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What Are The Best Longboard For Beginners In 2020?

Longboarding is one of the most thrilling sports that gives you an adrenaline rush and allows you to have some wicked fun. With longboards, you can enjoy some crazy cruising drills and regular trips to college and shopping malls.

But for that, first you need to get yourself a perfect longboard. Beginners might find it pretty tricky because they usually have no idea how to pick best longboard for beginners rightly.

PRODUCT DETAILS
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Quest QT-NSC44C The Super Cruiser The Original Artisan Bamboo and Maple 44" Longboard Skateboard

  • The Original Bamboo Longboard
  • A 230-lb rider can easily use this Quest Longboard without a hitch
  • Aluminum trucks are really large (7-inch diameter) and corrosion-free, good for beginener
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Atom Pin-Tail Longboard (39-Inch)

  • Classic deck shape helps you avoid wheel bite (for beginner longboard riders)
  • Awesome Pintail longboard great for cruising
  • Maple laminate deck, full coverage griptape top
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Playshion 39 Inch Drop Through Freestyle Longboard Skateboard Cruiser

  • A starter longboard complete for kids and adults, 250 lbs weight limit
  • Good for cruising sliding curving freeride and freestyle, NOT for tricks
  • Rider can always adjust the trucks and kingpin though, to tighten or loosen
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RIMABLE Drop-Through Longboard (41-inch)

  • Smooth Bearing with high-speed lubricant
  • Drop Through 7inch 180 ALUMINIUM TRUCK
  • 41X9.5 Inch Size With Freerider Shape longboard
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Top 5 Best Longboards for Beginners Detail Review

What Are The Best Longboard For Beginners

What Are The Best Longboard For Beginners

1. The Quest Super Cruiser Longboard Skateboard

The Quest Super Cruiser Longboard Skateboard

The Quest Super Cruiser Longboard Skateboard

The first longboard we are going to look at is the Quest QT-NSC44C. This board is a solid starter board. The board is 44 inches long which gives you plenty of room for your feet on the grippy grip tape. This makes it the longest board out of the three. The wood that is used is a combination of maple and bamboo. This gives the board strength and flexibility. The board is a seven-layer ply and is lightweight from the bamboo and has flex from it, while still being plenty strong from the few layers of maple. Due to the type of wood used this board is the most flexible from the bamboo and being the thinest.

The other components of this board are also top quality beyond the deck. The trucks are seven-inch aluminum trucks making them lightweight, but durable. Being seven-inches puts them par with the others. They are the same as RIMABLE but smaller than the Atom.  The bearings are also genuine ABEC 7-speed bearings. This means that the wheels will spin freely and smoothly. It can hold a 230-pound rider with no problem. Users love the craftsmanship that has gone into the Quest QT-NSC44C and the fact you can change what you want to make it more your own.

2 . Atom Pintail Longboard, 9.4 x 39.0-Inch

Atom Pin-Tail Longboard (39-Inch)

Atom Pin-Tail Longboard (39-Inch)

This longboard is perfect for beginners who are planning to start with cruising style.

Next up we have the Atom Pin-Tail Longboard. This board is another quality longboard. It only measures 39 inches, however, which is shorter than the other two, but still plenty of room for your feet. This board is great for newer riders, but still can be customized if you are a more experienced rider wanting a certain feel for your board. The board is made of a maple laminate deck that is 65mm thick. This is thicker than the Quest, but not as thick as the RIMABLE. This means that it is a little stiffer and less flexible, but still a decent deck. The board has a really cool design on the bottom to go with the strong grip tape on the top.

The rest of the components on this board are also good quality. The wheels are 78A urethane wheels. Meaning they are in the middle for hardness. The trucks are 8.5-inch aluminum ones making them the widest out of the three boards. Lastly, the bearings are ABEC 5. This means it has the least bearings out of the longboards we are looking at. The Atom Pin-Tail Longboard is a great longboard for anyone of any skill level and makes a perfect causing board.

