It's roughly 50 inches long, made of hard wood and is being ridden all over town.

A newly popular form of transportation known as the longboard is giving people a different way to get to class, go down the street or simply a smoother way to wander about, said Erick Sauer, an employee at Modern Skate & Surf inside the Frandor Shopping Center.

"They're just made for cruising around," he said. "They're not anything you can do tricks on."

Sauer said longboards aren't the norm.

"I didn't think they were as popular as what people are making them out to be," Sauer said. "But they're definitely selling."

The longboard, which looks similar to the shortboard, has four wheels, a deck - the wooden surface the rider stands on - trucks to keep the wheels from falling off and bearings. But longboards still have their share of differences from a regular shortboard, Val Skripnik said, owner of Captive Sports, 1834 W. Court St., in Flint.

"The truck is much greater on the longboard," he said. "It makes the turning a lot easier than a shortboard."

Along with trucks, the wheels on the longboard are unlike the makeup of the regular, trick-inspired short skateboards.

"The wheels are larger and a softer grade," Skripnik said. "They roll over the pebbles a lot easier than the smaller, hard wheels of a shortboard."

Skripnik said people are interested in the longboards because it is more of a street-riding board and gives a completely different riding experience from the shortboard.

"It's mainly used to push around and get exercise," Skripnik said. "They're a lot safer because it doesn't get away from you as opposed to a shortboard."

Dan Erck, a philosophy junior, said he bought his longboard because it was more conventional than a bike.

"You can take it in to class with you so it doesn't get stolen," Erck said. "And I don't have to lock it up outside."

Another plus of the longboard is that it is easier to transfer from cement to grass, or any type of terrain, Erck said.

"It's more maneuverable. I can just hop off it, sling it over my shoulder and walk across the grass," he said.

People are also drawn to the longboard because of its sleek appearance and the way that it glides over surfaces.

"Riding it is like riding on the back of an angel," Erck said. "It's smooth, it's fast and it's exciting."

Erck also said the longboard makes turning a breeze and rides faster than a regular skateboard.

"I take it to the parking garage and bomb it and fly," Erck said. "Bombing is riding on a longboard."

Longboards vary in size and price but average out to be 57 inches long and around $150. And just because it might seem like a mode of transportation for only the younger generation, Sauer said everyone's buying the longboards.

"We've had some parents buy them, most of the time it's for the kids," Sauer said. "But 20-year-old kids and hippies are buying them."