Best Longboards for Freeride

Freeriding is an exciting and pro form of carving on a longboard. The routine cruising is made thrilling by adding tricks and downhill sliding.

You have to be an expert for doing this but if you are not then no need to worry. You just have to look for the best freeride longboard and if it is specially manufactured for beginners then it is a plus point.

There are different styles for riding a longboard but since freeriding is preferred by most of the riders, many renowned brands are now producing their best longboards for freeriding.

You can start learning with the entry-level freeriding longboard if you are a newbie and then go for easy and expert riding.

Best Longboards for freeriding

Free Riding longboards are not very unique but have different shapes and characteristics. Since freeriding is a different riding style that can be difficult to carry at times, freeride longboards are designed differently. Their deck length lies up to 40 to 42 inches, not longer than this or it will be too big to manage.

A drop-through or drop deck is preferred for freeride to have more control over slides. The decks are shaped concave for the firmer grip of feet while doing tricks at high speed.

Wheels are made smaller with round-shaped lips for easy sliding. It might seem easy but it requires a lot of practice and good control for freeriding.

But special longboards for freeride have made things much easier. These boards have inbuilt properties of a freeriding board such as automatic balancing, strong controlling wheels, and a concave deck with grip tape that holds you in place and does not let you fall even at the trickiest surface and stunt.

If you are a freeride junkie, you already know what to do. You just have to be confident and practice a lot and don’t forget to get yourself geared up.

Just ride the board bravely and vigilantly, rest of the things will be handled by these best boards. So take a look at some best freeride longboards and grab one for yourself too.

Best Freeride Longboard 2021 Reviews

1. Volador 42inch Freeride Longboard Complete Cruiser

VOLADOR is one of the top brands that produce the best quality longboards. VOLADOR 42 inches is designed especially for cruising along with the campus and streets.

Its deck is wide and long made of hard maple for carrying heavy loads and managing the ride easily. The good cruise controls and bigger deck size make this longboard easy for newbies to learn freeriding. Let’s take a quick look at its specifications below.

Specifications:

Maple Construction:

Great material is used to build the VOLADOR longboard. 8 ply rock hard maple is 100% natural and has 8 layers that are joined and stuck together with epoxy glue for more strength. The material is highly environment friendly and gives you a long lasting service.

Large deck:

The freeride longboard has a 42 inches deck that offers your feet with large enough space allowing them to move freely whereas the grip tape holds your feet in place so that you don’t fall down or lose balance.

The board has self-balancing properties that balance the board by itself. This amazing property and the larger deck size makes VOLADOR longboard ideal for beginners.

Wheels:

VOLADOR 42 inch makes sure that you have a smooth ride with 70 mm robust wheels. The wheels are soft consisting of polyurethane. The softness is determined by the durometer rating which is 78 A for these wheels.

The soft yet very strong wheels give you a confident and smooth grip while rolling on a variety of planes. The wheels are highly durable, flexible and have great shock absorbing characteristics. These wheels remain in use for a longer duration and will be a great support if you are a beginner.

Trucks:

The reverse kingpin trucks are of 7-inch size and T-shaped that connect the wheels with the deck firmly. The baseplate of the trucks can be adjusted from 45 to 50 degrees.

For the front truck, you can adjust them at 50 degrees and the back trucks can be bent at 45 degrees. This provides you with great turning support and torque from the front trucks and high stability and grip from the back ones.

Bearings:

The wheels consist of precision ABEC 9 bearings that are firm and add smoothness to the ride.

Weight carrying ability:

The strong longboard can carry a weight of up to 250 pounds. It can carry the weight of almost everyone be it kids, men, women, slim or hefty people. Riders with a diversity of physiques can use this easiest freeride longboard for cruising.

Verdict:

Made from very natural wooden material VOLADOR 42 inch is highly environment friendly. The non-toxic material is safe for the ecosystem and also best for riding. The large deck provides you with a comfortable ride and confident grip, the trucks and bearings add to the smoothness and freeriding style.

It is not just a regular cruise board, but it is the best beginner freeride longboard. It proves itself to be phenomenal on downhill areas, crackes, pebbles, slopes, plane land or grass.

You won’t feel any shakiness and wobbles while riding on slopes and down the hills due to its amazing speed, shock absorption and stability making it best freeride longboard. If you love freeriding and are a newbie then VOLADOR 42 is the best longboard for you.

2. MINORITY Downhill Maple Longboard 40-inch Drop Deck

MINORITY is a trustworthy brand that manufactures the best freeride longboards. A reputed brand like MINORITY always makes quality products to justify their name and to satisfy the customers. MINORITY has used super strong, fully natural maple wood to construct the longboard.

It has a 40 inches long hard deck, polyurethane wheels, with supportive trucks and bearings. The pocket friendly, multipurpose longboard can be easily used for freestyle downhill riding. Let’s see what else this board has to offer.

