Long boards, a growing art

Kriston Hall
Special to the Critic

Profiling a sport that may be growing on campus.

Long Boards have increased in popularity in recent years and the LSC campus is no exception.

To gain a better understanding of long boards here is a list of basic information and prices ranging from a top of the line setup and an interview with LSC sophomore. JP Guardino discussing his custom long board.

With the number of skateboards rolling around, they seem to be one of the most popular forms of transportation. The bike has been retired, replaced with four smaller wheels, a deck and far less in-between.

For those of you who don’t really know anything about skateboards or long boards they are essentially the same wheels, bearings, trucks, a deck and all the hardware in between. The deck is the wood platform you ride on, long boards are in some cases more than twice the length of a regular board with an average length of around 40 inches.

The board that Guardino made is a little bigger.

“The deck I made in June is 48" long and about 10" at its widest point.”

This board is bringing a new meaning to sidewalk surfing, being one of the biggest commonly made. Also Guardino says, “I have Original Skateboards S-10 trucks, 72mm Sector 9 Nine balls (75A), and Lucky Swiss bearings.”

The trucks on this board are ten inches wide with wheels that are almost two. Guardino said “It didn't take very long to make the board...the longest process was deciding on the shape, and dimensions.”

The deck of a board is covered in various types and colors of grip tape which is like sandpaper that gives the rider a solid grip on the board. Under the deck is where the trucks are mounted, which although they vary greatly in design they primarily have a main “King-Pin” which they pivot on to turn you whichever way you lean on the board.

On the trucks you put your speed rings and bearings which are semi-loose fitting so they spin easily and quickly. The bearings are pressed into the wheels and then Nylon nuts are used to hold the assembly on.

As far as what’s coming out of your pocket, Guardino said the “total cost of hardware [and] setup was $175...and then the deck, which I have not set a value on yet, but at least $100...So, in all, I spent about the same amount of money as I would have buying a complete, except I have a top-of-the-line setup...with my own custom made deck.”

Prices of long boards, complete or bought in parts range from 70-400$ (for a full setup) with the 70 dollar board being the cheapest parts all around. Even a cheap board can be good for transit though with the addition of new bearings. A cheap board wont handle as well at speed or for carving but good bearings (about 50$) will allow you to gain and carry speed much more efficiently while traveling from point A to B