What is a penny board and how to ride it?

Such a board as a penny board, was created in Australia for active pastime, as an easy and maneuverable alternative skateboards. Now these boards are very popular, they attract attention for its colors and high quality.

Penny boards are so called because of their small size. On such boards it is convenient to ride teenagers and children, as well as girls. They belong to the cruise longboard and choose to move around the city and rest.

The constituents of the Penny Board are:

• A durable and lightweight plastic deck with a embossed pattern that helps keep your feet on the board. The composition of the plastic for the deck is kept secret by the manufacturer.
• Suspension, for the manufacture of which used aluminum alloy. Its design is classical for all suspensions, that is, consists of two parts fastened with a bolt and a bushings. Tightening the bolt, the suspension can be made harder, and loosening the nut - softer.
• Polyurethane wheels, the core of which is made of aluminum or plastic. Wheel diameter is 59 mm and width is 40 mm. Stiffness 78a allows not to feel minor surface irregularities while moving on a penny board and at the same time provides a good reel. Penny wheels have ABEC7 bearings.

One of the main differences between a skateboard and a penny is size.

The main types of pennies are:

1. Original - the boards of this type are 56 cm long, and the suspension is 7.5 cm wide. They are small and light, so it is convenient to carry such penny boards with you and hide them in your backpack. However, the small size is for beginners some difficulties in learning to ride on such a board.
2. Nickel - the length of such boards is 69 cm., And the suspension is 10 cm wide. It is much easier to master such a board for beginners, because when riding a larger board, the rider feels stable and confident. In addition, these models are selected with a large foot size.

Depending on the colors emit such subspecies pennies:

• Complete - models in one color
• Fades - boards designed by customers
• Custom - multicolor boards of bright color
• Pastel - products in pastel colors
• Fluorescents - models with bright neon colors, the coating of which glows in the dark
• Holiday - products in vintage style, decorated with Indian and Hawaiian motifs
• Graphics - boards with a catchy color with a space theme and Mexican motifs
• Marbles - Marble Design Boards

The wheels of different models of penny board are matte, transparent or translucent.

Ride a penny should be in gear that protects against injuries during falls. This is especially important for first board trips.

Therefore, together with the Penny Board for skating should be prepared:

• High-quality sneakers with a flat sole that will link well with the board.
• Gloves.
• The sleeves are.
• Protection for the knees.
• Elbow pads
• Clothes that won't get in the way of moving.
• Helmet.

Deciding to buy such a longboard, like the Penny Board, you will encounter a large variety of models that differ in color, recommended by age category and size.

First you need to find out which leg will lead, and only then begin to learn:

• Place the guide foot on the deck immediately after the bolting point.
• With the second leg, push off a little and try to balance with the help of not only the legs, but also the arms.
• The front foot should be placed straight, and the back leg perpendicular to the penny board.
• To control the board, learn to turn the front foot, affecting the movement of the penny.
• Accelerate on the board only on a flat road and in a place where people do not go and do not drive cars.
• Learn to first stand on the board and keep balance on it, and then push off with your back foot.
• To break up, just touch the asphalt foot a little.
• Look ahead and watch the board move.
• When you learn to keep your balance in straight sections, you can try to make turns. To do this, slightly loosen the suspension.
• To turn you need to move at speed, but do not accelerate too much, so that the maneuver was carried out calmly. Put your back foot on the tail of the penny.
• To stop, slow down and get off the board.

See below for a short video tutorial for beginner longborders.

On a penny board, you can not only navigate the park paths and city streets, but also perform a variety of tricks. The basic maneuvers consider a turn in different directions with different variations of racks. The tricks available to penny board holders are also a variety of shaped passages. In addition, you can learn to unfold on the board when the wheels slide over the surface (this reversal is called revert).

The following video shows some penny tricks.

First of all, the originality of the penny board can be identified by engravings and inscriptions on the product:

• On the top of the deck of the original board will be the inscription “Penny Australia” - on Original models it is enclosed in a circle, and on Nickel models it is located along the board. On fake boards, the inscription will be different.
• Below on the deck you will see the inscription “Penny”, if it is the Original model, and the inscription “Nickel”, if this penny board applies to Nickel models. Such an inscription will be in quotes.
• From the bottom of the tictile on the original board there is an extruded large letter P.
• The base of the suspension of the original board is equipped with two inscriptions "Penny.", Which diverge in opposite directions from the center of the product. The same inscription with a dot is also present between the wheels on their axis.
• Each wheel of a real penny board is marked “Penny”. In addition, on the bearing at each wheel you can read "Penny Skateboards Abec Seven", and the bearing itself has a purple hue.