Specifications:

Maple Construction:

It is amazing to see how the deck is made from 100% natural maple wood. The 8 ply rock-hard maple is cold-pressed and incredibly strong. You will be amazed to see how the MINORITY deck provides you with long-lasting service and durability.

Large drop deck:

The 40 inches long and 10 inches wide MINORITY Drop Deck provides a good foot space. The low deck construction manages your center of gravity and is great for reaching high speeds with stability. The lower deck structure along with the 37-inch wheelbase, provides you a fascinating downhill ride.

Wheels:

The wheels have a 70 mm diameter and 51 mm width and are known for high durability. The MINORITY wheels keep an average level of hardness with 78 A durometer rating. The polyurethane formula is used specially for shocks absorption and for confident controls and a smoother ride.

Furthermore, the maple deck and strong polyurethane wheels go in line for providing a smoothly managed ride on various kinds of terrains. The wheels won’t wear out soon if used with care.

You can go for freeriding in the way. You can cruise across the streets, down the hill, roll over bumpy and cracked surfaces, on grass, and in skate parks.

Trucks:

The genuinely made aluminium reverse kingpin trucks are of 7 inch in size that join the wheels and the deck. These trucks have an ability to adjust up to an angle of 45 or 50 degrees for delivering great controls and equilibrium when you take abrupt and sharp turns and ride down the hill.

Bearings:

The finely constructed tough wheels in collaboration with the precision ABEC 9 steel bearings to make sure maximum lubrication takes place during speedy rides providing strong grip and balance at the same time.

Weight carrying ability:

The MINORITY longboard itself weighs 7.5 pounds and has the weight bearing capacity of 250 pounds. The board has enough ability to carry heavy weight individuals, so heavy riders can easily ride it.

Verdict:

The MINORITY longboard allows you to fascinate everyone with freeride longboard tricks. A worth purchasing freeride longboard with a hard maple deck board and supportive wheels, incredible cruise controls and high stability.

A complete package is offered by MINORITY for freeriders that is not only strong but very beautiful as well. It is very easy to ride and specially designed for freestyle riding. It has self-balancing functions and good grip on slopes making it the best downhill freeride longboard.

If you require a freeride longboard that has some specialty for down-the-hill riding then MINORITY downhill maple longboard is best suitable for you.

3. VOLADOR 40inch Maple Longboard

VOLADOR is a reputed brand for producing the best longboards for freeride. The 40 inch medium sized deck is the best for freestyling. The pure maple concave shape of the deck supports you in maintaining balance at high speed.

To make your ride more smooth sturdy wheels are supported by trucks and bearings. Let’s have a detailed look at its features.

Specifications:

Maple Construction:

8 ply rock hard maple is used for the construction of the VOLADOR longboard. The natural, cold-pressed, and unique board has a tough structure and the 8 plies are joined by epoxy glue to make the deck stronger. This prevents the board from breaking with slight impacts making it highly durable and long-lasting.

Large deck:

VOLADOR longboard has a drop deck of 40 inches in length and 9-inch width. Designed for both beginners and pros, the large deck size is great for commuting on plane land, slopes, and bumpy surfaces too. The huge deck size provides extra foot space whereas the drop deck speeds up your ride for you to have an exciting experience with maximum stability.

Concave shape:

The concave shape of the deck locks in your feet and holds them firmly in place so that you can have a good grip and you don’t fall during the ride especially the downhill and sloppy rides. The concave shape makes VOLADOR 40 inch best longboard for freeriding.

Wheels:

The extremely durable 70 mm wheels have a good hardness level of 80 A durometejrs which provides a grippier and controlled ride. The poured polyurethane formula with its high rebounding effect makes the ride smoother especially at sharp turns.
The deck and wheels work in collaboration in order to manage a diversity of surfaces. Whether you race down the hill, go for tricky rides, roll over the bumps and wreckage, the wheels will save you from the shocks and avoid the imbalance.

Trucks:

The wheels are attached to the deck by a set of reverse kingpin trucks. These trucks are made up of aluminum alloy and of 7 inches in size. The strong trucks have the ability to bend up to 45 or 50 degrees, giving you the necessary flexibility while freeriding. You will feel the smoothness and balance in your ride due to the trucks when you take sharp turns.

Bearings:

For the wheels to move liberally and smoothly, the precision ABEC 9 are used. These bearings are finely made with chrome steel and are highly firm. They make turning at high speed easy with maximum grip and balance.

Weight carrying ability:

A weight-bearing ability of up to 250 pounds is great for hefty or tall riders to go for a freestyle ride without fear of losing balance.

