The Complete Longboard Bushings Guide

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Everything has its time, so is your Longboard Bushings. However good your longboard bushings are, they will meet problems after a certain time of use like the details gone wrong. Then it’s your time to look back and adjust your longboard by Understanding Longboard Bushings.

Before adjusting the small components of your longboard, you must get to know it first. So today we will get into longboard bushings.

What is the bushing's position in the longboard?

Each longboard consists of 2 trucks, in the front and the back. Each truck has a base plate (connect to the board) and a hanger (connect the wheels to the truck). There are pivots and kingpins to attach those parts together. The kingpin is the bolt which supports the turns and the rings around the kingpin are called the bushings.

How important are the bushings in the longboard?

There are usually 2 bushings in each truck. One in the middle of the truck for making your turns flexible and springy. The other is smaller and set right between the head of the truck and the first bushing. You can tighten or loosen it easily to adjust the quality of your ride to your interest.

Tight:

For doing tricks

Loose:

For ordinary cruising

Hardness:

Hardness of bushing

The bushings usually have a different hardness which decides the quality. The measuring unit of bushings’ hardness is the durometer. The symbolized letter for the durometer is A. The bushing’s hardness usually lies between 60A and 100A. The popular material to make bushings is polyurethane.

Low number: Soft, less stable

High number: Hard, more stable

Shape of Bushing

There are many kinds of bushings that are in different shapes and for various functions. Here are they:

Cone shape (cruising ):

Least polyurethane. Least resistance, so quick turns.

Barrel shape (carving, free ride, downhill):

Most polyurethane. Medium resistance. Strong force for turns.

Stepped cone (free ride):

Least polyurethane. More resistance for more control than the cone shape. Better fitted.

Double stepped (downhill):

Most polyurethane. More polyurethane in the center for better stability. Medium resistance. Strong force for turns.

Longboard bushing shapes left to right:

cone – barrel – stepped cone – double-stepped

Type of Longboard Bushing:

As said in the picture, there are 4 types of bushings. Each type of bushings above suits the picture right above it. The shapes are described as in the image. The cone shape bushings and the stepped cone are nearly the same in quality but the stepped cone is more resistant than the cone shape. Similarly, the barrel and the doubled cone are nearly the same in quality and the doubled cone is more stable because of the structure in the center.

All of the information above I provided to you is just some reference. In order to purchase your very best and super longboard, you must try out a certain number of components to judge the most suitable ones for your board condition and your own needs. Depending on your purposes, you can choose the proper bushings for yourself as described in the systematic tables above.

Have fun choosing your best components and gain great satisfaction with your choice!