Ohh, this is a special one. Today I’ll be talking about what sort of setups riders use to skate all sorts of speeds. From those appropriate for going 25mph, to those built to break world records (90mph speeds). So if you’ve ever wondered what sort of gear riders are using to go that fast, you should keep reading. Check it out below.
And for the sake of providing a rounded overview, I’ve included how riders typically stop at these speeds – people generally don’t go fast if they don’t have a plan of stopping …
What type of longboards are best for different speeds?
10mph/16kph
This is more or less pushing speed. It’s relatively nice and safe, and it’s the speed majority of skaters will spend their time at. You don’t need any specialized setup to go this fast, even a basic skateboard would do.
As you start approaching 15mph, you start going fast enough for things to start feeling exhilarating and a bit more fun. But you are still slow enough to that things will still feel relatively chill. When I’m cruising around, I find this speed to be the most enjoyable. I can still carve hard, pop ollies, and take tight turns without feeling too unstable.
Best longboard for this speed?
Any sort of longboard, skateboard, rolling device would do. But if you have a really cheap, Amazon, Walmart-Esque cruiser, going this fast might be quite the challenge. Cheap plastic wheels paired with poor bearings make it hard for a cheap board to gain any sort of speed.
How to stop at this speed?
Foot braking or running off your board usually does the trick. Though I wouldn’t really recommend running off your board as you could hurt yourself. That said, running off is not a bad way to stop in an emergency situation.
20mph/30kph
20-25mph is fast and feels incredibly sketchy on any cruiser and on most longboards. If you foresee yourself going this fast, please wear a helmet.
Cruisers just aren’t built for speed, so at this speed, your cruiser trucks may start to twitch a little giving you a hint of the wobbles to come. And if you don’t have strong ankles and balancing, you will likely wobble and fall. Cruisers around 32inches in height with wheelbases less than 20inches will typically not be too stable at this speed.
On the other hand, bigger cruisers, with 25inch wheelbases will feel more stable. Though, they will still have that twitchiness and will be quite scary for this sort of speed.
Best longboard to go 20mph?
As I mentioned above, you start to max out on the capabilities of a small cruiser when going this fast. Bigger cruisers with longer wheelbases are more appropriate. Something with a wheelbase longer than 22inches will feel stable and nicer at this sort of speed.
How to stop when going 30kph?
Air braking, foot braking, and carving will slow you down at this speed. Just make sure you have enough space and room if you choose to carve the speed out. You could also slide if you got the skills and equipment. All said foot braking is the most reliable and safe way to slow down.
30mph/50kph
This is a respectably quick speed. If you’ve hit 30mph, you should pat yourself on the back. If you’re a DH skater, you can probably hit this speed on most hills with a good longboard tuck.
If you achieved this on your cruiser, you’re a daredevil. Even I as an experienced DH skater wouldn’t try hit 30mph on a cruiser …
If you’re thinking of hitting this speed regularly, I recommend you pick up a dedicated downhill longboard. Wobbles are very common at this speed, especially on setups not designed to handle speed. It’s a good idea to start investing in something designed for going this fast.
That said, most big cruisers can hit this sort of speed. Though they won’t be too stable and there is a good chance you will wobble.
What setups can go 30mph comfortably?
Like, I said, most big longboards can go 30mph. That said, not all of them will be stable or give you a confidence-inspiring ride. To be consistently stable going 30mph, you will at the very least a setup that has aftermarket bushings dialed in for your weight. These go in your trucks and will help give you the stability you need for going this quick.
If you want to learn more about setting up your trucks to be stable, click here.
For an example of a board capable of 30mph, check out my board below. This was my first all-around sort of setup. It’s what I skated before I realized that I wanted to bomb hills full-time.
- Deck – Lush Chopper DK
- Wheelbase – 18.4inches
- Trucks – Paris trucks 180mm
- Truck baseplate angles – 50degrees
- Bushings and washer
- 90a Paris stock barrels roadside
- 90a Pog barrels boardside
- Flat washers roadside and cupped washers boardside.
