Today I’m looking at how much a longboard should cost you. I’ll be talking about prices and the quality of boards you can expect in a given price range. If you want to learn how best to set your budget (and expectations), check out the article below.
Buying guide – what to expect?
The cost depends on the type of longboard you want to buy …
How much your longboard will cost is going to depend on the type of longboard you want and the type of skating you want to do.
For example, a mini-cruiser is going to cost differently than a longboard for dancing (spoiler, the dancer is a lot more expensive). And a regular popsicle skateboard is gonna cost differently from a board built for downhill skateboarding.
Different types of skating mean different types of boards and costs …
The main reason that these boards cost differently is the materials used and the amount of materials used.
For example, a mini-cruiser is a lot smaller than a longboard for dancing. The longboard for dancing is a lot bigger and requires more materials to make it. In terms of the deck, mini-cruisers usually have about 7plys of maple and are only about 30inches long. Most dancers have 8plys of maple (or composites) and are about 45inches long.
Just based on the length of the deck alone, you can see the dancer is longer and needs more material to make it. It makes sense if it costs more.
The baseline of quality is also different for different types of skating
What is going to be acceptable for the more casual types of riding/longboarding, is not going to be acceptable for the more focused, specialist types of skating.
For example, with cruising, you can get away with cheaper, mass-produced boards. But with more specialist skating like dancing, freestyle, downhill, freeriding, etc., the decent/acceptable boards are going to be higher quality and more expensive.
If you want to progress skill-wise in the more specialist types of skating, you simply need a quality board with quality components.
For example, with downhill, a decent board with quality components will ensure you don’t get speed wobbles easily. And with dance, a good board with good trucks will turn smoothly and in a controlled way, making it easy to pull off peter-pans and other dance moves.
It’s ok to buy a cheaper longboard, but …
It’s ok to get a cheaper longboard, especially if you’re doing casual skating like just cruising around. But you get what you pay for. The cheaper longboards don’t ride very well and don’t turn very smoothly.
I will say, if you’re on a tight budget, it’s ok to get a cheap longboard to start with and you should also look into the second-hand longboard market. You can get longboards from big-name brands for very cheap second-hand and they’re usually in fairly decent condition. They’re ideal if you want quality on a budget.
Finally, if you do want to do a specialist/skillful type of longboarding, DO NOT cheap out. Go for a quality longboard from the jump, or pick up a cheap one on the second-hand market. Cheap ones with poor-quality components will hold back your progression and make it difficult to learn. They’re just a headache and are better avoided altogether.
Price isn’t an exact indicator of quality, but it’s pretty good …
Finally yes, whilst I will give you some price ranges to go off with, they’re only accurate about 80% of the time.
You might find some boards that are priced well below their range of quality. You might find some boards that are low-quality and overpriced … etc.
You’ll be fine if you go off this list, but if you want to be accurate, do your research about these boards and brands individually to make sure you’re getting your money’s worth.
Mini cruisers
What is a mini-cruiser longboard?
Mini-cruisers are boards made with about 7plys of maple, are usually about 30inches long and about 8inches wide. They come with fine griptape on the deck and usually have TKP (traditional kingpin trucks on the bottom) and wheels about 60mm in size. The Landyachtz Dinghy below is an excellent example of a mini-cruiser.
Learn more about the best mini-cruisers here.
- Average length: 28inches
- Average width: 8inches
- Trucks: TKP (traditional kingpin) trucks
- Average wheels diameter: 60mm
- Average construction: 7plys of maple
- Flex: None typically.
- Typical shape: Single kicktail
Check out my in-depth review of the Landyachtz Dinghy here.
What are they best used for?
They’re best used for quick skates under 3miles or under 10minutes of riding. They’re very nimble and you have to work to keep them going straight and to keep up their speed. Not the best after 10minutes of riding.
They make great boards for kids too.
Not the best for beginners, tricks, or learning tricks, but you can make do with some effort.
How much should a mini-cruiser cost? (+ some examples)
- Low-quality – $50-$80
- Decent/high-quality – $100-$150
- High-quality – $180+
What to expect with low-quality ($50-$80) mini-cruisers
A low-quality cruiser will be mass-produced and have low-quality trucks and wheels. The trucks will be the weakest part and the boards won’t turn smoothly and won’t feel the best.
For example, the Magneto cruiser. Check it out here on Amazon.com.
What to expect with decent/high-quality ($100-$150) mini-cruisers
Decent quality cruisers will feel great. They will likely have quality parts throughout and you get great value for money.
For example, the Landyachtz Dinghy. Check it out here at the Stoked ride shop.
