What Is Different Between Cruiser Vs Longboard?
In the skateboard world, there are a wide variety of boards. You have your standard board with the kicktail on one end and a pointed end on the other that most people think of when they hear skateboard.
Then you have longboards that are more extended versions of this.
Longboards can also have other differences, but the main one is they are longer than the standard skateboard. Another type of board is a cruiser board. These usually are longer than a regular skateboard but not always as long as a longboard.
Cruisers are also generally really flat and thinner than typical skateboards. This article though is going to focus on the main differences and uses of a longboard vs a cruiser.
What Is Different Between Cruiser Vs Longboard
Cruiser Boards
Cruiser in the street
First, we will go into what a cruiser is.
Usually what sets a cruiser board apart from other boards is the parts that are on it and the shape.
Most cruisers have a pointed front in to help cut thru the air. They are also extremely flat compared to other boards. This is to help them be as aerodynamic as possible and help you get top speed.
Another thing that sets cruisers apart is the soft wheels. The wheels being soft help them absorb bumps on your path better. It also helps make the ride smoother.
The primary use of a cruiser is to get around town or form one place to another. Cruisers are not designed to do tricks on. The boards don’t have a way to kick them in the air, and the trucks are not designed for grinds and things.
Instead, a cruiser shines at picking up speed quickly and being comfortable to stand on. Since they are meant to be comfortable to stand on, they tend to be longer than a regular skateboard. Some cruisers are the length of longboards, but most are shorter than an average longboard.
The extra length compared to a typical skateboard gives you plenty of feet room and also allows you to take turns easier. They are smaller than standard longboards though to help them be light.
Other things that help keep a cruiser board light is that the deck is usually thin. Being thin cuts weight and makes it easier to get top speeds. Also, the wheels tend to be smaller than regular skateboard wheels. This helps cut weight as well.
Cruiser boards are focused on smooth rides anywhere and doing it at top speeds. They also are designed with the thought of carrying them when you need to. The size and weight make it so you can throw it into your backpack when not riding.
Longboard
What Is The Best Longboards On The Market
Now that you know what a typical cruiser board looks like and the use of it we can get into more conventional longboards.
Longboards typically are any board that is 36 inches or longer.
They usually still have soft wheels like a cruiser, but sometimes people will use hard wheels on them.
Longboards are used for a variety of things such as tricks to just racing downhills. Depending on the use of it will determine what kind of wheels you put on it.
Other differences from a longboard over a typical skateboard is that longboards have different style trucks.
The trucks on a longboard usually are higher and angle sharper. The wheels size also tends to be larger. Longboard wheels are customarily 70mm. The more prominent wheels help with getting speed, so this is defiantly important for downhill riding.
Longboard decks also come in a variety of styles where skateboard or cruiser decks are more uniform.
Longboards can have symmetrical boards where both ends are the same. These are used a lot in trick riding and are suitable for 180 tricks. This way you can perform the trick in any direction.
Another style of longboard is drop decks. These the middle of the board is lower than the two ends.
The fact that it is lower helps lower the center of gravity for the board. By lowering the center of gravity, you can maintain control at top speeds. The most common use of drop deck boards is in downhill ringing.
The trucks can even be mounted differently on longboards depending on your riding needs. Some longboards install right on top of the trucks like a standard skateboard or cruiser, but others drop thru the board.
On drop thru there is a cut out in the middle of each end and the trucks mount there. The purpose of this mounting is to help the board be lower which again helps with the center of gravity.
If you combine a drop deck with drop thru trucks, then you can get a low board.
Find the best longboards for speed is important, you should spend time to find the good one for you.
Final Differences
So now you know the two types of boards.
The real difference that sticks out between a cruiser and a more traditional longboard is cruisers are shorter then longboards. Also, cruisers you aren’t doing tricks on. They are designed for speed and getting around quickly. Some people use a best beginner longboard as a cruiser.
If you are just doing free riding, especially if you have soft wheels on your longboard, then you are cruising. If you are doing tricks on your longboard though, then defiantly isn’t a cruiser.
Also, cruiser boards are always flat and ordinarily thin. If you have a drop deck board, then it is not the best cruising board. While downhill riding is cruising it is not the typical type that you would use a cruiser board for.
Conclusion
This article should have cleared up the difference between a longboard and a more dedicated cruiser board. While you can cruise on a longboard, you can also do tricks on it and downhill speed riding.
A dedicated cruiser board though you can’t do tricks and it is ordinarily smaller to make getting around a city easy. Cruisers make getting top speeds and having a smooth ride their priority while also being conveniently carried where longboards are meant to mostly ride and not moved around in stores and places.
