Wit
h the winter season now upon us some of you may be ready to hang up the longboard till the warmer weather shows up. However if you’re like me then you are probably skating regardless of the conditions (that’s an invitation, come skate!).
Longboarding can be a whole lot of fun in these conditions, however one must decide when it is okay to ride and when it is too dangerous. With the Winter season comes, cold temps, rain, ice, and even snow. Take the time to change your setup appropriately, and assess the hills more closely. To give you a better idea of what to expect in certain conditions, here is a breakdown on rain, ice, and of course snow.
Rain riding
Our most common form of precipitation, rain can be enjoyed by riders all over. In the rain, slides are much easier and go farther. This sounds like lots of fun just remember, with less grip comes less stopping power. It’s never a bad idea to do a few practice runs without going all out like you would in the dry so that you can see how far your shut down slide will travel before coming to a stop. The last thing you want is to come up to an intersection and discover that you are not going to stop in time. Riding in the wet simply comes down to adjusting to the conditions. Once you get used to it, its a whole lot of fun.
Winter Dangers
Winter riding is very similar to everyday rain riding however with colder temps you should expect ice, and possibly snow. The danger with ice is that unlike rain, ice will not be displaced by your wheels moving through them. In the rain your wheels will displace the water so the water will either move around your wheel or under, this is why you still have some grip. The same does NOT happen with ice so there is no real way to gain grip until you are off the ice. Rule of thumb: avoid ice.
Your Wheels
You are going to want to prepare your setup accordingly. Wheels are the first things you are going to want to look into. If you plan on doing freeride in the wet then any wheel should work, I would just go up a duro. If you intend to downhill then consider the following…
Harder Duro – anything from 80a or above
Wide Contact Patch – above 65mm is a safe bet.
Rain Grooves – If possible, they are a huge help.
Examples: Harfang Custom, Biggie Hawgs, Orangatang, 4Pres, Royce Premiers, Monster Hawgs.
If you plan on going just as fast as you would in the dry then consider grooves. This is when the wheel is put onto a lathe and has grooves lathed in to the wheel. What this does is give some of the water that you will be riding over somewhere to go instead of your contact patch. Not very many companies develop rain wheels with grooves so you will most likely be doing it yourself or getting someone qualified to do it for you. Rain grooves will improve your grip in the rain but don’t expect your wheels to grip like they would in dry conditions.
!!!WARNING!!!
If you have access to a lathe and intend to do it yourself be very cautious and take the time to prepare properly. Urethane is a known carcinogen and can cause a number of health problems with extended exposure. Wear a mask, gloves, safety goggles, and everything else required for such a task. Best thing to do is to simply have someone qualified to carry out the task.
If you really want rain grooved wheels, try checking on your local longboard forums where trading is common and see if you can land a set there. If rain grooved wheels are just not an option then stick to the first two. A softer wheel will provide a more consistent ride in the wet and wide contact patch will help with traction.
Now for some of you the first thing that comes to mind when riding in the rain is “Waterlogged Wheels”. The matter of fact is that urethane and water do NOT mix. What happens is that like whetstone to a blade, the water and pavement polish your wheel essentially and pretty much have to be broken in again (I ride the same wheel rain or shine).
Your Bearings
When it comes to bearings there is only so much you can do. Being made of steel they will eventually rust so it comes down to good maintenance. Before each ride give your bearings a shot of Skanunu (Bearing Lube and Cleaner) to help keep grime out and combat rust. After riding, dry off your bearings by spinning them or pull them out and dry them by hand, or with a blow drier. However my best recommendation is to simply get a set of inexpensive, and reliable bearings that you can replace later. A combination of spare bearings and maintenance is the best way to go.
Your Deck
When riding in the wet (rain or snow) your deck is most likely made up of wood and as we all know wood absorbs moisture. After long sessions over and over again eventually your board will start to show damage from the water and can eventually rot.
What a lot of riders do is have a specific board for riding in these conditions and they rotate out as the weather changes which is probably the easiest thing to do. Ultimately it comes to good maintenance. Rotate boards in between rides, if you have it you can always go to your local hardware store and get some wood sealer. It usually comes in a spray or bucket and a brush. This will seal the wood and prevent water from getting in, however it can be a bit of a project so I recommend rotating between boards or having a specific board that you are willing to thrash in wet conditions. Juan BoarderLabs.
