Longboarding

[Sam]

Always wanted to get into it. What would be a good board for a beginner, who can basically skate? Something not overly expensive as well?

 

Take a look at the AU/NZ stores I linked to - look through those stores, link me to a few boards that tickle your fancy.

 

Sector 9 are good beginners boards, but they tend to overprice their stuff a little bit - the decks themselves are good but the trucks/wheels etc aren't the best.

[aeternitatis]

Found a Canadian site, here's what I was looking at... I only have 150$ though so I dunno if I can afford much more than the deck...

[Sam]

You can buy the deck, a decent set of trucks (Randal R2 180mm) and some decent bearings (Spitfire Burners) and 1/4 inch risers for $157.50. Buy that, then obtain another $50-$60 to buy some Abec 11 70mm Retro Zig Zags.

 

With what I recommended will give you a nice cruiser for going around town.

[stevepole]

i spy with my little eye; something green and stevepole must like ;D

 

I don't actually know where that came from to be honest, it just kind of show up one day in our garage and it's been there ever since. I do drink heineken on a rare occasion though.

 

Ooh, nice board Steve :thumbup: Anything custom on it, or is everything just stock?

 

Everything is stock. What sold me on it was the double-jointed trucks, I thought that was pretty cool when at the skateshop trying out the different boards.

[Sam]

It is worth customising your board, I got my new wheels (Abec 11's) and they make so much difference.

 

 

EDIT: Bought some new bushings;

[H2PM]

First time trying to longboard today, used a friend's, oh god how funny that was.

[Bows]

First time trying to longboard today, used a friend's, oh god how funny that was.

What happened?

[H2PM]

Ever seen a baby panda try to walk?

 

Well thats what I looked like for the first few tries, then I started to get the hang of it.

 

It increased my interest a thousand times fold.

[Bows]

So do you plan on actually buying a longboard now? Or are you just going to mooch off of your friend.

[ToLeRa7e]

Wow, I would have never expected to think to find a bunch of longboarders on tip.it, but sure enough here I am! This is awesome, I like the setup and vids!

 

My board (and my skateboard) -

 

My favourite longboard video -

 

- ToLeRa7e

[H2PM]

So do you plan on actually buying a longboard now? Or are you just going to mooch off of your friend.

He has two boards. So for now, friendly mooching.

[stevepole]

Friendly mooching is bueno. :thumbup:

 

As long as you don't [bleep] their [cabbage] up.

 

It is worth customising your board, I got my new wheels (Abec 11's) and they make so much difference.

 

 

EDIT: Bought some new bushings;

-BAM-

 

 

Not much of a reason for me to do any sort of upgrades unless my stuff goes bad. I use my board very casually these days.

 

 

It's getting to that point in the semester where freshmen are buying new longboards who've never road a skateboard before. It's a pretty funny sight.

[Bows]

Wow, I would have never expected to think to find a bunch of longboarders on tip.it, but sure enough here I am! This is awesome, I like the setup and vids!

 

My favourite longboard video -

 

- ToLeRa7e

 

 

Thanks for the vid, adding it to the "Videos" section now. :)

[H2PM]

Friendly mooching is bueno. :thumbup:

As long as you don't [bleep] their [cabbage] up.

Been there, alot.

Some people have no respect.

Which is why I'm excessively careful with most things.

[Bows]

You mean that friends of your have broke your [cabbage], or what?

[H2PM]

You mean that friends of your have broke your [cabbage], or what?

Yeah, well not exactly "friends", more like "people that I thought I could trust".

[Bows]

Ouch, I feel ya. That's the main reason I don't lend out my games anymore. I either never got them back, or I'd get them back and they'd be [bleep]ed up beyond repair. :thumbdown:

[Shiny]

This one looks quite nice - http://www.skateboardexpress.com.au/cruiser-longboard.html . I think I'd probably want something slightly longer in length like this one: http://www.skateboardexpress.com.au/streamline-longboard.html . Is it cheaper to assemble your own as well?

 

Can you use skateboard bearings for longboards, or will the longboard bearings generally be better?

[Pepsiguy]

how much are longboards usually costing? i might buy one but where i live, not alot of skateboards or longboarders, everythings just hills, but where im at its decent of enough flat part.

[Bows]

This one looks quite nice - http://www.skateboardexpress.com.au/cruiser-longboard.html . I think I'd probably want something slightly longer in length like this one: http://www.skateboardexpress.com.au/streamline-longboard.html . Is it cheaper to assemble your own as well?

 

Can you use skateboard bearings for longboards, or will the longboard bearings generally be better?

 

I'd go with the second one. :thumbup:

 

how much are longboards usually costing? i might buy one but where i live, not alot of skateboards or longboarders, everythings just hills, but where im at its decent of enough flat part.

