Have you been wondering about how to choose longboard wheels? You've come to the right place with Black Diamond Sports.

All longboard and skateboard wheels are made out of a substance called urethane. Longboard wheels are generally round and come in several different shapes and sizes made for different decks and purposes.

Longboard Wheel Size

When choosing longboard wheels for different ride styles, you must consider the size. The size of wheel that you can fit on your longboard is determined by the wheel clearance or the distance between the axel of the truck from the deck. The wheel sizes are the diameter of the wheel.

For longboards there are several different wheel shapes which allow for several different sizes of wheels. Longboard wheels range from 60mm-103mm. The average size of longboard wheel and the size that most all longboards will be compatible with is 70mm. For skateboards the general wheel size ranges from 50mm-60mm.

The bigger the wheel, the faster you go.

Longboard Wheel Durometer

Wheel hardness is measured in durometers. The durometer is the number on the wheel that is generally followed by the letter “a”. There is a huge range of durometers anywhere from 75a-100a. 

The lower the number the softer the wheel and the higher the number the harder the wheel. Soft wheels provide for a more comfortable ride which is ideal for cruising and commuting. Soft wheels also provide for more grip to the road when going downhill. 

Our staff like soft longboard wheels which makes the commute to work smooth!

Harder wheels in general spin faster and last longer but are more easily stopped by small rocks and cracks in the road, they also provide for a less comfortable ride as they will increase the vibrations of the road. Hard wheels are mainly used on skateboards because they are ideal for the smooth surface of the skate park and when sliding along a ledge or rail they will not grip the ledge or rail rather they will slide along it preventing hang ups. 

Our in-house longboarders say that a good longboard wheel is usually 78a-83a and a good skateboard wheel is usually 95a-100a. 

Longboard Wheel Shape

Sliding Longboard wheels: A round lipped longboard wheel is one that has exactly that, round lips. That means the edges of the wheel are rounded off rather than squared off. These wheels are ideal for sliding. The round lips don’t have as much grip and traction to the road as the square lips. These are good longboard wheels for downhill sliding, aka freeriding, because they're easy to break free and kick sideways.

Cruising Longboard Wheels: A square lipped wheel is one that has a defined lip or edge. This lip will hug the ground providing for a stronger grip to the road. In general these wheels will be faster than the rounded wheels. They are the best longboard wheels for cruising or fast downhill runs. Because of this added traction they will be more challenging to slide than the round lip wheels.

Square vs. round longboard wheels? Square lipped are best for cruising and fast downhill while Round Lipped are best for sliding or freeride. The softer wheels will be more comfortable for cruising, but more challenging to slide.

Always make sure that you get the appropriate size wheel for your board. You do not want to get wheel bite.

Ready to get going? Shop from a huge array of longboard wheels from all the popular brands.

Check out our YouTube video on Types of Longboard Wheels: