Longboarding is a thrill, a method of relaxation, and a hobby around the world. Four wheels and a board creates one of the simplest and most entertaining pleasures and recreational activities on the planet today. From long-distance trips across states and countries to casual longboard rides around the neighborhood, longboarding is a fantastic activity for everyone, as long as you can push and balance.
Few other hobbies require as little as a single board with wheels. While you might want elbow pads and knee pads to cushion you during a fall or slide gloves for extreme riding, all you need to longboard is the board itself and, hopefully, some clothing on your body.
This makes longboarding a popular activity for people without too much money to spend. No season passes, no thousand dollar gear, no long commutes. All you have to do is get out your longboard and ride.
Many of the most popular longboards cost somewhere between $150 and $300. These longboards are the best in the game. They are more advanced, durable, and better suited for the most intense terrain, but some people do not care to spend so much of their paycheck on a board. They either have too many other bills to pay, are just starting out on a longboard, or do not take longboarding serious enough to pay hundreds of dollars for a board.
And that’s okay. Cheap longboards do not handle as well, but you can still get from point A to point B, carve around your neighborhood, and even see how your board handles your city’s steepest hill.
This post will analyze the 8 best cheap longboards under $100. While you sacrifice quality for affordability in this category, that might be the best choice to make in your situation.
First we will look at the components of a longboard, then where to buy the best cheap longboard, and then I will make a comparison table of the 8 best cheap longboards under $100 before reviewing each of the boards in greater depth.
How To Choose the Best Cheap Longboard
Like I said, the cheapest longboards aren’t going to be the best-built longboards. Whether you’re a green beginner or an intermediate rider trying to save a buck, you should know about each component of a longboard. In this section, I’m going to write about the key details of longboards, wheels, bearings, bushings, and other longboarding accessories.
In case you’re new to longboarding, I’ll introduce you to each component before talking about them in greater depth.
What Are Longboards and How Are They Made?
Longboards are the wooden, epoxy, and/or fiberglass boards that you stand on where you’re riding. Pretty simple. They are most frequently made of maple, bamboo, fiberglass, birch, or almond. Some materials are more flexible, others are more stiff. Some will last a lifetime and others will rot quickly.
Longboards come in different sizes, generally no less than 26 inches and no longer than 60 inches. Shorter boards are more maneuverable and better for big crowds. You don’t want to be shuffling through massive crowds on a 4 foot long board, I promise. Shorter boards are typically less stable at high speeds, so a long board might be better for you if you want to bomb hills all day.
Longer boards are less maneuverable, but they handle speed quite a bit better than short boards. If you’re on the taller or heavier end, longer boards are probably best for you. The same is true if you’re shorter and lighter, but you’re a speed demon in search of the steepest hill.
Longboards also vary in flexibility. Very flexy boards are easy to handle, maneuver, and ride if you are most interested in carving or cruising. If you want to bomb hills, you’ll want a more flexy longboard. Flexy boards at high speeds are a recipe for disaster and, more specifically, road rash. If you’re on the heavier end, you should get a less flexy board and vice versa.
Some companies offer different flex levels, but most just offer a single flex per board. It’s sometimes hard to tell how flexy a board is, especially with cheaper longboards. In case a product description says nothing about flex, the trick is to look at the longboard style and the length of the longboard. Cruising longboards will be more flexy, downhill longboards will be more stiff.
Shorter boards will usually be more flexy and longer boards will be more stiff. This isn’t true in every case, but it’s a fair guess that you can make if nothing about the flex is mentioned.
Finally, longboard width ranges from around 7 to 10 inches. Wider longboards are more stable but less maneuverable and vice versa.
Longboard Trucks
Longboard trucks are the two big metal pieces screwed to the longboard. They consist of a hanger and a baseplate that are connected by a kingpin. Longboard trucks are far more agile than skateboard trucks.
Bushings sit on the kingpin of your longboard. Cone-shaped bushings are better for carving and flat bushings are better for downhill riding.
Longboard trucks are typically constructed using similar materials. The biggest difference between longboard trucks is their width. You’ll want to pay special attention to width, because this says quite a bit about the feel of the board.
Longboard trucks have widths between 100mm and 200mm, though the majority are between 130 and 190. The lesser the width, the more playful and quick your turning ability will be. Of course, turning ability sacrifices stability. Longboards between 180mm and 200mm are more stable and are best for light carving or intense downhill terrain.
