In the dryland winter Olympics, the street board is an extreme gravity-powered sport that involves riding a street luge board down a paved roadway. The activity is popular among skateboarders and outdoor support enthusiasts. It combines three sports, sledding, skateboarding, and sheer guts, to form the most thrilling and dangerous support.
The riders run downhill feet first, only inches from the ground, using a wheeled sled, with only gravity to power them. Mostly they reach speeds of 60mph or more. While riding, you can feel every bump and twist in the road as your body rests mere centimeters above the ground.
The sport started in the 1970s in Southern California as skateboarders discovered that they could increase their speeds by lying down on their skateboards. But they faced high injuries when winning races. So the riders found that they could modify the boards to reduce the risk of injury. Since then, street luge has become a sport in itself.
Street luge is easy to learn, and you can perform it everywhere with a bit of specialized equipment. It combines high speed and high levels of danger, allowing riders to push the limits of their body’s power.
Physics of Street Luge
It is necessary to look at the physics of street luge to fulfill the demands of the sport. You can only perform the street luge on hills or sloped surfaces because on the boards, you get power through gravity. The higher the slope, the greater the force of gravity, resulting in higher speed altitude. A steep slope produces a high level of momentum, which means it will take longer for riders to stop, and the impact will be much more significant in the event of a crash.
The terrain also plays a big part in the street lodge experience, as the sled weight does. Different surfaces have different impacts.
Street Luge Board
The modern street luge sled has a remarkable resemblance to an ice luge sled. It contains material aluminum or fiberglass. It comes in different lengths, depending on the size of a rider. Usually, the length is eight feet or less. The sleds feature two or three axels to hold six wheels made of hard plastic. There are newer ceramic steel bearings that attach the wheel to the axels. They are more durable but expensive than steel. So the riders are still stuck on steel bearings.
The new riders want to start with a longboard or buttboard, a wooden board with plastic wheels, and steel bearings. They are comfortable and easy to access, plus best for beginners.
Basics
Before you start riding, you must get ready with the right equipment. Firstly, the buttboard is better than an actual street sled. Although it saves money, you can easily control your speed as you master your riding techniques. Secondly, the street riders who stay for the next day’s ride start walking on the path they intend to ride. It allows them to understand the terrain and prepare themselves for problems.
Thirdly, the new riders should start with small things, such as starting their ride a few yards before the sloping end and ensuring the ground is level to practice braking. The last and most crucial part of street luge is braking. Most boards lack brakes. So, you can stop riding by creating friction between the feet and the road surface. It will slowly stop your street luge.
Safety
It is common to get injured during surface riding. To reduce the risks of injury, the participants wear specialized safety gear. They wear leather suits to protect their body from crashes. They often bind the elbows, knees, shoulders, and spine with body armor for further protection.
All street luge riders should wear a helmet with a full face mask, leather gloves to protect their hands, shoes with extra rubber padding to hold up against friction and heat, and rubber pads on their fingers to help push off.
So if you want to do street riding, you should thoroughly prepare yourself for the dangers of street luge.
How much is a street luge costly?
The average cost of a good street luge is around about $1000 to $2000. Safety gear is a main part and expensive. You can make it at home at less cost.
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