What Are Longboard Bushings?

Longboard bushings are the rubber components situated in the middle of your longboard trucks. Though small, truck bushings are a crucial part of your longboard setup, influencing the sensitivity of longboard turns. While your longboard will come with bushings, upgrading to a new set and style can enhance your experience and broaden your longboarding capabilities.

Each truck should feature two bushings: a roadside and a boardside. As their names imply, the roadside bushing is positioned closest to the road, whereas the boardside bushing is nearest to the deck.

There are two primary bushing shapes: cone and barrel. Cone bushings provide minimal resistance and are ideal for turning, while barrel bushings offer more stability. Many riders opt for a combination of one barrel and one cone bushing for balanced performance, but setups with cone-cone or barrel-barrel configurations are also popular.

What Longboard Bushings Should I Get?

There isn’t a definitive “best longboard bushing”; it largely depends on the type of riding you intend to do. The two main factors to consider are the hardness of the bushings and your riding style.

Bushing hardness is measured on the durometer scale, similar to wheels. The higher the durometer, the harder the bushing. Harder bushings provide more resistance while riding. Your weight is a significant factor in selecting a durometer; generally, the heavier you are, the harder your bushings should be.

If you aim to carve and cruise with your longboard, opt for softer, more conical bushings. Conversely, if you prefer freeride and downhill, a barrel setup is recommended.

If you seek another way to maximize your downhill speed, ensure you have a good set of Longboard Gloves and Slide Pucks.