The other big risk for very thin longboard trucks is wheelbite. Wheelbite happens when your deck touches the wheels while you’re turning, usually as a result of thick wheels, a flexy deck, and thin trucks. Wheelbite can lead to pretty bad crashes at high speeds. Many of the more flexy longboards are built with wheel wells to avoid contact between the board and wheels.
Truck height is another factor that influences how your longboard will ride. High truck setups provide more stability at high speeds, but it’ll be harder to push since you’re further off the ground.
Longboard Wheels
Longboard wheels are almost always made with polyurethane, but the wheels have different hardness and width. Most wheels are between 50mm and 100mm in diameter. Smaller wheels accelerate quickly, but they handle high speeds poorly compared to bigger wheels. Bigger wheels do not accelerate as fast, but they are stable at high speeds.
The softness of longboard wheels is measured by durometer. Longboard wheel durometer range from 75a to 100a. 75a wheels are more grippy and soft, but they slide quicker, ride slower, and deteriorate faster than harder wheels. Harder wheels are more controllable and quicker, but they have less grip and can be less forgiving on small bumps and cracks.
Where to Buy the Best Cheap Longboards Under $100
So you want to buy a longboard for less than $100. This isn’t a challenge thanks to the availability of online markets. You can check out your neighborhood skate shop, but they will probably only stock a few longboards and there’s a pretty good chance that they’ll be above your price range.
Online retailers offer an extensive selection of cheap longboards. You can choose between deck shapes, construction materials, and wheel and truck sizes to find the cheap longboard that best suits your riding style.
Many of these boards will have lower quality construction and accessories than other longboards. To be clear, if you want a very good longboard, you’ll want to spend a little more than $100. Cheap longboards are not as well built and will not handle as well at high speeds, but they will ride and fulfill your longboarding needs.
These online retailers have a great stock of cheap longboards and all the information you will need when it comes to buying a new longboard:
Cheap Longboard Comparison Table
The following cheap longboards under $100 are some of the better affordable longboards on the market today. To clarify, you can either buy every longboard component (deck, trucks, wheels) separately, or you can buy them together in what’s known as a complete longboard.
I’m only going to review complete longboards here. Finding the right setup is difficult and time consuming, especially if you’re a beginner and all you want is a cheap longboard setup. So each board offered below includes trucks and wheels already.
The comparison chart below will feature the following categories: make and model, longboard length, longboard width, construction material, and price.
| Make and Model | Length | Width | Construction Material | Price | |
| Rout After Hours 11 PM |  |
38” | 9.5” | Maple | $99.95 |
| Layback Longboards Throwback |  |
40” | 9.87” | Unknown | $69.99 |
| Punked Seaside Kicktail |  |
40” | 10” | 9-ply Canadian maple | $99.99 |
| Quest Super Cruiser |   |
44” | 9” | Hardwood maple and bamboo | $77.99 |
| Globe Chromantic Cruiser |   |
33” | 9.7” | Hard rock maple | $99.95 |
| LandShark Island Style |   |
35” | 9.25” | 8-ply maple | $79.99 |
| Playshion Drop Through |   |
39” | Unknown | 8-ply maple | $59.79 |
| Punked Rasta II |  |
40” | 10” | 9-ply maple | $99.99 |
The 8 Best Cheap Longboards Reviewed
Now that we’ve summarized longboard components, where to buy cheap longboards, and took a look at each of the 8 cheap boards, I will review each longboard in greater depth.
To clarify, these reviews aren’t in any particular order. There is no single best cheap longboard – it all depends on your personal preference and riding style.
The idea is to provide a good description and some specs of each longboard to give you an understanding of the manufacturer, the design and specs of the board, and other notable features.
Rout After Hours 11 PM
The Rout After Hours 11 PM is just under $100. It is one of the best and certainly one of the prettiest longboard on this list. It’s a great starter longboard if you’re just getting into the game and want to test the waters. It’s as good of a longboard for die-hards who just don’t have enough money to spend.
The longboard isn’t specialized in any way — it’s equally good at cruising, downhill riding, freestyle riding, and sliding. It is a drop through board, meaning that you will be lower to the ground when you ride. Drop through boards are better for pushing, stability, and generally having an easier all around ride.
The Rout After Hours 11 PM is built with traditional maple. The deck is 38” long, great for cruising and providing great maneuverability without being unstable. The deck has medium flex and medium concave, being neither too stiff nor too soft.
The board comes with DBS Abec 7 bearings, Dano 70mm 78a Downhill wheels, 10” Gullwing Charger trucks, and free grip tape to keep you safe and stable on your board.
