Longboards vs Cruiser boards. What to choose?
Words by Alex Hannigan I Photos by Jacob Lambert
The age-old dilemma: Longboard or Cruiser Board?
Chances are you have asked yourself this question before and the truth is: there is no wrong answer! First, let’s clear up some differences between a Longboard and a Cruiser skateboard.
In general, a Longboard will be over 36 inches and a Cruiser Board will be under 36 inches. Longboards usually come without a kicktail & Cruisers normally include a tail. Both have a unique set of strengths and weaknesses, and what matters is how you use them to your advantage to make your day as fun as possible.
Try to approach the situation with creativity and an open mind!
What is the difference between a cruiser and a longboard?
I could easily talk more about the detailed specifications and measurements of each category, but I would rather talk about the emotions associated with riding a Longboard vs. riding a Cruiser Board. Before I get to that though, I want to talk about how we came up with the names for these two categories, and how they differ from one another.
In this video Steven Vera and Stephen Vaughn show us the difference.
CRUISER boards
Fun, Nimble AND versatile.
The riding style on a Cruiser Board is very nimble. When you ask the board to do something, it responds very suddenly. Because of the kicktail, you can lift your front wheels off the ground to instantly change the direction that your board is pointing. These qualities make your skateboard more maneuverable, providing a fantastic feeling of agility and freedom. Cruiser boards are best set up with traditional king-pin trucks, typically 105 or 130mm, making them thinner than those on our ATV series.
We could have given this group of mini boards several different names, but we decided to call it the Cruiser Category because cruising is the style of riding they get used for the most. The Cruiser Category comes with soft wheels and adventurous vibes.
CRUISER COLLECTION HIGHLIGHTS
Loads of performance jammed into a tiny package, our cruiser boards are some of the most fun and capable boards in our line-up. Check it out!
LONGboards
stable, surfy and chilled out.
Longboards have a few noticeable differences from Cruiser Boards, mainly the longer deck and wheelbase but also they tend to lack a kicktail. Generally, because of these characteristics, you will spend most of your time with your feet positioned in between the trucks, which is ideal for that surfy feeling and really encourages you to make lots of carves. When both of your feet are within the confines of your trucks, you no longer have the option of lifting your front wheels. This means that you are solely relying on your trucks to do your turning. It often helps to visualize your line as early as possible so that you are less likely to have to adjust your course mid-turn. Because of this, the best trucks to use on your longboard are usually reverse kingpin with a width of between 150mm and 180mm and an angle of 50 or greater.
Even though our collection of Longboards is great for cruising around town, we couldn’t call it the Cruiser Category because that name had already been taken, so we decided to keep it simple and call it the Longboard category. Makes sense right!?
LONGBOARD COLLECTION HIGHLIGHTS
Our Longboards are designed to get you out exploring your environment, no matter what kind of terrain you have surrounding you. Check it out!
Things to Consider when choosing a longboard or cruiser
The choice between the two can be difficult, and it often comes down to something simple like what mood you’re in or what type of terrain you want to ride. If you are in the mood to do ollies and kicktail tricks, you might be more interested in riding a Cruiser. If you are in the mood to dive into some deep carves, you will probably go for a Longboard. If you want a combination of the two, there are even some Longboards that have mellow kicktails for a nice hybrid style.
You can ride the exact same spot with a Longboard or a Cruiser, and you’ll have an amazing time on both occasions! To give you an analogy, imagine that you chose a Longboard, and you encounter a spot that would be perfect for a kicktail board. This is where the creativity comes in, because you get to discover where your longboard shines even when it’s out of its element.
Or let’s say you picked a Cruiser, and you encounter the most amazing set of hairpin corners ever in the history of corners. You might feel overwhelmed about the fact that you chose a Cruiser instead of a Longboard, but if you trust your board and keep an open mind, you will have an amazing time on that hill with your Cruiser. It is easy to convince yourself that you picked the wrong board for certain occasions. This is where you will want to find a way to use your boards unique characteristics to your advantage. This is a very rewarding process because it will help you become a more well-rounded skater and diversify your riding styles.
Tricks and agility with a cruiser
Surf feeling riding a longboard
So which is better?
Sometimes, the best board for a skate day just happens to be the board that you have available to you in that moment. Depending on what board you choose to ride, you might end up taking a completely different route, and this all comes down to the way the board influences your perspective on the terrain in your area. Plus, sometimes the best skate journeys don’t even have a destination, you just pay attention to your emotions and let your board guide your decisions on which path to take.
The people you meet in the day and the places you see could purely come down to whether you chose a Longboard or a Cruiser board, and this highlights the importance of embracing life’s mysteries. There’s no correct choice between a longboard or a cruiser board, the most important thing is to make the most out of your day and have fun no matter what board you are riding! Both categories will provide endless amounts of entertainment and totally change the way you skate the same terrain, so get out there and skate & explore.
— LANDYACHTZ MEDIA TEAM —
Dave Leslie
Cameras, Director, Editor
Dan Norberg
Cameras, Assistant Editor, Team Manager
Jacob Lambert
Photographer & Additional Filming
