Skateboarding is more than a simple activity that you may enjoy from time to time; it is a way of life for many skateboard enthusiasts. You can find out more about what skateboarding can do for you in my Top Ten Reasons to Skateboard article.
Longboards are great for getting around town, but what if you want to pick up speed and race your friends downhill? Then, you are going to need a board that can stand up to the task. This is where drop through longboards come into play.
In this guide, we are going to look at nine of the best drop through longboards options that are on the market. Before we skate our way through the products,
let's take a look at what a drop through longboard is and some of the considerations that you will need to make before deciding which one is best for you. check our penny board vs longboard article.
What are Drop Through Longboards?
Drop through longboards are cruisers that are designed specifically for speed. They are great for racing downhill as well as traveling quickly from one location to another.
The main difference that you will notice with this type of board is the way that the trucks are attached. Most skateboards have top mounted trucks that are attached directly to the bottom of the board, but a drop through board is designed a little bit differently.
With this type of board, the truck is positioned on the top of the board, and the part that holds the wheels goes through the board. here are some assume skateboard brands.
The Best Drop Through Longboards Review
1) Rimable Drop-through Longboard – Best Overall Longboard
The first board that we are going to review is a drop through board that is designed by Rimable.
The first thing that you will notice about the board is the bright coloration of the deck.
The underside is a sunset yellow with palm trees and a wave that you could surf.
The top has a grippy surface, that has two racing stripes down the center of the board.
This 41-inch longboard is designed out of a durable maple material that is a full nine ply thick.
The wheels are 70mm in diameter, which is the perfect size to give you a smooth ride, even when you are traveling quickly downhill.
This board also comes with ABEC-11 bearings, which allows you to travel at an even higher speed.
Pros
- The board is slightly turned inwards so that you can make your way around corners without slowing down.
- The board has a really great grippy surface that keeps your feet from sliding when you go downhill.
- This board provides a really smooth ride on both flat pavement and in a downhill setting.
Cons
- When riding on rough pavement, the trucks tend to shake a bit loose, so they will need tightened.
2) VOLADOR Freeride Longboard – Best Longboard for Pros
The next board is the VOLADAR Freeride longboard, and it is a board that is designed for people who have a bit of experience skateboarding on a longboard.
The design of this board is quite unique; the bottom of the deck features rolling hills of green and pink, while the top is a black grippy surface that sports a white outline of a catfish and the company logo.
The board itself is made from a durable hardwood maple that is designed to last for years of use. The deck is eight ply, which adds more strength to the unit, and it has a camber design that is great for shock absorption as you are riding at full speed downhill. The ABEC-7 bearings add to the smoothness of the ride as well.
Pros
- This board turns quite well for a drop through board, which is why it is a great option for someone who likes to freeride.
- The deck is quite grippy, which makes it nearly impossible to lose your footing.
- This board has a lightweight design that makes it easy to carry with you when you can't ride.
Cons
- The bearings that come with this board are not the best, so they may need to be replaced for more speed.
3) Atom Drop-Through Longboard – Best Board for Gliding
The Atom Drop-Through Longboard is a great board for someone who wants a simple design on their deck.
The top is merely a black surface with a lot of grip that will keep your feet in place on the board.
There is a small blue logo on the top of the deck, but most of the design is reserved for the bottom of this board. The underside has the company logo and a few blue and white circles on one side of the board.
This longboard has a maple deck that is designed to last, but it also has a laminate coating to help protect it from the elements.
The wheels are designed for absorption, and they tend to take turns rather well; making it a great board for gliding.
Pros
- Because this board is so low to the ground, it is very stable at high speeds.
- The wheels are great for carving and grinding.
- Making turns on this board is simple.
Cons
- The grip on the deck is not the best when it is wet.
4) Santa Cruz Lion God Rasta Drop Thru Cruzer – Best Board for Beginners
The next drop through board that we are going to review is one that comes from Santa Cruz, which is accompany that is well known in the skateboard industry.
This 40-inch board is quite colorful; the top has a grippy surface that has a red, yellow, and green line right down the center.
The bottom of the deck features a lion with fur that is the same three colors and a crown on his head.
This is a board with a nine ply maple construction that is durable and extremely stable, which makes it a great option for a beginner.
It also comes with large 75mm wheels that add additional stability to the board at high speeds.