- Wheels – Cult Converter
The setup was ok for going about 30mph. It didn’t give the most confidence-inspiring ride and it was very twitchy, but it was capable of 30mph. Would I recommend it to any other rider? No. I would instead recommend you get a downhill setup with appropriate parts, as those are fast safer to skate with when you got this quick.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BRSSZRoBRA_/
How to stop from 30mph on your longboard?
Air braking, foot braking, and carving are good bets for shedding speed. Sliding is common too. Most people who choose to go this fast can slide to a stop with ease.
Foot braking is a good way to stop, but it can lead to wobbles if you try to suddenly put your foot off the board and on to the ground. Instead, if you have the room to do so, try carve and airbrake to shed some speed off. This will help you get down to a slower speed where you can foot brake without wobbling and twitching.
If you’re already wobbling and want to slow down, my best advice is to remain calm, focus your weight on the front truck and try your best to relax. Once the wobbles go, try airbrake and carve to shed off some speed so you can foot brake comfortably.
A good rule of thumb is to always have a plan to stop and a method of decreasing your speed.
Check out an example of the pre-drifts used to manage your speed above 30mph in the video below. If you want to learn to slide like this, check out this guide here.
40mph/65kph
Now we’re getting into serious speed territory. If you hit this speed and can do it regularly (and safely), you deserve a pat on the back.
Most people who go this fast probably have a dedicated DH setup and wear helmets and slide gloves.
If you’re one of the few who don’t wear protective gear, I ask that you do. I can tell you from experience, falling at 40mph isn’t the nicest experience. The road rash and bruises aren’t nice, and you’re often lucky to walk away without a concussion. So keep safe and wear protective gear at all times if you choose to go this quick.
For this sort of speed, you start to see majority riders using setups customized for going fast. Their setups will consist of stiff downhill longboards, with lower angle trucks, and bushings based on their weight. They also likely have bigger longboard downhill wheels that allow them to achieve these speeds.
What longboard setups can easily go 40mph?
As I mentioned earlier, stiff longboards, with low angle trucks, bushings dialed for weight, and (sometimes) big wheels are best for going this fast. Take a look at the longboard below for an example of a setup that can handle 40mph speeds with ease.
The longboard above belongs to my friend Kyle. It’s dialed in to go as fast as 40mph and maybe 50mph too – but we haven’t tested that yet hehe … Kyles longboard has the following specifications:
- Deck – Pantheon Gaia
- Wheelbase – 24.5 inches
- Trucks – Paris Savants, 165mm
- Truck baseplate angles – 43 degrees
- Bushings and washer
- 87a Venom barrical board side
- 87a barrel roadside. Flat washers all-around.
- Wheels – Orangatang 4Presidents or Powell Peralta snakes
Kyle weighs about 70-75kg (about 160lbs). The bushings he has chosen work well for his weight, giving him some decent flow and turn, but enough stiffness that he will be stable at 40mph.
Though Kyle does use Paris savants, he can achieve about the same on Cast Paris trucks.
How to stop when going 40mph?
Air braking and sliding is the way to go. You can footbrake too, but if you aren’t using the Swiss/European foot brake things can get wobbly very easy.
Sliding is the most common way to stop. Most people who choose to go this fast can slide to a stop with ease.
If you can’t already comfortably stop at 30mph, it’s probably not a good idea to go 40mph …
50mph/80kph
Alright, if you hit this you’re a proper daredevil. Not many people have gone this fast and you should be proud to call yourself one of the few who have.
Hitting 50mph doesn’t feel so different from 40-45mph. If you regularly skate at 40mph, 50mph shouldn’t be suuuch a big deal for you.
At this speed, most riders have the basic protective gear (slide gloves, helmet) and even more choose to wear full-face helmets. When you fall this fast, a lot of things happen quickly and you could easily end up damaging your face. If you want to stay pretty, a proper longboard full-face helmet is what you need.
