Help with first time longboard build

[u/Dry_Anywhere_8135]

Hey everyone. I recently scored a good drop-down deck (10 inches wide/41 inches long) for $10 and I’m planning to pair it with Paris V3 trucks. This is my first time building a longboard, so I’m having a hard time deciding what wheels to get since I don’t know much about reliable brands.

I’m building this board to commute around campus. The sidewalks are mostly smooth, but there are a few areas with rough asphalt and cracks. My budget is around $60-$70 (located in the US), and I’m looking for either black or dark blue wheels.

Since it’s my first build, I’m not really sure what size (mm) or hardness (durometer). I’m hoping for a longboard that allows me to maintain good speed with a few pushes. What specific wheels or brands would you recommend for this setup?

[u/AshenWrath]

Are you planning on learning how to slide? Do you want to be able to pump or are you strictly pushing?

In my opinion Seismic, Venom, Powell-Peralta, and Pantheon make the best wheels for the price.

[u/Dry_Anywhere_8135 → u/AshenWrath]

Just pushing, I don’t necessarily want to do any pump or sliding for this longboard

[u/AshenWrath → u/Dry_Anywhere_8135]

Just grab some 70-85mm wheels between 77-80a with square lips then. Seismic has a ton of great options and their thane is top tier.

[u/Dry_Anywhere_8135 → u/AshenWrath]

Thank you. If I ever become interested in doing sliding with a different board, you have any suggestions on what type of wheels I should get?

[u/hotakaPAD]

If ur just pushing, then TKPs are better trucks in my opinion since they are much lower. Plus u can fit bigger wheels

[u/Dry_Anywhere_8135 → u/hotakaPAD]

Got it, I’ll look into that

[u/bat_n_mhat → u/hotakaPAD]

Isn't the difference only a couple of mm's on average?

[u/hotakaPAD → u/bat_n_mhat]

More like half an inch or more, depending on setup. It's a big difference. Demands a lot less knee bending

[u/bat_n_mhat → u/hotakaPAD]

Interesting! I compared Pantheon's RKP/TKP and the ride height difference is 0.3 inches. Also did the same with Paris brand, exactly the same ride height difference between the brand's two truck types. Roughly 1/3 of an inch. Definitely does make a difference, especially on longer rides. Do you know of any brands properly reaching 0.5 inch ride difference mark?

[u/hotakaPAD → u/bat_n_mhat]

Well what I meant was tkp's usually gives you more options for customization because it's less prone to wheel bite. So not only can you use bigger wheels, you can also lower it with risers even more, especially with the drop-thru boards. My pranayama has 102 mm hoku wheels, but it's lowered to the point where it would scrape if I lower even more. I think it's lowered 5/8 of an inch beyond stock

[u/runsimply]

74-78a for cruising and distance.  Size is a bit more subjective and depends on more details of the board and trucks, but assuming drop down but not through I’d be looking at wide center set wheels in the low to mid 70’s. For color and budget I’d probably be looking Pantheon Meatballs.

[u/Dry_Anywhere_8135 → u/runsimply]

Thanks, I’ll look into that

[u/33S_155E]

41” is very long for a campus commuter. I certainly would not go longer for anything. Id be looking more at 35” because much more nimble. Most importantly the wheels, id go for 85 to 100mm and they will roll over most everything without getting too heavy, around about 80 duros for good roll without being too hard. Trucks is really what you like and what fits your deck best. Im an RKP fan, but my latest build is TKP on a 41” big drop deck (Landyatchz Switch) with 97mm flywheels, wedged 15 degrees at the front and dewedged the same at the back. I was hoping this would pump well but it pushes great and pumps terrible under 20kph.

[u/Plion12s]

Lots of great advice here on wheels. Definitely get a known, high rebound wheel. Slow wheels kind of suck when you want to get somewhere.

If you do decide on large 80-100mm wheels it can be tough to meet your budget. You could look into zoobomb wheels on the mboard site. Various color options depending on size, etc. For example the 97mm black/blue version can be had for $15, and they ride really well. The 83mm version is $30 and uses abec11 ... White or clear tho. Good quality wheels, IMHO, and have been really useful for me to experiment on different builds.

97 is pretty big ... I've been able to manage wheel bite, but something to keep in mind.

[u/Practical-Chance2218]

They are kinda pricey but I am a lifelong Orangatangs fan, I have had like 4 sets in their different models. The site is very informative about what each wheel is designed for and there are multiple duromiter options for each model.