Pros
- The graphics on this board are amazing, which is sure to draw the attention of others as you ride past.
- This board does not wobble at all, regardless of the speed that you are traveling at.
- This board is very light, which makes it easy to carry.
Cons
- The bearings that come on this board are not the best, so if you want the tops speed that this board offers, you will need to replace them.
5) WiiSHAM Professional Speed Drop Down Complete Longboard – Best Board for Durability
When you need to go fast, this WiiSHAM product is a great option for the majority of downhill boarders.
Aesthetically, this is one of the best boards for looks as it has a very striking and intricate design on the bottom of the deck.
While there's no recognizable or specific design, the deck's bottom definitely has some brightly colored geometrical figures that look great.
While this longboard only has an ABEC 9 set of bearings, you can get some very fast speeds thanks to the high-speed lubricant that WiiSHAM used.
Also, the wheels have a 83A level of hardness, which definitely provides some good solid riding, especially when you're going fast downhill. While these aren't great for general cruising, on flat and even land, you'll accelerate fast without any wobbliness.
Pros
- This board is 42.5 inches long, which provides a lot of space and stability for the rider.
- It comes with free T-tools so that you can adjust the trucks, replace any component, and make tweaks to the wheels.
- With a deck that has a nine-ply maple construction, this board is exceptionally strong and can handle even larger riders.
Cons
- If you're taking this on anything but a smoothly paved area, you may experience a bit of bumpiness.
6) Sector 9 Aperture Sidewinder Drop Through – Best for Downhill Cruising
If you are looking to do a little cruising rather than downhill racing, this Sector 9 longboard has a great design that provides some stability and moderate speed.
When it comes to looks, this board is very distinctive. It has a black overall coloration but also features a brightly colored blue and green wave that just looks cool.
The wheels on this are made of urethane and have a blue mottled look that is also attractive.
When it comes to overall performance, this board is definitely not a speedy product. It has ABEC-5 bearing that are really best for cruising around the neighborhood.
To assist this, the trucks are gullwing sidewinder-style, which gives them a good amount of turnability when you need to maneuver down the street.
Additionally, the deck is nine inches wide, which means that this is a very easy board to find your balance on.
Pros
- This sector 9 product has a lot of maneuverability, which is great for cruising.
- The bottom deck design is very attractive.
- It's very easy to carve with this board and its bearings provide a smooth ride through city streets.
Cons
- You won't get a lot of speed or acceleration out of this board.
7) Rimable Bamboo Drop Through Board – Best Board for Grip
This board, from Rimable, uses a combination of maple and bamboo so that the deck has top-level durability as well as a significant amount of flex.
Its design is very unique and actually uses the wood grain appearance of the maple in its design.
Additionally, from an appearance perspective, the board has some Aztec-inspired art at the base that really gives the board a classic look. The top of the deck is covered in grip tape and features the Rimable logo at the tail.
One of the best features of this board is its ABEC 11 bearings, which are great for providing speed and a very smooth ride.
In many cases, you have to replace the bearings on a longboard; fortunately, this isn't the case with this RImable board.
This is also a board that is very sturdy, which means that it should be able to handle even larger adults.
Pros
- The design on the base of the deck is very attractive and intricate.
- The ABEC 11 bearings provide a smooth ride and will really help you pick up acceleration on the downhill.
- The top of the deck has very grippy tape that will help you maintain your footing as you speed along.
Cons
- The trucks aren't of the highest quality; you may need to replace them if you plan on doing more than straight longboarding.
8) Punisher Skateboards Longboard – Best Board for Carving Hills
If you love Japanese-themed boards, then the Punisher longboard, which features the mythological Oni of Japanese lore, will really fit your style.
This board's intricately designed deck is almost busy with characters, it has the Oni, some kanji, and the Punisher logo.
Another interesting feature of this board is the clear wheels; these simply look amazing when you're carving.
In addition to the Oni design, there are five different deck designs to choose from.
When it comes to longboarding stats, this board is clearly designed with downhill racing in mind. Like all of the boards in this guide,
this is a drop through model that also features a drop down deck so that your sense of gravity is very low, which is amazing for keeping turns tight and granting extra stability.
Pros
- This deck has a bit of camber on it, which provides a good amount of flex while riding.
- There are a lot of design options for this board.