Back in the 70s and 80s, the speed record was about 50mph. Folks didn’t have the same equipment we do these days and wheel technology wasn’t as developed then. The speed tuck was also just being introduced into the scene and they also didn’t have access to some of the gnarly hills we have today – or were maybe too scared to hit them idk. So whilst it isn’t so difficult to it 50mph these days, it was quite the feat some years ago.
Check out the Signal Hill Speed run if you want to brush up on your downhill speed skating history …
What type of longboards can you use to go 50mph?
To go this sort of speed, you see more and more riders utilizing slightly stiffer bushings (for a less responsive ride), or split angle setups.
A split angle setup is when the angle of the baseplate in front is different from the one in the back. For example, the setup in the picture below has a 43* baseplate in front and a 35* baseplate in the back.
An over the top real-world example of how split angles behave is the car. The front wheels do most of the turning whilst the back wheels follow it. Split angle plates work similarly. They allow you to decrease how much turning the back truck does by using a lower angle baseplate …
And by reducing the amount of turning the back truck does you increase the stability of the board and decrease the chances of getting speed wobbles.
So when you look at setups used to go very, very fast, you’ll often find that a rider has used split angles on their setup. But that said, some riders do prefer symmetrical trucks for going fast too. And you might also see some riders using split angles at slower speeds because they enjoy the security of the added stability.
The setup in the picture above breaks down to:
- Deck – Loaded Truncated Tesseract
- Wheelbase – 24.5 inches
- Trucks – Paris Savants, 165mm
- Truck baseplate angles – 43/35 degrees
- Bushings and washer
- 85 Venom barrels in the front truck
- 93a Venom barrels in the back truck . Flat washers all-around.
- Wheels – Orangatang Kegels
Bushings for split angles are different. Because the angle of the back truck is lower, you have more leverage over your bushings. You thus need harder bushings to maintain the same feel of “resistance” throughout your board.
This is my setup, and I’ve hit 80kph on it. It felt stable and solid at those speeds. I felt I could comfortably hit 100kph on it (I didn’t get the opportunity to test that though) …
How to stop?
Air braking and sliding is probably the safest bet to shave off speed. Air braking is the safest method though, and you can air brake from 50mph and you’ll be able to get your speed down to about 30-40mph. At that point, you should be able to comfortably slide without the worry of wobbles, or you can then foot brake. Some riders, like those in the video below, just opt to slide instead. If you have enough control as a rider, it is a viable option too.
The world’s fastest longboards and longboarders …
Finally getting to the most exciting part of this article. I’ll now be talking about really quick speeds and the setups riders use to go that fast. Instead of focusing on general setups, I’ll be focusing on certain riders and what they choose to use when going fast.
At the “higher” levels of DH skateboarding, you find quite the variety of setups between riders. A lot of what a rider chooses to use boils down to personal preference and experience. And there is sometimes such diversity between what different riders ride that it can feel confusing to understand sometimes hehe.
So I think it’s better to look at the setup and the rider as one thing, or as one unit. Their setups do follow a rule of thumb, but every single thing has been customized and tweaked to fit their preferences, quirks, body types, shoes, how tight they want the board to feel, etc. I could go on! You could tell a lot about a person by how they set up their board …
And whilst all the setups below have been immaculately set up and thoroughly tested at many speeds, it was the riders doing most of the work. You can’t simply pick up any of their boards and go out and replicate the same.
Finally, keep in mind that a lot of riders keep their setups relevantly “samey” and have used the same setup to go 60, 70, and even 80mph. So when I say “this is a good setup for 60mph”, I’m not necessarily implying that it would get wobbles and be unstable for faster speeds. It’s more about a given clip, video, etc. …
60mph/100kph
60mph is a HUUGE milestone for any rider. Going this fast and joining the 3 digit club is no joke. It requires a decent amount of skill and most riders will likely never go this fast.
Most skaters who hit this speed are likely very experienced with years of skating under their belt. To go this fast, they likely have big DH wheels like Kegels, Magnums, Cueis, or Seismic Alphas to help them reach these sorts of speeds. They also probably rock full-face helmets and it wouldn’t be surprising if leathers and precision trucks make up a core part of their setups.
