The Longboard Blog

Ok, we know how hard it is to find just the right gift for the holidays, and the last thing you need, is to worry about an order arriving in time for the holidays. The dates show what shipping methods you should use to receive an order before the 24th. Please keep in mind that UPS and USPS are very busy during the last 2 weeks before Christmas, so we cannot guarantee these dates. Most orders are shipping the next business day, but to be safe, we would recommend ordering early.

Order by date to receive by Thursday, December 24th.

Thursday, December 17th - Ground Shipping.
Monday, December 21st - 3 Day Shipping.
Tuesday, December 22nd - 2 Day Shipping.
Wednesday, December 23rd - Next Day Shipping.

This is a copy from our 2008 holiday shopping guide:

The holiday season emails are beginning to arrive, and the most common question has been, “I want to get a longboard for my [girlfriend, husband, etc.], but I don’t know where to start”. I will do my best to provide you with a basic guide on choosing a longboard as a gift.

If the person you are shopping for is a longboard enthusiast, then it’s very likely that they may have dropped a hint on specific products or you may know the style of riding they prefer. For this guide, I will center my attention on longboards with universal capabilities, such as cruising with some speed and carving.

Longboard skateboards have become increasingly popular as a mode of transportation. People use longboards for commuting to the office, cruising to class on college campuses, and training for winter sports like snowboarding.

Length: Longboards between the length of 38″ and 47″ are preferred for longer distance riding. Longer boards tend to be more stable and track straight due to a larger turning radius. Longboards under 38″ have a shorter turning radius which make them good for shorter commutes and college campuses.

Materials: Longboards come in many different materials, such as wood, wood composites [blend of more than one material], and full composites [absence of wood]. Wood is the most familiar material, and offer a very light and stiff platform. Boards with a low amount of flex are good for cruising since a flexible board may rob you of energy from the up and down motion. Wood composite boards are usually thinner, stronger, and have added flexibility. The flexibility of these boards are great for carving, where the flex creates a spring action pumping in and out of turns. Full composite boards can be made of all fiberglass and even see-through plastics. These materials can enhance performance and visual appeal.

We have new TLS Stickers arriving this week. They are both images of mix tapes with “take me to thelongboardstore.com” on them. Our old school customers will appreciate these the most.

We brought in a new brand of helmets this week. The Bern Watts series helmets for men offer a vented back side, visor, and some with graphics. There are also 5 new Bern women’s helmets, some with graphics as well. These helmets are considered action sport helmets, which can be used for snow sports, biking, and skate.

I would like to take a moment to welcome Crystal, our new photographer. In addition to being our Photoshop guru, some of you may have chatted with her during the day hours on our live chat system. Crystal comes to us with loads of longboarding experience from riding with her dad, who is also a passionate longboarder. If you have any suggestions for her [photography related], use the quick contact form on the home page, and let us know to forward it on to her.

I wish I could say there was a story behind both of these stickers, but honestly, I think I was hungry during their creation. We often like to hit up Sonic for their 2pm to 4pm happy hour and get very large brain freezing slushies. We love these new stickers very much, and don’t think they will last very long this time.

System Skate has introduced a new urethane shock riser that we are now using on most of our stock completes. The new riser allows for installation on old and new school hole patterns, and can be facing forward or toward the inside of the longboard. The logo is raised with the script “Mudflap, by System Skate”, which gives it a very finished appearance. The Mudflap is 1/8″ thick and made from injection molded urethane, the same material used in longboard wheels and bushings.

Calling out to all aspiring longboard builders. The Fresh Produce section has become very popular, and boards have been selling out soon after they arrive. We have had many people contact us about this consignment program, but only a few have delivered the goods. If you are building longboards on the side, and want to share them with our customers, then contact us by using the quick contact form on the home page. Read the Fresh Produce Program rules and send us photos of your boards for review. If you are accepted, you will send us 2 each of 2 designs, and when they sell, we send you the money.Fresh Produce Program.pdf 

New TLS Stickers have arrived. We will be adding the Yeti sticker with shipments first, and then including the bird cage sticker about a month later. Both of these stickers and past stickers may also be purchased from the stickers section.

Dear fellow longboarders…[by the way, this is our version of the state of the union address]. The state of longboarding is still very strong. Last spring we talked about fears of a recession in our economy, and this winter we have been bundled up in our homes hearing the realities on the evening news. The Longboard Store has been lucky enough to experience an increase in sales this winter, and we owe it to our wonderful customers. Many new customers have commented that longboarding is simply a cheaper and healthier mode of transportation. For 2009, we will be focusing on doing what we do better. We grew so fast in 2008 and brought on so many new companies, that we often didn’t have the time to properly describe the products. Moving forward, we have already hired another full-time longboard builder, and we have also been interviewing all week for a full-time web and creative person. This new person will keep the longboard photos up to date, write unique descriptions and full specs on all products, and keep this blog updated every day. We have also seen a storm of new companies emerge over the last few months. With the success of our Fresh Produce section, we have identified at least 4 new companies that will be sending boards over. Let’s hope for an exciting 2009 longboarding season, and many clear warm days.