Can You Ollie a Cruiser or Longboard?

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I’ve tested many cruisers, and we did a bunch of longboard reviews, but the question always that comes up is about tricks.

So let’s answer the question once and for all. Can you ollie a cruiser or longboard? Yes, you can ollie or do tricks, but cruisers and longboards aren’t made for tricks. Cruisers and longboards are heavy and have big soft wheels. This makes them very bouncy and unstable when you land an ollie.

Don’t get me wrong, hopping a few curbs is easy on a cruiser, but on a longboard it’s a different story. Longboards are heavy and less responsive, they often lack a kicktail to get the board off the ground, and the lack of concave makes it harder to control.

Not to worry, longboards have their own trick line-up, they are just different from skateboard tricks. On a cruiser you can probably get close to technical skateboarding, but it requires more effort and is pretty diffficult.

Beginners should avoid learning tricks on cruisers, just get a regular skateboard instead.

Why Tricks On a Longboard or Cruiser Are More Difficult

Let’s see what exactly makes tricks like ollies more difficult on cruisers, and especially longboards. For context, I’m comparing tricks to a regular skateboard. There are tons of other tricks that work well on cruisers and longboards.

Some time ago I explained in detail the difference between a longboard, cruiser, and skateboard. Check it out if you want to know more.

Big Soft Bouncy Wheels

Cruisers and longboards come with big soft wheels that are great for a smooth and comfortable ride. They also bounce a lot more compared to regular skateboard wheels. Skateboard wheels are very hard and small. When you land a trick, they don’t bounce as much.

Big soft wheels will bounce a lot when you land an ollie, resulting in sketchy landings. A kickflip requires you to land on all wheels simultaneously, or at least close to that so you can compensate using your body.

If you land a sketchy kickflip slightly off on big soft wheels, the board will bounce away and you run a bigger risk of slamming hard.

Lack of kicktail and Nose

Many cruisers come with a kicktail. Ollies, kickflips, or other tricks are possible on a cruiser but require more effort.

Ollieing a longboard is really difficult because you don’t have a firm kicktail that allows you to pop the board. Not to mention getting a heavy longboard off the ground. There are skaters that can pull it off, but like I always say; you can kickflip a banana is you’re skilled enough.

Less or No Concave

Many cruisers have some form of concave, but it depends on the brand and type. The Landyachtz Tugboat for example, has lots of concave but still it’s difficult to kickflip or ollie this cruiser. Not impossible, just not something a beginner should try.

Many longboards also have concave, but the shape is very different compared to a regular skateboard.

But I Just Want to Do Tricks And Cruise!

Well, I’m sorry, but you can’t have it all. There are cruiser skateboards which allow you to do tricks, but just really basic stuff.

Take the Landyachtz ATV Classic,for example. It’s a great cruiser, has the shape of a popsicle, but is very heavy. It’s not great at tricks at all, especially if you are just starting out or are looking for your first board.

You need to assemble your own board and decide if you want a more cruiser oriented setup, or tricks. Basically, it is all about the wheels. Anything under 95A will make your ride comfortable, but tricks will be harder.

Perhaps the sweet spot here is 95A and 55mm wheels. It will give a more comfortable ride but you need to push more. 95A wheels aren’t as bouncy and allow for tricks. not perfect, but it can work.

The Purpose of A Cruiser and a Longboard

The purpose of a cruiser is mainly commuting. Just short distances and maybe some basic tricks. It’s possible to Ollie a Landyachtz Dinghy, for example, but it feels heavy and unnatural.

Even though many cruisers have a kicktail and concave, they are less poppy and responsive compared to a popsicle shaped skateboard.

Often cruisers can’t handle tricks very well, but this also depends on what kind of cruiser you buy.

Longboards are meant for long distance riding, ollieing a longboard is extremely difficult because of their shape. There are some gnarly longboarders that pull off all kinds of tricks, but they are very skilled and probably have a ton of experience.

I don’t think doing tricks on a longboard is recommended, at least not the tricks you do on a regular skateboard.

Can You Ollie With Cruiser Wheels?

You can ollie with cruiser wheels, but you need to know what you are doing. If you’re good at ollieing a popsicle skateboard, you won’t have any problems ollieing with cruiser wheels. The biggest con is that the softer wheels can throw you off your board. Soft wheels bounce a lot compared to hard wheels, it also increases the chance of landing primo.

I wouldn’t go to a skatepark with soft cruiser wheels to do technical tricks, for that you really should consider different wheels

Can You Ollie A Longboard?

You can ollie a longboard if the board shape allows for it, but it’s really sketchy. Often longboards don’t have a kicktail to pop and are very heavy. Longboards are meant for long distance riding, not for street tricks like a regular skateboard. there are lots of tricks you can do

Longboarders are just a little different because of the shape. Here are a couple of awesome tricks you can do on a longboard.

• Frontside Body Varial
• Backside Body Varial
• Nose Manual
• Fakie Frontside Pivot
• Fakie Backside Pivot
• Hippie Jump
• Early Grab
• Apple Sauce
• Look Back
• Nollie Frontside Shuvit
• Nollie Backside Shuvit
• Frontside Boneless 180
• Ghostride Kickflip
• Frontside No-Comply 180
• No-Comply Pirouette
• Frontside Tiger Claw
• Backside Tiger Claw w/ Natalie Pluto
• No-Comply Pop Shuvit

Final Words

Cruisers, longboards, and skateboards have different purposes. You can’t skate for miles on end on a regular skateboard, and tre-flipping a longboard is nearly impossible. A cruiser allows for tricks, but the tricks are limited.

Assemble your own custom setup and decide what you want to do first. Basically, it’s all in the Board shape and wheels.

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