What to expect with high-quality ($180+) mini-cruisers
High-quality cruisers are usually about the same in quality as decent-quality cruisers. They probably come from a big-name brand which is why they’re overpriced. But some are made with higher-quality manufacturing techniques/exotic materials. You are guaranteed quality though.
For example, the Loaded Omakase. Find it here on Amazon.com.
Cruisers
What is a cruiser longboard?
A cruiser is a longboard about 35inches in length and 9-10inches in width. It usually comes with RKP trucks and big, soft 70mm tall wheels. It usually has fine griptape and comes in a variety of mounting options. The decks are usually made from 8plys of maple, but some have fiberglass, bamboo, and other composites. The decks are sometimes flexy. The Landyachtz Drop Cat 33 is a good example of a cruiser longboard.
- Average length: 35inches
- Average width: 9-10inches
- Trucks: RKP (reverse kingpin) trucks
- Average wheels diameter: 70mm
- Average construction: 8plys of maple/bamboo/composite.
- Flex: A little usually.
- Typical shape: Drop through, drop mount, drop down, top mount, twin kicktail, etc. A lot of variety.
Check out my in-depth review of the Landyachtz Drop Cat 33 here.
What are cruiser longboards best used for?
Cruisers are supposed to give you that effortless riding experience where you could skate and cruise forever. Just standing on your board enjoying the feel of riding.
They’re gonna be better for those longer rides (greater than 5miles and 10minutes). They’re also gonna be able to coast for longer thanks to the big 70mm wheels.
If you want to maximize the feeling of riding and enjoying skateboarding, a cruiser is the way to go.
But because they’re bigger, they’re not very portable and are hard to carry around.
How much should a cruiser cost?
- Low-quality – < $100
- Decent/low-quality – $100-150
- High-quality – $150-220
- High-quality/overpriced – $250+
What to expect with low-quality (<$100) cruisers
A low-quality cruiser will be a mass-produced board from an unknown company trying to make a quick buck (most of the completes on Amazon.com.). It will have a cheap deck that might break and will have cheap trucks that turn poorly and wheels that don’t roll very fast.
The Playshion Drop-through here on Amazon.com is a great example of a low-quality board. It’s cheap but comes with a low-quality deck, wheels, and trucks. It doesn’t offer a good riding experience.
What to expect with a decent/low-quality ($100-150) cruisers
Within this price range, you either get a high-quality deck or high-quality components. Always one of the two, but uncommon to get both. This is an acceptable price range for those on a budget.
The Magneto cruiser comes with a quality deck but poor components – the trucks, wheels, and bearings are no good. But the deck is top tier. Check it out here on Amazon.com.
Ehlers also has some quality longboards in the same price range. Check them out here. You get high-quality components and an OK-ish deck. Between the two, the Ehlers might be the better all-around choice. But the Magneto deck is certainly high-quality.
What to expect with high-quality ($150-220) cruisers
In this price range, you are getting your money’s worth. You are getting high-quality decks and high-quality components. You’ll find most big-name longboard brands here. Rayne, Landyachtz, Zenit, Pantheon etc. have great completes in this range.
For example, the Landyachtz Drop Cat is a good example of a high-quality cruiser. Check it out here at the Stoked ride shop.
What to expect from a high-quality/overpriced ($250+)
Here you might be getting a very high-quality board or an overpriced one. They’re all going to ride great and offer an awesome experience. But with the overpriced one, you’re not getting great value for money.
My example of a very high-quality one would be the Comet Cruiser. It has high-quality components, a great deck, and comes with aftermarket components built-in to ensure it rides perfectly from the get-go. Check it out here (use “downhill254” at the check out for 5% off).
My example for overpriced is the Loaded Tan Tien. This is a great deck, with high-quality parts, but you are paying for the brand name too. It is a good board, but the price could be better. Check out the Tan Tien here at the Stoked ridership.
Dancing and freestyle
What longboard is used for dancing and freestyle?
A board for dance is usually about 45inches long and a board for freestyle about 40inches long. It usually has a flexy deck, has no griptape in the middle (but does on the kicktails), and features RKP trucks.
- Average length: 45inches for dance & 40inches for freestyle
- Average width: 9-10inches
- Trucks: RKP (reverse kingpin) trucks
- Average wheels diameter: 65-70mm
- Average construction: 8plys of maple/bamboo/composite.
- Flex: A little or a lot, depends on preference.
- Typical shape: Top mount with a twin kicktail.
What type of riding are these boards used for?
This is the type of longboarding where you do fancy footwork or pick up your board to do all sorts of tricks, throwing it around like a Shaolin Monk would a monkey stick.
Dancing is all the footwork you do without the board leaving the ground. Freestyle is when you do a maneuver that causes the wheels to leave the ground.
