Monday, September 10, 2012

What is Sliding and How Do I Do It?


Before learning how to slide, you will need to find a nice piece of flat land to practice your sliding stance. Practicing your sliding stance on flat land makes things easier, plus you don't have to worry about the whole falling off while going fast thing. If you're finding that the flat area isn't enough, move to the grass. It's even easier to balance on a good patch of grass.
There are many different ways to slide. The easiest method is to just think about how you have seen other people do it, and practice the movement. This consists of squatting down, grabbing your board, and shoving it out from underneath you using your back foot. This is easier said than done. Practice the motions a few times and when you are feeling good about them, try it on a slope.
The first time you try sliding, you will probably fall. This is unavoidable and is a part of the learning process. The other bad thing about learning to slide is that you can't really do a good slide unless you are really moving fast. This makes sliding terrifying.
Many longboarders prefer to use loaded longboards when riding downhill simply because they are one of the only boards that were designed for high speed skaters. The decks are shaped specially to give the user more control than they would have on a regular longboard. The positioning of the trucks is different as well. It's all about giving you easier ways to get the board sliding.
Now you are pretty much ready to start sliding a longboard. Make sure to practice your motions really well, or when you get to the hill, you might get some unexpected results (death, serious injury, or maybe just some bruises and scrapes.) You can do it, though. It is easy. Just wear your safety gear and a helmet when you try it the first time.

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Loaded Bamboo Dervish


The Loaded bamboo dervish is a longboard renowned within the longboard community as a deck which offers one of the most pleasurable and responsive rides.
The secret to combining just the right amount of stiffness, flexibility and durability, which Loaded Carving Systems discovered, lies in how the board is made. The dervish is made of a tri-axle fiberglass and epoxy sandwich with a vertically laminated core. Loaded ups the ante on the dervish by shaping it in a convex camber, which is flexible enough to be compressed when a rider applies his weight or some force to the board. The board returns the force applied when the rider straightens his legs, taking his weight off the board. This results in little to no loss in forward momentum when going into and out of turns.
Flexibility and its low center of gravity also contribute to the board being one of the most stable decks in longboarding. The low center of gravity of the dervish is achieved by making precision cutouts on the deck used to attach drop-through reverse kingpin trucks. This stability has made it a favorite for riders who like dancing, carving, and riding down hills.
The board itself is shaped with both ends narrower than the middle, eliminating the possibility of the wheels biting onto the deck when taking those sharp turns. This ability to make difficult turns along with its responsiveness and stability make it a favorite of those who like to power slide and for those who use their longboards for short commutes. The narrow ends make shovits and manual tricks easier to pull off too.
Loaded recommends however, that riders avoid using the dervish for use down extremely steep hills. A stiffer board is more stable and responsive when one is traveling at very high speeds, where a flexible board will lose it. Nevertheless, Loaded maintains that the dervish can be used at speeds of about thirty miles per hour without losing its stability. More experienced riders may be able to handle faster speeds with the longboard, but for the rest of us, it would be wise to keep downhill skating with the dervish to moderately sloped hills.
While how the board's looks has little to do with its performance, Loaded raises the bar higher by making a board that is easy on the eyes. Stunning Middle Eastern themed graphics decorate the board, drawing as its inspiration the graceful movements Muslim whirling dervishes make when participating in rights to remember their god.

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Loaded Dervish Complete


The Loaded Dervish has been praised as one of the most versatile, agile and stable platforms in longboarding. A Loaded Dervish complete with the suitable trucks, wheels, bearings and bushings can provide a longboarder with one of the most pleasant and enjoyable rides of his or her life.
The dervish is a flexible board made of bamboo with cutouts designed for drop through trucks. It is carved on both ends to prevent the wheels from biting into the board when taking sharp corners. And while great looks may have little to do with ride performance, it is an added bonus to own a board which is easy on the eyes-which the loaded dervish is. The bottom of the deck is decorated with a great looking graphic inspired by the fluid motions Persian whirling dervishes do when remembering their god.
The board is available in two flexes designed to accommodate persons of different weights. Flex one boards are designed for people weighing up to two hundred thirty pounds while the Flex two boards are softer and accommodates persons weighing up to one hundred eighty pounds.
The loaded dervish is noted for its stability while carving or sliding downhill, street, or parking lot. Its low center of gravity is made possible with drop through trucks which means that the base plate for attaching the truck gear to the board is actually mounted on top of the board.
But what most riders note about the loaded dervish besides its stable, agile, and smooth ride is its ability to spring out of turns without losing any forward momentum. When entering a corner, the movements and weight of the rider presses down on the board making it slightly concave. When coming out of the turn, the board rebounds with the straightening of the rider's legs with most of the energy he or she used in compressing it. The ride has been described a s lively, more responsive and forgiving.
Flexible boards are noted for their responsiveness and agility when doing tricks or carving down a hill at moderate speed. Loaded recommends that the dervish boards be used for speeds of up to thirty miles per hour. If you want to go faster, stiffer boards may offer more stability.
While a Dervish longboard, complete with trucks, bushings, wheels and bearings of your choice does not come cheap, the experience of riding the best longboard is truly priceless.

Friday, September 7, 2012

Loaded Dervish Board


The Loaded dervish board has an exceptional longboard deck, which offers the rider a lively, agile, stable and responsive ride. Those who have tried it out have also praised it for having one of the smoothest rides one could have on a longboard.
Renowned in longboard circles for its stability and agility, the Loaded dervish board is ideal for longboard tricks known as dancing. Dancing, as its name implies, involves fancy footwork while riding on the board. Longboarders often look at the complexity of the footwork and the smoothness and gracefulness in how the maneuvers on the board are carried out. Here are a few simple tips to get you started on dancing on your board.
The first thing to remember is to always use safety gear. This means that always wear a helmet, elbow pads and knee pads when using your longboard.
One basic trick you can try out is the toe-side cross step. First place your feet close to the toeside of the board and shift the foot in front closer to the foot in the back. Make sure that when you shift your front-foot, it remains on the toeside of the board and facing towards the front.
The next step is to shift your back-foot forward, crossing it over your front-foot still keeping both feet on the toeside of the board. Your feet should be facing forward slightly at a forty-five degree angle. Your back-foot is now the new front foot with the old front foot now your new back foot.
Next, using your new back foot, step forward towards the front, shifting to the heelside of the board. When shifting your new back foot, it should pass behind your new front foot. Notice that your new back foot has once again become your front foot and your new front foot is once more in the back.
Shift your back foot close to your front foot towards the heelside of your board then, staying on the heelside of your board, take your front foot and cross it behind your back foot towards the rear side of the board. Once more, your legs are crossed and your back foot is again your new front foot.
Finally take you're your new back foot back to the toeside of the board and assume the regular riding position.
This trick can be repeated several times or used in combination with other dancing tricks to make it look more complex.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Why The Loaded Dervish Is Better Then Most Other Longboards


The Loaded Dervish is one of the best longboards on the market today. What you should take into consideration is that the Dervish is made by a brand who has put the time and effort into researching and testing what works and what doesn't.
Loaded used a vert-lam bamboo core which is sandwiched between epoxy and tri-axle fiberglass. It is also pressed into a concave which gives the dervish a great responsiveness and liveliness that you just don't find in other boards. You will also find a convex camber on the board which gives you a high energy potential. It also has cutouts that have been milled to precision which eliminates any type of wheel bite. One of the main benefits of the dervish would be its size. The size of the deck makes it a perfect all around board for most people. The length of the dervish runs about forty one and a half inches or one hundred and five centimeters. The width is eight and a half inches or twenty one centimeters which is a perfect width for most people.
The flex on the dervish comes in two different options. Flex one is for someone who weighs 170 to 230 lbs and flex two is made for a person that weighs 100 to 185 lbs. Depending on your weight and how stiff you would like your flex to be you have two options to choose from. What you want to keep in mind when deciding on a flex is that a softer flex will give you a lot more control along with tighter turns when you are going slower but you will usually lose stability at higher speeds. So if your plans for the board are just to wing around at super fast speeds you will want to go for the stiffer flex which gives you more energy potential and stability. So you have two things to keep in mind when choosing a flex. Number one your weight and number two what your plans are for the deck.
Speed or cruising....
If you plan on mainly using the board for cruising around town go for the softer flex. Are you looking to go super fast and bomb hills and such? Then definitely go with the stiffer flex. Also keep in mind that the stiffer flex is better for tricks like shovits, manuals, etc.
All of these factors collide and give the Loaded Dervish great agility, versatility, stability and ease of ride. When doing sliding, pushing, or dancing you will find the stability is unparalleled. The agility that comes with the dervish allows you to take sharp turns with ease while cruising around town or hitting hills.
Plus the liveliness the deck possess just makes it a blast to ride....
Because of the quality and craftsmanship used to make this board you will find yourself riding it for years and years. Even if you end up getting other boards you'll find yourself going back to the Loaded Dervish because of its versatility and ride.

