I was thinking of taking up longboarding on paved paths (with a kite of course) but I don't know anything about them. I saw a 34" longboard at menards for $30 and was tempted just to try it out but that seemed short. Maybe it was more of a youth size. My question is should I just save up for a mountain board and just skip the longboard? The mountain board seems like it would do everything the longboard would do. It looks like I could get a decent board for half the price of a mountain board so it is still tempting. What do you think?

If you just want to try a long board, I think they are very affordable on amazon... I saw some very basic models in the $60-$75 range back when I was looking. Also saw one at Walmart for $50 (just remember its Walmart and you get what you pay for) ... I'm sure if you get into it you can upgrade trucks & wheels easily.

But that really is the extent of my longboard knowledge ... I've NO experience

Do not buy a NEW longboard at wal mart or menards. you will not be happy. incredibly low quality.

Your local Craigslist or the like will certainly have boards for sale for under $100, and while they will be used, you are getting much higher quality components than something from Wal Mart or the like.

Personally I would vote you just save for the ATB!

See the above...ATB w/out prior board skills can be super frustrating at best so hit local CL

I ride a Landyachts switchblade now. ($250) I have ridden many boards in my life and I can tell ya "You get what you pay for" . If you ride a decent board with say ABEC 7-11 bearings under kite power ,you are gonna prolly get hurt. It is like being on ice.

An ATB is a completely different animal . The turning radius isn't even close to comparable.(12ft.ATB vs.4 ft.LB) Under kite power you need bindings to keep the board with you. You have to get your feet out in front of you. Not easily done on a longboard, more than likely ,you will get snatched off of it. Get a used LB and a used ATB and enjoy both !

long board ride is mostly "on top" and balanced. longboarding has help my strapless surfboard action for sure head control and use for deep carves. definitely different scale to ATB ...atb require more leg /hip strength but at down hill speeds longboard require serious flexibility and balance ...at about 15-20 mph feel alot alike

i like drop thru stuff , currently sector 9 norseman flexi smooth and grip! you want big fat soft wheels i swapped to butter balls and lost top end speed just cause they're so slippery, but cool on speed check! had switch back to stock.

you don't need much power as small a kite that will work, too much and things get out hand quick!

oh yeah get "real" longboard

There's a good deal on a flexboardz Haize in the for sale section, IIRC. I love that board.

My idea for longboard would be nasa wing on 2 meter lines. Luckily there is a longboard trend right now so I checked my local cl and looks like I can get respectable longboards for around $90 (I was looking at the dropped deck style not the ones that look like surfboards). There are almost never any mountain boards available locally. Ultimately, I'd rather get a landboard for versatility but it's tempting to save some money and test the waters with the longboard.

I have MS Maverik and Maverik DT all both 46" long ... this is a correct size .

http://vimeo.com/42846798

in case you needed a push to go strapless

more

While we are talking about Longboards, here are a few you might want to try out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXH2_OIExPI&feature=yout...

That video was amusing...

But, watch their other promos for incredible action.

They are insane Bro. And they make REALLY nice boards.

Suds, Weldngod, the boards in those videos are similar to the some of the ones that are available locally which is what I as considering. There is a landyachtz 40" chinook on my local cl for $100. It looks decent but I don't know if that's a decent brand or not.

Landyachtz is a good brand, and 40" is nice and long without being a snowboard size...and also the board company those silly gents above were from.

Nice video, Donnie! I'm still laughing. :D Also Suds! Was that in Germany?

I was just riding my sons longboard (Globe) and I think I'm going to get one for myself (not for kiting). Any recommendations on whether the board should be straight, concaved, dropped, etc. and whether I should go with standard or drop-thru trucks?

I won't be bombing big hills or going crazy fast, just screwing around sliding on smaller hills with my son.

Get a double drop if ya want to slide and still have a good bite on the board.This is what I ride http://www.landyachtz.com/D25.cfm?PID=604#.U_E6bmd0zL8 It is great for carving and sliding if ya put zombie hawgs or boss hawgs on it !

I was looking at a switch 37. Is that too short? I was also looking at a 9two5. Cool boards.

I regard it as good,
DT sheet , with big wheelbase
9" Paris truck , ca, 90a bushing ,
Abec11 FREERIDES 77mm/84a wheels ,
abec9 bearings
and this a good cruiser board,
if you want a urban neat usage max 28-30" wheelbases

maibe a little kick tail

I have Other Planet trucks with a Other Planet deck. The trucks are top mounts that are lower than the double drop board. They also don't use bushings, you can ride them with no resistance, but you can add O-rings if you need some resistance.. I have reached 35 mph hour sown a hill with no resistance on them. They where super stable and I didn't even get a hint of speed wobble. How is this possible?

They use a cam instead of a pivot and kingpin. These videos show how they work:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lk90LdRMvbI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PT4Q5N2vLq8

They made a proto of these for a atb and talked about them being used for kiting. I think they would be amazing for kiteing because you don't sacrifice straight line stability for turnabiliy.

Very interesting solution ! The ballans / gravity point really very low.
I'm curious what can endure the white donomid/POM in the middle ( i guess it's not Teflon ) , when they break at the bores.
I go often on dekor stone pavement that is rather jolting (Im only a city cruiser).
I like the BMW solution , but it's complicated and expensive.

Very interesting solution ! The ballans / gravity point really very low.
I'm curious what can endure the white donomid/POM in the middle ( i guess it's not Teflon ) , when they break at the bores.
I go often on dekor stone pavement that is rather jolting (Im only a city cruiser).
I like the BMW solution , but it's complicated and expensive.

damn, i want cam trucks from nother planet!, cool

It really depends on what you will be using it for. Like you stated, if you're going to be using it for kiting along a paved path then I would go with a longboard. However, with a longboard you're limited by just going on paved roads. With a mountain board, you could take it out on dirt, grass etc.. I own a longboard, I don't use it for kiting, rather just cruising around. Remember also that longboard wheels range from 50-80mm. So really, I would just go with the mountain board that has nice big wheels perfect for kite landboarding! If you do decide to go with the longboard, some brands to look into: Sector 9, Landyachtz, Madrid, Santa Cruz. Hit me up with a message if you need help with longboarding.

Cheers, Ari

Longboard wheels have a much lower resistance and durability than standard mountainboard wheels. At my favourite paved spot I only went kiting once with my mountainboard. The rubber on the mountainboard wheels wears down really quickly (1-2 days). With the longboard you will be faster, need less wind and it may well be cheaper, too in the end as you don't have to replace wheels so often.

As there is so little resistance on pavement with a longboard, you'll need a fast kite (most of us fly fixed-bridle buggy race foils at my spot here) to not overtake your own kite. And you can go kiting in the slightest breeze already.

As I ride by board bidirectional and do some small jumps, I have built my own fiberglass-reinforced bidirectional drop-trough deck. It served me well for the last couple of years.

Some friends here use a standard deck and skate trucks from trampa with longboard wheels (this is only possible with a 10mm axle), I think it is a good setup if you also want to do mountainboarding but do not want to have two separate decks. You'll just have to switch wheels to kite on pavement.
http://www.trampaboards.com/mountainboard--15-short-deck-on-...

Here some impressions of my ride at my spot.
https://vimeo.com/37939069 [1:47]

Quote: Originally posted by ventosus

Here some impressions of my ride at my spot. https://vimeo.com/37939069 [1:47]

Nice vibe to that vid.

Great video bro!!

Very cool video!