It's broken only in the middle of the board, where "LANDYACHTZ" is carved out, exposing glossy, dark purple paint. The text is lined up so that it's more of a logo. There are five rows and two columns. The words are written from left to right, creating a thin rectangle of letters. The font is strange, most notably using triangles on the A's and Y. The corners of the board are sharp, but instead of forming a straight line on each end, they curve to connect into the smaller ends. These ends have slim, rectangular holes where pieces of metal are secured with 4 screws on each.
The metal doesn't take up the entire hole area, leaving a good amount of space on each side where you can see through to the ground. The metal is black and a very odd shape, like a staircase with a balcony. The longer edges are flat and have screws and extra holes. One end breaks away and starts to slope downward. There's a wall on the inside separating the space. One end has another bigger screw going through it. Another notable thing is that each piece of plastic has a white 50° painted on right before they slope down.
When the board is flipped over, it's clear that the metal is the top part of the longboard's trucks. The bottoms of the screws come through the board itself. You can also see the other end of the big screw holding the bottom together. The shape is very thick and connects in many different places. The main piece is a curved triangular shape with raised edges. It curves out onto either end and links to the wheels. "BEAR" is carved into the metal, revealing a silver color. The trucks extend sideways just enough so that the wheels are visible on either side of the handle-like ends of the board. They just about line up with the regular edges of the board. On very close inspection, the trucks have some kind of animal skull carved into them near where they connect to the board.
The wheels are very chunky and are a dark gray color. Their insides are curved in like tires, and each has a long screw in the middle connecting it to the trucks. There is a thin red circle around each screw. Along the edges of the wheels, there is light bluish-gray text that says "HAWGS 70". You don't have to turn the wheels to read it all at once. Spinning the wheels is very smooth, and they don't have any resistance or make any noise. They're made of urethane with a plastic core, making them rubbery to the touch but firm.
The board's edges are exposed wood, and you can see all of the wood layers. The bottom of the board is sleek black and purple paint. The black is the background, and the dark purple outlines a fox's face using contour to give off the impression of fur. The eyes of the fox are also black. The only other thing on the bottom of the board is a small black rectangle with the brand name in it - this time readable. The entire board is covered in knicks, scrapes, and scuffs from constant use. Most notably, the trucks have the black paint carved off from hitting rocks, and there's a long, deep gash cutting through the bottom.
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A longboard basically functions as a form of transportation. One uses their feet to kick it forward and roll around to get places faster. They can be distinguished from skateboards by their size, making them safer to use and more suitable for transportation. It's much harder to do tricks on them for this same reason, but they are capable of it. Some designs, like this one, even add kicktails to make flips easier.
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The function is the most crucial aspect of a longboard. It primarily exists to move in a certain way and make that movement as smooth and safe as possible. That being said, aesthetics are important in longboarding, but the visual appeal should not hinder its actual performance. In terms of function, this longboard is primarily for transportation but is also made to do tricks more easily. To have both of these things, the board's shape becomes awkward. No skateboards look like this, which may cause the design to be somewhat offputting to someone seeing it for the first time. Yet, the strange kicktails are necessary for it to be able to consistently pivot and do tricks. It can also be challenging to maneuver the foot to use the kicktails without catching on the wheels. The problem is that the wheels need to be on the ends for transportation to be easy. Since tricks are a secondary function, the transportation aspect takes priority.
Customization on longboards is vital to a lot of people. Having a unique-looking board helps one identify with it more personally; however, all boards need to have grip tape to be safe to ride. The grip tape holds the feet to the board so that the rider doesn't slide off. This is the first thing to start wearing and tearing and will eventually need to be replaced in many circumstances. Due to these complications, the designs for longboards are actually painted on the bottom. They still get beat up but last longer than they otherwise would. Few people will see someone's board design, but function and safety have to come first.
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Longboards have been being refined to an ideal form for a long time. Skateboards were made first, so a longboard is just a specialized form of a skateboard. The innovation in this particular longboard is in the kicktails. No design so far is better suited for pulling off tricks while also being a functional cruiser. Skateboards are so good for tricks because they're small, so their kicktails are achieved by simply having the wheels close to the middle of the board. They're light, and they're not meant to be safe so much as they're meant to look cool. However, with a longboard, safety and transportation are the focus. Tricks cannot come at the cost of either. The strangely shaped kicktails keep the wheels wideset but let the rider get a foothold for kicking up the board.
The usefulness speaks for itself with a longboard. It's a fun method of transportation and an excellent way to exercise. It's more challenging to use than a bike but comes with the reward of having more control and fitting through tighter spaces. Aesthetics take a backseat for the most part when it comes to the design on the bottom. No one sees it in most contexts, and it's usually only seen when the rider goes out of their way to show someone else. Instead, the aesthetic of longboarding (and skateboarding) is the riders themselves. It's usually the person on the board that is getting the attention. The difficulty of the sport and its subculture makes it desirable more so than the actual appearance of any single board. Each rider has their own unique style, and the board is merely a tool to help them show that off to others. The point is mainly how a person uses it rather than how pretty it looks.
The design of a longboard is simple and easy to understand. It's simply a plank of wood with wheels. It's very intuitive that wheels = movement. There's nowhere to hide when designing a longboard. It either works really well, or it doesn't. A good longboard is meant to be sturdy and practical. It shouldn't easily snap, especially granted its larger size and more expensive cost. This one, in particular, has a long lifespan assuming that it's taken care of. It's easy to deconstruct, so the wheels can be easily replaced. This is important as they deteriorate much more quickly than the board itself.
The environmental impact of longboards is complicated, but this brand is eco-friendly for the most part. Boards are made from maple wood and, unfortunately, contribute to deforestation. Bamboo boards are another option but don't last as long. Instead, this brand participates in a program where they plant a new maple tree for every board they sell. One maple tree can make upwards of 60 boards, so they're growing more than cutting down in the long term. The wheels they work with use as little plastic as possible except for the cores, which currently don't have an alternative. Most of the wheel is instead made of urethane, which is very sustainable compared to plastic. It's non-toxic to the environment and deteriorates more quickly. The biggest issue is emissions from production.
The most well-known environmental impact of longboarding is that they don't run on gas. Like bicycles, the only thing that makes a longboard run is the human body, which happens to be entirely biodegradable. When used in place of vehicles, they can reduce a person's carbon footprint by a substantial amount. In terms of being environmentally conscious, it's a preferable form of transportation.
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