Imagine the scene.
It’s a beautiful blue-sky day.
And here you are, cruising. Your shirttails and hair blow in the breeze as you weave your way down the boulevard.
Envious looks follow you.
You even hear an odd ‘wow’ here and there as you dismount effortlessly and flip the board up into your hand.
Since they first appeared in the 1950s, longboards have epitomized cool.
Surfers, looking for a way to practice on calm days, hit upon the idea of longboards. They made early models themselves from old surfboards. But as skateboards gained in popularity, their older cousin stayed in the background.
In the 1970s, the Sims Board Company, headed up by Tom Sims, began to manufacture longboards. And a few other businesses followed suit. But the smaller, tricksier skateboard still held its place in the spotlight.
Then, in the 1990s, the tide turned.
The bigger, more flexible boards finally began to make a real impact on consumers both in the US and abroad.
All round easier to ride than a skateboard, longboards are perfect for cruising, commuting, carving, and even shredding downhill.
Check out this video of Ben Stiller (as Walter Mitty) longboarding in Iceland – the action starts about 1 minute in. It’s one of my favorite sequences in the film.
That road has to be on the bucket list of any self-respecting longboarder, don’t you agree?
Yes, a longboard is driven the same way as a skateboard (by pushing off the ground with one foot)…
but,
by pumping your legs or gyrating (similar to surfing or snowboarding) you can keep the board moving on the flat without the need to push! Check out this demo from Hamboards to see what I mean.
So, that’s longboards. But what about bamboo longboards?
What Are Bamboo Longboards?
The decks of longboards have long been made from one type of wood: Canadian maple.
But with more focus than ever on environmental impact, manufacturers of the mythic longboard have begun using bamboo as an alternative longboard deck material.
To construct a bamboo longboard deck around 7 layers of veneer are glued together and pressed into one solid piece in a mold. The deck is then cut to shape and sanded before the application of finishing such as paint or varnish.
Using bamboo veneer for some, or all the layers makes for a deck that’s more flexible but just as strong as a maple longboard.
The minimal impact of bamboo farming on the environment was particularly attractive to companies such as Bamboo Skateboards.
They’re also planting one tree for every board purchased!
Take a look at this crazy strength test they filmed…