How Fast Can You Go On A Longboard?

How Fast Can You Go On A Longboard

Among young people, skateboarding is a popular action sport. People skateboard while they balance and stand on a board with wheels. A different kind of skateboard that most of us like to ride is the longboard. We can move around considerably more quickly with longboarding than with walking. This day we are writing an article regarding How Fast Can You Go On A Longboard?

Generally, it depends on the place where you are moving with this skateboard. Longboards can often travel at 65 mph, although your personal speed completely depends on your riding skills.

We often get bored because of walking, so we choose to ride on the longboard. If you are a thrill seeker who enjoys moving quite faster than regular speed, we would love to see you follow our article here. Let’s enjoy the ride during our leisure time and let’s see how you can boost the speed of longboarding.

Some Facts About Longboarding

The speed of longboarding, which involves balancing and riding a board, often ranges from 6 mph when riding to 50 to 65 mph downhill.

The first piece of advice is to move gently when you are a beginner and teach yourself how to control yourself when riding the longboard. Otherwise, it can cause extremely dangerous accidents.

You frequently question yourself, “How quickly can I ride my longboard?” Generally, the longboard can go at an average speed of 8 to 10 mph which is quicker than a skateboard when pushed on flat terrain. 

Your pushing techniques determine the speed limit of your skateboarding or longboarding. However, you can go faster when you focus on the riding technique, capacity to push and pump, speed tuck, weight, board type, slope type, and braking ability, which is the actual speed or force. 

Related Article: Where to put your feet on a longboard?

Speed Range of Longboarding

How to Speed Check on the Longboard

We often try to figure out the speed of longboards. We want to let you know that your ability to go faster is influenced by the environment and riding surface. 

Good Skill

It is clear that when you have good skills, you can skate the board better and quicker than a new skater, or unskilled skater who is learning longboarding sports. In downhill competitions, more experienced riders increase their speeds into the 50s, with the most serious riders reaching 65 mph, not more than that!

Determine The Place

The typical cruising speed when giving a push for transportation around town is between 5 to 14 mph. It actually depends on the hill situation, but when carving it down, you can ride between 30 and 50 mph. And the professional longboard riders can go faster, like 80 to 90 mph.

World Record of Longboarding

For your kind information, Peter Connolly beat Kyle Wester by a slim margin to win the title of the fastest skateboarder in the world in 2017, which is 91.17 mph. We are providing a graphic showing the longboarding speed range. We are sharing a chart of the speed range of longboarding.

Longboarding Speed and weight

A heavy rider is someone who weighs more than 200 pounds and is taller than 5 feet 10 inches. We have found the maximum weight for a longboard is considered to be 300 pounds. Additionally, the ideal weight for faster longboarding is up to 250 lbs.

It is to be said that your weight is also essential in the case of a longboarding experience, which determines your speed level. If you are a heavyweight rider, you can go straight well. A heavy skateboard rider can go 10 to 15 mph at their best. 

How Do I Increase My Longboard Speed?

How Do I Increase My Longboard Speed

You might be riding longboards, but the speed limit is not satisfying for you. The faster you go, the more you will enjoy skating. 

Usually, average speed might fall if you’re using urban roads and sidewalks that are in bad condition. Because you’ll have to avoid every fracture and manhole cover. 

Your average pace will also depend on the number of flats, downhills, or uphills on your trip. Your speed is also influenced by how well you can push and pump the board. Also, your speed will be affected by the type of pavement and slope where you are riding.

So, before you skate, you need to have proper skills. Otherwise, there is a high risk of accidents as you will miss the controlling part.

We’d like to suggest using a longboard that is geared toward speed for faster skating. And, the primary priority should be stability and turning capability! Let’s look at some best techniques for a fast longboarding experience.

Techniques for Fast Longboarding

Longboarding Balance and Strength

How fast can you go on a longboard by yourself? Usually, maintaining balance and strength is one of the major parts that we need to maintain during longboarding because it’s kind of like a workout session that keeps your body healthy. Consider concentrating on the lower body and doing cardio exercises.

When tucked properly, the exercise can have a magical effect on your body as well as your balancing skills. A rider on a longboard can normally cover a mile at a speed of 7.5 mph in about 8 minutes when stopping at traffic lights.

Check the Wheels

If you are thinking that you can loosen the wheels to spin freely and have faster movement, it is completely a myth. Your wheels won’t spin freely if your axle nuts are too tight. As a result, your longboard won’t be able to turn faster. However, it’s better to loosen the nut slightly to allow your wheels to spin quicker than before.

If your wheels are too loose, they will wobble, which might create an uncontrolled balance. Also, it might cause serious damage by putting pressure on your axles. You can pick wheels like these:

  • Boards for drop-through and drop decks are better as they are larger and heavier. 
  • A larger wheel for a higher peak speed can boost the speed more slowly with less torque.
  • Smaller wheels offer a slower top speed but a higher torque and improvement.
  • And the off-road or all-terrain wheels can increase riding comfort but they lost the power of speed ultimately.
  • Buy a wheel that is 75 to 85 mm.

Get Ideal Bearings

In these circumstances, your bearing spacers should ideally fit between your wheels and bearings. These include speed, accuracy, loading, and surface smoothness. So, try to give proper attention to getting the ideal rubber seals, curvature, and plastic cage. It would be better to use larger wheels to have a constant speed.

Try to obtain the ideal wheel durometer. Choose wheels with a minimum 82A durometer hardness if you prefer to skate on smooth surfaces. For travel on uneven terrain or roads, choose wheels with a durometer ranging from 75A to 78A. 

The Long Boarding Tuck

How Fast Can You Go On A Longboard Using the Tucking Technique? Your tucking technique is therefore a fundamentally important part of speed skating. 

On the longboard, tucking usually reduces air resistance caused by your body for faster riding. Your ability to move quickly on your longboard is significantly influenced by your tuck. Put your chest much closer to your knees. 

Make sure that there are no exposed air pockets. Get the body’s air resistance reduced by tucking correctly. We can ensure that you can increase your speed by up to 50 mph with this method.

A new longboard rider generally decides to simply bend their hips so that they appear to be crouching down if they find it difficult to tuck while going downhill. Also, squatting down offers more stability for faster going on the longboard. 

Dear, today you will definitely learn the faster-going techniques during your skating time. Another best idea is tucking for lowering your front profile is leaning towards your front thigh while crossing your arms behind your back. 

Also, ensure you tuck your back knee under your front knee. Let’s go over some of the top longboard tucking tips.

Best Ways for Tucking

  1. Back knee behind the front ankle 
  2. Place the back knee on your front calf.
  3. Put the back leg on the board deck behind your front knee.

A good leather speed suit is an alternative to the tuck. You can also use a helmet that can help you go faster by decreasing air friction.

Loosen Trucks

Tight speed wobbles are another important factor that can be controlled by tightening your trucks. Why are trucks crucial?

With the help of trucking, you will be able to move more rapidly through traffic, roadside obstructions, etc. Additionally, foot stops, tight bends, and slides become much easier.

Simply lay your entire front foot near the front truck. The majority of downhill longboarders use looser trucks. At the same time that you tiptoe, your back foot must be firmly on the ground. Keep your hands behind your back and your knees bent.

Ignore Moving 

It is highly suggested to not move side to side as the longboarding might miss going in a straight line. Rather, the speed of moving will become much slower than before. So, do not move too much if you prefer a higher speed on your longboard.

Pushing Yourself Frequently

If you can push yourself frequently enough, you can run quicker. Repeatedly pushing by the foot can help you to boost the longboarding speeds. Pumping, which incorporates changing your weight from one rail corner of your board to another.

Raise your front foot and tilt the deck. Keep in mind that you must push with your rear foot or back foot. Try not to use your front foot or mongo pushing. Also, the toes of your front foot must point in the direction you intend to move.

Choosing Appropriate Gear

When you start skating, always try to pick the best gear while riding downhill. If you have confidence that you won’t get hurt, you can move faster than before. In that case, we suggest wearing knee and elbow protectors in addition to an aero helmet.

Deal With Speed Wobbles

You have a chance to delay wobbles by lessening the truck’s angles. When you reach a certain speed, wobbles usually happen due to overcorrecting your ride after a little turning brought on by bumps or cracks. You can lessen the problem by leaning forward, lowering your center of gravity, and shifting your weight toward the front of the truck. 

Best Sliding Tricks For Fast Move

  • Try the toeside pendulum slide.
  • Try the heelside pendulum slide.
  • Perform a 360 slide.

How to Control Speed on a Longboard?

How to Control Speed on a Longboard

It’s important to practice stopping when you move very quickly. Some techniques for stopping or slowing down your board include foot braking, carving, and sliding. Let’s see the best ways to stop and control the longboard when longboarding.

  1. The simple way of stopping is foot braking, which involves sliding your foot across the ground to reduce the speed caused by friction. 
  2. Turn off to one side of the road to create a powerslide. Put more of your weight on the front of the board and your heels. 
  3. An easy and simple strategy to keep speeds under control is to jump off the longboard.
  4. Sliding is another great idea to control sleep on the longboard. It is also called power sliding, which carefully rotates your board.
  5. You can use an air brake to maintain the speed. We usually use the idea when riding downhill to reduce the high speed.
  6. You can turn in the direction you’re moving by bending your hips and shoulders.
  7. Kick out with your rear foot towards the direction of your slide as you rotate with your front foot. You should complete the slide and turn 180 degrees.
  8. Lean forward to provide a smooth process and a much slower speed after the slide and to avoid sliding backward.
  9. Another method of stopping is by sitting on the deck with both feet planted firmly on the ground.
  10. The finest lesson is to improve your skateboarding or longboarding skills. You can therefore experiment with your own longboard control strategy.

Common Problems During Longboarding

  • Plantar fasciitis happens because of repetitive stress on the bottom of your feet.
  • Tendonitis and sprains in the feet, ankles, and knees are common because of overuse and pressure placed on the feet.
  • A neuroma is a pinched nerve in the foot. The nerve might cause pain, becomes inflamed, tingled, or sometimes numbness in between the second, third, or fourth toes.
  • A lower leg or foot ankle fracture may happen. 

How to Remain Safe During Longboarding

There is a deadly risk during longboarding. Therefore, we want to give you some riding safety advice that you can use. Let’s share the safety ideas that you can follow to keep yourself safe during the longboarding time.

  1. We constantly advise riders to use a full-face helmet, which is aerodynamic and can work as a protective tool. 
  2. Always make an effort to get yourself ready to stop. Learn to footbrake first, then take the steps to shut downslide.

  1. For protection, you should also wear gloves for the Coleman slide, and a spine protector for elbow, knee, or hip pads. 
  2. You can use leather to protect yourself from facing a road crash or being hurt by any edgeless object.
  3. It’s better to skate in the hills or other places where the traffic is less and people are on foot.
  4. Choose an isolated place for skating so that you could get perfect training there. Also, longboarding during rain should be avoided as the road might remain muddy and slippery.
  5. Having a good friend has always been a blessing! So, whenever you go longboarding, bring a companion or friend. 
  6. Alternatively, hanging out with other skaters is a terrific way to improve your skating!

Best Tips To Control Faster Move On Longboard

  • If the speed becomes uncontrollable, turn to the side and fall into the lawn or grass rather than falling onto concrete.
  • When you need to slow down, extend your arms wide to increase wind resistance.
  • Always keep your eyes open in front of any busy road. Though we suggest not riding in traffic.
  • Make sure you have the option to rescue yourself when skating. 
  • Give some technical slides that we have mentioned above for making faster movements on a longboard.

FAQ

1. Why is my longboard so slow?

Longboards frequently run slowly even after the axle nuts have been loosened because you need to clean and lubricate the bearings since dirt and mud can get into the board and generate friction, which slows down the board when riding.

2. Can you ride a longboard on the sidewalk?

If the foot traffic is conservative, you can ride with the longboard on the sidewalk. However, you should keep an eye out for larger cracks.

3. How fast can a longboard go on flat ground?

Basically, the bearings, wheels, and your pushing strength determine how quickly a longboard can travel on flat ground. The typical longboarding speed ranges from 5 to 14 mph, with an average of 6 mph.

4. How Fast Can a Longboard Go Downhill?

Skilled downhill riders who commonly engage in downhill racing typically travel at a speed of 50 to 65 mph, which is more than 100 kph. Sometimes they can reach 80 to 90 mph. Insane!

Conclusion

So, first, learn to ride quickly like a skilled person by following our given techniques. We have covered every step that could help to boost longboard speed. So, when someone asks how fast you can ride a longboard, use our updated skating riding techniques and show them your ability to run the longboard faster than anyone. 

Always remember to follow the safety guidelines before enjoying this interesting sport downhill. Enjoy the ride with your skating groups! 

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