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How Much Do Longboards Cost – A Practical Price Guide
What should you expect to pay for a longboard? You might be a beginner looking to buy your first longboard if you’re asking this question. A longboard can be purchased for as little as $50, but you will almost certainly regret your decision. Furthermore, buying a cheap longboard may deter you from longboarding because your riding experience will be poor.
So, how much do longboards cost? Between $150 and $400 is a reasonable range. If you’re new to longboarding, however, a longboard in the $150 to $250 range is a good place to start.
The following factors will assist you in determining how much you should spend:
- Brand of longboards
- Size and riding style of longboards
- Constructing a deck
- Trucks are being upgraded.
- Upgraded wheel size
Upgraded bearings
Let’s take a closer look at each of these elements.
Longboard prices vary depending on the brand.
Here’s a quick rundown of how much longboards cost from some of the most trusted, reliable, and high-quality brands on the market.
The following price ranges are based on regular list prices, excluding any discounts. I also excluded mini cruisers and large dancers from the list because they aren’t “regular-sized” longboards (see later section).
- Arbor longboards range in price from $150 to $210.
- Longboards from Landyachtz range from $170 to $250.
- Longboards with a lot of features range from $290 to $360 (excluding the $500 Chubby Unicorn Blood Slayer).
- Globe longboards range in price from $150 to $230.
- Longboards from Sector 9 range in price from $140 to $225.
- Longboards by Rayne are priced between $200 and $250.
- Longboards Omen: $160 – $250
- $140 – $310 for DB longboards
- California Dusters: $145 – $230
- Longboards made of moonshine cost between $250 and $340.
The cost of a longboard is influenced by the deck construction.
Bamboo longboards are typically more expensive than all-wood boards. Even if a longboard of the same brand and model is available in multiple constructions, the bamboo version will cost more than the maple version. For example, the Bamboo Chief from Landyachtz costs $15 to $20 more than the Maple Chief version.
The technology and manufacturing process used for construction has a large impact on longboard price, in addition to the materials used for the deck core (e.g. maple vs bamboo). To achieve a high-performance flex and a super durable composite deck, Loaded’s longboards, for example, use a highly engineered blend of vertically laminated bamboo and triaxial fiberglass bound with epoxy resin. These decks are much more expensive than regular maple wood decks.
Consider the cost of the Loaded Tan Tien vs. the Arbor Catalyst, two popular freestyle and freeride oriented mid-sized longboards with maple construction. Because of the advanced technology that goes into the deck, the Loaded costs nearly twice as much.
The cost of a longboard is influenced by the deck size.
As I previously stated, the price ranges for each brand did not include longboards in extremely small or extremely large sizes. The reason for this is that the prices of much smaller and much larger longboards are respectively below and above the price range of a “regular longboard.”
City cruisers (also known as mini-cruisers) with lengths of 32 inches or less are typically less expensive than regular longboards – though you may or may not refer to them as such. The fact that less material is used in their construction likely affects the price, but these mini-cruisers are primarily aimed at longboarders looking for a portable and affordable board for nimble city riding.
Mini cruisers are typically under $150 in price. Here are a few well-known examples:
- $130 Landyachtz Dinghy
- Tugboat Landyachtz: $140
- $135-$140 for a Globe Blazer
- Dusters Flashback: $140
- Arbor Pilsner is priced at $150.
Large dancing longboards, on the other hand, are generally more expensive than regular longboards. Again, a lot more material is used in these decks, and longboarders who enjoy dancing can expect to pay a premium for these oversized boards with plenty of space for boardwalking. See my list of the top 5 longboards for dancing.
The following is an average price for the most popular dancing longboards on the market:
$360 for a fully loaded bhangra
- Stratus by Landyachtz: $200 – $400 (maple vs bamboo hollowtech)
- $260 – $360 Rayne Whip
- $280 for Bustin Daensu
- $320 DB Dancefloor
- $425 for a fully loaded Tarab
Longboard cost and truck selection
The components that come with a complete longboard, namely the trucks and wheels, are an important factor in the price.
The majority of high-quality longboards are equipped with reputable truck brands like Paris, Bear, Caliber, Randal, and Gullwing. When sold separately, longboard trucks from these brands typically cost between $40 and $60 for a pair.
Upgrading to higher-end trucks will obviously raise your longboard’s price. Forged precision trucks for downhill racing, for example, can cost anywhere between $100 and $150 each.
Changing your stock trucks for carving surf trucks like Carver CX trucks can also add $100 to $130 to the cost of your longboard setup.
Longboard cost and wheel selection
Quality wheels are typically included with longboards priced between $150 and $250. Orangatang, Sector 9, Hawg, Arbor, Venom, Cloud Ride, and Seismic are all well-known longboard wheel brands. The cost of a good set of longboard wheels is usually between $35 and $55.
Changing the stock wheels on a longboard to larger ones, such as from 60mm to 80mm, will typically increase the overall cost of the longboard. Changing from one brand to another can also increase the cost.
Another significant component of your setup cost is bearings. While standard bearings that come with your longboard may cost as little as $10, high-quality bearings like Bones Reds can cost as much as $20 for an 8-pack.
Swiss Reds or Swiss Ceramics are super smooth high-performance bearings that will add $60 to $160 to the total cost of your longboard.
- best longboard for heavy riders
- best longboard for cruising
- best longboard for pumping
- best longboard for carving
- best longboard for sliding
To summarize, how much should you spend on a longboard?
To ensure decent quality and a nice, smooth, and enjoyable riding experience, you shouldn’t pay less than $150 for a regular sized longboard, typically 33′′ to 43′′ in length (unless you get a special discount).
Unless you’re already passionate about the sport and want something high-performance and super durable to follow you on your journey, you shouldn’t spend more than $250 on your first longboard.
On the other hand, if you want a small cruiser for city riding, your budget might be in the $130 – $150 range for a good board. Mini-cruisers are small and maneuverable, but the best ones have TKP or RKP trucks and smaller but high-performance wheels.
Expect to pay upwards of $260 (excluding promotions) for a larger, high-quality dancer with good carving trucks (e.g. Bear Grizzlies) and quality medium-sized wheels if you’re into longboarding (60-70mm).
Final Thoughts
Finally, if you decide to upgrade your setup with high-end trucks, larger wheels, and/or high-performance bearings, expect to pay $20-$100 more for each of these components. My recommendation is to ride your longboard for a while before making a decision about what to upgrade.
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