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Is Bamboo or Maple Better for Longboards?

The deck is one of the most crucial parts of the longboard that provides better balance, support while riding, effortless control, and also prevents accidents. An ordinary deck will not offer such advantages and assistance when you surf on the longboard.

Although bamboo and maple deck longboards are popular nowadays, most people are confused about which one is better for longboarding. In general, both bamboo and maple longboards are fantastic based on their features, but some qualities make them different. Bamboo longboards are highly flexible and durable, and you can flex without worrying. This type of board is good for experienced riders.

In contrast, maple longboards are quite strong and come with minimal flexibility due to their durability that is good for newbie riders. However, there are many more aspects that we will let you know through this context.

Bamboo Vs. Maple Longboards

Is Bamboo or Maple Better for Longboards

Bamboo longboards are quite suitable due to experienced riders for their durability and lightweight. This type of longboard provides maximum durability against cracks and bumps. Bamboo longboards also help maintain the balance of the environment. For that, the longboard has gained popularity for its speed and agility.

Maple longboard is the best choice for downhill riding for those who want to gain desirable speed in a short time. The deck is quite stiff, stable, and durable as maple longboard wood is heavy in weight. Thus, the rider can be sure that the longboard will provide much more support and stability than the regular longboard.

In addition, if we talk about the pricing of these two longboards, both prices are pretty reasonable. You will find a bamboo or maple longboard under 150 bucks which comes in different styles and designs.

Differences Between Bamboo and Maple Longboards

When choosing a longboard between bamboo and maple, there are a few factors you need to consider. Below we have a competitive discussion between bamboo and maple longboards that will help you choose the best one.

Durability

Bamboo longboard decks are made of durable fiber and sustained bamboo wood, making them more flexible and strong. As a result, bamboo longboards bring yield strength to give more durability.

On the other hand, maple longboard decks are made of maple wood fibers that are very durable and resilient. Typically, a maple wood deck is made with multiple ply maple hardwoods that help provide maximum endurance.

Weight Capacity

Weight strength is a crucial factor when you are an adult rider. The average weight of an adult rider is between 200lbs and 300lbs. Bamboo longboards are made with a durable fiber that easily carries up to 250lbs.

As maple longboards are made of multiple plywoods, make them heavyweight. The maximum loading capacity of this type of longboard is 250lbs to 350lbs. If you are an adult rider, you should choose a maple longboard.

Read: How many calories can you burn longboarding?

Balance Supportive

Most riders do not feel comfortable and cannot ride properly with bamboo longboards. This is because the bamboo longboards are smooth, making it difficult for the rider to control and balance properly.

On the contrary, maple longboards provide the most benefits and are very supportive. Maple longboards are built with flexible durability that will not let the rider fall down easily.

Riding Styles

The longboard riding style mainly differs from the longboard. There are several riding styles available like stunting, curving, cruising freestyle riding, and many more. Bamboo longboards are good for stunting and surviving riding styles. On the other hand, maple longboards are compatible with all types of riding styles, including cruising freestyle riding.

Read: How to Make Longboard Wheels Spin Longer?

Long-Lasting Capacity

Everyone wants to buy a longboard that will be long-lasting so that they do not have to buy another frequently. Bamboo longboards are made of a combination of fiberglass and bamboo, so they will not corrode easily. This type of longboard can last from about 1.5 years to more than two years. On the other hand, maple longboards also offer superior, long-lasting capacity and can last up to 1-1.5 years.

Is Bamboo or Maple Better for Longboards?

After considering all the factors of bamboo and maple longboard, you might have found which longboard will be suitable for you. Choosing a longboard between bamboo and maple mostly depends on you and your abilities. Basically, both bamboo and maple have different characteristics and identities.

If you have enough knowledge about longboarding, a bamboo longboard will be suitable for you. On the contrary, if you are a newbie and sometimes encounter problems while maintaining the balance of the longboard, then a maple longboard would be a good choice for you like the Leeyoo.

In What Ways Bamboo Longboards Are Better Than Maple Longboards?

There are several factors why bamboo longboards are better than maple longboards. Although most people think that maple longboards are strong because of their wood, the decks of bamboo longboards are not so weak. Besides, the quality of bamboo decks is improving continuously.

Below we have pointed out some main reasons that will help you know which parts of the bamboo longboard are better than the maple longboard.