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Loaded Whirling Dervish


The Loaded Whirling Dervish is one of the longboards manufactured by Loaded. Whirling dervish Muslims and the graceful movements they made during their religious ceremonies were one of the inspirations drawn upon by Loaded when they designed this board. And when one looks at some reviews made by skaters, the way they describe the way the board rides can be compared to something close to a religious experience in itself.
The Loaded dervish is renowned in the longboarding world for its agility, stability and forgiving ride. Also described as having one of the liveliest and responsive rides, the dervish has been found to be a great deck one can use in most everything one can do with a longboard.
Loaded Carving Systems makes the dervish out of a tri-axle fiberglass and epoxy sandwich with a vertical laminated bamboo core which not only makes the dervish flexible but durable too. When seen from the side it is shaped in a convex camber which compresses when the rider puts his weight or applies some force on it. The force applied is returned when the rider straightens his legs or takes weigh off the board. This results in little to no loss in forward momentum when entering and getting out of turns.
Adding to its stability is the fact that the loaded whirling dervish has a low center of gravity. This is primarily because it is used with drop-through reverse kingpin trucks. The board has precision milled cutouts that can fit most drop through trucks. Loaded recommends using trucks which are at least 180mm long.
Because of its attributes and great handling, the dervish is great for beginners starting out in the exciting world of longboarding as well as experts who have mastered the sport. Those who have experienced the Loaded dervish describe the ride as smooth, lively, stable, agile and responsive and, with the right trucks, bushings, wheels, and bearings is a great platform for doing almost anything one can do with a longboard. Its stable and smooth ride make it ideal for dancing and the short commute to the neighborhood store. Its responsiveness, agility and stability make it a great board for carving, pumping, bowls, and going down moderate hills. While Loaded recommends the use of a stiffer board when going down steep hills at high speeds (because a flexible board loses its stability at high speeds), the dervish can be used for speeds up to thirty miles per hour.

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Five Special Spots For Extreme Longboarding


Here's a list of some interesting downhill spots. You may not actually want to skate these, but they would be cool to check out if you were in the area. Just do a quick Google search for any of these and you should be able to see what exactly I'm talking about when I mention these streets.
1. U.S. highway 50, nevada. This highway goes on for many miles and takes you from 3000 feet above sealevel to 0 above sealevel. It's very steep, and also very wide, thanks to a road revision made in 2000.
2. Lombard street, san francisco. If you can skate this, then you're a master downhill boarder. Lombard street is super crooked and bumpy; sketch to the max.
3. Interstate 80 - this 2899 mile highway connects california to new jersey. Its not all downhill, but some parts of it are. You can skitch the rest of the way. Or push yourself. 2899 miles is a long way on a skateboard.
4. Mauna kea, hawaii. 26 miles of road built on the side if one of hawaii's biggest active volcanoes. It's a shield volcano, though, meaning the lava flows rather than erupts (like mount st. Helens)
5. Baldwin street, new zealand. This is the steepest street in the world. At 300 meters long and with a 35 percent grade; baldwin street is the most dangerous place in the world for anything with 4 wheels. I don't think sliding would slow you down here.
Chances are good you won't skate any of these (and neither will anyone else) but at least you have something to put on your bucket list... right?

Monday, September 3, 2012

Introduction to Longboards and Longboarding


Getting into Longboarding?

Are you a sports activities fanatic? In that case think about going into longboarding. This particular exercise is usually generally known as skate boarding on concrete due to the similarity to that particular sport. This calls for the usage of surf-board like gear known as the longboard.
Exactly what are longboards?
The longboard is known as a surf board having added wheels. Longboards can be used for smooth sailing, slalom sporting, down hill racing along with other boarding tricks. Also, they are used for simple transportations. This kind of boarding gear may differ when it comes to form with respect to the designed action as well as tricks which the riders approach. Besides the form, the longboards furthermore differ in dimensions. One of the well-liked shapes may be the pintail. This particular deck looks like a teardrop. It can be smooth and therefore well suited for novice. Additionally there is the Drop-through deck. With this one, the center of the deck is positioned less than in which the trucks tend to be installed. Additionally, there are hybrid boards. These types of types consist of wheel cutouts that permit the wheel to turn at razor-sharp angles as well as simultaneously staying away from wheelbite. These types of boards are often thirty to forty in. long. This enables the rider to become innovative on his / her tricks. This kind of board also offers disadvantages. One of them is actually that it's open to shoe bite. Once the shoe rubs on the wheel it decelerates or perhaps halts the rider.
Purchasing Longboards?
There are numerous factors to think about whenever your buy these boards. One is the length. The length carries a large effect on the overall performance of the rider. The board having forty inches and more offers much better balance to the riders when compared with scaled-down boards. These types of boards additionally provide the rider control even at high-speed. You have to additionally think about the kind of skate board truck for use in your board. The kind of bearings to make use of is one additional element to take into consideration. Your decision should also rely on your budget as well as on your own riding style.
Longboarding is definitely an interesting activity. In order to make this particular sport more enjoyable, you need to select your equipment nicely. And you can make use of the information and also the ideas mentioned previously so that you can pick the ideal board to suit your needs. This particular equipment could be bought through numerous sports supply stores. In addition to that, you may also have it from online stores. Buying online is the most efficient method to shop for a longboard because it removes the requirement to leave the conveniences of your house to purchase a board.

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Do Longboard Wheels Really Matter?


With all the hype on longboard wheels, aren't they just a piece of rubber, "does it matter if I just get a knock of brand and save some money?" That of course is always an option, but keep in mind that a longboard wheel goes through a lot, they are what take the initial brunt of all the bumps, cracks, and rough surfaces you ride over. Just imagine your hand getting road rash from falling on the hill you were bombing the other day.....your longboard wheels have to deal with that non-stop, especially if you are doing any power sliding. Though they may cost a little more up front, the better known wheel manufactures make a more quality product that will last you a lot longer than the cheap ones and save you quite a bit in the long run.
However, duration is only a small part of it, you need to also keep in mind that your longboard wheels greatly affect the performance of your board, bigger wheels make your longboard faster and give your ride more grip. Also keep in mind that the hardness of your wheel will make a huge difference in how your board rides as well. The softer the wheel the more grip it has (the softest wheel rating is 75a) but the harder it is to slide. The harder wheels give you less grip which makes them great for sliding. Be sure to make sure you get longboard wheels that fit your needs and riding style.

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Types of Skateboards Short and Longboards Explained


If you're into skateboarding, you're obviously familiar with the standard short skateboard, but have you ever seen someone ride a longboard? Other than the difference in length, I bet you wonder how these two types of boards are different. Keep reading to learn the similarities and differences of the skateboard and the longboard.
A longboard is just a skateboard that's much longer than usual, and used for longboarding (as opposed to skateboarding). Instead of street style skating using ramps and pipes, longboards are almost always used for downhill racing, getting from point a to point b, or cruising around town. Since longboards are heavier than a standard board, they are not ideal for doing any kind of tricks. Longboarding is compared to surfing, like "surfing on land" or "surfing on concrete". The design of the longboard allows big turns and quick carves just like the surfers do.
Longboarding started becoming popular around the same time as surf culture back in the 1950's. People say that longboarding started in southern California where riders enjoyed rolling hills and streets, but some believe longboarding started in Hawaii. This is still arguable today.
The equipment used for longboarding is nearly the same that is used for skateboarding. You'll notice longboarders will wear gloves and a helmet at a minimum. Longboarders participating in downhill races will wear special gloves to protect their hands while maneuvering the board (this is done in a lying position). Of course wrist, knee, and elbow padding is always recommended, especially for a beginner.
Most longboards are 35-60 inches long. Shorter boards can still be called longboards if their main purpose is the same as longboarding (cruising, downhill racing, travel). Longboards come in all kinds of shapes such as: pintails, flat nose, and boards shaped like a longer shortboard. Pintails allow looser trucks and larger wheels to be installed for more of a smooth surfing feel.
Longboard wheels can be much larger than regular skateboard wheels. The size difference is because smaller wheels have to spin faster to maintain the same speed, so larger wheels create less friction for a faster and smoother ride. Smaller wheels sometimes have problems with sticks, rocks, and cracks in the street or sidewalk. The larger the wheel size, the less likely it will stop rolling, and more likely to just roll over the obstruction.
Other hardware such as trucks and bearings are exactly the same on a skateboard and a longboard. There are a few types of trucks specific to longboards, which make the boards easier to use for downhill racing. Two of these are called Randal R-I Downhill style trucks and Torsion trucks.
Many Longboarders as well as skateboarders like to build their own decks in order to get the exact board they want. Board builders have a variety of materials like fiberglass, bamboo, and even a foam core. If you're thinking of building your own skateboard or longboard, everything can be purchased on the internet or local skateshop, including board building instructions.