Written by Bec Loades in Brands on the 17th July 2015

With the recent horrendous London tube strikes, I would be willing to take any sort of alternative transport to get around the city, including hopping on a longboard! Penny Australia have just launched their first 36” longboard into the UK market and with their eye-catching colours I can certainly imagine people turfing their scooters to one side and jumping on 4 wheels.

Australian brand, Penny, was founded by Ben Mackay in 2010 after his love of skateboards, from the tender age of 5, expanded into a business idea to create some of the trendiest skateboards around. According to Mackay, skateboarding in Australia was "electric" in the mid to late 1980s and he was certainly part of the addiction. A lot of the cool kids were even making their own boards at this time. With 12 years of experience in manufacturing and striving to build the best board possible, Mackay has taken his nostalgic memories and developed them into his own skateboard company, now stocked in 64 countries around the world. The UK is included in that number with Surfdome and Selfridges being major stockists.

Penny offer various designs of skateboards. Starting out with their 22” and 27” boards in all kinds of vibrant prints and colour schemes and they have now extended their collection with their first 36” board. Obviously longer in length and also a lot slimmer. The Penny longboard still maintains the classic Penny waffle top non-slip deck along with an extra layer of granular textured grip to enhance your control during your ride. A huge amount of technology has gone into these boards with features like inbuilt risers pads, 7 inch aluminium powder-coated trucks and side to side concave, all to enhance ride-ability.

Don't worry if you are a longboard virgin. This board in particular is aimed at people from all skill levels. From beginner's who want to have a taste of jumping on some wheels to catch a bit of wind in their hair, to professionals who want to bust out some tasty tricks and whizz home after work. Even though these boards may look a touch flimsy, a new plastic formula has been created for added strength and flex control. The boards are intended to be ridden over all sorts of surfaces and they are specifically designed for durability.

The longboard is currently offered in 6 different colours ways; Blue, Royal Blue, Grey, Glow, Mint and Rasta, with prices starting at £149.99. This trendy piece of kit will definitely draw some attention out on the street, so why not lace up those Vans, throw on some ripped jeans, jump on a longboard and cruise your way back to the 80s!

Penny Australia Skateboards have just launched a range of 36" longboards into the UK market available at Surfdome and Selfridges.