The following video details and shows the difference between the original penny and the Chinese one.

Real penny boards also differ from fake boards:

• The material of the deck. Plastic original board non-slip, with a protruding pattern. During the ride, he bends not much. Fake counterparts have plastic that is too smooth, their feet slide on it, and the board itself is quite hard to squeeze when it becomes.
• Curvature suspension. In the original boards, the suspension will be absolutely flat, as can be seen by putting the penny board on a flat surface. You will notice that all wheels will touch this surface. In addition, in places of friction, the suspension of genuine Penny Board is lubricated at the factory, due to which wear is minimized and the product lasts a long time. In copies, one wheel may not touch the floor, and there is no factory grease.
• Soft bushing. They provide a smooth turn, but do not allow excessive deflection of the suspension and grazing the deck wheels. The bushings are put on a bolt firmly fixed in the base of the board. In addition, the suspension itself is distinguished by a special form, which includes the presence of special limiters that hold the bushings in place and protect them from rupture. As for the penny board analogs, the bushings in such products are often hard, therefore it is difficult to turn on such boards. Gaskets on fake boards are often too soft, which leads to squeezing the deck when cornering (it touches the wheels). In addition, in non-original boards the bolt is not fixed on the basis of the suspension, and there are no stops. It threatens with a quick breakdown of such parts or their deformation.
• Quality bearings. If the original Penny Board bearing is dirty, it is easily disassembled, cleaned, lubricated and assembled back, working properly after such manipulations. Fake board bearings are often cheap, poorly fitted and do not understand. As a result, the wheels of such products do not rotate well and stop faster after acceleration, and as soon as the part becomes dirty, the bearing fails.
• Quality wheels. For reference pennies, they are round and rubber. Such wheels smoothly roll on a rough surface, extending the service of bearings. Chinese analogue boards have different wheel stiffness (it can even be hard plastic wheels), which is why the uneven surface has a strong effect on the bearings, and on the rider's leg fatigue.

The photos below show the distinctive features of the original Penny Board.

In addition to the original products of the Australian manufacturer in our country, you can buy similar boards from plastic made in China. They cost 2-3 times cheaper than a real Penny Board, but their quality is also very different from the original pennies.

You can begin to master the children's board from the age of 4. In such boards, designed for ages of 4–12 years old and a child’s weight up to 40 kg, the length is 56 cm (size 22 inches). The length of penny boards for teens over 11 years is from 66 cm.

The cost of penny boards depends on the size of the board and its series. On average, for Penny Board you need to pay 7-9 thousand rubles.At the same time, there are regular promotions in stores offering a large selection of penny models, so sometimes you can not only buy such a board for 5-6 thousand rubles, but also receive accessories as a gift.

It is easiest to pick up a bag or backpack for a penny board 69 cm. (27 inches), since such a board fits well in any case and backpack for regular skateboards. But the 56-centimeter (22-inch) models are more problematic to carry. Although the range of bags and penny covers is constantly increasing, the quality of such products sold in many sporting goods stores is not very high.

To buy a cover or backpack for your penny board, be sure to take a board with you and try on the bag on the spot. Make sure to carry the product conveniently. Also keep in mind that the penny case is more compact, but carrying in a backpack is much more practical.

Penny Board can be additionally purchased:

1. Coating griptape. It is a non-slip, ready for sticking, corresponding to the dimensions of the deck. When choosing such a coating, you should consider the size of your penny, as well as the desired color.
2. Stickers on the bottom panel. With them, a penny board will be different from other boards of the same design.

Penny boards are very unpretentious in terms of storage, since their materials (both plastic deck, aluminum alloy hangers, and polyurethane wheels) are highly resistant to external influences.

Those who purchased a penny board for their child or for themselves are mostly satisfied with this purchase. All users among the advantages of penny note the high quality of plastic, attractive modern design, a lot of color options. After testing a ride on the Penny Board, most of the owners of such boards confirm that it is very convenient to ride them even on an uneven surface.

As for the relatively high price of penny boards, almost all emphasize that the product is worth its money, since such Australian boards are not like Chinese, they are high-quality and allow you to ride for more than one season.