Guide to Longboards

Longboards are longer and wider skateboards used for transportation, exhibition, slalom, and competitive riding. A typical longboard consists of a deck, bearings, wheels, and trucks that vary in size depending on the type of riding. They can be made of natural wood like birch or maple, synthetic fiberglass, and carbon fiber.

Choosing Longboards

Deck material: If you are a recreational rider, choose longboard made of natural wood. It is inexpensive yet durable enough for general transportation. If you are a competitive or exhibition rider, on the other hand, choose a longboard with a fiberglass or carbon fiber deck. It is more durable than a wooden deck, and it can handle blows, jumps, and high speeds.

Trucks: If you are into adventure riding or downhill bombing, choose a longboard with a stiffer bushing to keep you stable at high speeds. For general transportation, choose one with a soft bushing for more control.

Board length: If you area beginner, choose longboard that measures 40 to 55 inches long. This length can provide you with enough space and control to practice your moves. Get a shorter longboard if you are into street or downhill skating. This length allows you to go faster yet keeps you stable and in control.

Ball bearings: Choose a longboard with steel ball bearings for general recreational skating. For downhill skating, look for a board with more expensive ceramic ball bearings that offer less friction and thermal resistance.

Grip tape: Consider placing grip tape on the strategic points on the deck to help you grip your longboard better and keep you stable while riding or doing tricks.

Custom: If you are into competitive riding, you may want to have longboards customized for you. Depending on your budget, y can get decks made of inexpensive wood and bamboo or costly carbon fiber. Specify the wheel diameter and hardness depending on your style and skill level.

Guide to Skateboards

Skateboards have five basic parts: the deck, wheels, trucks, bearings, and some form of mounting mechanism, such as risers. The deck forms the main body of the board and is commonly made of seven-ply North American maple. It is usually covered with grip tape, a rough adhesive sheet, to prevent the feet from slipping off the board. The wheels range in size from 48 to 90 millimeters and are usually made of rigid polyurethane. Each wheel is fitted with two eight-millimeter ball bearings, which reduce friction against he ground. The trucks are attached underneath the deck and connect the board to the wheels. The upper part of the truck, called the baseplate, is screwed into the deck while the hanger, or bottom half, holds the wheels. The two halves are joined by a bushing, a rubber pad that can be adjusted to stiffen or soften the wheel turns. They are attached to the board by bolts or risers, which also protect the trucks and deck from pressure and impact.

Skateboards can be classified into longboards and shortboards. Longboards are more stable and better for cruising and transportation, while shortboards are commonly used for tricks and streetboarding. Both are further divided into subtypes.

Choosing Skateboards

Deck size: Choose a skateboard with an appropriate deck size for the type of skating you normally do. Wide decks are best for beginners, because they provide a stable surface for learning balance and control. They are also great to use as transportation. If you have fairly good balance and like to do tricks and skate on tight or rough terrains, a narrow deck may be right for you.

Bushing: The bushing determines the board’s stability and maneuverability. Choose a skateboard with a stiff bushing if you prefer a calm, comfortable ride, and a softer bushing if you are more into competitive and street skateboarding.

Wheels: Your skateboard’s wheels should be the right size and hardness for your desired speed and intended use. Larger wheels are faster and are great for ramps and cruising. Smaller wheels are not as fast, but provide excellent control for rough terrains and flip tricks. Choose softer wheels for better grip on uneven grounds, and hard wheels for fast, smooth riding.

Bob Burnquist Profile

Gender: male
Birthday: 1976-10-10
Country: Brazil
Stance: goofy
Terrain: vert
Sponsors:

• Activision
• Hurley
• Nixon
• Oakley
• Ogio
• Pro-Tec
• Reflex Bearings
• Ricta
• The Firm
• Zoobamboo E-Shop

Robert Dean Silva Burnquist was born on October 10, 1974, is a Brazilian professional skateboarder. He became adept at skateboarding in Sao Paulo starting at age 11 and turned pro at age 15. As an adult he emigrated to North america, he holds dual citizenship from Brazil and the U.S. The biggest competition that he has won was the vert contest at the 2001 X-Games. Before his final run- the last run of the event- Burnquist was sitting in second place behind two-time defending champion Bucky Lasek. Burnquist produced a flawless run, including multiple tricks that had never been seen before, and as a result, were unnamed. During the run, commentator Tony Hawk went hoarse and nearly lost his voice while screaming in disbelief. Burnquist was rewarded with a 98, the highest score ever given in any X-Games skateboarding event.

Burnquist's speciality is switch stance skateboarding. He has always tried to find new ways to make his tricks more creative and more difficult. He has a signature trick called "one-footed smith grind". Burnquist has also been featured in the hit video game, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, and appeared in all of its sequels with the exception of Pro Skater 3 due to license restrictions as a result of appearing in another skating game, X-Games Skateboarding, during that year. He returned as a featured character in the series starting again with Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 and has since appeared in all the series games following that. Burnquist has also won a gold medal on the 2005 X-Games Best Trick vert contest.

