Choosing the right downhill longboard can be daunting, especially for beginners. This guide will walk you through the essential features to look for and recommend some of the best beginner-friendly options available. Whether you’re just starting or looking to upgrade, this guide will help you make informed decisions.
Key Features of a Beginner Downhill Longboard
Before diving into specific models, let’s discuss the key characteristics of a good downhill longboard for beginners.
Mounting Options: Drop-Down, Drop-Through, and Top Mount
The way trucks are mounted significantly affects stability and control. Here’s a breakdown:
- Drop-Down: The standing platform is lower than the truck mounts, offering the greatest stability by lowering your center of gravity. This is the most beginner-friendly option.
- Drop-Through: Trucks are mounted through the board, lowering the center of gravity but reducing leverage over the trucks. It’s suitable for cruising but not ideal for learning downhill.
- Top Mount: Trucks are mounted directly underneath the deck, providing maximum leverage but also less stability. It’s the least beginner-friendly option, requiring more experience to handle.
- Drop or Rocker: Some top mount decks incorporate slight drops or rocker (a gentle slope), combining the benefits of both top mount and drop-down designs, offering a good balance of stability and control.
The ideal option for beginners is a drop-down deck or a top mount with a slight drop or rocker, as they offer the best stability and control while learning.
Deck Stiffness
Stiffness is crucial for downhill longboarding. A stiff deck provides accurate input and control over your trucks, essential for balance and stability, especially at high speeds. Flexy decks dampen your input, leading to less control and potential wobbles.
Stiffness is achieved using multiple plies of wood, often Canadian Hard Rock Maple, or composite materials like carbon fiber, fiberglass, and even metals. Look for decks described as “speed stiff.”
Deck Shape and Size
While the shape doesn’t matter much initially, the size does. The deck’s width affects your choice of trucks and stability.
- Width: Beginners should choose decks that are at least 9.5 inches wide. Narrower decks require narrower trucks, leading to a less forgiving and less stable ride, with a greater risk of high-siding. Wider trucks are more forgiving, break into slides easier, and require less rider input to remain stable.
- Matching Deck and Truck Width: It’s critical to match your deck and truck width. If your deck is too wide for your trucks, the board will feel tippy. If it’s narrower, it will feel sluggish. Proper “rail matching” means the wheels don’t stick out.
Wheelbase
The wheelbase, the distance between the mounting holes, greatly affects stability.
- Long Wheelbase: A longer wheelbase (25-27 inches) offers greater stability at high speeds, making it ideal for beginners. They are more controllable in slides and allow you to make mistakes without flat spotting your wheels.
- Short Wheelbase: Short wheelbases (22-24 inches) are more responsive and favored by racers but are twitchy and not suitable for beginners.
Beginners should opt for a long wheelbase for increased stability.
Other Important Features
- Concave: The cross-section of the deck affects foot placement and control. Beginners don’t need to worry too much about this initially.
- Griptape: Coarse griptape provides the necessary grip for downhill riding, preventing you from slipping off the board during slides.
- Footstops: Help lock your front foot into place, useful for specific slides.
Recommended Beginner Downhill Longboards
Based on these criteria, here are some of the best downhill longboards for beginners:
Landyachtz Switchblade
Landyachtz SwitchbladeThe Landyachtz Switchblade is a classic, versatile longboard with both drop-through and drop-down mounting options (making it a “double-drop” deck). Its double-drop design ensures stability and makes sliding easier. It is also fairly affordable as a complete, and comes with high-quality components. The Switchblade is an excellent choice for learning downhill skating.
Pantheon CHiller
The Pantheon Chiller, designed by professional longboarder Chase Hiller, is a top mount with a considerable drop. It provides stability while making the deck easier to slide. Its ergonomic concave and W feature ensure your feet remain secure. The Chiller offers a balance of stability and control at a reasonable price point, making it a good choice for beginners.
Landyachtz Evo
Landyachtz EvoThe Landyachtz Evo has a unique design with a large drop-down and angled truck mounts, which provides unmatched stability at high speeds. While it’s designed for speed, the Evo isn’t the best for learning slides. However, it’s still a good choice for beginners primarily focused on going fast with stability.
Prism Theory V2
Prism Theory V2The Prism Theory V2, with its micro drops, rocker, and wheel flares, provides a comfortable and stable ride. Its simple yet sturdy construction using 7plys of maple and fiberglass makes it a great choice for beginners. It offers excellent stability and control for a variety of riding styles.
Loaded Tesseract
Loaded TesseractThe Loaded Tesseract is a high-quality, all-around downhill board with a rockered platform, W concave, and wheel flares, providing excellent stability and control. While the W concave may present a learning curve, it’s a board that you can grow into. It’s also a worthwhile investment due to its high quality construction.
Longboards to Avoid
Certain boards, while potentially good for other types of riding, are not suitable for downhill beginners. These include:
- Descent Big Red 30in: Too small and designed for racing.
- Madrid Lead Foot: A slalom-style board inappropriate for beginners.
- Landyachtz Small Blind: Designed for racing with small trucks, not beginner-friendly.
- Loaded Icarus: A flexy drop-through board designed for cruising, not downhill.
- Santa Cruz Pintail: A classic cruiser shape with no performance advantages for downhill.
- Sector 9 Aperture: Designed for slow speeds and is very unstable for downhill.
- Cheap, less reputable brands: Boards from brands like Magneto, Atom, Quest, Volador, Yocaher, White Wave and Minority often lack quality construction.
These boards often lack the necessary stability, stiffness, and appropriate truck setups, which can lead to a poor experience, wobbles, and potential injuries.
Conclusion
Choosing the right downhill longboard as a beginner can greatly impact your learning experience. Focus on boards with drop-down or drop/rocker features, stiff decks, and wider widths. Opt for longer wheelbases for stability, and ensure that your deck and trucks match. By considering the recommendations in this guide, you’ll be well-equipped to select a board that suits your needs. Remember, experience is the best teacher. So, get out there, ride, and discover what works best for you. If you are having trouble deciding on a board, the Loaded Tesseract or the Prism Theory are excellent options. If you can test ride the Pantheon CHiller, it is worth considering as well.
Further Reading:
- Skateboarding basics: How to balance on your skateboard and push
- How to tuck: Downhill skating basics
- The guide to safe downhill skating
- How to set up your trucks for downhill
- Best wheels for learning to slide
