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.  

A skateboard making squeaky noise is very normal may it be a new or old one. If your skateboard starts to make noise, at some point you may get annoyed and stop riding it. But guess what there is no need to totally abandon that skateboard because you can easily fix this problem.

Today in this article I am going to share how to make your skateboard quieter. The steps of fixing the problem are very easy so follow this guide to fix your squeaky skateboard trucks and wheels today!

Is It Normal For My Skateboard To Squeak?

Yes, skateboards can squeak and it is very normal. There is no reason to get worried thinking something is breaking or the skateboard is damaged. There could be many reasons behind a skateboard making a squeaky sound.

Mostly it is the bushings or rubber of the truck which makes the sound. It can happen even if you buy top quality skateboards.

So, yes, it is totally normal for a skateboard to squeak.

Why Is My Skateboard So Loud & Squeaky?

There could be numerous reasons behind a skateboard being loud and squeaky however, most of the time it is because of the bushings. If the bushing is damaged and not changed for a long time it will make noise.

Also, the wheels can make sound too if you keep skating without replacing them. Some other reasons could be,

• Unmaintained or damaged bearings.
• Loose nuts and screws.
• A hard and rough surface.
• Flat spots.
• Pressure on baseplates.
• Old pivot cup.
• Loose truck.

How To Stop Trucks From Squeaking?

A skateboard truck can make a squeaky sound which is very normal. All you need to do is tighten the truck and put some wax or shavings of bar soap into the pivot cup. These will surely help to eliminate the truck from squeaking.

So, let’s see how to do it in detail and stop the skateboard from squeaking,

• At first, you have to take off the truck apart from the skateboard. For this, you can use the skateboard tool that is mostly given with skateboards or a normal wrench.
• After taking off the nut, bushings and the truck put them aside. Now take a dishwasher or wax that is available in your house. With the help of a cotton bud or with your fingers take some wax/ dishwasher and put it into the pivot cup.
• Now take the bushings and lubricate it with some wax as well. Remember do not overuse it, just put it like a thin coat.
• Lastly, Take the trucks and put wax/dishwasher into the hole of the truck. Now, assemble everything and attach everything to the skateboard using a wrench.

In this way, the bushings will no longer be dry and you can fix the squeaky trucks.

Read: Step-by-step guide on how to put trucks on a skateboard without a skate tool

How To Fix Squeaky Skateboard Wheels?

If the bearings of wheels get dried up or damaged then it starts to make noise. So, the wheels actually do not make the sound, it’s the bearings of the wheels.

Let’s see how to fix it to stop skateboard wheels making noise,

• Take some oil or wax to lubricate the bearings. Each wheel of a skateboard has one bearing. Remove the nuts using an axle or skateboard tool whichever you have at your home.
• After removing the nuts the wheels will come off. Inside the wheels, you will see the bearings. Put the wheels at a downward angle and the bearings will come off.
• Now, Before lubricating, clean the wheels and bearings with a brush to remove the dirt. After cleaning now lubricate the bearings but don’t over lubricate.
• Now put the bearings back and attach the wheels with the skateboard. In this way, you can fix squeaky skateboard wheels.

How To Stop Squeaky Bushings & Bearings?

Bushings and bearings make a squeaky sound when they get worn out or dry. In this case, to stop squeaky bushings and bearings you have to lubricate them with oil or wax.

Mostly this how the noise problem gets fixed after properly lubricating the bushings and bearings. If lubricating does not work then try replacing them with new ones.

FAQs

Why Are My Trucks Squeaking?

Trucks squeak when the bushings or nuts of the trucks get dry or gets damaged. Also, if you are using the skateboard for a long time without replacing the nuts and bearings the trucks make get squeaky.

Why Are My Skateboard Wheels Squeaking?

It could be because of the dry bearings. A skateboard has two wheels and each wheel has one bearing inside it. When the bearings get dry it starts to make noise. This is when the wheels become squeaky.

What Does It Mean When Your Skateboard Squeaks?

If your skateboard squeaks, that means any nut is loose or the bushings/ bearings got worn out or dry. This is when you have to lubricate and make some replacements of the nuts, bearings or bushings to solves the noise problem.

Why Are My Bushings So Squeaky?

Bushings can get squeaky if they’re worn out, dry or if you are using the skateboard for a long time without replacing the bushings. Mostly, worn out bushings that cause more movement make the squeaky noise, in your case this also may also be the reason behind squeaky bushings.

Conclusion

Now that we are at the end of this article, I hope now you have the answer to ‘ why is my skateboard so squeaky‘. Moreover, you also came to know that you can easily fix this problem with some simple steps.