Burnquist is the only skater to go over a loop ramp with a gap in it (OP King of skate) Not only was the loop gapped, but Bob also did the gap switch. He is also the first skater to go through a loop while riding switch stance, and the first to go all the way around a full pipe just by pumping up to speed inside it. In 2000, Burnquist won the X-Games' best trick contest with his famous fakie 5-0, fakie kickflip out off of the grind bar. He created a trick called "Burntwist", which is in the Tony Hawk's series.

Bob Burnquist Action Video

Rob Dyrdek Profile

Gender: male
Birthday: 1974-06-28
Country: USA
Stance: goofy
Terrain: street
Sponsors:

• DC
• SEEK
• DUB Street Wear
• Orion Trucks
• Reflex Bearings

Born in Kettering, Ohio in 1974, Rob's childhood was a far cry away from the skate and surf culture that was popular in Southern California at the time. At the age of 12, Rob picked up a skateboard for the first time. Within a month, he won his first competition and became the youngest member of the G&S skateboard team. At an early age it was clear that Rob demonstrated the powerful combination of work ethic and natural ability. Forgoing his senior year of high school, Dyrdek became a professional skateboarder at the age of 16 while simultaneously becoming one of the founding members of the legendary Ohio-based Alien Workshop skateboard team. The year was 1991, and at the time skateboarding was no longer a focus in mainstream culture as it once was in the late 1980s. As such, the companies and professional skaters that remained proved to be the most loyal and dedicated supporters of the sport. Embodying this dedication, Rob would skate harder than ever for his first high-profile video part the very same year. It was Alien Workshop's first film, titled Memory Screen, and through it Rob's skating gained notoriety, his part in the video having including both advanced handrail skating and the more technical street tricks that were just then evolving as part of the sport. To continue his professional career, Rob moved to San Diego in 1994 to become more visible in the skateboarding world and to be closer to the center of the industry. From there, Rob would go on to film prominent skateboarding parts in 411VM, Alien Workshop's Time Code, and Photosynthesis. ith the support of the Factory and his team, Rob still has many exciting projects on the horizon. This includes Street League, the first skateboarding contest series that stays true to the nature of street skateboarding in an easy-to-understand and exciting format. The series will utilize modern skate plaza arenas and the proprietary Instant Scoring Xperience (ISX) scoring system to give skateboarding "the buzzer-beater" element that is missing in televised skate contests like the X-Games and the Dew Tour. Also, in partnership with DC Shoes, Rob will unveil the Dyrdek Collection in the summer of 2009 -- this line of footwear and apparel speaks directly to Rob's refined tastes in both fashion and skateboarding functionality. Beyond the massive TV audience, the world has also begun to take notice of Dyrdek's business acumen as a serial entrepreneur.

Rob Dyrdek Action Video

Josh Kalis Profile

Gender: male
Birthday: 1976-04-27
Country: USA
Stance: goofy
Terrain: street
Sponsors:

• DC Shoes
• Seek Skateboards
• Orion
• Dub
• Reflex

Josh Kalis was born on april 27, 1976 in Michigan and became a professional street skateboarder. He currently resides in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is known to have reinstated the pure street skating in Philly during the Love Park era in the 90s when so many street sessions went down. This guy is a part producer to most, and some others may be considered a magazine guy. His current sponsors include DC Shoes, Seek Skateboards, Orion,Dub, and Reflex.

Josh Kalis Action Video

Vanessa Torres Profile

Gender: female
Birthday: 1986-09-26
Country: USA
Stance: regular
Terrain: street
Sponsors:

• Element

Vanessa is one of the top skateboarding women in the world and she regularly finishes in first place at the top skateboarding events around the world. She is featured in several women's skateboarding videos such as AKA: GIRL Skater and getting Nowhere Faster. She also appears in the video game Tony Hawk's Proving Ground, making her the third female skateboarder to appear in the series, following Ellisa Steamer and Lyn-Z Adams Hawkins. In 2003, Torres became the first female skateboarder to win a gold medal at the X Games. She won the street course at the first X Games to feature female skateboarding competitions.

Vanessa Torres Action Video

Bologna, Italy Design by Dreamland

It is supposedly nothing for beginners, starting at 1,80 meter and going up to 3,30 meters and everything has vert on it. Don’t forget to take a helmet cause you have to wear one and I think it is a smart idea to do so…we all want to live and skate long now don’t we?!

There’s something like a cradle but some like to call it a visor because it is smaller…fair enough. A huge band, some hips, oh yeah a full-pipe which is pretty tight but -get this- you can ride OVER it!!!! To get in you have to have three Euros and make sure the guys don’t try to make you buy insurance for a year for 20 Euros. Doesn’t make much sense for a weekend. Check the map below. I couldn’t actually find the exact position of the park yet but here’s how to get there:

Get on the A14 highway and hit the exit Bologna Centro / Via Stalingrado. Then you have to drive in the direction out of town for around 600 meters, turn right, find a camping spot and then you are just about right!