So you have saved up and bought a longboard for yourself. Be it for commuting around the city, riding it for fun with friends or whatever the reason might be. Longboarding is great fun and exciting. However, there is much more to a longboard other than just riding it around.
You will need to take good care of it so that it stays nice and durable in the long run and serves you well. So without wasting any more time let's take a look at some ways in which you can take care of your longboard.
8 Longboard Maintenance Guide
1. Don't pound it around
Longboards are made up of material which makes them quite flexible and nice for doing tricks and flips. However, what you don't want to do is bang it around superhard surfaces. If it gets pounded too much to an extent, the deck might get ruined. And you definitely would not want that.
2. Clear Longboard Deck
The deck is undoubtedly one of the most crucial parts of a longboard, and that is why you would need to take very good care of it. Clean the deck every week with soapy water and a hard brush to make sure that there isn't any unnecessary debris on it that might ruin the deck. However, do not use too hard of a brush because it will ruin the grip on the deck.
After washing it, make sure to dry it naturally on itself. Because exposure to too much moisture and sunlight will damage the board and cause it to shrink and crack. Every time you are done using the longboard make sure to give it a wipe with a dry towel.
3. Oiling the bearings
Just like the deck, bearings are also a key part of your longboard, and you would need to take proper care of it. Overuse, the wheels on your board might shriek and squeak over time. However, there is nothing to be scared of because this is something very normal.
The ideal prevention to this would be to lubricate your wheels properly. And not just that, make sure to clean the wheels as well.
4. Give the wheels a spin
Because of their structure and design, the wheels on longboards tend to get damaged more quickly in comparison to most normal boards out there. Once they start wearing off, you can replace them with newer wheels.
However, if you are a bit short on the budget then what you can do is rotate the wheels on a weekly basis, and that should do the job.
5. Store your board in a nice place
As we mentioned before, you would always want to keep your boards in a nice and safe environment with the least exposure to moisture. Store them indoors and store them safely inside boxes or closets.
6. Preventing wheel bite
Wheel bite is something that affects both new and old riders equally. This is something very important because if you do not take care of it then you might face severe accidents. To put it into simple words, wheel bite is when the wheels of your board will hit the bottom of the deck, causing your board to stop suddenly out of nowhere.
To prevent this, what you can do is install something known as a riser on the deck of your board. This will raise the platform to a higher level and raise the gap in between.
7. Daily maintenance
We would always recommend you to check your wheel and deck adjustments every time you set out on your longboard. It will not only keep your board durable in the long run but will also keep you safe and secure at all times.
Final Notes
All longboards out there are not made for riding on all types of surfaces. Just like the size and shape inboards, you would also need to make sure that you are not riding your boards on rough surfaces because that will just ruin the durability of the board. All in all, make sure you are not putting your board through hell as it will definitely shorten its lifespan.