 

Hills are the best though! Longboards are meant for that kind of stuff. ;)

[Sam]

This one looks quite nice - http://www.skateboardexpress.com.au/cruiser-longboard.html . I think I'd probably want something slightly longer in length like this one: http://www.skateboardexpress.com.au/streamline-longboard.html . Is it cheaper to assemble your own as well?

 

Can you use skateboard bearings for longboards, or will the longboard bearings generally be better?

 

Both boards would be good commuter boards, although the second board looks better to me.

 

There's no difference between skateboard/longboard bearings, although buying a set of Bones Reds - (they are dedicated skateboard bearings) would be a good idea.

 

 

how much are longboards usually costing? i might buy one but where i live, not alot of skateboards or longboarders, everythings just hills, but where im at its decent of enough flat part.

 

A good board by a decent company will cost you about $150-$175 complete. Take a look round the shops I've linked to and have a little browse.

[ToLeRa7e]

This one looks quite nice - http://www.skateboardexpress.com.au/cruiser-longboard.html . I think I'd probably want something slightly longer in length like this one: http://www.skateboardexpress.com.au/streamline-longboard.html . Is it cheaper to assemble your own as well?

 

Can you use skateboard bearings for longboards, or will the longboard bearings generally be better?

 

You can use skateboard bearings for longboards, but I would suggest obtaining bearings which are ABEC 5 or ABEC 7. These bearings will be faster and smoother with your longboard compared to ABEC 3. I would suggest a set of Destructo Sendai or Black Panther's.

[Sam]

Don't get ABEC bearings! You can get dedicated skateboard bearings.

[ToLeRa7e]

Don't get ABEC bearings! You can get dedicated skateboard bearings.

 

ABEC isn't a specific brand, ABEC is just the speed rating given to bearings. All bearings have an ABEC rating, skateboard, longboard even rollerblade!

 

The ABEC scale is an industry accepted standard for the tolerances of a ball bearing. It was developed by the Annular Bearing Engineering Committee (ABEC) of the American Bearing Manufacturers Association (ABMA). There are five classes, going from widest tolerances to tightest: 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9. Higher ABEC classes provide better precision, efficiency,[citation needed] and greater speed capabilities, but does not make the components spin faster.[1] However, the ABEC rating does not specify many other critical factors, such as smoothness of the rolling contact surfaces, ball precision, and material quality.

There are no required materials in the ABEC grades. Bearings not conforming to at least ABEC 1 are not precision bearings.[dubious – discuss]

The scale is designed to allow a user to make an informed decision about the type of bearing they are purchasing. High rated bearings are intended for precision applications like aircraft instruments or surgical equipment. Lower grades are intended for the vast majority of applications such as vehicles, mechanical hobbies, skates, fishing reels and industrial machinery. High ABEC rated bearings allow optimal performance of critical applications requiring very high RPM and smooth operation.

ISO's equivalent standard is ISO 492.[2][3]

 

From the ABEC scale wikipedia page.

[Sam]

<post>

 

From Bones 'Reds' Bearings product page on Octane Sport.

 

"The purpose of the ABEC committee (Annular Bearing Engineers Committee) is not to test every manufacturer’s bearings and proclaim them good or bad, but to establish dimensions, tolerances, geometry, and noise standards for bearings in an attempt to aid industrial bearing manufacturers and users in the production, comparison and selection of bearings for general applications. However, since every bearing is used in a different manner and environment, bearings should be redesigned or “customized” for special uses (like skating).

 

The ABEC rating system is not intended to be the only criteria used for selecting bearings for use in specialized applications like skating. It is only one of the tools a bearing designer can use if it is appropriate for the application. The ABEC rating system includes grades 1,3,5,7, and 9. The higher the ABEC rating, the tighter the tolerances are, making the bearing a more precision part. High precision and small tolerances are required for bearings to function at very high RPM, in products like high speed routers that must spin at 20 to 30,000 RPM. In an application like this, an ABEC - 7 or 9 bearing rating may be appropriate. However, a skateboard with 54mm wheels turning 20,000 RPM will be traveling about 127 MPH!

 

Since virtually all skating is done under 30 MPH, the realistic maximum RPM your skate bearings will see is about 4700 RPM and probably 90% of skating occurs under 2000 RPM. Thus, very high precision is not required at skating speeds. The dimensions and tolerances controlled by the ABEC standards include the diameters and widths of the raceways, their shapes to some extent and the smoothness of the running surfaces. The ABEC rating system ignores side loading, impact resistance, materials selection and grade, appropriateness of lubrication, ball retainer type, grade of ball, the clearance between the balls and the races, installation requirements, and the need for maintenance and cleaning. All these bearing design requirements are very important to the performance of your skate bearing, even though the ABEC rating says nothing about them."