Basic things you should know

These might seem obvious to some skaters, but it is good to warn skaters new to longbaording about some of the potential uh oh monents that are coming.

Water and your longboard

Rain and water do not mix well with longboards. If you skate in the rain your bearings will seize up if you do not take some preventive action.
After skating in the rain, put your board, griptape facing the ground and spin your wheels with your hand or foot until they are dry. Before you skate in the rain, apply Skate oil or lube to the inside of the bearings. This alone will not prevent seizure but it helps dry the bearings later.

Dry your board after it has been in the rain. If water gets into unprotected ply it can cause the plies to separate. If your board gets banged up on gutters, and the ply gets exposed, reseal with any sealant or oil.

Slide gloves and fingers

Pucks on fingers are there to protect the glove not to slide with. If you have no pucks on your fingers, and you make contact on the road, you will wear out your gloves. It does not matter what material it is made with, it will wear out and ruin the glove. Move your palm puck closer to your wrist to force your fingers up and away from the road.

Longboarders wear helmets

The only longboarders who do not wear helmets are beginners. You see most skateboarders at skateparks do not have helmets on, this is because of the type of skating they are doing. Skateparks are a controlled environment. Most skaters know their local skatepark very well, and any falls are controlled or expected. Longboarding is different. They are on roads, footpaths, bike tracks. there are dogs, children, rocks, cracks, gutters. The fall the longboarder takes is uncontrolled and unexpected. Longboarders also travel a lot faster. This means you must wear a helmet if you longboard and want to skate the next day after a crash.

Safety gear and longboarding

Longboarders wear safety gear so they can skate tomorrow. Think about it, don't wear knee pads graze up your knees, it seems like nothing at the time. However, in the morning it will hurt like hell and make you think twice about going out for a skate.

Flat spots

If you slide a wheel and it does not spin evenly you will flat spot your wheels. Typically happens to new skaters that are trying to slide. You have been warned.