Downhill longboards
Are you interested in a downhill longboard? Then you're probably an adrenaline junkie for whom chilled out cruising and carving is no longer enough - and honestly, who could blame you. Once you've raced down the slope at 100 km/h, there's only one thought left: do it again! ###
In the thrill of speed
As you can sometimes reach speeds of up to 100 km/h on a downhill run, it's clear that your board needs to have a few special features, without which the whole thing would simply be life-threatening. Here we explain what requirements a proper downhill board should meet.
The biggest problem with downhill riding is the risk of losing control of the longboard. This usually happens because conventional trucks start to wobble at speeds of around 50 km/h or more. You can imagine it as if you were riding quite fast over an extremely uneven track. It goes without saying that it is almost impossible to keep control of your board.
To avoid this when downhill riding, the decks of the boards are equipped with a lowered standing surface. This ensures that you use your weight to prevent the trucks from wobbling. The secret: the pressure point that you exert on the board is below the pivot point of the trucks.
Other advantages of these "lowered" boards are better control in turns and easier bumping. The disadvantage: downhill decks are often very sluggish on tracks with lots of bends and are difficult to steer.
Sliding is crucial for downhill riding
To be able to slide properly with a downhill board, two other characteristics are important. Firstly, it is important that the deck has cut-outs in the wheel area. In this way, the two components of your longboard do not come into contact with each other and cannot catch on each other (wheelbites). On the other hand, the wheels themselves also play an important role. They should not only be small (speed!), but also have rounded edges to slide perfectly.
The characteristics of a downhill longboard:
- Very low flex
- Lowered standing surface
- Recesses in the wheel area
- Small wheels with rounded edges (for sliding)
Only for professionals
If you decide to try your hand at downhilling, you should be 100 percent aware of what you are doing. This discipline is only for true professionals who have perfect control of their board and a lot of experience. Downhill is not a style for longboard beginners - no matter how good the board you want to buy is.
For this reason, it is also particularly important that you make sure you have good equipment. A helmet and joint protectors are just as important as gloves, which are used for deep slides and help you to avoid slipping when cornering. Many downhillers also swear by upper body armor. Safety first clearly applies here. If you fall on a downhill and are not protected, you could suffer serious injuries.
Downhill is always associated with a good dose of thrills - that should be clear to every longboarder. If you are interested in this fast-paced riding style, it is important that you find the perfect longboard for it. It must guarantee you absolute control and must not suddenly break away, even at high speeds. A deep base, a stiff deck and rounded wheels will help you to really enjoy your descents.
