Is 66mm 81a longboard wheels good for cruising?
I've been looking into a longboard, and I've come across the honey hybrid. The board description suas it's designed for carving and cruising, but the wheel hardness is 81a. I heard that was too hard to cruise around in. Is 81a too slidey to cruise in or is it okay? They're Abec 11 Classic Freeride 66mm 81a wheels. The wheel description says its for cruising and carving but I'm not sure.
What type of longboard wheel should i use to not trip over rocks ?
Them winged ones are good. You can fly over rocks with those. For getting over obstacles the bigger the wheels the better they are. Here's a bike that'll kick rocks and when the back end hit's 'em it'll likely sail over cuz the front weight will carry it http://i.ytimg.com/vi/0pRyz0et7Pw/0.jpg Boards have small wheels so you need to help them over obstacles. Lift the front of the board over it and use your body position and then front pressure on the board to stabilise it again and lift the back so the back gets over as well. Longer boards do better than short ones that way. Short ones need a steeper lifting angle to clear rocks than a long one going over the same rocks. If you're in rocky country a lot choose or make a board with high ground clearance with the biggest wheels you can comfortably fit and a well raised front to makeit easier getting over stuff.. 78a will dent as much as anything will dent if you put enough force on them. Help them along and keep the wheel knocks and pressures easy by how you use the board. Two guys with the same wheels might get totally different lives out of them, same as one guy can drive a new car into the ground in a couple of years on normal roads and another living in the back of beyond on dirt roads might get little damage on the same car cuz he drives according to the conditions and takes care of the engine and body by how he uses them. It's all technique and how you do things. Take care. Have a load of fun.
How to stop on a longboard when going fast?
Before going faster, you'll need some way to stop, the most common stop is the footbrake. the other guy said footbraking makes you look dumb and **** but it is actually the most efficient and safest way to stop. you will use it everywhere, slashing around the city, stopping at the foot of the hill ect. if you are planning to go down quick hills, you'd want to go down little slopes and work your way up after practicing to footbrake at the bottom of them. There is also the coleman slide. you probably wont need this if you are going 5mph but is the most important slide to stop with when you are going quick (40mph) and dont know how to footbrake. with the right technique, you can stop at any speed but is a more dangerous way as you can lose control and swerve into another lane, maybe even into a car. to do colemans, you'll need a set of slide gloves which you can make quite cheaply, probably some knee pads and some broken in wheels. (wheels break in when they get roughed up from sliding them. the sound of the slide will be loud and choppy until you break them in. then they will be smooth and predictable) If you learn to freeride (technical sliding) you will be able to throw little slides on sidewalks and roads to slow yourself down. ps. sliding is easier the faster you go I use footbraking everywhere, when im downhill skateboarding, freeriding or just cruising and throw in a few check slides for fun. trust me. footbraking is a crucial part of all types of skating. While practicing these techniques, i advise that you wear a helmet as you dont want to hit your head instead of your wrist next time. helmets save lives handsdown and footbraking http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-2mSt7qRCw standup slides and progression http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pIg4R1i5Ps
Are longboards safe to ride?
Longboarding is relatively safe if you are just cruising around. The only that might happen is you hit a big rock or a big crack and you fly off your board, but that still doesnt happen often and you can run it off. I've got tripped maybe three times in over a year of longboarding and nohting big as happen. The only thing I've gotten is a little bit or road rash. My friend somehow hit a crack once and fell on his elbow. It got scatched up and started bleeding but nothing too big. Also do not overtighten your trucks. Loose trucks save lives as you can easily avoid objects. What is "loose" is relative to your preference, so find a comfortable tightness. Helmets and pads are always a great idea as even going at slow speeds, I've found ways to get tripped up while sliding and roll backward. Besides those little things, nobody I know has gotten into any serious injuries from just cruising. You'll be perfectly fine if you know what you are doing and do not do something way outside your comfort zone.
Can you use longboard wheels with a skateboard?
