If you have decided to buy your first longboard to get started in either downhill longboarding or cruising, then you may quickly become overwhelmed with the amount of choices you have. If you are buying your board online, you have several options about the style of your board and its functionality. Until you have some riding experience, it may be difficult to narrow your choices. However, there are a few basic rules you should follow when buying a longboard online. 

Do Not Forget Protective Equipment 

Many first-time skaters invest all of their startup money in their first skateboard. However, it is important to remember to budget for proper safety equipment. For a longboard, this means you need to purchase a slide glove in addition to a helmet, elbow pads and knee pads. You may be tempted to skip the slide glove if you plan to start out with cruising and are not interested in downhill. However, sliding is an important skill on any longboard, and you will not be able to fully appreciate the possibilities of your board if you do not purchase a decent slide glove and start learning how to slide. 

While experienced skaters may go through glove pucks rather quickly, as a beginner you can usually get started with a single glove and purchase replacement pucks later. 

Consider the Wheels 

Longboards are actually defined by their large wheel diameter rather than the length of the board. While the length of the board does make a difference, especially if you want to get into trick skating, the diameter of the wheels is more important for going long distances and achieving the stability that longboards are known for. If you are purchasing a full setup, pay close attention to the size of the wheels. The larger and softer the wheels are, the more stable the board will be. It will also have a slower acceleration rate, but a faster top speed. This will make sure you work on your kicking properly while you are learning. 

Don't Invest Too Much 

Buying your first longboard should be an experiment. While it is important to buy a quality board that you can learn on, buying a top-level board does not make sense until you know exactly what style of riding you will do. Unless you have plenty of cash to spend, buy a medium-quality board and invest in quality wheels and trucks instead. These can be transferred to a better board once you have determined your skating style.

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