Colors and designs:

The flawless designs are sensibly made keeping in view the rider’s need. The concave shape of the deck allows riders to adjust their feet firmly, making it easy for riders to cruise at a fast speed, whereas the design also shields against wheel bites.

The graphical artwork is a specialty of VOLADOR which is eye-catching and very unique. VOLADOR 40 Inch longboard is offering artisan work in 6 designs: Autumn, Arrow, Sword, Sun, Tunnel, and Rainbow. You can freely choose your favorite design to match your style.

Verdict:

It is worthy to spend money on something that is highly natural such as the 100% natural hard maple wood used to construct the deck. The strong wooden deck along with sturdy wheels allow you to ride at fast speed at multiple terrains without any fear of losing balance and falling.

The purposely shaped concave board allows you to hit maximum fast speed whereas the design protects against the wheel bites. Also, the concave shape is amazing for amateurs making VOLADOR the best beginner freeride longboard.

If you want a longboard with the finest graphics and a blend of astonishing features, VOLADOR 40 inch is the one you should go for.

4. Playshion Drop Through Freestyle Longboard Skateboard Cruiser

Playshion is a well-known brand for producing multiple kinds of longboards. Keeping in consideration the customer’s needs for freeriding, they have manufactured Playshion drop through freeride longboard.

The cool colourful longboard features a 39 inches deck of bamboo and maple wood, robust and wide wheels, rust free bearings and flexible trucks. All these features collectively give a best longboard freeride. Let’s take a look at its specifications below.

Specifications:

Maple Construction:

Playshion deck is made up of a 2 ply Bamboo and 5 ply rock hard maple wood. Most of the decks are made of maple wood which is very strong but Playshion 39 inch deck is composed of a combination of maple and bamboo giving the deck a sturdier base.

The maple wood is very hard providing the maximum hardness and strength to the deck whereas the bamboo is comparatively soft which provides flexibility to the deck. While riding you will feel both the hardness and flexibility that will give you a balanced grip and confidence.

Drop through deck:

The 39 inch long and 9.1 inches wide deck is an ideal size for freeriding. It is neither too big nor too small and an average sized foot can easily stand on it and balance the ride.

Secondly, the drop through deck shape is very important in case of freeriding as it supports freeriding style in the best way.

There is only a 4 inches gap between the deck and the ground. This small distance and the drop deck shape lowers your center of gravity and helps you to do the pushing and braking easily.

Wheels:

The soft core and hard exterior wheels are of 70 mm in diameter and 51 mm in width. The soft interior and harder outer side of the wheels offer you maximum stability and strong grip. The especially poured polyurethane formula helps you take sharp turns easily without losing balance and grip.

The harder and wider surface of the longboard wheels allow you to roll over various kinds of surfaces. The wheels will absorb shocks and add balance to your ride while you go for a free ride on the downhill area and slopes.

Trucks:

A set of reverse kingpin trucks are attached to the wheels that are made from good quality aluminium. The 7 inches long trucks are very less in weight but are highly durable. The trucks are equipped with soft bushings which are coated with a powder that prevents rust and corrosion.

The trucks are adjustable, you can loosen them if you want to take sharp turns and if you are riding at high speed and want better stability than you can tighten them. It’s all up to your wish.

Bearings:

The precision ABEC 9 are used by Playshion freeride longboard. These bearings are exclusively made from steel that make it highly durable and strong. Inside the bearings there are steel ball that have nylon cages which makes the possible friction rate very low.

They make very little to no noise while working. These sturdy bearings will give you a smooth grippier ride despite the terrain you are riding on.

Weight carrying ability:

A weight bearing ability of up to 250 pounds is great for hefty or tall riders to go for a freestyle ride without fear of losing balance.

Colours and designs:

You can pick from seven different colours. Also there are three different patterns and four graphical designs to choose from.

Verdict:

The strong deck has double wooden material of hard maple and soft bamboo that makes it sturdy and flexible at the same time.

This characteristic makes Playshion drop through very unique one of the best longboards for freeride.
The strong structure is also very durable with aluminium trucks and steel bearings that do not get corroded. The wheels attached are sturdy and wide that give you maximum stability and prevent friction.

With amazing aesthetics and best value, the Playshion drop through freeride longboard can carry a good amount of weight and is designed specifically for freeriding. If you are a learner and love to freeride, then PlayStation 39 inch is best for you.

Buying Guide for Best Freeriding Longboard:

If you are interested in buying a freeriding longboard, here is a complete buying guide to ease your decision. Mentioned below are all the important features that make up the best freeride longboard.

Deck:

 Freeride deck mounting style: 

A top mount deck needs more effort to move for a slide. Once it goes into the sliding position, it is much more responsive with good control than the drop deck or drop-through deck.

Drop through deck is nearer to the ground which results in a lower central gravity providing more stability and easier to start on the slide.