But yeah, these boards are great for that … outside of that they don’t perform super well. They turn too slow to be nice for cruising – and in some cases, their wheels are too small to roll over pebbles and road imperfections. And they’re unwieldy too – try carrying one around, it’s a lot of work!
How much should a freestyle or dance board cost?
Dance and freestyle boards tend to be the most expensive types of longboards. I haven’t seen a decent quality dance board under $200.
- Low-quality – < $200
- Decent quality/High-quality – $200-300
- High-quality – $300+
And it’s 100% worth it. Anything cheaper than decent is gonna hold back your progression. It won’t have quality components and it’s just not gonna perform well enough.
What to expect with low-quality (<$200) dancers
Any dancer under $200 is gonna be terrible. They’re not gonna have nice decks that have a nice amount of flex and pop.
For example, the Volador longboard dancer for about $70 is going to be a terrible option (check it out here on Amazon.com.). It will be very heavy, come with low-quality trucks, and wheels. It won’t feel great and be easy to learn on. There is also the chance the low-quality deck can snap when you’re popping an ollie or landing a trick.
Another example would be the Magneto dancer for about $150. Check it out here on Amazon.com. The deck on this complete is pretty ok actually, and the quality of it is on par with higher-quality completes. But the components are terrible – they’ll hold back your learning experience altogether.
But in this range, the Ehlers Dancer Complete is your best bet. It comes with great components and a decent quality deck. For only $160, it’s a pretty good deck. And if you can’t afford the other higher-quality boards, it’s the one I recommend.
What to expect with decent quality/high-quality ($200-300) dancers
In this price range, you’ll find big-name brands and quality dance boards. If you want a good board to get started on your longboard dance or freestyle journey, set your budget to this amount.
Brands you’ll find here are Landyachtz Longboards, Rayne longboards, DB longboards, Zenit longboards, etc.
For example, the Landyachtz Tony Danza is a great freestyle/dance board costing about $230. Check it out here at the Stoked ride shop.
You can also check out the much longer, 46inch, dance-appropriate, watercolor Stratus here on Stoked ride shop.com too for about the same price.
In the EU, you can get a high-quality dancer for £180/$246. The Quinboards dancer (available here at SlidePerfect.co.uk), comes with a high-quality deck and components that don’t hold a rider’s progression back. It’s one of the more affordable completes in the EU region – most longboard stuff is a bit expensive in the EU …
What to expect with high-quality/overpriced ($320+) dance boards
In this price range, the decks are usually the most expensive components. They usually are made with exotic materials like bamboo, fiberglass, carbon stringers, urethane bumpers, etc. They are also vertically laminated or have some special type of construction.
You’ll find brands like Loaded, Luca longboards, and other companies.
The Landyachtz Stratus Hollow is a good example. Check it out here at the Stoked ride shop. It comes with a deck that has hollowed-out parts, making it super lightweight – but just as strong as the normal decks … interesting eh?
Downhill skateboards
What is a downhill skateboard?
Downhill skateboards typically come in at about 35inches in length, about 9.5inches in width, and have RKP trucks with a baseplate angle of about 45*. They usually come with wheels about 72mm in size and coarse griptape on the deck. Finally, the deck is usually quite stiff. The Landyachtz Freedive Reef below is a good example of a downhill skateboard.
- Average length: 35inches
- Average width: 9-10inches
- Trucks: RKP (reverse kingpin) trucks, 45* trucks
- Average wheels diameter: 65-75mm
- Average construction: 9plys of maple/bamboo/composite.
- Flex: None. They are speed stiff.
- Typical shape: Top mount, drop-mount, drop-through, etc.
How are downhill skateboards best used?
Downhill skateboarders are made stiff with stiffer trucks to give you good control at speed. They don’t feel good for slow-speed skating as they’re not super turny. The stiff deck also reflects a lot of road vibration … they’re not the best for simply enjoying skating and the feel of it.
But on a hill and above 25mph, these things come alive. They feel stable and controllable at higher speeds, and the wheels slide smoothly too. You can trust them and ride with confidence at those speeds.
They work great in the environment they’re designed for, but don’t work as well outside of it.
How much should a downhill skateboard cost?
Like dancing above, you’re going to want to invest in a decent quality board. Cheaper boards will give you a poor quality experience and hold back your skill progression.
- Low-quality – < $180
- Decent quality/High-quality – $200-300
- High-quality – $300+
What to expect with a low-quality downhill (<$180) board
In this price range, you can expect to get an ok deck, that is stiff enough. However, it might be prone to delamination and can splinter easily if it hits a hard object (imagine falling and your deck going into the curb).
The components are going to be terrible. They won’t turn smoothly and won’t feel stable at all – definitely not something you’ll be comfortable taking about 20mph. They’re a safety hazard. Finally, you likely can’t slide the wheels very well – they just won’t break out in a smooth controlled way.
