboarding then stopped selling after a few years and it was looked upon as a reckless sport. Not until 1973 where skateboarding/longboarding became popular again and started selling.

"History of longboarding." longboardskateboard.org. longboardskateboard.org, 2008. Web. 22 May 2012. <http://longboardskateboard.org/history-of-longboarding.php>.

#13

Longboarding is a longer version of skateboarding. They are used for slalom, downhill racing and transportation most of the time. Because how its longer and wider base it is more stable than a skateboard. According to the longboard buying guide, new longboarders should avoid longboard saying beginners longboards because that low quality material affects the riding making beginners turn away from the sport. The deck types includes transportation, slalom, downhill, cruisers, and hybrids. The guide also discusses the different types of longboarding techniques.  This includes drifting, which is when your board looses traction on a turn. Drifting is commonly used in downhill racing. Another longboard technique is air brake which involves you stand upright on your board and spread your arms out as far ad you can to catch the wind resistance. This is usually done in speedboarding( Downhill racing) when you need to slow down before a turn or stop. Another technique is foot braking where you gently put one foot on the road while your other foot has most of its weight on your board, keeping you balanced. Technique is used all around and its just an easy way to reduce speed. Next is carving which is when the rider makes a continues S path leaning left to right on their board. This makes the board turn from left to right ( carving) which allows users to control their speed while going down a hill. Next is slide braking where the user turns the its body and board together to make a complete stop. This allows the rider to avoid dangerous situations. Boardwalking, which is also called dancing, is when the rider moves his feet while on the board performing numerous tricks.

Longboarding also has many types of equipment. This includes the deck. Another type of equipment is the bearings which sit inside the wheel. The bearings sit on the edge of the truck hanger and it allows the wheel to spin on the hanger. Next is trucks which comes in many shapes and forms. Trucks are the metal hangers attached to the board and the trucks are also where you attach the wheels to.


. "About Longboarding." Soulboards. N.p., 2012. Web. 22 May 2012. <http://www.soulboards.com/about_longboarding/>.

#12

Downhill Longboard Deck Clinic

     There are 4 types of downhill boards. Types are the top mount, drop through, drop deck, and the drop through drop combination.  An advantage of top mount is that you have an increased traction because you are above your trucks. The advantage to the drop deck is the lower foot placement which allows stability for high speeds. It also has wedges on each side which allows it to be more drift like. The advantage of a drop through deck is that its lower to the ground which gives it stability. And its like the medium between the drop deck and top mount. It allows great stability and somewhat amount of traction. The advantage of the combination drop deck is that it more of a medium between the drop deck and top mount than the drop through. It has a great amount of stability but less traction than a top mount.

(2009, March 11). Youtube. (2009). [0]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTO-iMJ9lkY

#11

What is a longboard? Unlike a skateboard, a longboard is used for cruising, hill bombing, and transportation purposes. A typical longboard ranges from 42" to 46". Longboard length has a huge impact on performance. For downhill people typically use a longboard ranging from 40" to 46". The size of the longboard will give you great stability at high speeds. Longboards that are 40" and under tend to perform better on flatland. The shorter length allows you to carve a sharp turning radius. It also allows for great maneuverability that is easy to stow in cars or bags. Occasionally longboards are spotted up to 56". This allows the person to perform surfing maneuvers like cross stepping and hang ten. Although this board has a lot of space for the person to move on it has a hard time turning. Longboarding has become very popular over the years making prices increase.


Loveland, D. (2006). Daddiesboardshop. Retrieved from http://daddiesboardshop.com/longboard-skateboard-buyers-guide.html

Deck Size	Application
28" - 42"	Transportation, School, Work, Slalom
38" - 42"	Downhill, Transportation, Sliding, Work, School
40" and up	Downhill, Transportation, Sliding, Racing

#10

     One of the most successful longboard companies today is Landyachtz. Landyachtz was founded in 1998 and started in North Vancouver from 2001-2008 focusing on downhill and freeride. Landyatchz goal was to make boards that were a one of a kind. This lead to their success when they invented the "gas pedal".  This part of the board originated from landyatchz, but is now used in most downhill/ freeride boards today. The gas pedal is a slant at the edges of the board that allows peoples' feet to grip onto the edge of the board when riding. This makes sliding a lot easier and allows the person to have more control when performing a slide. Landyatchz is also starting to introduce carbon fiber boards/ foam core boards to the longboarding community. Landyatchz is a fast growing company and I expect more from them in the future.

Breton, N. (2012). Striking a balance. Retrieved from http://issuu.com/concretewave/docs/buyers_guide2012_linked/55

#9

Anatomy of a Longboard

     A longboard consist on many a few different parts. It goes from the deck, trucks, bearings and wheels.
The decks can vary from top mounted to drop through. Top mounted is when the trucks are attached to the bottom of the board which gives you more height between the board and the ground. Drop through is when the base plate of the truck is attached to the top of the longboard.
      This allows the board to be closer to the ground giving it more stability. Next is the truck. The truck contains many different party from the hanger to the washer.  Next up is the wheels. They are set up so you can choose the perfect wheel for your style of riding. So if you want to brake slide you can get a harder wheel, but if you want to cruise with control then you can get a soft wheel that grips well when turning.














"Longboard Parts:Anatomy of a Longboard." Squidoo. N.p., 2011. Web. 22 May 2012. <http://www.squidoo.com/longboard-parts-anatomy-of-a-longboard>.