Do you love your board, and want the world to know it? Our programmer Timmy just added a review section on our website! To celebrate the new feature, we’re going to hold a contest for a GoldCoast Pier Shovel deck. For every admin-approved post you make, we will enter your name into a drawing. Next Wednesday we’ll randomly select the winner. Make sure your reviews include appropriate language and proper punctuation. You may write as many reviews as you like on products that you, as each review equals an entry into the contest.

There are a few common issues that can occur after intensive riding. Flat spots happen when a wheel is slid sideways. One area will wear down faster than the rest. A flat spot will cause vibrations and a loss of balance while ... Read More »]]>
The first number on a wheel is the diameter, which reads in millimeters, like 70mm. The next number is the hardness. The higher the number, the harder the wheel is, and the opposite for smaller numbers. the letter “a” is the scale in durometer. 78a is generally known as the best all around hardness. 75a would be softer and more “grippy”, and 81a would be harder and faster. Harder wheels are better for sliding, since they are less “grippy”, and will break loose easier. If a wheel feels too slick while sliding, you would adjust by reducing the durometer.

There are a few common issues that can occur after intensive riding. Flat spots happen when a wheel is slid sideways. One area will wear down faster than the rest. A flat spot will cause vibrations and a loss of balance while riding. One way to fix the flat spots is to do quick slides repetitively to reshape the wheel.

Coning is what happens after long periods of sliding and carving. The inside or outside edge of the wheel wears down from pressure, and becomes thinner. A way to prevent this is to switch around your wheels to make sure you can wear them evenly. A center set core wheel is typically symmetrical, so it is the same profile when flipped.

The hardness of your wheels is ultimately a personal preference. You need to find the balance between hard and soft wheels that will be best for the riding you will be doing.

What is Polyurethane? It is an abrasion resistant ... Read More »]]>
It takes many components to build a longboard, but one of the most important is the wheel. While the smooth ride they supply is one of the trademarks of the longboard, the first wheels weren’t nearly as forgiving.  Wheels for skateboards, longboards, and roller skates originally started out as steel, and evolved into a mixture of paper, plastic, and finely ground walnut shells. The softer wheels were only durable for about 7 hours at a time, and couldn’t hold up to any technical riding. Frank Nasworthy and friends would skateboard when the waves were too low for surfing, but the “tooth jarring” vibrations and unpredictable wobbles kept the sport from becoming popular.  That all changed after one summer day when Nasworthy saw some neighbor kids using experimental roller-skate wheels made out of polyurethane.

What is Polyurethane? It is an abrasion resistant plastic that lasts longer and gives good ground grip. Every time a wheel turns, it’s flattened out, momentarily causing a deformity. Polyurethane is resilient and pops back out. A wheel that didn’t deform would lose shock absorption and ride-smoothing characteristics.

Later this week, I’ll post a few common problems that occur with wheels, and how to fix them. Stay tuned!