In other skating styles, getting access to repairing service when it comes to broken skateboards is not so hard, long-distance skaters may have to deal with dangerous situations since they often travel over a great distance.
Therefore, I would like to introduce to you some of the best longboard components for such a long ride. The following gear is dedicated to pushing or pumping and I usually suggest products that are more suitable for beginners.
In case you want advanced recommendations for pro skaters, SkateAdvisors can be a great source of information. You can also find useful guides from experts on how to improve your techniques or skills in this style.
THE IDEAL FACTORS FOR A GOOD LONG-DISTANCE SKATEBOARD
The combination of locomotion, pumping and pushing is generally popular over long-distance skateboarders; therefore, looking for a longboard that is designed for supporting long-distance rides is the best.
To reduce fatigue and ensure stability, newbies should stick to products that have the deck lowered to the ground. As you are about to skate hundreds of miles, picking a less concave deck brings more comfort than ever.
Waterproof decks are not strictly required but a durable one is a must since you need to conquer different terrains from the flattest to the roughest one. Dealing with vibrations needs a bit of flexibility; however, a decent LDP board had better not have a lot of flex.
Bigger wheels with more wheel clearance are strongly recommended so I suggest beginners pick a set of wheels having the size of 75-85mm. Moreover, they should draw their attention to the contact patches for getting the best traction on the road.
These are just general requirements for an ideal skateboard. Here, we will dig deeper into the important requirements of 3 main parts: the deck, trucks, and wheels.
WHEELS
As the size I recommended above, long-distance skaters had better pick large wheels which are usually bigger than normal longboard wheels. In the range from 75 to 85 mm, the smaller ones are for driving up hills while the bigger products are good for gaining speed and maintaining momentum.
In order to understand how the size of wheels can affect the performance, you should take some minutes to check out the explanation about longboarding wheels at SkateAdvisors. Though it does not refer directly to long-distance skating, the factors are equivalent.
In terms of durometer, any product in the range from 78A to 85A can get the job done. If you have enough money to invest in a good longboard, you can go for the ceramic bearings; otherwise, normal bearings that are greased frequently still work well.
DECK
I recommended a deck with a low center of mass since it requires less effort for pushing and reduces the stress on your front knee when using the other leg for pushing. As far as I know, double drop longboards have the lowest deck which is ideal for LDP.
Stiffness is necessary; however, a deck that is too stiff may cause uncomfortable riding experiences. If you tend to skateboard up hills, a little flex can be useful but you should never have too much.
Deep concave is the best for doing tricks that hardly appear in long-distance longboarding; therefore, your feet are like being tortured while standing on longboards with too much concave. Moreover, you should pick a deck with wheel cutouts in order to fit bigger wheels.
TRUCKS
Even though skaters are free to use narrow trucks, the standard 180mm 50-degree trucks are more than enough for LDP. As you need to go downhill sometimes on the way, the trucks need to be tight enough so that losing control never happens.
Newbies should learn how to tighten their trucks by using big barrel bushing instead of focusing solely on the kingpin screw. Besides stability, tighter trucks mean that the chance of getting wheel bite is lower. Another fatal situation is rail bite can also be minimized by using tight trucks.
Unfortunately, the trucks you buy on the market are usually not tight enough and you have to tighten them yourself. To learn the correct way of tightening a skateboard truck, why don’t you check out the tutorial at SkateAdvisors.
FINAL WORDS
Long-distance longboarding is fascinating but also dangerous; therefore, try to prepare as carefully as you can to avoid unnecessary accidents. Additionally, good gear is not enough for a good ride since good techniques and skills are crucial.
Before getting on a real trip, don’t forget to practice and master the fundamentals of long-distance skateboarding by learning from pro skaters from this skating style.