Can you use longboard wheels with a normal skateboard deck?Yes, usually the smaller longboard wheels work fairly well. You have to just make sure you have enough clearance or you could get wheel bite. Wheel bite is when the wheels hit the deck during a turn. This stops the board dead and you go flying. I can't do any tricks and I just want to cruise with it, so I thought some longboard wheels might be a good idea. Is this possible? Again, yes (see answer above lol). Cruising around town you'll be fine. But you'll never get a true "longboard feel" without a longboard. Some people try to turn their skateboards into super comfortable cruiser boards and it just doesn't work out that well in my opinion. It's like trying to turn a mini van into a race car. The mini van was built for groceries and soccer practice. No matter how many racing parts you put on it, it's never going to be as good as a purpose built race car. Same for skateboards. You can change some parts, but it'll never quite be as good as just buying the real deal. That being said, the lower price for just new wheels is a major factor I can appreciate. If so, which size of the wheels would you recommend? Is there anything I need except the wheels?For sizing, usually between 55mm-60mm will fit without risers (depending on how loose the trucks are, your weight, etc). 65mm+ and you're going to probably need risers. Risers are going to make the board feel taller. Risers paired with bigger wheels equates to a very tall feeling board and a high step down for every push. It's not very comfortable. Another thing to look for is durometer. You don't want to go too hard or it'll ride harshly. Try something in the 75a - 85a range (soft - hard, respectively). Finally, look for a wheel with a small core. Large, hard, plastic cores make the wheels feel harder than the durometer suggests. This can be good for some applications, but because you want a smooth cruiser, try to get a wheel with a smaller core. If you really want to get into depth about wheels, here is an article we wrote that tells tons of information about longboarding wheels: Best Longboarding Wheel? Hint: There Isn't OnePlease feel free to comment and I'll do my best to help out with any other questions.
Skateboard or Longboard?
I am conflicting on either getting a skateboard of longboard. :( i am a beginner and I don't exactly know anything about skateboards or longboards. I no that skateboard is more for tricks and longboards more for speed. I won't do much tricks, and will more on speed and for going to school, but longboards are so much more expensive comparing to skateboards. my mom believes that skateboards is just for boys and people who are "gangsters", but I know that she's being stereotypical about it. Still, with the whole other people in my neighborhood being stereotypical about skateboarding people, including my own mother, I don't know if I want it or not anymore...
How do I stop my penny skateboard when going downhill?
best method to stop in my opinion is the foot brake. A lot will say the slide but for a pennyboard they won't be as easily done. So to break good with your foot you want to get it to be flat against the ground continuously dragging. You can just keep putting it down like the opposite of pushing in a way but this will be more tiring and more dangerous and actually less effective. To do the right kind of foot brake you will want to just have your foot perfectly flat with the concrete and pushing down (the more force the faster the break of course). To practice this method try going slow on flat ground. Then put your pushing foot out and slowly just practice the brake. At first it will be hard to keep it parrarel with the ground and apply pressure but just keep trying. Then once you got it down try downhill. This brake can slow you down Soo fast and just feels nice (also depending on the shoe it can make the best sound ever). There are some cons though. Some actually most shoes will receive a lot of wear with this method and need to be changed every few months (although really any braking wears done something wether it be your shoes or wheels). Slowly the bottom will wear down and eventually break through. The only shoe brand I have seen that does not not seem to ever wear down much this way is State shoes. Vans do okay. That's pretty much it, this in my opinion is the best way to brake.
What are the ways to prevent speed wobbles on a longboard?
First, always wear safety gear on your longboard (helmet, gloves and kneepads are a must). Second, ALWAYS WEAR SAFETY GEAR.I am actually a lot into Downhill longboarding and competition, this is an issue even for professionals. Every time this happens, it is because you get scared / surprised. Speed wobbles happens when your legs are too stiff on your board. But not only.The best way to prevent that is to relax. Keep your legs loose, in order to absorb the vibrations. If you don’t, your whole body will vibrate too = speed wobble.Lowering your center of gravity help a lot too, there is a special position we use in races to go faster and stay stable, it’s called a tuck (there are a lot of great youtube videos explaining how to do it). This is the best way to be stable on your board and go fast, because it permits you to : lean all your weight on your front foot, be aerodynamic, lower your center of gravity.