16 Awesome Mini-Cruiser Skateboards 2023 (Top Brands Only)

Loaded Ballona 27.75″

Highlights:

• Low aspect ratio (very wide)
• Exceptional stability, rides like a bigger board
• Really nice carving

The Loaded Ballona is a really wide, comfortable, and stable mini-cruiser. The deck has mellow curvature with a decent-sized but low-angled kicktail, mellow concave, and very subtle wheel flares.

This mini is awesome, namely for anyone, including newbies, looking for an easy-to-handle, super stable, nimble mini city commuter. Great for hopping on and off curbs and floating over bad pavement.

See my in-depth review of the Ballona

Landyachtz Dinghy 28.5″

Highlights:

• Great little shredder for riders with some experience. You can do all sorts of tricks while having the cruising ability of a well-designed longboard.
• Sensitive to poor foot placement or bad balancing, especially if coming from a longboard
• Sits up quite high, small wheelbase makes it a little tricky
• Many cool designs (Landyachtz website)

Slightly longer and slimmer than the Ballona, the Dinghy is meant for playful city slashing, street tricks, and even some skatepark. The short wheelbase also makes it super nimble for weaving around people and things in tight spaces.

The huge kicktail gives it great maneuverability and allows for solid pop tricks as well as ditch and bowl riding. The narrower Polar Bear trucks are very quick for tight sidewalk navigation.

It does take a bit of skill to handle the Dinghy as it can be a bit twitchy. Beginners may prefer a more stable board with a lower turn-to-lean ratio.

Check out my full review here.

Landyachtz Pocket Knife 29.5″

Highlights:

• Great mini for surf-style slashing. Surfboard-inspired shape with a flatish kicktail (diamond shaped) for freedom of movement when surf-skating
• High-angle RKP surfskate front truck designed for a higher-than-average amount of turn. Polar Bear 155 rear truck for a stable back end you can really dig into with confidence (like surf fins)
• Adjustable wheelbase – shorter for snappiness vs longer for more drawn-out curves
• Medium flex for responsive carving
• soft-top griptape for barefoot riding

Read more about the Pocket Knife (and Landyachtz’ other surfskates)

Arbor Pilsner 28.75″

Highlights:

• Wide outline with wide tail and nose (though narrower than the Ballona)
• Ideal for a slidey, slashy riding style with lots of hard cuts, pops, and snaps while cruising across town.  Also great for the skatepark or bowl.
• Ability to turn quickly in tight spaces albeit with fast and smooth rolling capability.  Great for campus and crowded sidewalks and city streets.
• long wheelbase (15.25″) for its size, making it more stable at speed than your average mini.
• Can take a beating, good longevity.

The Pilsner’s nose kick lets you pop the board on both ends to ollie up curbs. Great for street riding and ramp.

The mellow concave works well for freestyle, just enough to stabilize your feet while sliding or riding faster, without locking them in for kick and flip tricks.

See my complete review of the Pilsner here.

Arbor Pocket Rocket 27″

Highlights:

• High-quality built, uber-portable little board designed for smooth short commutes (e.g. getting to and from the train station) and super snappy maneuvers.
• Very lightweight, easy to carry around and stash in a bag or in a small locker – you can even go for a run while holding it under your arm.
• Fun and fast carving, weaving among people on sidewalks, and hopping on and off curbs.

Despite the decent wheelbase, the Pocket Rocket isn’t the most stable board to learn on – if you’re a newbie you may have a bit of a learning curve.

Bigger riders with large shoe sizes need to get used to their toes and heels hanging off.

See my full review here

Arbor Pivot Micron 26″

Highlights:

• Micro-cruiser that can be stashed in a backpack, a locker, etc
• Long wheelbase for the size and mellow flex make it a comfy little board to commute on
• Basically flat deck for freedom of movement. Subtle rocker provides some nice foothold
• low-angle kick allows for quick steering but not so much pop tricks

See the Pivot Micron here on Evo ($150)

Arbor Bogart Micron 23.75″

Highlights:

• Penny cruiser-size deck, tapered rear, angled kicktail, rounded nose (no kick)
• Comfortable wheelbase (like a traditional street deck) for such a small deck
• Super smooth rolling, large wheels relative to deck size

The Bogart Micron is a super compact shape – if the Pivot is a micro-cruiser, this is a nano-cruiser. It’s a fantastic little board to carry around just about everywhere.