- The wheels are made of a transparent polyurethane and are harder for speed.
Cons
- Unfortunately, when it comes to rider weight, this board tops out at around 170 pounds.
- For downhill racing, the ABEC 9 bearings are adequate, but they could be faster.
9) Sector 9 Green Wave Lookout II Drop-Thru Longboard – Board with the Best Flex
The final board in this list of longboards with drop through trucks is this beautiful Sector 9 board that's specifically designed for downhill riding.
One of the most striking features of this board is the Japanese wood block-themed design on the bottom of the deck.
This deck illustration has a sea green coloration and really adds a lot of style to the board itself.
Outside of the deck design, the deck itself is wood colored because it is actually comprised of bamboo. This material gives the deck a lot of flex, which is perfect for any rider that intends to do a lot of downhill racing.
The drop through trucks are also very low to the ground, which makes this board a very stable option for anyone looking to do a little racing.
Pros
- The design on the base of this board is very attractive.
- The bamboo construction is at once very strong and flexes easily.
- The trucks are also very wide, which means that the wheelbase is very stable.
Cons
- Unfortunately, this longboard uses ABEC 5 bearings, which cuts down its downhill speeds.
- The design at the base has a tendency to fade somewhat.
Top Mount Longboard vs Drop Through Longboard
So, what would make you choose a drop through board over a top mounted board? Well, that's simple: SPEED! There are quite a few skateboard enthusiasts who prefer a quick board over one that is good for tricks.
That being said, the lower position of drop through longboard decks makes it easier to pick up speed and maintain stability as you ride. On the other hand, if you are riding in an area that has a lot of turns, you may have more difficulty skating around the corners without drifting.
Fortunately, these boards are designed to give you a good amount of grip as you slide around turns so that you can easily stay on the board. check out great discussion over reddit.
Safety is Important
Since these longboards are designed for speed, you are going to need to consider your safety as well when you are skateboarding. That means that you want to ensure that the board that you select is not going to cause you to wipe out. check out Quora post are longboards safer than skateboards? Why or why not?
As we already discussed, the design of a drop through board adds stability to your ride, so if you are a beginner who is having difficulties learning to balance on a longboard, then you can try one of these boards to help you balance as you are riding. see the post what you do or what you don't.
In addition, even though a drop through board slides when it turns, this is actually a safer way to stop. You will have more control over a sliding board than one that is simply going too fast for you to handle, which can ensure that injuries do not occur. before make any decision you may see this discussion too.
Large Wheels Add Stability
When you are looking for a new drop through board, you are going to want to take the size of the wheel into consideration as well. Since you are getting this board for speed.
You will want to find a board with wheels that are somewhat large so that you have more stability as you ride. Also, if you purchase a board with small wheels, make sure that there are wheel cutouts on the board so that you can upgrade the wheels if you'd like without the wheels rubbing on the board as you skate.
Picking up Speed
Since, the deck of this type of board is so close to the ground, you will not have to work as hard as you would with other skateboards to push off of the ground and pick up speed.
Less distance between the deck and the board means that you don't need to move as much, which gives you more speed with less push. That being said, if you are trying to lose weight by skateboarding, this may not be the best type of skateboard for you because it requires less effort to cruise down the street.
Durable Deck
With the intent of going fast on the board that you choose, you want a deck that is going to be durable and dependable every time that you ride your new board. It you do not have a durable deck, a wipe out could cause the board to become damaged in the fall.
Typically, the boards with the best construction use a hard, durable wood like maple or bamboo, but there are other options as well. Check out my guide on the best longboards under $50 if you want to find a durable board that won't break the bank.
10 EASY DROP-THROUGH LONGBOARD TRICKS FOR BEGINNERS
Final Thoughts
Drop through longboards are a great option for a beginner who is just learning to skateboarding because of the stability and the control that the board provides.
It is also great for someone who has some skills when it comes to skateboarding because these boards can travel fast. In fact, with the right wheels and bearings, some can travel at speeds of more than 80 miles per hour.
Hopefully, this guide has helped you find the best drop through longboard for your needs, but if speed is not your forte, there are plenty of skateboards available that may fit your skate style.
Use my guide to help you choose the best skateboard for your needs, and don't be afraid to browse the site, we have plenty of interesting skateboarding articles.
