3 Common Types of Longboards (Beginner Guide)
Ahh, the longboard, the close and more laid-back cousin to the skateboard. The longboard is said to have been first made available for purchase in the late 1950s, early 1960s. Despite being around for more than 60 years, longboards continue to evolve and stay modernized compared to their ancestors.
While there are many subtle variations on longboard styles as well as many different types overall, today we’ll be focusing on 3 of the most common styles you see and what they’re good for. Longboarding continues to be a relaxing and stylish way to get outdoors and get around town. Just like surfing and skateboarding, longboarding is a way of life! Choosing your first board—assuming you don’t already have one, can be exciting. Let’s jump in.
1 – Drop Through Longboard Design
The drop through design on longboards is easily the most common one you will bump into. The deck features holes in the center of either end of the board where the trucks are fastened and “dropped through”—as the name suggests.
These boards are highly versatile and quite easy to ride due to their great stability, a big reason why they’re such a popular and enduring design.
Because there is such a huge variety of drop through boards on the market, you are sure to find a board that meets your criteria both in style and deck flexibility.
2 – Top Mount Long Boards
Top mount boards are the complete opposite of drop throughs. Where the drop through is dropped through a hole on each end, the top mount instead is mounted directly in that location with no hole. The benefit of this is that you can place your feet directly on top of the trucks for more aggressive turning. The downside? These boards tend to be higher up and can be more susceptible to speed wobbles. However, more stability can be added to top mount boards by using the right wheels, trucks, and bushings.
3 – Drop Down and Double Drop-Down Boards
While these are technically two separate styles, they are quite similar to one another. The drop-down board is one that is dropped down to be exceptionally low to the ground. This board has incredible stability, which makes it popular with both beginners and intermediates.
Typically, dropped down boards are on the stiffer side as you are already so close to the ground, flex may not be a desirable quality to have. Drop downs are similar to drop throughs in that they ride lower, but they have top mounted trucks which allow for sharper turning.
Then what’s the double drop down you might ask. Double drop longboards is everything a drop down board is, except for the fact that the trucks use drop through mounting along with the board being dropped down, hence the name double drop.
These boards are very stable and ride very low to the ground, but lack the aggressive turning that top mounted trucks offer.
Longboard Store Jupiter FL
Looking for a store where you can find the best surf, skate, and longboarding gear? Look no further! Visit Groundswell Surf and Skate shop in Jupiter FL. As one of the best longboard stores in Jupiter FL, we pride ourselves on carrying high quality boards in a variety of styles so that whether you’re a total beginner or a seasoned rider, there’s something for you!
Contact Groundswell today for any questions you may have about our stock or offerings, we hope to hear from you soon.