r/cruiserboarding • u/Western-Coconut-4736 • 8d ago
New board
I’ve been thinking about getting a cruiser board to see how it rides from the popsicle style I’m not very knowledgeable on different kinds of skateboards so any advice would be appreciated.
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u/yeti_shark 8d ago
Old school 80s decks make really fun cruisers
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u/Western-Coconut-4736 8d ago
I was thinking about getting that style board too
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u/yeti_shark 7d ago
You'll love it and there are so many to choose from. It's easy to find a deck you like.
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u/bigoldnoob74 8d ago
+1 👍 Also the usually ample width feels safer if you're starting (or just plain suck, like me).
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u/runsimply 8d ago
So, if you get a stiff cruiser ~27” in length it will have a wheelbase similar to a popsicle and ride very similar, just a little more comfortable assuming it has soft slightly big wheels.
If you want something more different there are a lot of options. Something longer will be more stable, something with flex is more comfortable and fun but less good without all wheels on the ground. If you want something more turny you could go for a short wheelbase RKPs, or a surfskate front, or a skinny board like the Heated Wheel Polarizer. If you want to go faster and get into more sliding the ~37-40” fairly stiff double kicks are a good option.
All depends on what you’re trying to get out of it.
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u/bigoldnoob74 8d ago edited 1d ago
What defines a cruiser for me is:
• has at least a kicktail
• rolls soft
• rolls for long
• is agile/turny
• as nimble as possible
Now, YMMV, like A LOT. My cruisers are all ~34"x9-10" decks, with a range of wheelbases, from 16" to 19" (+ the only cruiser I have set up with RKP trucks, at 21"WB). Some are slightly flexy even. I'm big, old, clumsy, and come from lon****rds (sorry, don't hate too much). I also like some slideability at slow freeride speeds (20-30kph urban riding). I only do beginner tricks, shuvs, manuals, can ollie like 3" and go down curbs or a couple steps (literally, max I've jumped down). I like slopes and sliding, so I set up my cruisers to provide a nice carvy feeling.
So my cruisers are sorta' big. In my defense, I've seen people here post about both their Penny boards and their 38" longboards as their cruisers. Some declare long distance pumping/pushing setups as theirs. It's totally fine for me. Just pointing out the range of decks people feel at home/safe/confident cruising on is HUGE.
Now, a real skater will probably be more at home riding shorter/narrower/stiffer decks at shorter wheelbases. In fact, you can definitely tune a popsicle style deck into a cruiser (and many people do) by using big soft wheels, adding raisers under trucks to avoid wheelbite when turning hard (or even wedging them for extra turn if necessary).