What is the difference between a longboard and a cruiser?

Surprising anyone with the very fact of riding a skateboard and longboard is unlikely to succeed these days. But these types of personal vehicles are clearly divided by purpose. And before buying them for yourself or as a gift to someone, you need to fully understand the differences of this technique. What's the difference between a longboard and a cruiser?

Before analyzing the differences between a longboard and a cruiser, one who does not understand the topic at all needs to learn to distinguish between a longboard and a skateboard. Outwardly, a skateboard resembles a not too long board. Its edges are bent up. To maintain maneuverability, rigid medium-sized wheels and a narrowed suspension are used. Longboard looks more like a board that surfers use, the only difference is the addition of wheels. Distinguishing an ordinary longboard from a skate is thus not difficult. Much less noticeable to the uninitiated is the specificity of different types of longboards.

It is customary to highlight:

• freeride (suitable for almost any skiing style, including high-speed races);
• carving (designed to quickly move along an arc, like surfing);
• speedboarding (allows you to quickly drive along a mountain road);
• boardwalking (optimized for sharp maneuvers and dashes);
• power sliding (glides along the asphalt due to the rounded edges of the wheels);
• slalom (excellent obstacles);
• the cruise longboard itself (intended for driving within the city, in the park, equipped with comfortable soft large-diameter wheels).

This type of personal transport is very maneuverable. It is suitable for free skiing almost everywhere. Even poor quality of asphalt will not become an obstacle. It is worth considering that cruise longboards have two subtypes: elongated and extended “small fishes” (with a wooden board) and medium-sized models based on plastic. Plastic boards are not longer than 0.55-0.65 m.

They always have a tail curved up (the so-called kick-tail), which allows you to increase the controllability of the board. In fact, the difference between such a model and a skateboard is small. She can perform part of the maneuvers previously considered only available for skateboarding. Thanks to the narrow deck and suspension, you can easily bypass road barriers.

Wooden cruise longboards are more diverse. To choose a suitable device among them, you need to consider both the width and the type of nose of the board. Decks and wider wheels, expanded in comparison with plastic analogs, allow for increased cross-country ability.

At least 60% of all longboard models on the market are cruisers. Tiny “fishes” are a dubious choice for beginners. They are quite maneuverable, however, mobility turns into less stability. It is much better to master the skill of skating, using medium-sized “fish”. The same models are advised to purchase to everyone who wants to just ride around the city without unnecessary frills.

But experienced athletes and especially lovers of downhill need to choose boards like con-wave. They are characterized by increased rigidity of the deck and pronounced bending in the transverse plane. A common sign of a con-cave is also a slight understatement of the deck in relation to the suspensions and a slight permissible angle of rotation.

Longboards for freeriding look like outfits for downhill skiing. However, they are optimized for controlled skidding. This makes it possible to work out individual elements of the slide. A freestyle longboard always has a symmetrical shape. He has an “emery” surface (increased roughness). Kick-tail is almost always present. Experts advise you to always look at the wheels:

• the narrow rounded shape is ideal for tricks;
• on wide movers you can comfortably ride around the city;
• novice athletes should choose a soft wheel with enhanced grip.

About what is better - a skate, a longboard or a cruiser, see further.