3. Playshion 39 Inch Drop Through Freestyle Longboard Skateboard Cruiser

Playshion 39 Inch Drop Through Freestyle Longboard Skateboard Cruiser

Playshion 39 Inch Drop Through Freestyle Longboard Skateboard Cruiser

The next skateboard that we are going to look at is from Playshion and it is their 39-inch model. This model measures 39 inches long by 8.1 inches wide. It is made of a durable 8 ply maple material. The grip tap is OS780 and applied to the top with a durable heat transfer graphic on the bottom of the board. The wheels on this board are 70mm diameter and 50mm width. This allows for a smooth ride that absorbed the shocks and bumps of the riding surface. They are a high rebound soft PU material and style 78A Durometer. The trucks are solid aluminum and measure 7 inches giving you good space off the ground. The bushings are high response 83A PU bushings to give a smooth ride. The bearings are also top quality with this board. They are ABEC 9 bearings with Nylon Ball Cages. They are made from bearing steel and come well oiled, so you can start riding right out of the box.

Users really love the fact that you can start riding this board straight from the box. The weight limit on this board is 250 pounds, which means it can hold most people. It is a great beginner board perfect for freeriding if you are trying to learn how to longboard. The board is fairly flexible, but also sturdy. On a scale of 1 to 10, it is about a seven on flex. The ground clearance is four inches because the trucks are mounted in a drop through style. One last thing users love is the board is lightweight at only seven pounds which means it is easy to carry if needed. The Playshion 39 Inch Longboard is perfect for anyone new to longboarding or experienced riders looking for a fun good quality board to get around on.

4. Rimable Drop-through Longboard (41-inch)

RIMABLE Drop-Through Longboard (41-inch)

RIMABLE Drop-Through Longboard (41-inch)

Lastly, we have the RIMABLE Drop-Through Longboard. This board is a bit different than the others because it is a drop-through style. This means the trucks go thru the board. They mount on the top and come out the bottom. The other boards the trucks just mount directly to the bottom. The board is 41 inches which puts it right in the middle of the other two for length. The shape is a free rider shape board. The board itself is 9 plies full maple laminate. This means that it is the stiffest board on the list. This makes it great for cruising, but not so good for tricks. The wheels are also a hard 85A and measure 70mm by 51mm. This makes them good for sidewalks and none bumpy areas, but not the best for bumps.

The rest of the components are also good quality parts. The bearings are smooth and well lubricated. It has ABEC 11 which is the best out of the three boards. The trucks are drop-through 7 inch 180 aluminum. This means that they are a durable and pretty standard size. Due to the solid construction and materials used this board can hold up to 250 pounds without problems which most users like. Most people that have bought the RIMABLE Drop-Through Longboard have been very happy with it and the way it rides.

5. SCSK8 Natural Blank & Stained Assembled Complete Longboard Skateboard

SCSK8 Natural Blank & Stained Assembled Complete Longboard Skateboard

SCSK8 Natural Blank & Stained Assembled Complete Longboard Skateboard

This is another pintail shaped longboard that is cheap in price and high in quality. It is a 7 ply maple constructed board with 70mm PU wheels.

The deck is already covered with black pro grip tape hence you will not be required to worry about finding a right grip tape. It has 7” trucks made up of aluminum and pretty light in weight.

This longboard is pretty easy for beginners to learn due to its simple features and smooth ride. You can also loosen or tighten its trucks as per your choice to enjoy a better slide.

Wheels roll smoothly and pretty good for tricks and flip-overs. It is overall a good piece beginners and even pros can use to enjoy cruising and freestyle.

Which One

So, now that you know the basic information of each board which is the best longboard for you? Well, the answer is it depends on what you are looking for. The Quest is great if you are wanting to do tricks because it has more flex than the other two boards. However, it isn’t the best for getting top speeds. If you want the maximum speed, then the Rumble is the best for you because the wheels are hard and the ABEC 11 bearings are super smooth. However, it may not be the best for bumpy roads. If you are wanting a smooth ride and not worried about top speed, then the best longboard option for you is the Atom. This is because the wheels offer more forgiveness to bumps and the bigger trucks absorb shock better. All these longboards are great options though, and you can’t go wrong with any of them.

