Guide To Longboard Equipment
Although the composition of a longboard is not as long to describe as that of a tractor engine, it is still useful to know the various elements that allow us, once assembled, to roll.
The board (or deck)
The deck is the part, usually wooden, on which the feet are installed, as much to tell you that it will be hard to do without it. Given the number of parameters that modify the characteristics of the board, you will be able to find a separate guide. Keep in mind that these characteristics of the board will be adapted to one practice more than another.
Trucks (or “metal stuff hanging on the deck”)
Generally, not to mention all the time, there are two per longboard, otherwise the image of the deck, you will have trouble rolling. These are the aluminum parts (for the majority) fixed directly on the deck by screws, on which we will put the wheels.
As for the characteristics of the truck, it will first of all be interested in the size of the truck. Its size is measured between the two ends, excluding the axes on which the wheels will hold. For the longboard, trucks of 150mm (15cm for less mathematical) or 180mm (I let you do this conversion) will be used, more or less. But there are many other sizes, like 130mm for skateboarding. In concrete terms, what the size will change will be the stability / maneuverability ratio. The smaller a truck is, the more it will allow great maneuverability (useful in the city for example to avoid children). Conversely, the bigger it is, the more stability it will allow (a particular interest for lovers of high speeds).
This stability / handling ratio will also be influenced by another characteristic of the truck: its angle. We are talking about the angle between the flat part of the base (which will be against the board) and the hanger (the T-shaped part with the axles for the wheels). The larger the angle, the easier the handling will be , unlike the stability. The smaller the angle, the greater the stability will be and the less the handling will be. You will understand, we can not have everything, everything depends on what we want to do. There are several angles but if your trucks do not fit you, this property is modifiable by “inclined pads”, small wedges placed between the truck and the board. The pads can be flat, in order to raise the deck relative to the trucks (and the ground), without changing the angle.
The pucks (or “speed rings”)
These are the small metal rings, very simple, all stupid, downright insignificant in fact. You’re going to ask yourself “but why am I going to read all this then? And for the pleasure of reading what I write to you! Not really, just like the bearing spacers, the speed ring will still be interesting and it is easy to forget to install them when you start. It will be placed between the nut and the bearing, and between the bearing and the truck (so two per wheel), to prevent the bearings from touching one or the other to avoid creating unnecessary friction. In the same way, thanks to them you will be able to tighten your wheels to avoid the game.