The board comes with free assembly, free shipping in the continental United States, and free returns in the first 30 days as long as the product is still in excellent condition. The Rout After Hours 11 PM is one of the most legit cheap longboards on the market today.
Purchase the Route After Hours here.
Layback Longboards Throwback
The Layback Longboards Throwback is a better example of the longboards available for $100 or less. They are mass produced, not as well designed, and not constructed using the best deck material or parts.
With that said, the Layback Longboards Throwback will still ride and take you from point A to point B. You can even try riding the board down a steep hill or two, but the board might be pretty unstable in the steepest terrain.
A little cheaper than the After Hours 11 PM, you will save money by buying this longboard but you will be sacrificing quality. If you’re mostly just rolling around the neighborhood or from class to class, the Layback Longboards Throwback will be equipped for your riding needs.
The Layback Longboards Throwback comes with wheels, trucks, bearings, and bushings like the rest of the longboards on this list, but the manufacturer does not clarify the brand or measurements of the longboard accessories. The deck is 40” long and 9.87” wide, great for cruising around.
The Layback Longboards Throwback comes factory pre assembled, so you can take the longboard from the shipping box to the streets right away.
You can purchase the Throwback here.
Punked Seaside Kicktail
The Punked Seaside Kicktail longboard is pretty good bang for the buck. Think seaside cruising, neighborhood rides, and relaxed hills. As the graphics imply, the longboard is for relaxed, quiet (and seaside) rides.
The longboard has a pintail shape, which is the classic shape for longboards. This throwback style board is for young beginners and old folks who can recall when the first longboard came out. The board has a kicktail which makes the board more dynamic, and able to handle tricks if you’re into freestyle longboarding.
The Punked Seaside Kicktail has a 40” long and 10” wide deck constructed with 9-Ply Canadian Maple, making the board pretty durable and suited for carving and cruising. The board has medium flex and medium concave, making the board suitable for mostly anything besides extreme downhill terrain.
The Punked Seaside Kicktail comes pre assembled with 180mm HD7 Reverse Kingpin Trucks, Q-Ball 70mm x 52mm 78A wheels, Punked Abec 7 Chrome Bearings, and Black Widow Premium 80 Grit Grip Tape.
This might not be the prettiest board on the list, but it’s durable, affordable considering the high-quality construction material, and a fun board for cruising.
Purchase the Punked Seaside Kicktail here.
Quest Super Cruiser
The Quest Super Cruiser is a beautiful deck. Like its name implies, this is a board for relaxing rides, wide turns, and easy hills. It’s pretty long, so it won’t maneuver as well as shorter longboards nor be as steady.
For $77, this longboard is a bargain. It definitely looks like a far more expensive longboard. Quest longboards are designed in the beachside towns of California. Their longboards, and the Super Cruiser specifically, is designed to echo the breezy surfing sensation that California riders love so much.
The Super Cruiser is a 44” long and 9” wide deck. That means wide turns, less maneuverability, but a lot more stability than shorter longboards. The deck is built with multi-ply maple and bamboo. Bamboo is one of the more flexible construction materials out there, so the board will be pretty playful despite its length.
One other cool feature of the Super Cruiser is the wheel wells. Wheel wells will help you avoid wheel bite on tight turns. The longboard comes pre assembled with rugged 7-inch aluminum trucks, ABEC 7 speed bearings, and durable 70mm PU wheels.
The Super Cruiser is designed for relaxed and low speed neighborhood rides. You can try the board in busy crowds and down steep hills, but low-traffic sidewalks and streets is where the longboard will thrive.
Purchase the Quest Super Cruiser here.
Globe Chromantic Cruiser
Globe is a great longboard, skateboard, and skatewear brand. Globe products are always pretty solid, and I can’t say I expected to see a longboard of theirs so cheap. The Globe Chromantic is an awesome cruising longboard that has clear skateboard influence in its design.
The design looks closer to the longboards the Lords of Dogtown used when they were hunting empty pools around Southern California. The Chromantic is relatively short for a longboard, at 33”. That makes the deck very maneuverable and playful, but not as stable as longer boards.
The kicktail is a pretty fun feature of the longboard – you can try a manual or another longboarding trick with this board. The deck is made from 7-ply hard rock maple and is pressed with epoxy to keep the board light, strong, and durable.
The Globe Chromantic comes with tensor alloy standard trucks, Globe ABEC-7 bearings, super high-rebound bushings, and performance wheels for a smooth, fast, and grippy ride.
The longboard has wheel wells built into the deck. This is extremely useful because the Chromantic is flexy and playful. If wheel wells weren’t built in the board, you would be falling quite a bit from wheel bite. With wheel wells, you can carve as tight as you want.