How to Choose the Right Longboard for Beginner

Beauty Girl With Penny Board On Beach

There are thousands of models and brands of longboards in the market hence it’s not easy for beginners to choose a right one.

Apart from ability level, longboard styles and shapes are also needed to be considered before purchasing a longboard. Longboards that are good for freestyle might not work well with cruising or carving.

You will also need to look for right longboard deck styles such as pintail and double-kick to make sure your riding style is well supported by the deck shape. Weight and length of the deck also matters when choosing a right longboard as an amateur.

Being a beginner, stability is the most important factor than speed you must look for.

Here is a complete longboard beginner’s guide so you may not end up buying a wrong longboard. 

How to Choose Longboard Decks for Beginner

Being beginners, you must understand the difference between different riding styles because that’s what helps you to choose a right deck. Here are different styles of longboarding requiring specific decks:

Cruising/ carving

Cruising and carving means point A to point B transportation that includes regular trips to college and nearby shopping malls. From flat lands to hilly roads, you can do cruising on different types of surfaces to have some fun with your group. For this particular riding style, there are many longboard deck optionsoffering different shapes, sizes and performance levels.

If we talk about shape, pintail and fishtail boards offer quick and flawless rides. Mini-cruiser is also a short 33” long deck type that is perfect for beginners and youngsters. Decks in lengths ranging from 28” to 46” are best for cruising and carving. Being beginner, it’s better to go with longer decks because shorter decks are pretty tricky to ride smoothly. Usually, decks between 32” to 42” are easy to control and suit cruisers.

Apart from length of the deck, width should also be considered following your size and riding style. The deck should be at least 7.5” wide else you will have trouble balancing. Decks with ‘w concave’ are good for cruising and carving as they allow more stability by locking your feet in a right position. Also, look for decks with more flex as they offer longer rides by absorbing the rough terrain shocks.

Freeride

Freeride longboarding

Freeride longboarding

To buy a deck for freeride, first you need to understand this riding style. It is all about riding hills and sliding your board a lot. While freeriding, you will be doing stand-up slides, swift slides and drifting around the corners. There are different boards in market for this style of riding but to make a perfect choice, you need to consider various features including shape, size and flex.

During freeride, you will doing a lot of switching that means you need a deck that doesn’t make you feel like riding backward whenflipped over. For that, symmetrical board is the best option. Having same front and back, this deck style won’t make you feel awkward while attempting maneuvers. The drop platform decks are also pretty good for beginners, offering riders more stability and making initiating slides much easier. Whereas drop through decks will allow you to push out even more easily and spin around to do up slides.

Another important thing is flex. For freeride, something stiffer than average is a good choice. As this riding style includes speed and quick turns, stiffer decks would be more stable. As far the size is concerned, decks with lengths between 38” and 42” and widths between 8.5” to 10.5” are perfect for freeride. Anything shorter and narrower wouldn’t be stable and longer plus wider decks become quite difficult to control. Make sure, the size of longboard suits the size of your skateboard shoe pretty nicely.

Also, decks with feet pockets known as concave curves are good for freeride style. The decks with ‘w concave’ feature will offer you more grip on the board allowing you to attempt drills more comfortably and confidently.

Downhill

Downhill riding style is when you’re trying to maximize the speed down the hill without pausing or slowing down. You will be bending, sitting and using hands to smoothly turn around the corners in a speedy way while keeping a sufficient amount of control. When choosing a board for this particular style of riding, you will looking for few different types of features such as the shape, length, width and concave. Due to a lot of crossover between downhill and freeride decks, you can also use your freeride longboard for downhill style and vice versa.

For downhill style, the most essential feature is the stiffness. A little flex is fine but if you are planning on more speedy rides, stiffer decks would serve better with high stability. Another key factor to look for in your downhill board is its wheelbase. You will be needing something between 25” and 30” as it will keep you more stable and comfortable. Being a beginner, it’s better to go with longer size of wheelbase and slowly work your way down to shorter wheelbases once you get comfortable.