Speeds like this are easily hit on the IDF race circuit. Races like Kozakov, Newtons, Killington, Peyragudes, etc., have riders hitting these speeds regularly. It’s quite dangerous to go this fast on open roads, so events that have safety measures in place are the best spots to try go this quick. That said, some riders choose to skate open roads this quick.
The riders who do choose to skate open roads like this do take several safety precautions so they can skate fast safely. For example, the road skated by Kalil in the hill below is semi – “closed off”. The riders use walkie talkies to ensure that the hill is clear of vehicles and is safe to skate.
I haven’t gone over 50mph, so I can’t give you a first-hand experience of what it feels like to go that fast, unfortunately. Buut, Troy Yardwaste explains what it feels like to go over 100kph in this post radical documentary here, about 2.30min into the video. It’s worth listening to.
Below is another clip of people just skating quick. I think it presents a cool perspective.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BqOLE8_BtvA/
What type of setup is best for going 60mph?
Riders typically have precision trucks along with the basic downhill skateboard gear that I mentioned above.
What makes precision trucks special is how they are manufactured. Unlike the other truck options that are cast into molds or are forged, precision trucks are cut out of a block of aluminum with a CNC machine.
This ensures micro-meter precision and that there will be no play and slop between the different truck components. Ensuring for a precise feeling ride, that is stable at really fast speeds.
Of course, you will also find precision trucks used throughout all levels of downhill skating. That said, they are a bit overkill for the slower sub-40mph speeds. They cost between $350-$450, so they are quite the investment.
Emily Pross
In the clip below, Emily and a bunch of other riders go about 65mph at the Killington Downhill race back in 2018. This is roughly what Emily was using to skate then:
- Deck – Kebbek Emily Pross Mountain (her pro model)
- Grip – Hondar Grip
- Trucks – Ronin trucks, 144mm, split rake 5mm in the front truck, 0mm in the back truck
- Truck baseplate angles – 45/25*
- Bushings –
- 88a Ronin Factory OEM bushings in the front truck
- 95/92a Ronin Factory OEM bushings in the back truck
- Wheels – Various
- Bearings – Hondar bearings
You can check out her setup video here.
Aside from the deck, Emily now rides completely different trucks. She now skates Rojas trucks, which use a patented/proprietary geometry that uses on big bushing instead of the normal two.
Check out Emily’s 65mph run at Killington in the clip below.
Pearse Darcy
Pearse is a rider out of Ireland that is making waves in the DH scene. He’s a great rider, with a style of skating that is enjoyable to watch. Here is what he rides:
- Deck – Luca Oumuamua ft Torque BLock
- Grip – Seismic Lokton
- Trucks – Exile Trucks, 120mm-140mm
- Truck baseplate angles – 45/20*
- Bushings –
- 74/78a Venom hpf barrels in the front truck
- 93/95a Venom hpf barrels in the back truck
- APS Pivot tubes/Stock Exile pivot tubes
- Spherical inserts
- Wheels – Venom Magnums
- Bearings – Seismic Ceramic Tekton
Zane Bonser
Zane is an upcoming rider from Australia. One of those riders you can sort of tell is gonna make a big impact in the race scene over the next few years – Australia seems to be the cooking pot for a ton of great riders.
In the clip below, Zane (red helmet) and Nick Greentree are at the Loser Mountain Freeride. A freeride event where riders can expect to hit speeds upwards of 100kph into tight hairpins.
The setup described below is Zane riders at the moment – the setup he uses in the clip below is a bit different (the clip below was filmed last summer).
- Deck – Landyachtz Small Blind (uses a Landyachtz Osteon in the video below) ft Torque BLock
- Grip – Seismic Lokton
- Trucks – Ronin trucks, 124mm-134mm, split rake 5mm in the front truck, 2.5mm in the back truck
- Truck baseplate angles – 45/25*
- Bushings –
- 74a Venom barrels in the front truck
- 93/95a Venom barrels in the back truck
- Wheels – Venom Magnums (might be Cuei Killers in the video below)
- Bearings – Bronson G2 bearings
Despite being 6ft 2inches tall, Zane loves the tiny Small Blind. He says he loves how much grip and stopping power he can get from it … Finally, he comments that he raced the Cuei (75a-80a) Killers for all the IDF races he attended, but that he was switching over to the Venom Magnums cause they felt better for him, being the bigger rider that he is.
