Eco-consciousness slips into all areas of our lives. We continuously think of how to improve our daily choices, so they do not cause any harm to nature.
Skating culture seems to be pretty distant from eco-activism, but you'll be surprised if we tell you that longboards make a significant impact on the environment. Well yes, it's not longboards themselves, rather than the materials that they are made of. Bamboo longboard decks appear to be a hot trend amongst eco-aware skaters, and there is definitely a reason behind it: they are not only an excellent and on-budget matter of green transportation but also an alternative for avoiding maple deforestation.
Feel free to explore this article if you want to jump into the bandwagon of sustainable transport and get a deep insight into the best bamboo longboards.
What are bamboo longboards?
Bamboo longboards seem to be pretty big of a deal though there is nothing notable in this type of green transportation.
You don't have to expect drastic differences in the performance of bamboo longboards, compared to the ones that are made out of maple, which is an advantage. Best bamboo longboards can excellently accomplish any types of activities, whether it's freestyling or simple street and park skateboarding. At the same time, choosing a bamboo longboard is a very eco-conscious decision.
Are bamboo longboards good?
To begin with, bamboo is one of the most eco-friendly materials available on the market. It doesn't require any pesticides or chemicals while growing, which makes the use of this material an eco-conscious and sustainable choice.
Bamboo longboard decks have it all: they are fast, flexible and sturdy enough at the same time. Whether you need your board for commuting, cruising or dancing purposes, bamboo longboards can perform their best at any skateboarding activity. The main feature of bamboo longboards is that they are robust and reliable while being ultimately light and flexible. Due to their lightness and flexibility, the longboards are also proven to be speedy and maneuverable.
Check out our individual reviews of Atom Drop-Through Bamboo Longboard and Quest Super Cruiser Bamboo Longboard.
Bamboo vs maple longboards
Maple is the most commonly used material for longboard decks. However, it takes a lot of time and effort to grow a maple tree. More specifically, one needs up to 60 years to mature. Moreover, maple trees do not grow back after being harvested, so there is a need for replantation, that demands a lot of natural and human resources.
From the skater's point of view, maple longboards are rather heavy and solid. Maple is a hardwood, so longboards that are made out of it will last for a long while.
A shoot of bamboo usually takes not more than five years to grow fully. Unlike maple, bamboo doesn't need to be replanted after harvesting. After being cut, the shoots of this grass grow back even stronger. It is also interesting that bamboo produces way more oxygen, contributing to the overcome of CO2 emission.
Pros & Cons of bamboo longboards
We have already compared bamboo vs maple longboards and got to know that bamboo is an excellent material to consider for your longboard deck. Though there are always two sides to the medal and you need to ensure that the bamboo longboard is exactly what you need before getting yourself one.
Let's take a closer look at the pros and cons of bamboo longboard decks:
The Pros
- Environmentally Friendly: maple deforestation is a hot topic on the current agenda of eco-activism. It takes up to 60 years for a maple tree to fully grow and mature. Moreover, maple doesn't grow back after being harvested and requires replantation. That's why the enormous involvement of natural and human resources is crucial to produce maple longboards. Though, bamboo longboard decks require way less effort. Bamboo grows back itself even stronger after being harvested. It is an entirely natural material that doesn't need any chemicals and pesticides.
- Flexible: the flexibility of bamboo longboard decks is way higher than of maple longboards. Though, it doesn't change the user's weight capacity and has very little to do with the durability of your sustainable transport. All longboards have a user weight capacity at about 300lbs, so you don't have to worry that the flexibility of the bamboo longboard will result in its breakage. Oppositely, best bamboo longboards show the advantages of their flexibility at cruising, dancing and carving.
- Light: bamboo is a hollow and light grass that makes an excellent material for longboards. The average weight of a bamboo longboard is around 7.5 ounces, while maple longboards typically weigh 2-3 ounces more. This difference doesn't seem to be significant at first sight, but it shows during the ride or while merely carrying the longboard.
- Cheap: for the majority of businesses, making eco-friendly products means that they need to higher the production cost. Though, this is not the case for bamboo longboards. Compared to maple, bamboo is way more natural to grow and, as a consequence, eco-conscious longboards are slightly cheaper, compared to regular ones.
The Cons
- Less durable: as a matter of fact, it is ultimately difficult to find disadvantages of bamboo longboards. Though, some users point out that their bamboo longboards are a little less durable compared to their maple alternatives. This disadvantage is an exception rather than a rule itself, and the durability of your longboard only depends on how carefully you utilize it.
How to choose the right longboard for you?
Once you've decided that you want to buy a bamboo longboard, you need to do research and select the type of longboard that is more suitable for the kind of activities you'd like to perform on it.
Well, the good news is that all the best bamboo longboards are suitable for all types of skateboarding. Though, let's focus on the most popular types of skateboarding activities to highlight important details:
- City rides: this type of skateboarding is the least demanding in terms of longboard's performance. If you want to use your longboard only as a mean of green transportation, you can consider buying any board that you like. Though, you have to pay some extra attention to concave for additional control and better riding experience.
- Cruising: cruiser boards are gaining their popularity. There are bigger and smaller options of cruiser bamboo longboards on the market, so there is a field for choice and personal preferences. The main priority for choosing cruiser bamboo longboard is small weight and flexibility for a smooth ride.
- Flip tricks: this type of skateboarding activity is the most demanding and challenging in technical terms. However, choosing the right bamboo longboard for flip tricks is relatively simple. Just mind that the tail of the longboard deck shouldn't be higher than the nose.
In a word
Bamboo longboards are a fantastic alternative for maple boards. While maple longboards harm the environment by causing maple deforestation, bamboo ones are an eco-conscious choice for skaters, who care about the situation. Bamboo doesn't have to be replanted after harvesting, and it also produces way more oxygen.
Despite being light and flexible, bamboo longboards do very well at managing bumps and rough grounds. This option is also way cheaper, but not at the expense of quality. On average, the best bamboo longboards are very durable and are suitable for performing multiple types of skating activities. We have prepared a list of the best bamboo longboards for you. Click here to check it out.
