Longboard Decks
The deck in in itself is the most important part of your longboard. A longboard deck can come in various different shapes and sizes depending on the style of riding it was designed for. Different styles of riding are as follows: cruiser, carving, downhill, free-ride, freestyle and dancer.
The cruiser longboard decks tend to be a little lighter than your free-ride/downhill decks making them perfect for cruising and carving as they only have 3-7 ply construction depending on the model where the free-ride/downhill decks have 7-9 plies of wood.
Material wise, longboards are made up of a few different materials depending on the model. Three materials that are used in making longboards are as follows: Maple, Bamboo and Carbon Fiber. Maple longboards are the more traditional which are made with multiple veneers compressed on top of one another. The Bamboo decks are usually covered in fiberglass layer and have a bouncy feeling to it. When it comes to carbon fiber longboard decks.. These are the most expensive to make however, they are the strongest of the three and are extremely lightweight.
Do I Go With Top Mount or Drop Through Longboard Deck?
The choice between the two seems hard however, if you know what style of riding you are looking for from your longboard, it makes the choice that little bit easier.
Top mount longboard deck tend to be better for cruising and carving as they tend to be a little higher up where the drop though decks are lower to the ground making them more stable!