You’ll find most riders who go this fast using Downhill race wheels.
Melissa Brogni
Straight out of Brazil, Melissa is one of the best female Downhill skateboarders in the world. She’s a force to reckon with on the world circuit and she usually podiums at every race she attends.
Here is what Mel rides:
- Deck – Kysigni Black mamba
- Grip – Seismic Lokton
- Trucks – Aera k5 164mm
- Truck baseplate angles – 46/42*
- Bushings – Hardcore bushings
- Wheels – Powell Peralta K-rimes 82a (80a in the video below)
- Bearings – Bones Big Balls Precision Bearings
Interesting to see her use Hardcore bushings – some riders don’t like them because they have a lot of rebound. But in contrast to that, a lot of skaters do love them especially when they use them in Aera (or Paris) trucks. And it kinda of makes sense. The guy who designed Aera trucks, also designed Hardcore bushings. It simply makes sense that they make for a good combo.
Anyway, check out Mel going really quick in the clip below. Nothing fancy. Just a simple, but very impressive (and fast) hill bomb.
How to stop?
To stop from 60mph, most riders use air braking to try and shave off a lot of their speed. They then carve to shed some speed before sliding.
70mph/110kph
To go this fast, a rider needs to be in a high altitude location like Colorado, the Alps, etc.. That, or they have access to some crazy mountain roads where these speeds can be achieved.
Riders can go this fast at the Pasul Vulcan freeride in Romania. With an average steepness of 15%, riders hit 100kph without tucking! It’s insane honestly, and one of the gnarliest races on the IDF racing circuit. The top speed on it was achieved by Nick Broms who hit a top speed of 125kph here.
They say that you can feel every mph increase after 100kph/60mph. I imagine the energy need to overcome air resistance at those speeds is more, so you feel the air pushing against you when going that fast. I can’t imagine going this quick on a longboard and I honestly can’t wait to try.
What do riders use to go this fast?
Nick Broms
Despite being one of the youngest competitors at the Translyvania Vulcan race, Nick Broms went the fastest. He had a top speed of 125kph during one of his runs there. This what Nick rides:
- Deck – GMR Nick Broms Pro Tucker (his pro model) ft Torque block
- Wheelbase – 22inches
- Grip – Cuei Grip
- Trucks – Ronin trucks, 134mm, split rake 5mm in the front truck, 2.5mm in the back truck
- Truck baseplate angles – 45/25* or 35*.
- Bushings –
- 88a Ronin Factory OEM bushings in the front truck
- 95/92a Ronin Factory OEM bushings in the back truck
- Flipped cup washer RS, in the back truck
- Cupped washer RS in the back truck
- Wheels – 75a Cuei Killers
- Bearings – Skape bearings
Though not his record-setting run, enjoy this clip of Nick Broms skating Vulcan in 2018.
Sebastian Hertler
One of the fastest European riders, Sebastian is a force to reckon with at all races. He’s even been nicknamed the shark because of how he eats up other racers haha.
Below is the setup he skates with. It’s more old school and seems kind of out of place with the smaller longboards used today. Check it out:
- Deck – Root Longboards Shark
- Grip – Cuei Grip
- Trucks – Gog Trucks
- Bushings –
- 85a Venom bushings in the front truck
- 90/93a Venom bushings in the back truck
- 97a Inserts
- Wheels – 74a Cult Raptures
With this setup, he’s able to go 125kph with ease. Check out the Insta clip of this below. Pretty mad if you ask me.
