The innovators determined that longer tires, soft urethane wheels, and wide trucks are better for handling high-speed downhill racers. A downhill longboard is the perfect board for this. But you are a beginner and you want to see what the excitement is all about and you want a good balanced board. Which board do you need to choose?
In fact, you can choose any board and it can be set up as a downhill longboard, but experts who have ridden on various boards have come to the conclusion that there are basically 2 deck styles that are best suited to downhill longboarding: the drop through longboard and the top mount longboard.
It is best to buy a rigid board for downhill longboarding. Many longboard riders prefer the drop longboard and if you really want the fastest way down the hill with high speed, most riders found that a top mount longboard is the best.
If you’ve never gone fast, you’d love the drop through longboard for its stability. This is a perfect board when you are a beginner in the world of downhill. The drop-through longboard has holes on each side of the board where the trucks are dropped. Most of the time it’s a symmetrical board, which means it doesn’t matter if your longboard is on the front or the other side, both are the same. It’s more stable and you’re lower to the ground, giving you a lower center of gravity, which will help with anxiety at speed.
When choosing the correct platform size, go for the longer ones when you are a beginner. This gives you more stability. It will be less maneuverable, but it will be better than feeling unsteady on a short board. Downhill boards typically range from 37″ to 43″. If you don’t know what length you want, choose a mid-range of about 40-41″. Go with your shoe size by width, and you’ll always be fine.
When you’ve done some hills and are comfortable with speed, but want faster and want to try high speed, you can choose a top mount longboard. This will be for intermediate and advanced runners.
A top mount longboard is a symmetrical longboard with no holes on either side. It doesn’t matter which side you’re using with this board and the trucks mount directly under the board instead of through. This style achieves more grip than a drop when running in loops and around turns and corners. The top mount longboard gives you better performance when going down tough hills. One thing that is really important is knowing how to slow down in tight corners and this table will help you with that. Doing this with a top mount plate is easier than a step plate.
Before you want to go downhill on a downhill board, you need to master a lot of skills. And remember: “Always wear your safety gear!”