The board offers an astonishingly smooth and comfy ride. The flat-ish kicktail gives you welcome extra foot room as well as snappy control in turns. The wheelbase gives the board nice stability.

The slight wheel flares provide enough clearance for the 61mm wheels (no wheelbite). Riders with bigger feet may get some foot rub though due to the tiny size.

See the Bogart Micron on Evo ($140)

Globe Blazer 26″

Highlights:

• Lightweight, super compact, easy to carry around anywhere, stash in a backpack.
• 13.75″ wheelbase provides a pretty stable ride, more comfortable than a Penny board for daily commuting to school.
• Tensor trucks are known for toughness and resistance in hard tricks. Lifetime warranty
• Super-high rebound 92A bushings give the trucks a softer feel.
• Many beautiful designs

The Globe Blazer is a best seller that has been around for many years. It’s the same compact size as the Arbor Pivot Micron (above), though slightly narrower with a shorter wheelbase (13.75″ vs 15″).

Compared to the Pivot, the Blazer is a bit more responsive and more trickable, though slightly less stable at speed.

It also offers a surprisingly smooth ride, namely thanks to the 62mm wheels. It has more of a nose allowing for manuals. It has slight camber – vs rocker for the Pivot.

In short (no pun intended), the Blazer is a very nice and easy ride for portable everyday commutes. It’s very quick and turny – complete newbies may want to look at the Pivot for a bit more stability.

See my complete review of the Globe Blazer here.

Globe Trooper 27″

Highlights:

• Mini-cruiser board with full concave deck, built to rip. Large angled kicktail, functional nose kicks for manuals, and pop tricks
• The Trooper’s pronounced concave and aggressive contours are evidence of its radical personality
• The big soft 60mm wheels give it a comfortable ride for city commuting.

Madrid Grub 29.5″

Highlights:

• Wide aspect ratio, almost the same width from nose to tail, making it comfortable for your feet
• Aggressive shape for tricks: high-angle kick, significant nose kick (almost double kick), pronounced concave with wheel flares and foot pockets
• Smaller and slightly harder wheels for easier sliding and kick tricks. Setup focused on street riding while still providing a nicer cruising experience than street boards
• Cool designs

Madrid Picket 28.5″

Highlights:

• Just enough kicktail (low-angle, diamond-shaped) for quick turns and popping up curbs
• Same size as the Dinghy but much less aggressive (kicktail, nose, concave & contours)
• Long 15″ wheelbase for the 28.5″ size – longer than the 29.5″ Grub and the 28.5″ Dinghy. Stability at speed
• Small 57mm wheels focused on street riding while still offering decent comfort for cruising
• Cool designs

Sector 9 Jammer 28.5″

Highlights:

• Quality mini-cruiser with an ample kicktail for quick maneuvers in urban commuting
• Nearly flat concave and mellow contours for relaxed cruising
• 61mm wheels provide smooth cushioned ride including on sidewalks and rough pavement
• Stunning graphics e.g. the Rips and the Cobra

Sector 9 Bambino 26.5″

Highlights:

• Sector 9’s version of the Globe Blazer. A highly portable and trickable mini-cruiser for inner city and campus cruising
• Easy to pop thanks to the functional kicks
• Large 61mm wheels for cushy riding without wheelbite
• Nice and stable 14″ for such a small deck.
• Mission trucks provide a smooth and snappy feel
• Really cool artwork e.g. Shorebreak, Skipper, Bivy

Sector 9 Hopper 27.5″

Highlights:

• Nimble sidewalk surfing, bowl and skatepark. Slightly longer than the Bambino
• Narrower street trucks (7″ vs 8.4″ for the Bambino) and smaller 58mm wheels, better suited for street tricks, pool, and ramp.
• Although smaller, the wheels are soft enough for comfortable city riding
• Cool designs e.g. Handplant and Hoopla

DB Dad Bod 27″

Highlights:

• Retro shape, super wide (wider than every other mini on this list)
• Sidewalk surfer with insanely long wheelbase (15.5″) for the size
• Super comfortable for cruising and fast riding, nice concave for foothold
• Astonishingly large wheels (66mm) for this deck size! Super smooth and comfy
• Great for portable commuting, street, and park

Magneto Mini-cruiser 27.5″

Highlights:

• Affordable, good quality mini-cruiser for everyday skating. Fun to ride and easy to carry around.
• Double-kicks for tricks
• Good quality components
• Suitable for some freeriding
• Many designs to choose from

See my review of the Magneto mini-cruiser here