Zak Mills Goodwin
In the clip below, Zak and luge rider Elchje hit a staggering 127.8kph, with Zak in mere board shorts, a t-shirt, and a half-shell. Maybe the fastest speed hit in a half-shell? Who knows, but it’s fast. This is the setup he used to make it happen:
- Deck – Fibretec Deck (uses a Landyachtz Wolfshark in the video below)
- Grip – Seismic Lokton
- Trucks – Rogue Slalom trucks, 106mm
- Truck baseplate angles – 50/30*
- Bushings –
- 78a Venom barrels in the front truck, 95a insert, flat washers
- 95/97a Venom barrels in the back truck. 95a inserts, cupped washer RS
- Wheels – Venom Magnums
I’m really surprised that Zak uses a 30* plate, and not the 20* or 15* plates a lot of people running slalom trucks use. But that back truck is locked down with those bushings, so maybe the higher angle doesn’t matter so much? Zak sends it regardless.
You can also catch the Youtube video of this run here.
Ian Freire
Ian Freire is imo, one of the all-time great freeride longboarders in the world. He has such consistent technique and it’s really enjoyable to watch him skate.
In the raw run below, Ian goes about 120kph at the Pasul Vulcan freeride/race in Romania. One of the fastest runs recorded there.
When I asked Ian about his setup, he said he has a different setup for the type of riding he is doing. If he is doing mainly freeride, he skates with:
- Deck – Rocket Ian Freire Pro (his pro model board)
- Trucks – Aera Trucks. 174mm
- Truck baseplate angles – 46/46
- Bushings – 85/90a Venom Bushings
- Wheels – Cuei Sliders (but depends on the hill)
For downhill, he uses a similar setup with some minor adjustments.
- Deck – Rocket Ian Freire Pro (his pro model board)
- Trucks – Aera Trucks. 164mm
- Truck baseplate angles – 46/30
- Bushings –
- Front truck 90/90a Venom Bushings
- Back truck 93/93a Venom Bushings
- Wheels – 74a Cuei Killers
He also said he would use Loaded Foam under his griptape, but stopped using it because it wasn’t easy to get in Brazil.
Aaron Hampshire
One of my favorite riders to watch skate, Aaron isn’t afraid to go fast on open roads. And thanks to his dialed in technique and form, it is almost always enjoyable to watch footage of him. In the clip below, he gets over 70mph on a Swiss mountain pass. He’s used the same/similar setup to skate over 80mph too.
Here is what Aaron is riding these days:
- Deck – 2012 Jati Fu
- Grip – Seismic Lokton
- Wheelbase – 27in
- Trucks – Rogue Trucks 52/20
- Truck baseplate angles – 50/20
- Bushings –
- 90/90a Venom bushings front truck
- 95/97a Venom bushings back truck
- 95a Inserts all-around
- Sleeved Washers all-around
- Pink (97a) pivot front truck, green (93a) pivot back truck
- Wheels – 80mm, 74a, Seismic Alphas
- Bearings – 7ball Ceramic Seismic Tekton Bearings
Aaron has also HEAVILY customized his Jati Fu. He’s carbon wrapped it for extra stiffness and added 5mm flush mounting to it. Interestingly, he has different weights of Carbon used on different parts of the board too. Check it out in the picture below:
I should note that the setup Aaron uses in the video below is a bit different from the one I’ve described above, it might be a bit closer to the one described here. Still, he sends it on the deck described above and has likely hit over 70mph on it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUpLFi4b4Ic
How do they stop?
Stopping at 70mph seems similar to stopping at 60mph – you use a lot of air braking to help reduce your speed. However, I think you’d have to be more careful so that you don’t get blown off your board, or forced to weigh your back foot.
80mph/130kphs
The speed record was stuck here for the longest time. We just didn’t have hills steep enough (or conditions) to push past this barrier. Mischo set the record back in 2012, and it stood for some time. I believe Erik Lundberg finally broke it back in 2015/2016 by some 10ths faster – Redbull captured his journey to do this and you can watch the documentary here.
For a long while, it seemed like 80ishmph was the fastest speed possible, but a significant breakthrough was made by Kyle Wester in 2016. He went 89mph on a hill in Colorado. This below everyone’s mind at the time and it is still a very worthy feat.
