Longboarding is similar to skateboarding as longboards are essentially longer versions of skateboards. But are there any benefits of riding a longboard? Well first of all if you want to enjoy cruising on your board rather than making tricks and don't mind taking long trips then a longboard is for you. Not only do you improve your balance, but by riding on a longboard you also strengthen your muscles and enhance your flexibility.
If you want better sleep and less stress in your life then longboarding is something that can both relieve you and improve your sleep. You can lose weight by riding a longboard whilst improving your heart health and reduce cholesterol levels. Longboarding is a great exercise and a great time to spend off everyday chores. But to ride on a good longboard you need to have a good understanding of an important component, longboard trucks.
Anatomy of a Longboard Truck
Kingpin
One of the main components of longboard trucks is the kingpin. This is a big bolt that is responsible for keeping the rest of the truck components together. Mainly the parts that a quality longboard kingpin holds together are the bushings and washers.
Baseplate
The baseplate of longboard trucks is known as the bottom mounting plate that locks in the truck assembly to the deck of the board. Baseplates are made at various angles to provide a different turning geometry for different longboards.
Axle
The axle is the part of the truck that keeps the wheels and bearings together. The axle runs through the hanger to attach itself to the wheels.
Bushings
A bushing is the sift ring or grommet as people call it fitted around the longboard kingpin. Bushings allow the board to turn and pivot smoothly and they're usually made of urethane
Hanger
A hanger is a component that does all the turning. The hanger rotates as it is suspended on the baseplate relying on the bushings and pivot cup.
Pivot Cup
The pivot cup is a small round bushing that the hanger uses to rotate inside. The pivot cup is used to control the feel of the hanger turn too.
What Matters in a Longboard Truck
Types of Kingpins
When buying a longboard, deciding the type of board that will suit you best isn't the only thing to pay attention to. The longboard trucks are also an important part as they determine the type of ride you'll have. One of these factors is the type of kingpin the trucks will have. You can choose between two types of kingpin trucks, standard and reverse kingpin trucks.
Standard kingpin trucks are great if you want a versatile board that will allow you to move around town quickly. Standard kingpin trucks are common for street longboarding. Reverse kingpin trucks are the more popular bunch when it comes to classic longboarding since they make for a responsive board as well as stability and control, especially at high speeds.
Truck Size
The size of the trucks is another factor that can affect your riding experience. The best truck size is the one that will have a width that is close to the one of the longboard. If you can find trucks that can match the width of your board that even better but if you can't then try to find trucks that have no more than 6 mm of difference.
Bushing Seats
A bushing seat is a pocket found at the centre of the hanger which holds the bushings and aids in regulating the ability of the truck to turn. Like kingpins, bushing seats come in two different variations, restrictive (tight) and unrestrictive (open).
Restrictive bushing seats make for moderate turns providing more stability even at high speeds. But they sacrifice responsiveness, especially at slower speeds. Unrestrictive bushing seats allow you to make sharp turns with the least amount of effort but your board is not as stable.
Baseplate Angles
The angle of the baseplate determines the angle at which the hanger sits and thus affecting the way the trucks turn. There are three types of baseplate trucks you can go for according to their angles, low, high and split degree baseplate trucks. Low degree baseplate trucks are best if you want to freeride fast or go downhill as these baseplate trucks offer a great level of stability.
A lower degree baseplate will also make your whole setup less affected by imperfections o the road. High degree baseplate trucks will make for a tall and divey ride. This means if you put even slight pressure on the edge of your longboard it will make the wheels turn a lot more than with a low degree baseplate.
If you want to freeride at slower speeds and want a snappy and responsive feel even at slow speeds then go for a pair of high degree baseplate trucks. Some people want the benefit of both low degree and high degree baseplate trucks. This is where you can have a lower degree baseplate on the back truck and a higher degree baseplate on the truck on the front of the board. This can make your longboard both lively and responsive while being stable.
