What Are Different Longboard Shapes For

Longboard shapes vary significantly and cater to diverse riding styles, terrains, and preferences within the skateboarding community. These distinct shapes serve specific purposes, offering riders a range of options to suit their riding needs. Whether it’s carving down hills, cruising along city streets, executing tricks in a skate park, or riding through rough terrain, different longboard shapes are tailored to provide stability, maneuverability, speed, or a combination of these attributes.

Each shape possesses unique characteristics in terms of deck size, curvature, wheelbase, and truck configuration, allowing riders to choose a board that aligns with their desired experience and skill level.

Different Types of Longboards

Longboarding comes in a wide range of options, each suited for a specific riding style or skill level. Here are some different types of longboards and their unique features:

• Downhill Longboards: Designed for high-speed rides, downhill longboards offer stability at high velocities. Their low deck height and directional design enable precise speed control.
• Freeride Boards: These versatile longboards are perfect for riders who enjoy freestyle tricks and slides. They often have symmetrical shapes, allowing riders to maneuver easily in any direction.
• Bamboo Longboards: Known for their eco-friendly construction, bamboo longboards offer a smooth and responsive riding experience. They are lightweight yet durable, making them ideal for carving and cruising.
• Drop Through Longboards: These longboards have cutout sections where the truck baseplates are mounted, resulting in a lower center of gravity. This design improves stability and control, making them great for downhill riding.
• Twin Longboards: Also referred to as symmetrical boards, twin longboards have the same shape at both ends. This shape allows riders to perform tricks and ride switch effortlessly.
• Carving Longboards: Designed with a shorter board length and softer wheels, carving longboards are perfect for riders who enjoy making smooth and flowing turns. They offer a surf-like experience on the streets.

Each longboard shape serves a specific purpose based on the rider’s style and preferences. Whether you’re into downhill racing, freestyle tricks, or just cruising around town, there’s a longboard type that suits your needs.

Choose Deck Shapes

Choosing the right longboard deck shape is crucial to enhance your riding experience. Here are some popular longboard deck shapes and their best uses:

1. Cruiser: With a beefy tail, cruiser longboards are perfect for casual riding and maneuvering through tricky places. They offer a smooth and enjoyable ride, making them ideal for cruising on sunny paths or running quick errands. Mounting a Mellow Drive on a cruiser longboard can provide an extra boost for a radical experience.
2. Carver: Longer decks with pintail or fishtail shapes are designed for carving longboard riders. These boards provide more room to stand and allow you to make beautiful elliptical shapes on the open road or in parking lots. Carver longboards give a sensation similar to catching waves, even when the coast is far away.
3. Slider: If you’re looking for an adrenaline-packed ride, slider longboards are for you. They may look like normal skateboards, but they allow you to do high-speed skids and slides. Get yourself some sliding gloves for protection and experience the thrill of shredding the tar. By motorizing your slider with a Mellow Drive, you can feel the power of a Miami powerboat on wheels.
4. Freerider: Freerider longboards are perfect for riders who love the thrill of downhill riding, slides, and sharp turns. These boards often have Formula 1 cut-outs to avoid wheel bites and maximize maneuverability. With a strap-on Mellow Drive, you can boost your freeride experience and even carve back uphill.
5. Racer: For those seeking the ultimate downhill riding experience, racer longboards are the way to go. These boards are stiff and made with high-quality, exotic wood and materials. They are designed for high speed, making them perfect for bombing down steep hills.
6. Dancer: If you enjoy dancing and freestyle tricks on your longboard, dancer decks are the best choice. These boards have a shape that reduces the chances of wheel bite while providing ample deck space for footwork. Unleash your inner dancer in an open space with a dancer’s longboard. Adding a dual Mellow Drive to your dancer board will elevate your performance and make you feel like a true star.

Remember, these are just general guidelines, and you can mix and match different deck shapes based on your personal preferences and riding styles. With a Mellow Drive, you can easily switch up your ride depending on the destination, road type, and your own whims.