Our example this time is going to be the MINORITY Downhill Maple Longboard, check it out here on Amazon.com. The deck might be ok, and with the low price of about $70 it might be tempting to get this board, but steer clear. It will give you a poor riding experience.
Another example will be the Magneto Tesla here on Amazon.com. The deck is ok, but the components are terrible. You’ll end up spending more to get proper quality wheels and trucks to get this thing to be ride decently down a hill.
What to expect with a decent quality/high-quality ($200-300) downhill board
This is what to set your price range at for a decent board. It will give you a great learning experience and you’ll be sliding and bombing hills with confidence in no time.
It will likely come with a quality deck, quality trucks, and wheels you can learn to slide on. The only thing missing is coarse griptape and bushings for your weight – but those are upgrades you’ll make in due time.
You’ll find brands like Landyachtz, Zenit, Pantheon, DB, Sp8Boards, etc. in this price range.
An example of a decent quality downhill complete is the new Landyachtz Freedive complete. Check it out here on Stokedrideshop.com. You can pick it up for about $289 and it comes with fairly high-quality components and a great deck.
What to expect with a high-quality ($300+) downhill board?
In this price range, you can expect boards with similar components to the boards in the decent/high-quality price range but with more exotic construction and materials.
For example, the Loaded Tesseract complete is very expensive. The components aren’t that special, but the deck is. It is a lightweight deck made of vertically laminated bamboo and fiberglass, and has cork to provide vibration dampening … its exotic stuff.
The only time it makes sense to spend this much is if you really like the deck, want something lightweight, something special, or just want to spend money. Decks in the lower price ranges will get the job done all the same.
Commuting/Long distance riding
What is a commuter longboard?
This is a type of longboard that is going to be the best for clearing long distances quickly and tackling a lot of environments. If you have to cover a long distance, it’s the right choice.
These types of boards sit low to the ground to make it easy for you to push and footbrake (it also adds some stability). They come with huge 80mm+ wheels that roll over everything and provide a comfortable ride and feature either RKP or TKP trucks.
The Pantheon Nexus below is a good example of a commuter longboard.
- Average length: 33-40inches
- Average width: 8-10inches
- Trucks: RKP (reverse kingpin) or TKP (traditional kingpin) trucks
- Average wheels diameter: 75-90mm
- Average construction: 7-9plys of maple/bamboo/composite.
- Flex: Depends.
- Typical shape: Drop-mount, drop-through, etc.
What are commuter longboards best used for?
If you want to skate over 5km to your place of work effectively and efficiently, they are the go-to. If you want to skate 42km (marathon distance) for fun, they are the go-to.
How much should a commuter/long-distance board cost?
- Low-quality – < $200
- Decent quality/High-quality – $200-320
- High-quality – $350+
What to expect from a low-quality (>$200) commuter?
The only commuter worth getting in this price range is the DB longboards Bear 33 (the Sashimi 32 and Mini-cooper 33 DB completes are great too). Check them out here on Amazon.com.
They’re gonna work great as commuters. They feature big 90mm wheels that will roll over everything and coast forever and have a kinda flexy deck. It’s gonna be easy to push and will ride great.
Everything else cheaper than this is gonna ride trash for commuting long distances. Nothing else is gonna have the right height wheels, the right trucks, the right mounting options (that brings you close to the ground, etc.), an appropriate flex. Don’t look elsewhere. This is your best bet.
What to expect from a decent quality/high-quality ($200-$320) commuter?
In this price range, you’ll find boards like the Pantheon Ember, Pantheon Nexus, Bustin Sportster, Subsonic GT 40, Zenit AB Maze, etc.
These boards will come with high-quality, flexy (in some cases) decks, big fast-rolling wheels, and trucks that turn smoothly. You’ll be able to ride them long-distances out the box and they’re gonna perform great.
If you’re serious about commuting, then the boards in this price range should be your go-to.
What to expect from the $350+ commuter longboards?
Now, this is experienced rider territory. You see crazy setups with a mix of platforms and precision trucks … I advise you to avoid this for now and come back when you know more about boards and are ready to experiment! … I also say this because I don’t know too much about the more expensive commuter setups.
What do you think? Has this article been helpful?
The goal of this article is to allow you to adjust your expectations (and budget) appropriately, so you can pick up the right longboard for your needs. Hope it’s been helpful!
But remember, you get what you pay for and second boards are always an option too.
Big thanks to all my patrons for the support – Jed, Mowgii, Jan, Jay, Owen, Samil, Daniel, Alex, Kasajja, Leah, Helge, DeLacoste, and Justin. I couldn’t write articles like this without you guys’ support