Going 80mph is just as wild as it sounds. In a blog post linked in a section below, Pete Connolly describes what it’s like to go 80mph. He says that when you go that fast, the wind wants to get under you and wants to pull you out of your tuck. And that you board feel unweighted and very sensitive … pretty scary-sounding stuff tbh …
What do riders use to go 80mph?
Dexter Manning
Up next, we got Dexter Manning. Landyachtz quickest rider and a man who isn’t afraid to go hard on open roads. In a Reddit AMA some years ago, Dexter surprised me when he said he went about 80mph on Bear 852s in 2014 – I honestly still cannot wrap my head around that. The man went 80mph on CAST TRUCKS. That’s insane …
Though in the clip below, Dex uses a different, “more manageable” setup to go 80mph. This time at that same hill in Colorado where the 89mph record was set. Here is what Dex used to go that fast:
- Deck – Landyachtz Canyon Arrow
- Trucks – Bear Kodiaks, 160mm
- Truck baseplate angles – 50/45 *He used a precision Bear plate upfront
- Bushings –
- 85a Venom barrels in the front truck
- 90/93a Venom barrels in the back truck
- Wheels – 76a 73mm Biggie Hawgs
- Bearings – Bear Spaceball bearings
Check out Dex’s 80mph run in the clip below.
Though three years later, Dex has changed his setup considerably. Still, I think he’d be able to go just as quick on it. Here is what he rides now:
- Deck – Landyachtz Small Blind (his pro model)
- Wheelbase – 21in
- Trucks – Bear Smokies 120mm
- Truck baseplate angles – 50/20
- Bushings –
- 73/78a Venom barrels in the front truck
- 95/97a Venom barrels in the back truck
- Wheels – 76/85a Hawgs Cheetas
- Bearings – Bones Race Red bearings
- Grip – Hardcore grip
Check out my review of the Landyachtz Small Blind here.
In line with the DH trends of today. Dex now skates a smaller board, with Slalom style trucks. Interesting to see this evolution.
Harry Clarke
The 2019 world champion! In the clip below, Harry and Justin Rolo go way too fast (around 80mph) at a secret location in the mountains – again, the same hill where Kyle Wester set the 89mph world record. I still don’t understand where skaters get the courage to get this fast … it looks unbelievably quick. Anyway here is what Harry rides:
- Deck – Madrid Snitch (his pro-model board) with a torque block
- Trucks – Rogue Slalom trucks
- Front truck 106mm
- Back truck 119mm
- Truck baseplate angles – 54/23*
- Bushings –
- 73/78a barrels in the front truck, 95a insert
- 95/97a barrels in the back truck. 95a insert
- Wheels – Venom 74a Magnums
- Bearings – Hondar 6 ball ceramics or Zealous Bearings
- Footstop – Marley Footstop
I don’t think Harry was riding the Rogue Slaloms in the video below. But I’m certain his setup now is more than capable of replicating the same.
How to stop?
If you suddenly stand up at this speed to air brake you will likely fall. A lot of riders at the annual L’Ultime Descent – top speed challenge fell because they would stand up to air brake and would get blown off their boards – which is kinda funny tbh. The first thing you’d expect is that they would wobble and crash, not get blown off their boards.
90mph/144kphs
Only four longboarders in history have ever gone this fast on their boards and it’s likely no one ever will again. At the 2017 L’Ultimate Descent top speed competition, a favorable tailwind gave competitors an extra 10mph boost. Turning the already monstrous 80mph hill, into a 90mph beast!
What happened back in 2017 was a lifetime achievement. Riders got very, very lucky that tailwind was there. And with wheel and longboard technology near its peak, there isn’t much else riders can improve on to go this fast, or any faster than this. Without mother nature and luck on your side, there’s not much you can do.
That said, the future is written in sand, it’s for anyone to change. We might still get surprised in the years to come.
The worlds fastest longboards – 90mph weapons
Pete Connolly – the worlds fastest skater
Pete has a really good write up of his experiences going 90mph written here, with tie-ins of how he prepared to skate that fast.
