Solving the Wobbles
The wobbles only tend to occur when a rider is reaching fast speeds (typically on a hill). When a rider is traveling at fast speeds, every tiny movement the rider makes will drastically affect the movement of the board. Make one small mistake and you can be in the middle of a nasty speed wobble which could send you flying.
Why Do They Occur?
Speed alone can send a rider into a wobble due to the rider not making certain adjustments. Not putting enough pressure on your forward foot will certainly be enough to start a wobble. The other problem with wobbles is that when they occur, it usually just gets worse due to the rider trying to compensate for the wobble. If the board slightly wobbles left, the rider will make corrective action on the right to straighten this out. However, at high speeds it is easy for the rider to over compensate for the initial wobble which leads to more wobbles, leading to more over correction, that leads to more wobbles, etc.
How to Avoid the Wobbles
The first thing someone can do to prevent the wobbles is to tighten their trucks. Loose trucks calls for more mobility, but less stability at higher speeds. This can be an easy way to help avoid the speed wobbles. However this is merely a part of the solution. You shouldn’t expect to tighten your trucks and have your speed wobbles disappear.
Another way to prevent the wobbles is to select a board with a larger wheel base. On almost all longboards for sale online you can find the wheel base under descriptions or specs. The wider your wheel base is, the more stability you will have at higher speeds.
The riders stance has a crucial role in preventing a speed wobble. You need to adjust your stance when going down a hill. The fact that the rider is in more of a cruising stance (more standing), means that there is not enough pressure on the front truck. When there is more pressure on the back truck than the front, this causes your steering to be driven from the back truck. Any tiny movement with the back foot has a exponentially greater affect on the front trucks and their direction, which will certainly send you into a wobble.
There are some cheap, quick fixes out there but if you are seriously considering downhill longboarding, I recommend buying the proper board with proper components to minimize risk. Contact Board Away if you’re interested in obtaining a downhill longboard, we can provide detailed specifications for a complete longboard that is perfect for you.
