Skateboards are a great many things for different people. For some it is nothing more than a method of transportation. For others it can be a freeing experince, a way to push your limits, a passion.

Skateboarding is very technically diverse when accounting what the board is being used for. This documentation page will document and discuss the technical aspects, as well the differences between skateboards and longboards.

Griptape on a skateboard is used to keep the riders feet locked on the skateboard. Griptape comes in a wide variety of grits.

Skateboards

Skateboards griptape is in the range of 60-80 grit. This is because skateboards do not generally need really coarse griptape and it tends to make tricks that involve flicking the board more difficult. These grits are about balance between keeping the rider locked in and not interfering with the riders overall board feel when flicking or sliding feet on the board.

Longboards

Longboard griptape is in the range of 30-40 grit. This is because longboards are more often used for going downhill or day to day commuting. This makes it very easy for the rider to stay locked in while performing slides and rolling at high speeds.

The Deck is the heart of a setup. Without it, the setup is nothing. Both longboards and skateboards come in many different sizes and shapes. One thing to take notice of is that longboards having several different materials and complex concaves in the deck is more commmonplace.

Concave

Concave refers to where the board curves at the Tail, Nose, and Edges. The concave has many different benefits depending on the concaves design. Concaves overall use is to increase strength and help the rider have more control over the board.

Skateboards - Concave

Skateboards tend to have three varying levels of concave. Steep, Medium, and Mellow. There are other names for the levels of concave as well. Some brands also have their own proprietary concave design like Zeros "Grave Digger Concave."

Longboards - Concave

Longboards have lots of different types of concave. This is because for longboarding there are lots of diffent styles of skating that benefit from very differnet types of concave. For example "w concave" might not be the most beneficial concave for someone that may be more into freestylee/dance skating, as opposed to a rider that prefers freeride where "w concave" will help keep the rider locked when kicking out slides.

Shape

Deck shapes come in many different forms. The shape of the deck can be designed for functionality or can just be made a unique shape for aesthetic, a way for the rider to express themselves.

Skateboards - Shape

While skateboards come in many differnt shapes the designs tend to not very heavily modify the core design of the board. Skateboards have found just about the right balance in design for what most skateboarders are using the board for.

Longboards - Shape

Longboards have many different shapes that change the core design of the board, such as "drop-through" boards. Drop through longboards have cut outs in the deck for the trucks to be assembled through it. It "drops" the trucks through the board making is much lower to the ground allowing it more stability when cruising at higher speeds. There are many different alternatives in shape for different uses.

Rocker

Rocker is a feature typically found in longboards. Rocker is when the board bends downward in an arc across the length of the board, sometimes to the point that the center of the board is below the top of the trucks. This is really good for pushing as it brings the board lower to the ground. The opposite of this is Camber

Wheelbase

Wheelbase refers to the distance between the front and back truck holes to the center of the deck. To keep it simple, the wheelbase mainly affects the turning radius of your board. The larger the wheelbase, the wider the turn. For longboards shorter wheelbases allow for more grip and easier kick to slides while longer wheelbases give more drift control and a bit of a harder kick on slides.

The trucks are the part of the skateboard that connects the deck to your wheels and bearings. It's main function is also to handle the way your board feels when carving or turning.

Skateboards - Trucks

Skateboards have a very standard design across multiple brands. This does not mean they are all the same though. A lot of brands have very great innovations ranging from changing the material to making them hollow. Trucks also have differnt widths to accomodate for varying board widths.

Longboards - Trucks

Longboard trucks have more design variety but not out of an aesthetic reason, but for functionality. Longboard trucks are usually split between cast (meaning the truck is made from a cast mold) and precision (meaning the truck is precision cut rather than made in a mold.) Some other design diffences are the angle the trucks sit, double kingpin, and reverse kingpin.

Wheels are the part of the setup for rolling around of course. Wheels come in a wide range of durometers (the hardness of the wheel.) Skateboards generally have harder wheels and longboards generally have softer wheels. This does not mean that skateboards do not use softer wheels though, it is very common to see soft wheels on filming and cruising setups. Note that Wheels these days are almost always made out of different urethane formulas.

Skateboards - Wheels

Skateboard wheels are typically 96A-100A+. Skateboard wheels are designed with its longevity, feel in the streets or parks, and flatspot resistance in mind. Things like acceleration and core offset are not usally taken into account, however this is not always the case. Skateboard wheels are much smaller than longboard wheels ranging from 52mm-60mm.

Longboards - Wheels

Longboard wheels are typically 70A-85A. Longboard wheels are designed with core offset, slideablility, contact patch, feel, and acceleration. Longboard wheels are also much bigger than skateboard wheels ranging from 60mm-72mm in diameter.

There are lots of different skate accessories to choose from each with differing uses. Not all accessories are universal some are better used for one or the other.

This section contains videos that I have selected that I believe will showcase the many different styles of Longboarding and Skateboarding, both just skating at heart.