Longboard Problems and How to Fix Them
Longboards go wrong in different ways to skateboards. You are carrying more speed on bigger softer wheels, so the failures are about stability, wear and setup rather than broken parts.
Almost everything here is free or costs under $20 to fix.
Start here, in this order
- Check every axle nut and kingpin. They loosen, and one loose nut explains a lot.
- Spin each wheel. If one stops quickly, the nut is too tight.
- Look at the wheels for coning. Uneven wear causes pulling and vagueness.
- Press each bushing. Cracked, split or squashed means replace.
- Then start thinking about parts.
Longboard problems by symptom
| Symptom | Most likely cause | Fix | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speed wobbles | Trucks too loose, bushings too soft, tense legs | Tighten a quarter turn, firmer bushings, bend knees | $0 to $20 |
| Pulls to one side | Coned wheels | Rotate diagonally and flip if centreset | $0 |
| Will not turn | Kingpins too tight, or bushings too hard | Loosen a quarter turn, then reassess bushings | $0 to $20 |
| Vague and mushy | Bushings worn or too soft for your weight | Replace with correct hardness | $6 to $20 |
| Wheel bite in turns | Wheels contacting the deck | Tighten trucks, add risers, smaller wheels | $0 to $25 |
| Board feels slow | Overtightened axle nuts | Back off until the wheel spins freely | $0 |
| Still slow after that | Dirty bearings | Clean and re-lubricate | $0 |
| Squeaks when turning | Dry pivot cup | Wax or lubricant in the cup | $0 |
| Rattling over bumps | Loose kingpin or mounting bolts | Check every fastener with a T-tool | $0 |
| Grinding at the wheels | Bearings damaged, often after rain | Clean, and replace if the races are rusted | $22 to $80 |
| Foot braking wears shoes fast | Normal, but technique makes it worse | Flat sole, weight fully over the front foot | N/A |
| Deck feels dead or sagging | Delamination from water, or fatigued flex | Check the edges for separating plies | Replace |
Speed wobbles
The one that frightens people, and it is nearly always the setup rather than the rider.
Wobbles are an oscillation that builds as the board over-corrects. Each correction overshoots, and the overshoots compound until the board is shaking underneath you.
- Trucks too loose for your speed. Tighten the kingpin a quarter turn at a time and retest between each.
- Bushings too soft for your weight. Riders over about 80kg overpower stock bushings, which are chosen for an average rider. This is the real fix and it costs $6 to $20.
- Rear truck too loose. Running the rear slightly tighter than the front gives steering from the front and stability from the back.
- Tense legs. Rigid legs transmit every correction straight back into the board.
- Weight too far back. Shift forward over the front truck.
The instinct is to stiffen up, which makes it worse. Getting low and relaxed is counter-intuitive and it works.
Board pulls to one side
The most common longboard complaint and it is almost always wheel wear.
Longboard wheels cone badly because most riders push with the same foot and carve harder in one direction. The wheel wears into a taper, and a tapered wheel steers.
Fix: rotate diagonally, front left to back right and front right to back left. Flip them at the same time if they are centreset, which puts the worn edge on the outside. Offset and sideset wheels cannot be flipped.
Do this every four to six weeks and it largely stops happening. If the pull persists on evenly worn wheels, check the trucks are tensioned the same and that one side's bushings are not more compressed than the other.
It will not turn, or it feels vague
Two opposite complaints with the same root cause: bushings and tension are not matched to you.
Will not turn usually means the kingpins are too tight, or the bushings are too hard for your weight. Loosen a quarter turn at a time first, since that is free.
Vague and mushy means the opposite: bushings too soft, or worn out. Bushings compress over months and lose their rebound, which is what stops the truck returning to centre properly.
The diagnostic that separates them: if you cannot find any tension that both turns willingly and stays stable, the bushings are wrong for you, not the tension. That is the point to replace them, and to choose by weight rather than feel.
Bushing hardness by rider weight
Wheel bite
The wheel touches the underside of the deck in a hard turn and stops dead. On a longboard at speed this throws you, so it is worth fixing properly rather than riding around.
Options, cheapest first:
- Tighten the trucks. Free, and limits how far the board leans.
- Fit riser pads. Raises the deck away from the wheels. Risers need longer mounting bolts, which is the step people forget.
- Smaller wheels. Effective but you give up roll and comfort.
- A deck with cutouts or wheel wells. The proper answer if you want big wheels. Drop-through decks usually have them.
Above about 70mm on a top mount without cutouts, expect bite unless you have risers.
Board feels slow
Check the axle nuts first. Overtightening is the most common cause and costs nothing to fix. Back each off until the wheel spins freely with a barely detectable amount of side play.
If that does not do it, the bearings need cleaning. Grit plus old lubricant becomes a grinding paste. Cleaning is usually enough, and replacement is rarely needed unless the races have rusted, which happens after wet rides.
Also worth checking: badly worn or flat-spotted wheels, and bearings that were never seated fully into the wheel.
Squeaks and rattles
Squeaking when you turn is almost always a dry pivot cup, the plastic socket the truck hanger pivots in. A little wax or lubricant in the cup fixes it. Riders reliably blame the bushings for this and the bushings are reliably innocent.
Rattling over bumps is a loose fastener. Check the kingpin, the axle nuts and the mounting bolts. On drop-through decks check the mounting bolts specifically, since the load path through the deck is different.
After riding in the wet
Same day, not next weekend.
- Spin the wheels hard to throw water out of the bearings.
- Pull the bearings, dry and re-lubricate them. Water rusts the races and that is not reversible.
- Check the deck edges for plies starting to separate.
- Dry the grip tape and check it is not lifting at the edges.
Rusted bearings are the most common permanent damage from one wet ride, and it is entirely preventable.
Longboard troubleshooting FAQ
How do you stop longboard speed wobbles?
Tighten the kingpins a quarter turn at a time, fit firmer bushings if you are over about 80kg, and bend your knees. Stiffening up makes it worse. Running the rear truck slightly tighter than the front also helps considerably at speed.
Why does my longboard pull to one side?
Usually coned wheels, since most riders push and carve in one direction and wear them unevenly. Rotate them diagonally and flip them if they are centreset. If it persists, check the trucks are tensioned evenly and the bushings are not worn on one side.
What is wheel bite and how do you stop it?
Wheel bite is the wheel touching the deck in a hard turn, which stops the board dead. Fix it by tightening the trucks, fitting riser pads, using smaller wheels, or moving to a deck with cutouts. Risers need longer mounting bolts.
Why won't my longboard turn properly?
Kingpins too tight, or bushings too hard for your weight. Loosen a quarter turn at a time first. If loosening makes it unstable without making it turn well, the bushings are wrong for you rather than the tension being wrong.
Why is my longboard slow?
Overtightened axle nuts before anything else. Back them off until each wheel spins freely with a barely detectable amount of side play. If that does not fix it, the bearings need cleaning rather than replacing.
Why does my longboard squeak when I turn?
Almost always a dry pivot cup, the plastic socket the truck hanger sits in. A little wax or lubricant in the cup fixes it. Riders usually blame the bushings, but the squeak comes from the pivot.
Bring it in
If your board wobbles, pulls or feels wrong and none of the above sorts it, bring it to 435A Bridge Road, Richmond. It is usually bushings, wheel wear or a nut, and often it costs nothing. Nobody on our floor works on commission, so if the fix is free that is what you will hear.
Free shipping Australia wide on orders over $90. Call 03 9421 2293.
Keep reading: Longboard Maintenance · Trucks, Wheels and Bushings · Learn to Longboard · How to Set Up a Longboard · Skateboard Troubleshooting
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