The deck of the bamboo longboards is constructed with fiberglass, where maple is only maple wood.
Bamboo longboard decks are very flexible and playable than maple longboard decks.
Maple Longboard decks are not so long-lasting as regular longboards.
Compared to the maple longboards, bamboo longboards are lighter.
The decks of the bamboo longboards are more tractable than maple longboards decks.

One of our most-read blogs is about the review of the bamboo longboard from Retrospec Zed. You can guess from the topic why…

Which One Is More Eco-Friendly Between Bamboo and Maple?

Differences Between Bamboo and Maple Longboards

If we talk about the eco-friendliness of bamboo and maple longboards, bamboo longboards will definitely win against maple longboards. This is because bamboo trees can grow very fast, and it takes about five years to grow a shoot fully. And bamboo can easily regrow from shoots. As a result, bamboo will not have much effect on deforestation.

The scene is completely different for maple trees. As maple trees cannot grow from shoots, these trees need to be replanted. Also, maple trees take about 30 to 40 years to mature fully. As a result, cutting down maple trees can adversely affect our environment. According to a recent report from North America, maple longboards are a significant cause of maple forest deforestation.

Conclusion

Both bamboo and maple longboards are absolutely worthy of your investment. These two longboards have their own features that are designed for different purposes.

Through this context, we have given adequate information about these two longboards.

If you have read the above discussion, you might have understood which longboard is suitable for you.

In general, bamboo longboards are more flexible and eco-friendly compared to maple longboards. But if you are searching for a durable longboard, maple could be a good choice. So, choosing a longboard totally depends on your abilities.

How to Stop on Aggressive Inline Skates?

Amelia Reed Leave a Comment

Aggressive skates are special types of inline skates used by expert skaters to play several advanced level tricks like grinding, jumping, sliding, and more. These are the tricks you cannot perform on free and plain roads; rather you need roads or ground stitched with obstacles, parks where you stair to grind, and the likes. You can and should start that type of skating when you have mastered the basic tricks to the list.

Therefore, mastering the techniques of how to stop on aggressive inline skates involves the advanced level techniques or the mid-level ones of inline speed skating.

We, in this short guide, will focus on stopping skills of advanced and intermediate stages of inline speed skating.

8 Expert Techniques to Stop on Aggressive inline Skates

Here you go with 8 pro-techniques to stop on aggressive inline skates like master skaters.

Wind-breaking Technique

As is made clear at the outset, aggressive skating is the fastest skating that means you will be running at break-neck speed then. Whether it is a windy day or not, you can windbreak to slow your motion and come to a complete halt sooner. A windy day will give you added convenience to stop like that. For an expert tip, wearing something like a jacket will also help you catch more wind and thus stop faster.

180 Degrees Twist

You can stop in a hurry even while at great speed. Suppose, you are gliding at great speed and spread your legs shoulder width. Now, keeping your toes pointing ahead; twist your body and hip by 180 degrees suddenly. Thus the spinning motion will slow down and you can stop faster if not then and there. Unlike the wind-breaking technique, you can apply this stopping method while gliding at full speed.

Twist Right & Left

Another method that may help you stop at crazy speed is to turn right and left sharply and immediately. While gliding at a great speed, just turn right sharply and without heading towards that direction, now turn left at equal sharpness. That will significantly slow you down and you can stop immediately. And the method easy is enough for the intermediate skaters to apply successfully.

Read: How to stop in rollerblades?

Curb Ramming

To begin with advanced technique, you can halt immediately amid high speed by skating towards a step or curb. And at reaching the curb or step, lift one skate up so that you can put the line of the skate hardly down. That should slow you down instantly but you need to brace yourself to protect against any possible hurting. For your information, this method of stopping in aggressive skating can damage your costly skates. So, apply this technique only when you badly need to stop in hurry.

But the top-quality aggressive inline skates made of carbon fibers will absorb the shock when they are not so frequent.

The Famous T-stop

T-stop is perhaps the most widely used stopping technique but an easy one to be practiced or tried by the mid-level skaters let alone the novices. While grinding, jumping, or performing other tricks you may need an immediate stop. So when on a plane ground, drag one of your legs back and turn the toes sideways.

Thus the skate in front will be approaching toward the traveling direction and in perpendicular to the hind skate. This will slow your momentum and if you press down the back skate hard, you will instantly come to a full stop. Again, this method may prove damaging to your skates.

Power Slide

When you are moving at a killer speed, if you make a very sharp turn to left or right, this will destroy the momentum. Now, if you keep traveling sideways, you will stop immediately as it will slow you down to a complete stop in seconds. This is possible only when you are running at a great speed and on a smooth plane. As for expert tip, keep your knee bent and lean back a bit to keep you as much balanced as possible.

Lifting Up Skates

When running at a high speed, you can try this to stop successfully. Lift one leg up and go forward for few steps in your traveling direction. Then again, lift the other leg and do the same before landing down the leg. Thus, you will glide to a complete stop but this is slower than other techniques told about above.

Use the Brake

This is the method master skaters depend on their brakes to stop like an expert. Unlike a novice or beginner, you put pressure on both of your heel brakes at the same time. Thus you will stop instantly and quickly but it involves the risk of falling. As a precaution, brace yourself while trying this method of stopping on aggressive speed skates.

Takeaway…

These are the techniques to apply while you are gilding on break-neck speed on aggressive skates. All these methods will require a certain level of skill as a skater and the last five techniques are for master skaters who can perform the aggressive skates tricks with ease. These are all about how to stop on aggressive inline skates.

Can You Do Tricks On A Longboard?

Amelia Reed Leave a Comment

If you don’t know already, a longboard is just a type of skateboard that usually serves a different purpose than standard skateboards or caster boards. Unlike other types, longboards are meant for stuff like long-distance skating, cruising or downhill racing.

As the name implies, the length of the deck is what makes it different from other types of boards. Of course, there are other characteristics too, but the length singlehandedly makes it more stable, making it perfect for cruising around by beginners.

As a beginner, if you are planning on buying a longboard, this article is for you. I’ll be answering can you do tricks on a longboard, how it’s done and break down different tricks for you. So without further ado, let’s begin.

Can You Do Tricks On A Longboard Really?

As I’ve already mentioned, longboards are usually meant for cruising. Longboards showed up in the late 1900s, and since then, it has been a popular choice among skaters for its versatility. As a beginner, if you want to cover cruising and tricks with one single board, that’s definitely possible with a longboard.

If you have prior knowledge about skating, you might already know that regular skateboards are usually used as dedicated tricks. The deck, truck, wheel and other parts are manufactured accordingly for performing tricks.

Initially, it might be a little challenging to perform tricks with a longboard, but it’ll get easier eventually with practice. The length will be the key challenge, but over time, you can overcome it.

Longboard also has categories of its own. Among different types, there are a few that are widely popular and used worldwide.

Read: How hard is it to do tricks on a cruiser?

Drop-through boards are the most common type of longboards out there. The trucks on drop-through boards are mounted through the deck, hence the name drop-through. These boards offer a few benefits like more stability at higher speed, easier breaking, pushing and sliding.

Then comes the pintail longboards. Unlike drop-through longboards, pintail have trucks mounted below the deck. Additionally, the pintail shape prevents any sort of wheel bite. If you are into speed boarding, you should check this out.

The last one is the cruiser longboard. At the beginning of their skateboarding journey, I think everyone, at least once, have used this type of longboard. Cruisier longboards are a totally different breed of skateboard designed for cruising only, neither for fast downhill longboarding nor specialized for tricks.

While all these longboards has similar purposes, one thing is common is their trick compatibility. All of these can handle some basic to mid-level tricks. But if it’s advanced tricks and dedicated trick-board you are after, the longboards aren’t an ideal choice for you.

Skateboard Or Longboard Which One Is Better For Tricks?

To answer this question, I’ll discuss the differences between these two first. Then, once you know the difference, you can figure out the answer all by yourself.

First of all, the purpose is different for both. Longboards are mainly used for cruising, while the skateboards are a great option to explore every type of skating, including tricks.

Then, the longboards tend to be longer than traditional skateboards, making them heavier and more challenging to turn and flip. The trucks are an essential part of any board. In skateboards, the trucks are more durable, making it easier to perform tricks.

Lastly, the wheels on skateboards are smaller compared to longboards, making them easier to balance. From the comparison above, you can see that skateboards are the go-to choice for tricks. However, longboards can also cover a decent amount of tricks. Therefore, if you are not into dedicated skateboard for tricks, then longboards should be enough for you.

Read: How many calories can you burn longboarding?

What Tricks We Can Do Using A Longboard?

If you’ve read the blog until this point, then you might already know that basic tricks are possible with longboards.

In this part, I’ll introduce you to some basic longboarding tricks for beginners you can easily perform on your longboard. I tried to pick the simplest tricks possible so that you can learn them faster afterwards. These tricks will also make it easier to learn more advanced ones in future.

