| Learning to Carve |
| Technique Want to carve with more style? The most common flaw for novice riders is riding too side stance. (pic). Slalom, done on shorter boards, is very helpful for improving your longboard carving technique. By riding with your hips and arms in a forward-facing stance, the rider has more balance for deeper lean, thus tighter turns. Good riders can control their speed better by pumping to speed up or carving hard to slow down. Check out my pumping page for info on these 'smaller longerboards'. |
| Deck Deck length, actually wheel base, plays a key factor in the feel of the ride. Longboards give riders (especially beginners) a more stable feel either in flatland pushing or carving. But you sacrifice maneuverablity as the wheelbase grows. The stiffness of the deck also plays a key factor, some flex in the deck gives some suspension to the ride and improves traction. But too much flex allows torsional twisting of the deck which deteriorates the response of the truck to turns. Camber gives the deck more snap and 'bouncy' deck gives a surfy feel and allows a more exaggerated pumping motion. But beware that overly flexy decks tend to misbehave at higher speeds and slide unpredictably. ('Unsafe' decks by Chaput) |
| Carving Trucks Lots of trucks manufacturer like to claim that their truck is the ultimate carving truck, but one manufacturer that stands out is the Randal RII trucks (50deg pivot axis). They are different in design compared to standard trucks. Randals offers a deeper lean of the deck and more turning. They also tend to be more stable at speed than other trucks out there. Note: many riders 'upgrade' their randals with better bushings, cup washers, and run grade 8 kingpin unflipped. Many riders would like to see an alternate 43 deg baseplate, a lowered version (randals are tall), and more hangars widths. Standard trucks can also be used on a longboard by altering its angles with wedges to quicken their response. (chart) But be aware that many trucks tend to get twitchy when you set them loose for carving. Hanger width vs track width. (diagram) Often overlooked are truck bushings. Experiment with different durometer and tightness to dial in the ride. Bushings that are too soft might be great for low speed carves but get twitchy when going fast. Too hard bushings, then you loose maneuverability. Other notable trucks indys - steep pivot design tracker, invaders - bent pivot design exkate - uses fixed pivot and torsional bushings seismic - uses fixed pivot and springs |
| Basic Safety Downhilling definitely comes with certain risks. You can minimize those risks by improving your skill and understanding the potencial dangers are out there. For beginners, find a road that is void of traffic, skate with the traffic, not against it. Learn to stop. One way is by sliding, it's a way to stop fast with low risk. Another way is footbraking, but they are riskier to perform.. Wrist injuries are quite common. Slider gloves will protect you wrists and break you into a slide rather than rolling. Leathers are skin saver. Wear a helmet, bones heal, your brain won't. <helmet article> |
| Articles 'The Long and Short of It' (transworld article) Randal article in ILB 'Cult of the Longboarder' - link |
| Longboard Site Links (in progress) ncdsa.com silverfish.cc chrischaput.com hughr's skate page nosewheelie.com longboardmaps.com |
