![]() Most boards measure 84 to 150 centimeters (33 to 59 in) in length while widths vary from 22.8 to 25.4 cm (9.0 to 10.0 in). Precision trucks, which are machined with cutting edge CNC technology instead of die casting with molds, offer more strength and maneuverability than cast trucks and have achieved popularity among professional skaters. Modern longboard decks can be made from a variety of materials including fiberglass composites, aluminum, and carbon fiber. Longboard technology has evolved rapidly to accommodate unique modern skating disciplines including downhill, slalom, freeriding, dancing, and freestyle. The 90's also saw the introduction of the cutout deck, which has sections cut out around the wheels to prevent the wheels from touching the board during hard turns. The reverse kingpin truck improved stability and suppleness which helped downhill longboarding grow into a legitimate sport, with the International Gravity Sports Association (IGSA) as its governing body. The exact inventor of reverse kingpins is unknown, however both Randal and Variflex had reverse kingpin trucks advertised and featured in Skateboarder magazine in 1979. The introduction of reverse kingpins (RKP) also improved stability for riders. ![]() Urethane wheels allowed skaters to reach very high downhill speeds which were not possible before. Longboarding made a comeback in 1972 when Frank Nasworthy and the Cadillac Wheel Company introduced the urethane longboard wheel. Longboarding became a popular activity in the late 1950s and early 1960s, but its popularity had largely died by 1965. These early longboards were still relatively crude, as they still featured metal wheels, but later had clay wheels due to improved safety factors. Manufactured longboards first became commercially available in 1959 when Makaha, Jack's, and Hobie became the first professional longboard distributors. Early skaters built dangerous, improvised boards out of planks of wood and roller skates. The first longboards were made by Preston Nichols in the 1940s and 50s as an alternative to surfing when the waves were too dull. The act of riding on a longboard in general is known as longboarding, which can also include more specialized forms such as longboard dancing, which involves stepping up and down a board and other movements and motions performed on the board while riding, and freestyle, which can encompass trick skating and executing tricks often associated with street skateboards. Among the earliest types of skateboards, longboards were inspired by surfing, with early longboards drawing from the design of surfboards, resembling and mimicking the motion of riding a surfboard, but adapted to riding on streets in a practice known as sidewalk surfing.Īvailable in a wide variety of shapes, longboards are typically designed and optimized for cruising (covering distances at moderate speeds), commuting (as a practical means of personal transport), and downhill (racing). A longboard is a type of skateboard typified by longer decks and wheelbases, larger-diameter and softer (lower- durometer) wheels, and often lower riding height compared to street skateboards, though there is wide variation in the geometry and construction of longboards.
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