So, before running to any mechanic or buying a new skateboard I will highly recommend to follow my mentioned steps. I can assure you can fix the problem on your own and if it still doesn’t work replace the bearings and bushings. But remember, try to fix at home before rushing to the mechanic or abandoning your squeaky skateboard totally.

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Are longboards supposed to bend? Yes, longboards are supposed to bend as it’s different from normal skateboards.

Longboards are made particularly for long rides, travelling and curving at higher speed. A good control and stability are required for speedy and long rides. The bending feature in a longboard is given for providing stability, balance and control.

If you are unaware of ‘are longboards are supposed to flex’ I would highly recommend you to continue reading the article. I have answered all the possible questions related to this and the types of flex as well. You will no longer have any confusion regarding longboards bend after you finish the article!

What Is Longboard Flex?

Longboard flex is for determining the stiffness of a longboard deck which influences the stability, flexibility and shock absorbency of a longboard. There are 3 types of longboard flex which are longitudinal flex, lateral flex and torsional flex. Depending on how one likes to ride the longboard, he/ she selects the bend type because the bend of the longboard influences the whole ride. So, while buying a longboard the flex features is something very important to consider.

Read: How many calories can you burn longboarding?

Why Do Longboards Flex?

Longboards flex because of many reasons which influence the riders ride. Longboards bend to give better control, stability while cruising and carving on different surfaces. Different levels of flex have different purposes to make the riding experience comfortable. Like when you cruise or carve using a longboard, to make things happen in a smoother way the flex plays a great role.

It also gives a bouncy feel while you ride the board which gives the ride a great push. Different flex types play different roles on different surfaces so that the rider can easily control the longboard.

Read: How to Make Longboard Wheels Spin Longer?

Longboard Flex Types

Longboard flex is mainly 3 types which are longitudinal flex, lateral flex and torsional flex. Let’s get to know about the flex types in short, 

A.     Longitudinal Flex

Longitudinal flex has flexibility and bends the board deck from nose to tail. It digs deeper into the centre of the deck as well. Most of the flex rating is given based on the longitudinal flex by professionals.

B.      Lateral Flex

The bend from the left side to the right side of the deck is called lateral flex.

C.      Torsional Flex

Torsional flex is the combination of both longitudinal and lateral flex.

Longboard Flex Level

Longboards come in different flex levels which are soft, medium and stiff.

A.     Soft

The soft flex level has excellent shock absorption in rough and tough roads. However, it is not that stable at medium to high speed.

B.      Medium

This flex level gives a bouncy feeling which adds energy to pushes while riding. It also provides good shock absorption in rough routes.

c.      Stiff

The stiff flex level is the most stable when it comes to high speed. It is best for bombing hills and free riding at high speed.

Are Longboards Supposed To Bend?

Yes, longboards are supposed to bend which makes a longboard different from the other types of skateboards. Many people who ride longboards are not fully aware of why longboards bend. It is supposed to bend to make long rides comfortable.

Moreover, to give the rider full control of the longboard while carving or cruising. Flexible longboards absorb shocks while keeping the rider’s feet from cramping. The balance of the body the riders get in a longboard is all because of the bend. This is why longboards are supposed to bend which is common for every type of longboard.

We already came to know longboards have three types of flex level and you have to choose the flex level depending on your riding style. Longboards bend so that riders can easily ride the longboard whichever style they prefer. As longboards for the length of it tend to be faster, the bend gives enough stability and control on this case.

It was made in such a way to bend so that the rider gets a comfortable ride. Longboards are generally used for travelling, race downhill, and cruise for long distances. This is why, to give control, enough stability and control of the board longboards are supposed to bend. May it be a cheap longboard or expensive all are meant to bend depending on the flex type.

How Much Flex Should A Longboard Have?

How much flex should a longboard have will depend on your riding style. For high speed riding you will require a stiff flex level to continue riding in the best way with enough stability. On the other hand if you are doing freestyle the longboard should have a soft to medium flex level.

Again, if you want to cruise around you will require a soft flex level because that flex level will give enough support to you than the other levels. So, how much bend should a longboard have will fully depend on your riding style and where you are riding the longboard.

Longboard Stiff Vs Flex

There are a couple of differences between a longboard stiff and flex. The main difference is that when it comes to high speed, a stiff longboard is very stable but the flex longboard is not so stable. Again, when it comes to freestyle riding flex is better than a stiff longboard.

Flex helps you with some bounces and pushes but a stiff longboard will not do anything. Another difference between a stiff longboard and flex is that stiff ones do not have much shock absorption but flex have excellent shock absorption in rough and tough roads.

Conclusion

I hope now you know that every longboard is supposed to bend. The reasons why longboards bend are also described throughout the whole article. If you also have a longboard and was wondering why does it bend, now you know why! Depending on the riding style one can choose whichever flex level and type they want to enjoy their longboarding to the fullest.

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