Purchase the Globe Chromantic Cruiser here.
LandShark Island Style
This is a novelty longboard for the beer lover (for those who don’t know, LandShark brews lagers). The Island Style is more of a carving and cruising board. I’m not sure whether it’s by design or not, but beer-branded longboards should never be designed for downhill riding for obvious reasons. So we thank LandShark for that.
The LandShark Island Style is a pretty solid longboard for a rebranded board. It’s a drop through board, providing stability and easy pushing at a low height from the ground. The 35” deck is built with 8-ply maple, an extremely sturdy build. The board has decent contour, lowering your center of gravity and giving you more control. The deck has a medium concave, providing a responsive feel and allowing your feet to sit comfortably on the deck.
The longboard has deck cutouts, or wheel wells, so you won’t experience wheel bite on the tightest of turns. The longboard comes with grip tape to keep your feet sturdy, even if you’re tipsy. The board also comes with 7” wide aluminum trucks that are lightweight, durable, and easily adjustable to your desired performance.
The board also comes with 61mm x 54mm PU Wheels with Abec-7 Precision Carbon Steel Bearings. The Island Style is a very solid cruising and carving board, and a perfect board to go from brewery to brewery (as long as you’re not too drunk).
Purchase the Landshark Island Style cheap longboard here.
Playshion Drop Through
The Playshion Drop Through is the cheapest longboard on the list. The Drop Through is made for freestyle purposes – flip tricks, manuals, shove-its, technical sliding, longboard dancing. All that. It’s a pretty solid and certainly very cheap longboard if you’re just getting into freestyle riding. The board is symmetrical.
This board will also serve you well if you can care less for freestyle riding, but you want a cheap and lightweight board to ride around with. The Playshion Drop Through will cruise and carve pretty well too. Between 1-10, 10 being the most flexible, the longboard is around a 7. That means quick turns and a responsive feel, but you won’t want to ride down a steep hill unless you’re an expert rider. Steep hills + flexy boards = road rash.
The Drop Through is a 39” 8-ply maple deck. The deck is tough and durable but also flexy. The deck has a flat design with a slight concave along the board’s width which secures your feet to the board and facilitates turning. The board can hold up to 250 pounds, meaning you shouldn’t have an issue if you’re on the heavier end.
The longboard comes with soft 70x50mm PU Wheels, ABEC-9 bearings, and 7” aluminum trucks equipped with soft bushings for a fun, loose ride. While the Playshion Drop Through isn’t the fanciest or best-designed board out there, it’s equipped for a nice freestyle ride. And you couldn’t ask for better value.
Purchase the Playshion Dropthrough Longboard here.
Punked Rasta II
The Punked Skateboards Rasta II is a pretty solid longboard. It’s at the higher end of the price range, but it wouldn’t surprise me if this board were quite a bit more expensive. It’s a great design if you love reggae — not so good if you’re trying to keep certain things a secret.
The Rasta II is a pintail shape and has a kicktail for tricks and extra flair on your longboard. The longboard has wheel wells above each wheel, meaning you can carve pretty tight turns without risking wheel bite.
The longboard is 40” long and 10” wide, pretty standard for longboards. It is constructed with 9-ply maple, a pretty tough and durable material. The longboard has medium concave and medium flex, perfect for carving and cruising around. The Rasta II will perform alright at high speeds, but not as well as dedicated downhill boards.
The Punked Skateboards Rasta II comes with 180mm HD7 Reverse Kingpin Trucks, Q-Ball 70mm x 52mm 78A wheels, Punked Abec 7 Chrome Bearings, and Black Widow Premium 80 Grit Grip Tape.
If you want a decent longboard with cool style, the Punked Skateboards Rasta II is for you.
Purchase the Punked Rasta II here.
Conclusion
Longboarding is for everybody, and unaffordable prices should never keep you off a longboard. I’ll say it again — the best longboards cost more than $100, but that doesn’t mean that these longboards won’t ride and give you the same satisfaction, if not the same capabilities, as more expensive longboards.
These 8 cheap longboards are each great to ride and great to learn how to longboard if you’re a beginner. You can test them on steep hills, busy campuses, and pools and ditches if you feel adventurous. If not, they’re just as fun for late afternoon rides along the beach or your neighborhood streets.
I hope this post helps you choose the best longboard under $100. As I said earlier in the post, these 8 boards are in no particular order. You can choose what style, length, and design is for you based on personal preference and the information above in “How to Choose a Cheap Longboard.” Happy riding!