Longboard Shapes Explained

Longboard shapes are the most important factor when choosing your perfect board. Every longboard shape has its purpose and advantages, so let’s take a look at them in more detail.

1. Mini Longboards:

Mini longboards are smaller-sized boards, ranging from 20″ to about 32″. They come in various shapes, such as old school, fishtail, and cruisers. These boards are perfect for those looking for a portable skateboard for cruising or commuting.

2. Traditional Longboards:

Traditional longboards are the most common type of longboard. They are primarily used for cruising on streets. The shape of traditional longboards varies significantly, with popular types including pintail, kicktail, and splittail longboards.

3. Drop Through Longboards:

Drop through longboards offer increased turning ability, speed, and control. The trucks on these boards are mounted through the board’s truck holes, resulting in a lower deck height. They are favored by advanced riders for downhill riding, speed racing, carving, and sliding.

4. Drop Down Longboards:

Drop down longboards sit even lower to the ground than drop through longboards, providing even more speed control. These decks are slightly heavier and stronger. They are mainly used for downhill sliding but are also becoming popular for everyday cruising.

Learn the different longboard shapes for your style:

Each shape offers unique features and benefits that cater to different riding styles and skill levels. In this longboard shape guide, we will explore the various shapes available and their suitability for specific riding preferences.

1. Pintail: The pintail shape is the original longboard design, rooted in the surfing origins of longboarding. With its wide riding platform tapering at the trucks, pintails allow for smooth and slashing carves. This shape is perfect for beginners looking to explore different styles of longboarding and enjoy a versatile ride.
2. Drop Through: Designed with cutouts on the nose and tail ends, drop-through longboards offer a unique truck mounting configuration. The trucks pass through these cutouts, placing the rider closer to the pavement. This design is suitable for experienced freeride riders, as the lowered center of gravity provides a more stable feel during turns.
3. Fishtail: Drawing inspiration from classic surf shapes, the fishtail longboard is perfect for carving wide lines. With mild concave and flex, Yocaher fishtail shapes offer excellent control for both heelside and toeside carves. The top-mounted trucks create a pronounced dive into turns, adding to the carving experience.
4. Lowrider: The lowrider shape is specifically designed for experienced downhill riders. It features a low platform achieved through a combination of a drop-down deck and top-mounted truck design. This shape offers enhanced stability at high speeds and is perfect for laying down some serious thane or predrifting into turns.
5. Kicktail: Similar to the pintail shape, the kicktail shape has a raised tail, similar to trick skateboards. Kicktails offer all the benefits of a pintail, with the additional maneuverability that only a raised tail can offer. They are great for beginners and expert carvers alike, making them perfect for urban or campus transportation.
6. SlimKick: Yocaher SlimKick boards offer the thinnest and flattest full-size longboard decks. With little concave and zero flex, they are stable to the extreme while still allowing the rider to move freely on the riding surface. This shape is ideal for cruising around town, negotiating foot traffic, and is great for beginners.
7. Old School: For skaters looking to relive the glory days of 1980s skateboarding, the old school shape is the perfect choice. This shape is reminiscent of the best-selling boards skaters were thrashing before there was a street style of skating.
8. Mini Cruiser: When space is at a premium, the mini cruiser is the way to go. These compact and maneuverable boards are perfect for negotiating foot traffic on campus and stowing away easily once you get to class. Despite their smaller size, Yocaher mini cruisers are capable of trick boards, making them an ideal choice for transportation that gets the adrenaline flowing.
9. Micro Cruiser: For a touch of nostalgia, Yocaher micro cruisers resemble the plastic “banana” boards of the 1970s. These little slashers are perfect for achieving slalom-like carving and are highly maneuverable. With their small size, they can be easily packed away and discreetly carried around.

Conclusion:

The world of longboarding offers a variety of shapes for every rider’s unique style and preference. Whether you’re into cruising, carving, downhill racing, or freestyling, there’s a longboard shape that will perfectly suit your needs.

So, grab your board, hit the pavement, and let the thrill of riding take you on an unforgettable journey. Remember, the possibilities are endless when it comes to longboarding, so embrace the adventure and ride on!