CHOOSING YOUR BOARD

Written by Axel Massin.

Finding your perfect board can be a real quest. For some of us, any piece of woods with wheels will make a straight road to happiness, for others it will be an adventure full of twists and turns until the perfect match is found, and for some it is a never ending journey of researching, testing, doubting and questioning, fueled by the belief that the latest piece of equipment will magically make you a better rider - guilty 🙋‍♂️. This article aims to help all of the above.

I would like to start by disclaiming two important points.

Firstly, I do not really believe in beginner boards and advanced boards, but more in good and bad quality boards. Although a good board can be ridden poorly and vice versa, I think any body will have a better experience on a good board, and a worse one on a bad one. I believe it is more about how much money your wallet can spare, and how much do you want to invest from the start, knowing that if you really get into Longboard Dancing, you might eventually have to get a good board.

Secondly, I do not believe in the perfect board. I think that finding the right board is a matter of personal preference, of what you want to do with it, and what is your body type. A tall person only interested in dancing steps might be more comfortable on a big fat board, while a small person wishing to maneuver the board in every possible way might be happier with a short and responsive board.

Let’s start with a little bit of anatomy. A dancer - that is how we call the boards made for Longboard Dancing is made of the following parts.

If you want to understand the role of every single part, this extensive video will explain it to you in excruciating details.

Here is a list of brands that produce high quality decks and support our community, created by passionate riders of our community:

• Germany: Bastl Walzer & Bolero

• US: Loaded Bhangra V2, Tarab, Mata Hari Brasil: Brasil Boards

• France: Majutsu Odori & Obon

• Belgium: Crownboard Royal Tribe

• Netherlands: Timber Flamingo, and Tortuga

• Austria: Simple Platypus (with no camber), Platy+

• Italy: Pake Atreyu

• Poland: Luca Large

• Switzerland: Vayante

• Russia: Pepper boards

• China: Travelol Panda

• Canada: Zenith

Our most liked board at the camp:

Low budget options:

• Decathlon Forest: the board is good but we recommend changing the trucks for Paris V3 180mm 50° and the wheels for Blood Orange Morgans 65mm. Price €110 for the Decathlon setup, 110+130=€240 for the upgraded trucks and wheels setup

• BTFL Nora (€250) 5% OFF with the code LONGBOARDCOURSE2022

• BTFL Sydney (€260) 5% OFF with the code LONGBOARDCOURSE2022

I am sure there are plenty of brands I did not mention that make great boards, I just did not have the opportunity to personally try them. However there are two brands that I personally do not recommend, both for the quality of their gear and for their marketing strategies: Ghost Longboard and NKX.

If you need some inspiration, here are the choices of our instructors, alongside with their style of riding.

Cheat sheet:

• The deck should measure between 115cm & 130cm (hardcore dancers or freestylers might go lower or higher) and have two kickktails

• Trucks have a 180 mm hanger and 50° baseplate

• Wheels should be 65mm (or 70 if you just wanna dance or skate a rough surface), between 80-86A of durometer

• The bearings should be with built in spacers

• Soft shock pads, 1/16 or 1⁄8 of an inch thick, will add extra smoothness and protection to your equipment

• Nuts and bolts of 1,15 inch are long enough to fit any recommended board, trucks and shock pads (1,25 if you don’t find 1,15), ideally with button head and Phillips but can also be Allen.

• Thin Griptape at least on the tails

May the flow be with you,

Axel