Best Longboard Wheels for Sliding - Cruising You Must Never Miss

How to be a pro in sliding and cruising? - These best longboard wheels for sliding - cruising will help. Those wheels are content to help you ride on the envelope’s edge, safely push the longboard past, and control it on your purposes. Don’t believe it?

Then, keep reading to see why those longboard wheels are chosen.

Not all the board wheels are made the same. In contrast, they are different in materials, sizes, weights, and applied technologies based on the playing style of the players.

When it comes to longboard wheels for sliding and cruising, you must consider some factors as follow:

Wheel diameter

What sizes are ideal for sliding style?

Firstly, about the size of longboard wheels, it is measured in millimeters (mm.) A rule of thumb is, the smaller wheels are meant to be slower and wear out quickly.

Most wheels are in the range of 64mm to 80mm in diameter. Smaller sizes are also common, but for regular skateboards rather than longboards. Nevertheless, the larger wheels are likely to wheel-bite.

Often, the small to medium diameters - from 65mm to 70mm, are recommended for sliding and cruising players because they are easier to control and break grip whilst sliding.

Wheel durometer

Durometer rating will measure the hardness of a wheel on the Shore A scale. Take notes that the harder wheels (75A to 100A) will move faster, whereas softer ones (70A to 75A) make it less struggling in the grip.

The longboard wheels for sliding and cruising, the wheels are somewhere between 75A and 85A. This will ensure that the wheels are durable enough to learn sliding.

Contact patch

The patch is the cross-section that makes the contact with the ground. Generally, the longboard wheels for sliding usually feature thinner and narrower contact than other wheels because a wide patch results in more friction. In other words, you find it harder to slide the wheels. The measurement is also in millimeters, from 30 to 70mm. Nonetheless, be careful with the sliding because the narrow patches have less grip.

The Lip Profile

Round-lip vs. Sharp-lip

The wheels' outer edges are called “Lip Profile" or “Lip.” Their shape will affect how you ride the wheels in different ways. Normally, you need to choose either “square lip" or “round lip.”

Square lips offer a better grip and stability that are required by downhill riders. Whereas, the round lip profiles are more recommended for free-riders who pursue sliding and cruising techniques. Simply, it is easier for the round lips to break traction, then kick into a slide. Moreover, the round lips are supposed to minimize the contact patches.

Wheel core

The core is optional in longboard wheels, meaning that many models do not have the core in their bearings. However, if you want to slide fast and safely at the same time - always go with the cored-wheels. It is because the cores are helpful to prevent deforming and melting in the bearings when you slide the board. The wheels will roll more smoothly and quickly, and wear evenly at the same time. As a result, the bearings are well aligned and the wheels become more stable.

Now getting insight into the cores, you must choose their placements based on your personal taste, as well as the intended terrain. There are three options available: offset, sideset, and centerest.

• “Offset” cores are slightly off-center, and to be exact, between the sideset and centerest. They are ideal for those sliding hills that feature long straightaways thanks to the control and grip over the cores.
• “Sideset” cores are also known as the backset cores because they are at the wheels’ back. On the one hand, these cores provide more support on the sides. In contrast, the wheels wear out unevenly and quickly, causing the grip to be reduced. All in all, sliding players might be in two minds of the sideset cores.
• “Centerset” cores are stable and grippy in their nature since they are in the wheels’ center. Although it is harder to kick the board sideways compared to the offset cores, the centerset ones are more preferred because of their extended life and versatility for both freeride and downhill players.

Wheel material

Last but not least, take the wheel materials into account since they will decide the weight and durability of the wheels.

Back then, wheels were made of clay, rubber, steel, and plastic. However, now the best favorable material is urethane. Remember that even if the durometer rating is the same, the wheels can still perform differently based on their specific urethane formulas such as Butterfly, Chalky, Greasy, Icy, or Grippy.

Besides, some affordable wheels are made of hard plastic. This material is acceptable, but not supported in retaining the cruising speeds.

Should I use the longboard wheels for sliding on rough terrains?

We would not recommend sliding or cruising on rough roads because it is more dangerous for yourself and the wheels themselves. Nonetheless, boarding surfaces are never as smooth as silk and the wheels should be able to go over the rough terrains occasionally.

At that time, the rougher wheels will last longer. Moreover, it would be even better with softer and more-forgiving urethane formulas.

What are the sliding techniques of the longboard?

Sliding is involved how you pull out the board to move the wheels freely with less grip in the terrains. You can achieve it with different techniques:

• Coleman slide: Developed by Cliff Coleman, the slides are the 180-degree heel slides useful when you go sliding downhill and stop short.
• Drop-down crouch: You can try on the flat asphalt when you start moving the longboard. At that time, try bending your knees while dropping your butt into a crouch.

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• best longboard for sliding
• best longboard wheels for roughroads

What are types of longboards for beginners?

There are three types of longboards available: Downhill, Cruisers, and Freeride.

Those for beginners are the cruiser longboards that are common for daily commuting and carving on the street ways. Those boards often come with pintail shapes.

Next is the freeride boards. As its name suggests, they allow riding freely on all surfaces. It is thanks to their stiff boards and kick tails to help move the boards more easily.

Downhill longboards are the most extreme models because they feature the fastest speeds. Nevertheless, these boards are not recommended for beginners who are not good at maintaining stability and playing skills.

Where to start playing longboards?

First of all, choosing a place that you are familiar with, say, your backyard so that you know what hindrance and debris you possibly come across on the way and try to get over them. Then, set up a small-slope surface or uphill to practice sliding. Make sure that it does not cross the street or so.

There you have it! A list of the best longboard wheels for sliding - cruising! We hope that they have done a good job in helping you narrow down all the possible options in the broad market.

If you still cannot make up your mind and are open for suggestions, then we think the Orangatang in heat would satisfy all your demands. We did not place it on the top place for nothing. Its price is acceptable, and it can do pretty much everything when it comes to enhancing your performance on wheels.