To be honest, Pete’s setup is quite a surprise to me. With most riders opting for split-angle setups with huge changes in angles (check out the other two setups below), Pete uses a smaller one. His board is certainly an outlier in that regard. But it is also the perfect example of finding what works for you, or that not everything works for anybody. Pretty cool to see and I’m stoked he was willing to share the details on his setup.
- Deck – Lush Slayer (his pro model) + lead weight and custom Aero kit
- Trucks – Sabre Cold Forged Trucks, 170mm
- Truck baseplate angles – 38/33
- Two 7mm risers on the front truck
- 5 Degree dewedge on the back truck
- Bushings
- 97a Venom Barrel, Bones 97a Stepped Fatcone in the front truck
- 95a Venom Barrel, Bones 97a Stepped Fatcone in the back truck
- CNC Cupped washers RS
- Bearings – Customed bearings (he says he would ride Zealous from now on)
Max Capps
Max was the first rider at the 2017 L’ultime Descent event to go over 90mph. Though he ultimately came in 4th at the race with a very respectable 145.64kph. This is what he chose to ride:
- Deck – Maxx Capps ProtoShape Harpoon w/ aero kit
- Trucks – Ronin Trucks, 120mm 40* front, 105mm 12* rear,
- Front truck 126mm
- Back truck 105mm
- Truck baseplate angles – 40/12*
- Bushings – Factory Bushings
- Wheels – 90mm 81a Reflex Flys
- Bearings – Ceramic Zealous Bearings
Tim Del
Coming in 2nd at the Top speed event, here is what Tim Del skated:
- Deck – GMR M80
- Trucks – Ronin Billet trucks 184mm
- Truck baseplate angles – 40/20*
- Bushings -Factory Bushings
- Wheels – 90mm 81a Reflex Flywheels
How do they stop?
Riders who came out of their tucks too quickly will literally get blown off their boards – so suddenly air braking isn’t an option at those speeds. Riders try to gently come out of their trucks, unfolding their knees and lifting their shoulders slowly. Fortunately, the hill at the Top speed event also mellows out enough that skaters naturally shed that monstrous speed …
What do you think? Learned something new?
Big thanks to all the riders who were kind enough to take time out of their day to talk about their setups. As a rider and a gear nerd, writing this article was quite fun. Seeing what people use to skate fast has been eye-opening and informative. It’s also very interesting to see how what people use to skate fast these days, differs from what riders were using a few years ago. If you want to see what riders used to skate fast a few years ago, check out the Venom setup Saturdays series here.
So in line with those trends, I wonder how the DH boards of the future will look like. Will they be like the DH slalom boards of today? Or will something revolutionary happen? Or will Rojas take over and will RKP trucks become a thing of the past? It’s very exciting and I hope I’ll be here to witness it all.
Also, keep in mind that the setups I’ve mentioned aren’t representative of all of those used to go fast. The DH skate scene is very diverse and there are loads of different setups out there.
Finally, all that’s left for me is to skate this fast so I can give y’all a first-hand experience hehe. Thanks for reading and I hope all fo you are well.
If you like this article and want to read more, let me know on social media! Getting feedback from people is how I know these articles are helping people. Alternatively, you can also support me through Patreon. Whichever works for you 
Thanks to Patrons Jed, Mowgii, Kasajja, and SuperBadJuJu for the support so far.
3 comments on “What type of longboard do you need to skate fast? (90mph)”
Mark Ward
September 21, 2020 at 4:26 pmGreat information! Thanks for the post and guidance on best boards around 15-20 miles an hour. Just a beginner and don’t plan on 70-100 any time soon!!
James
February 2, 2022 at 7:49 pmYou are killing it with this content! We got to look through the window into the world of the fastest skaters on the planet. I am absolutely going to hit some of those links for a deeper dive.
Edgarso
April 25, 2022 at 8:29 pmThanks for the info. Is drop cat 33 goos enough to go at 25-30mph max speed regularly?