Concave is also important for downhill boards. Unlike freestyle, downhill is more of like standard sliding in speed and you won’t be doing any flip overs or dancing maneuvers but still, those lumps and curves are essential. Directional and symmetrical boards with ‘w concave’ are usually used for down-hilling by the riders.

Coming to styles, if you are not confident to go faster, drop through deck is perfectly okay for you. Being lower to the ground, this board offers more stability and helps beginners to train themselves in maintain balance and developing control. Whereas, if you want more speed, top mount decks are the best ones to get.

Truck:

Trucks play a significant role in the performance of a longboard in the terms of stability and response. When choosing a longboard for downhill style, you will be looking at different features of trucks including their width and angles.

The width of your trucks should be close the width of your deck. If both will match perfectly, the performance of your longboard will be flawless. If trucks are little wider or narrower than decks, it must not create any bigger problem. But when it comes to downhill style, it’s better to go with wider trucks as they offer more stability during high speed whereas narrower trucks are more responsive and less stable. Usually, riders use 10” or 180mm trucks for downhill and freeride style.

When it comes to choosing between standard kingpin and reverse kingpin for downhill, reverse kingpin is the best choice to make. Standard kingpin trucks are fine for street riding because they generally come in narrower width. Whereas, reverse kingpin trucks are most commonly used by riders because they offer responsiveness at slow speeds and control plus stability at high speeds.

Bushing seats are also important to consider when choosing trucks for your downhill longboards. Tight bushing seats restrict the movement and turns of trucks hence pretty beneficial for riders who are into downhill style and panning on to push their speed with stability. As far baseplate is concerned, we recommend you to set up the back truck around 40°for stability at high speeds while front truck can be somewhere close to 50° for better responsiveness. Once you’re done being a beginner, you can go for precision trucks as well that offer advance level performance for downhill style.

Wheels

Soft wheels are considered to be the best match for longboards for a very good reason. If you are riding on a smooth and plain concrete surface or grinding handrails and ledges, soft wheels will roll faster and smoothly with better grip than hard wheels. Considering different characteristics such as shape, size and placement, you will be able to find the perfect wheels for your longboards.

Most longboard wheels come in the size range of 64-80mm while 70mm wheels are most commonly used by the riders. Larger wheels have slower acceleration but a higher top speed and roll well on uneven and cracked surfaces. Whereas, smaller wheels setup nicely and offer better acceleration but slower top speed. It’s also better to consider your truck setup before choosing a wheel size to avoid wheel-bite.

Once size is decided, now check out the lips of the wheels. Sharper lips means more grip as they grab the road pretty well and don’t break the track. For downhill, sharp lip wheels are good to go with. But if you are planning on some freestyle sliding, you will be needing rounded lips as they roll well and stand nice around for you.

Next comes the contact patch of a wheel that directly makes contact with the surface by rolling smoothly. Although most commonly preferred contact patches range from 38 to 55mm, you can find a wide variety in the market ranging from 29 to 70mm. The wider contact patch offers more grip hence good for downhill whereas narrower contact patch has less grip and preferred for freestyle.

You will be also considering the durometer of the wheels. Harder wheel with 83-88a durometer typically slide faster whereas softer wheels with 75-80a durometer slide much slower. It’s good to stay between 78a and 80a as these durometers offer medium grip, roll better and slide finely. Apart from durometer, wheel’s urethane formula also affects its overall performance. The Urethane characteristic allows you to decide whether the wheel is good for downhill or freestyle as downhill formula offers more grip and durability. The shape and size of the core and its placement also play a vital role in improving the performance of the wheel.

CONCLUSION

With this complete guide, beginners can now find themselves some best longboards for flawless sliding and riding. Every longboard comes with different features and offers different level of maneuverability. Hence, it’s important that you consider all features and your style of riding to decide which longboard has the ability to serve your needs well. Also check out our list of top 5 longboards for beginners as we’re sure you will find at least one of them to be the most suitable.