Ollie

I think this is the most common trick in any skateboarder’s book. This one is so easy that expert skaters don’t even consider it a trick. Ollie is basically jumping with your board by pulling off the board. The majority of tricks in skating involve jumping, so learning Ollie can be considered the first step of getting into longboard tricks.

Kickflip

Kickflip is another fundamental trick that unlocks the door to different advanced tricks. It’s easy to learn, and if you invest a few days, you can easily master this trick. In kickflip, skaters launch the board in air with their feet and flip the board 360 degrees.

Pivot

Pivot is a great trick to learn the balance and to understand the sudden momentum change of your skateboard. Pivot is basically just changing skateboard’s and your position by a 180-degree turn. If you want to learn the shuvit, which I’ll discuss later, you’ll have to learn pivot first.

Shove-It/ Shuvit

The technique of pulling off a shuvit is identical to the pivot. If you have managed to learn the pivot already, you will learn it in no time. The key difference between pivot and shuvit is how you make that 180-degree turn. Unlike in pivot, the turn is done with a jumping motion in case of shuvit.

Ghostride And Ghostride Kickflip

These are two similar tricks that mainly depend on timing. Among the tricks I mentioned, this is the toughest to master. But again, practice is the key here. Ghostriding is basically getting off the board, moving along and then getting back on the board again. While getting back, you can do a kickflip, which is known as ghostride kickflip.

How To Do Tricks On A Longboard For Beginners? (Step By Step Guide)

In the previous segment, I discussed shortly about some basic tricks you can perform with your longboard. In this part, I’ll be breaking down the techniques in a step-by-step guide so that you can understand and learn them faster.

Guide To Ollie

Step 1: Foot positioning is pretty important for this trick. Place the front foot at the middle and the back foot at the back end of your longboard.
Step2: To lift the board, push the back end with your back foot. It’ll launch the board in the air.
Step 3: As you kick down the back end, jump along with the skateboard, sliding the front foot towards the front of the board.
Step 4: As soon as you feel the front of the board has reached the highest point during the jump, kick the front to level the board.
Step 5: When the board becomes parallel, straighten your leg and keep your feet over the wheel area to land perfectly.

Guide To Kickflip

Step 1: Place your feet similarly as you did with Ollie. As both tricks involve jumping, the feet position will be identical.
Step 2: Lift the board by kicking the tail area down.This time add alittle flick to create a slight angle.
Step 3: While the front of the board is in the air, slide your front foot backward. This slide and angular kick to the tail will allow the spin to happen.

Read: How to Make Longboard Wheels Spin Longer?

Step 4: As the front went up first, you have to catch with the rear foot first, then with the front foot. Feet positioning for landing will be the same as Ollie’s.

Guide To Pivot

Step 1: Start by placing your front foot on the nose of the board to increase the weight of that part. This weight will determine the wheel drag during the trick.
Step 2: Place the back foot on the middle of the board.Now engage your lower back and shoulder to start putting pressure on the nose area.
Step 3: Now twist the board 180 degrees to reverse the front and back tail position.
Step 4: After the twist, your back foot is now your front foot. So push down with that foot at the middle of the board to rebalance it

Guide To Shuvit

Step 1: Place your feet similarly you did for the pivot.As I mentioned before, this one will be pretty identical to pivot.
Step 2: As shuvit is a jumping version of the pivot, you have to put more pressure on the nose area to raise the back of the board. That push by the back foot will make the board jump.
Step 3: Now that the back is raised, let go of the board to allow the 180-degree turn to happen.
Step 4: The foot’s position will be normal this time as you are landing after the jump.

Guide To Ghostride/ Ghostride Kickflip

Step 1: Start with the normal skating stance.While riding, bring your back foot in the front by crossing the front foot.
Step 2: After you bring the back foot forward, jump off the board and land with that crossed foot first.
Step 3: Take exactly two steps along with the board. First with the crossed foot after landing, then with the front foot.
Step 4: Get back on the board. While landing back, try to land on the back foot on the tail of the board.
Step 5: If you are performing ghostride kickflip, flip the board with the toes of your back foot. After a 360-degree flip land like it’s described in step 4.

Last Words…

That’s a wrap for today. I hope I have answered all the questions skaters, especially beginners, have about longboard tricks.

So, can you do tricks on a longboard? As you have seen throughout the article, it’s very much possible to perform tricks alongside cruising. Additionally, the trick guide will help you learn those tricks in no time.