How to Set Up a Longboard
Setting up a longboard is the same job as a skateboard with three differences: the deck is much bigger, the grip tape takes more than one sheet, and if it is a drop-through the trucks mount the other way round.
If this is your first longboard, buy a complete. Build one when you know which deck, truck angle and wheel combination you want.
The short version
- Order: grip, trim, open the holes, mount trucks, press bearings, fit wheels, set tension.
- Time: about an hour first go, half that once you have done a few.
- Grip tape: two or more sheets. Overlap slightly and keep the seam straight.
- Top mount: baseplates under the deck, kingpins facing each other.
- Drop-through: hanger up through the cutout, baseplate sits on top.
- Tension: rear slightly tighter than the front for stability.
- Risers: only on top mounts running big wheels without cutouts.
What we cover
What you need · Grip tape on a big deck · Top mount vs drop-through · Bearings and wheels · Setting tension · Common mistakes · FAQ
What you need
| Part | How many | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Deck | 1 | Top mount or drop-through. Changes how you mount |
| Grip tape | 2 or more sheets | Longboard decks are wider and much longer than a standard sheet |
| Trucks | 1 pair | Reverse kingpin, usually 180mm |
| Wheels | 4 | All the same. Centreset if you want to flip them later |
| Bearings | 8 | Standard size, fits any longboard wheel |
| Bearing spacers | 4, optional | Worth it for sliding and larger wheels |
| Hardware | 8 bolts and nuts | Longer than skateboard hardware, especially with risers |
| Risers | 2, optional | Top mounts with big wheels only |
| Skate T-tool | 1 | Does every fastener on the board |
Gripping a longboard deck
This is the part that differs most from a skateboard, purely because of scale. A standard grip sheet is around 9 inches by 33 inches. A 40 inch longboard deck is longer and often wider than that, so you are working with two or more sheets.
- Plan the seam first. Decide where the sheets will overlap before you peel anything. A seam running lengthways down the middle is the usual choice and looks deliberate.
- Lay the first sheet from the centre outwards, pushing air toward the edges as you go. Do not drop the whole sheet at once. It will stick to itself permanently.
- Overlap the second sheet slightly and keep the line straight. A wandering seam is the thing you will notice every time you look at the board.
- Press into the concave firmly with the flat of your hand.
- Score the outline by running a screwdriver shaft or file around the deck edge until a white line appears.
- Cut along the white line with a sharp blade held at a shallow angle, pointing slightly under the deck. Work in sections.
- Smooth the cut edge with an offcut of grip.
- Open the mounting holes from underneath with a screwdriver or bolt.
On a drop-through deck you also need to cut out the truck apertures. Score around them from underneath the same way and cut carefully, since these edges are visible.
Top mount or drop-through mounting?
Same trucks, mounted two different ways, and this catches people out.
Top mount. The conventional method. Baseplates bolt to the underside of the deck, hangers below. Kingpins face each other, pointing inward toward the middle of the board. The deck sits above the trucks, giving more leverage and a livelier carve.
Drop-through. The hanger passes up through the cutout in the deck, so the baseplate ends up sitting on top of the deck and you bolt down through it from above. This drops the standing platform closer to the ground, which is the entire point: easier pushing, easier braking, lower centre of gravity.
Kingpins still face each other on a drop-through. The orientation rule does not change, only which side of the deck the baseplate sits on.
Tighten the mounting bolts until the heads sit flush or just below the grip surface. Snug, not crushed.
Bearings and wheels
Identical to a skateboard. Bearings press into the wheels using the truck axle as the tool.
- Slide a bearing onto the axle, shield facing out.
- Push the wheel down over it with steady pressure until it seats.
- If you are running spacers, fit the spacer, then the second bearing.
- Flip the wheel and press the second bearing home.
- Do all four wheels before fitting any of them.
Then: speed washer, wheel, speed washer, axle nut. Tighten until the wheel stops rattling sideways, then back off slightly so it spins freely with a barely detectable amount of play.
Spacers matter more on a longboard than a skateboard. They let you tighten the axle nut fully without binding the wheel, which reduces vibration at speed and makes slides smoother.
Setting truck tension
Tighten each kingpin nut until the hanger has no vertical play, then adjust a quarter turn at a time.
Run the rear truck slightly tighter than the front. That gives you steering from the front and stability from the back, and it is the standard setup for commuting and anything with speed in it. Equal tension front and rear suits carving and pumping, where you want both ends working.
New bushings settle over the first few sessions, so expect to adjust again after a week. If you cannot find a tension that both turns and stays stable, the bushings are wrong for your weight rather than the tension being wrong.
Common mistakes
- Trucks mounted backwards. Kingpins face each other, on both mounting styles.
- Grip seam wandering. Plan it before peeling anything.
- Hardware too short. Longboard bolts are longer than skateboard bolts, and longer again with risers.
- Overtightened axle nuts. The most common reason a new build feels slow.
- Forgetting spacers exist. If your wheels bind when the nut is tight, this is why.
- Wheel bite on a top mount. Big wheels without cutouts need risers, and risers need longer bolts.
- Mixing wheel types. All four the same, and all four the same way round if they are offset.
Longboard setup FAQ
How do you mount drop-through longboard trucks?
The hanger passes up through the cutout in the deck so the baseplate sits on top rather than underneath. You bolt down through the baseplate from above. This lowers the standing platform, which is the whole point of a drop-through.
How many sheets of grip tape does a longboard need?
Usually two or more, because standard sheets are around 9 inches wide and 33 inches long while longboard decks are wider and much longer. Overlap the sheets slightly and line the seam up straight, since it will be visible.
Should longboard trucks be tighter at the front or back?
Run the rear truck slightly tighter than the front. That gives you steering from the front and stability from the back, which is the standard setup for commuting and downhill. Equal tension front and rear suits carving and pumping.
Do you need riser pads on a longboard?
Only on top mount decks running wheels above about 70mm without cutouts. Risers raise the deck away from the wheels to prevent wheel bite. Drop-through decks rarely need them because the deck already sits lower and usually has cutouts.
How long does it take to set up a longboard?
About an hour the first time, most of it spent on grip tape because of the deck size. Once you have done a few it is closer to half an hour. Drop-through mounting takes slightly longer than top mount.
Is it cheaper to build a longboard or buy a complete?
A complete is cheaper. Buying a deck, trucks, wheels, bearings and grip separately usually exceeds the price of a comparable complete. You build your own to get a specific deck, truck angle and wheel combination, not to save money.
Or let us build it
Pick your parts and we will put it together at 435A Bridge Road, Richmond. We grip it properly, which on a longboard is genuinely the fiddly part, mount the trucks the right way round and set the tension. Bring it back any time for adjustment.
Free shipping Australia wide on orders over $90. Call 03 9421 2293.
Keep reading: Trucks, Wheels and Bushings · Longboard Maintenance · What Size Longboard Do I Need? · Learn to Longboard · How to Set Up a Skateboard
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