On the other hand a dropped deck is even more near to the ground than drop through and provides easier traction and stability. The longer length of drop deck and drop through decks are comparatively longer than the topmount decks that makes higher speeds stable.

For beginner freeriders, drop decks are more stable and easy to learn whereas the topmount decks are recommended for pro riders for powerful control and better responsiveness.

 Deck shape: 

You have the option of Symmetrical decks and directional decks, you can choose any of these that suits you well. Directional decks are shorter in length but are highly responsive and appropriate for high speeds and innovative freeriding.

Directional decks are usually top mounted, drop throughs in this shape are not very common.
Symmetrical decks are preferred for freeriding with lesser speed and switch riding style. They have comparatively larger decks with enough wheel cutouts and provide more space for larger wheels to adjust.

 Deck size: 

A bigger deck with larger wheelbase will give you a secure ride while down the hill riding as compared to a shorter deck. The bigger wheelbase will avoid shakes at high speed and easier to slide on and maintain balance. On the contrary a smaller deck will be more comfortable and receptive while making fast and sharp turns.

 Concave for freeriding: 

Decks with slightly concave sides are essential for locking in your feet while fast downhill riding and sliding. Concave gives you larger foot space for easier balance.

If you are a learner, try opting for the larger sized deck that has deep foot space that strongly holds your feet making you confident. Later as you progress you can shift to delicate concave shapes to provide freedom to your feet while performing slide tricks.

Wheels:

 Wheel size: 

No doubt wheels are a vital part of a longboard. For freeriding, larger wheels with a diameter of 70 mm or more roll at faster speed but the size is selected according to the deck’s wheel area to avoid wheel bite.

 Durometer: 

Wheels with larger durometer are harder (84A) and wheels with less durometer rating are softer (78A). Harder tires break the traction easily but are difficult to control the speed. Whereas throwing longer slides at lesser speed is easier with hard wheels.

On the contrary, softer wheels have better control over speed. As softer wheels have superior grip than the hard ones, they have the ability to provide higher speed at slides.

A simple rule to remember is that softer tires do not have a faster speed as the harder ones but they are way smoother and grippier than the hard wheels.

 Wheel Shape: 

Along with the hardness, the shape of the wheel has some vital roles to play. Sharp lips of the wheels easily gets you to slide whereas the rounded lipped wheels have less acceleration and less power while traveling. Contact patch and width of the wheel predict how good your grip will be while sliding.

The size and shape of the deck also has a great influence on the nature of wheels. A topmount deck that is smaller in size is highly responsive but has lesser stability at fast speed.

So for this kind of deck, a set of squared and softer wheels will suit best as they will provide stability to the ride by minimizing the uneasiness and shakiness during freeriding.

However, lower, larger decks are difficult to put into traction during slides. They require a harder set of wheels with rounded lips for easier slide rides.

Core:

Placement of the core of the wheel affects how a wheel goes into and gets out of sliding and downhill racing. The cores are to be placed at the center of the wheel for free riding.

Urethane Formula:

Polyurethane formula helps to make rides smoother than ever. They also provide maximum grip while turning. For freestyle riding, this formula is essential as it provides a smooth controlled ride. This formula is poured in almost all longboarding wheels.

Trucks:

For freeriding, reverse kingpin trucks are suggested due to their high responsiveness and stability at higher speeds. Nowadays, some freeriders go for smaller freeride decks attached with traditional kingpins that aids in quick slides.
When it comes to the size of the trucks, smaller trucks are better for more stability.

 Truck baseplate angle: 

Trucks adjusted at a lower angle are stable but less responsive whereas the trucks with higher angle are less stable at high speed but more responsive at lower speed.

Truck angles vary from 45 to 55 degrees approximately. Reverse kingpin trucks with an angle of 50 degrees are great for freestyle riding as they offer a good fusion of turns with stability. Riders who require high speed tend to have lower angles (45 degree).

 Flex and Kicks: 

If the deck is stiff, it adds more stability to the ride, especially at a fast pace. So for good freeriding, a stiffer deck is suggested. Free Riding longboards have an 8 to 9 ply maple hard wooden material or some have even better fiberglass and bamboo construction.

As we talk about kicks, they are good for slower and mixed freestyle rides. At high-speed kicks might reduce stability. If you are racing down the hill that has higher speed, then avoid kicks or go for small kicks.

FAQs:

Wrap up:

We have finally reviewed the best longboards for freeride. We hope that you enjoyed reading it and had maximum understanding of the freeride longboarding.

We suggest you go through the buying guide in detail before purchasing a freeriding longboard for yourself so that you do not have to face disappointment later on.

If you are a newbie to longboarding, freeriding can be a bit tricky for you. So it is better if you get a beginner freeride longboard and learn how to freeride longboard. Then after practicing your skills, it will be easy for you to do freeriding.