Poll: What trucks do you ride?

[johnes]

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I have two setups with Mini Logos, two with Indys, one with Royals, and one with G&S.

I dig the Mini Logos more, so that's what I voted.  They grind smoother and lock in better than Indys.

[close]

Ayyye i'm not the only one now.
I take off the top washer and tighten just a little passed finger tight and they are perfect.

[close]

I replaced the stock bushings with Bones Medium and just use the plastic top washer that comes with the bushings.

Nice, I used to use bones med bushings on them but the minilogo stock medium bushings feel great for me and i get tons of wiggle. After a while i realized i liked that feel better than with Bones hardcores.

[Gray Imp Sausage Metal]

indys for as long as I can remember but I'm currently on a set of thunders because current indys pale in comparison to stage 7s

[Seadramon]

Krux, always Krux

[Dad you're embarrassing me]

Swapped from Indys to Thunder with my current set up. I liked Indys, I like these better, I think? Might try Ace when these get down to the axle...

[Davie Dick]

got some lousy 7.5" grindkings on my rain board, otherwise indy

[D.O.T. DIY]

I have 2 setups. One with Thunder 149 hollow lights, one with Indy 169’s stage 11. I like em’ both. Have had the same issue with the pivot cups getting worn out on both brands. If Thunder made a truck for 9”+ decks, it would be only Thunder for me.

[se7en3two]

indy 144's

[Fat_Dude_Arnold]

Standard indys with the harder blue bushings. I think they're 94? I'm fat and they help with the wheel bite. Bones did not help.

[pile]

stock indy 139's. i used to think i needed to try different trucks, or add bones bushings or some shit to them, but not fucking with them at all works the best for me. i just skate them for a few days and feel a bit off but once the bushings wear in it's all good.

i've been trying quite hard to ignore all of my ocd tendencies when it comes to my skateboard lately, and it's been real nice.

[fang]

stock indy 139's. i used to think i needed to try different trucks, or add bones bushings or some shit to them, but not fucking with them at all works the best for me. i just skate them for a few days and feel a bit off but once the bushings wear in it's all good.

i've been trying quite hard to ignore all of my ocd tendencies when it comes to my skateboard lately, and it's been real nice.

Sounds good. I wish I could ignore mine! I'm trapped in the madness (again). I made this poll then 2 days later I switched my Indys out for ventures. Haven't skated it yet. Trying to convince myself to put the Indys back on. I keep all trucks stock because in my opinion, if you have to dick around with them, then they must not be so great.

For myself, Indys feel the best for just skating itself. And ollies/ cruising through the streets/ tranny. What tech skills I have (okay being honest... had) .. ventures worked great for me. Switch flip tricks especially. Thunders to me, feel like right in between the two.

Odd note: my Front side flips on Indys were decent, on ventures were great and on Thunders I can't do them for shit (I think they turn into Osiris flips). Just one weird thing I noticed

[Beeker]

Kinda bored and thinking about skating so here's my truck write up. Currently going through the madness. Done buying stuff, just can't decide what I like best.

Krux. Well made, last forever. Don't have that deep lean that people seems to like. Part of me thinks I skate (pop) better on these because of that (maybe also because they are tall), but when you skate something else and go back to Krux it's really difficult, you will just tip over for a minute or two. I like these on a cruiser since they feel most stable when pushing fast and you can chain your board up to a bike rack.

Mini-Logo. Magical grind, and super responsive turn almost to the point of being twitchy. Has a way of turning sharp but not feeling like you are leaning that much. Hardest to push super fast on a narrow sidewalk for this reason. Super ridiculously low, 1/8" riser is perfect for these making them still like a low-mid truck. Not a big fan of the mellow angle on the base plate where you touch when doing nose/tail slides.

Ace (new). Turn feels great, nice lean. Bushings feel amazing, broken in from the start. I love the feel of these, but I also feel like I'm not as solid when popping tricks. Just a preference thing, these may be the most fun to ride. Grind down quick.

Thunder (hollow lights). Currently riding these on my main. They have a good turn, I would say just as good as Ace, but doesn't have the same feel. Feels more stable than Ace though. I like the extended wheel base and the steep angle on the base plate.. I use 53mm wheels so my wheels and base plate are about even. I bought these because I wanted to see what it was like having my wheels slide on nose/tail slides. I have a tendency to hop on the part where the pivot cup is on other trucks which drives me crazy. Least favorite grind, but these are also the newest trucks I have. Perfect height, and super light. Leaning towards these as my main.

[Sedition]

My take on Indy v. Thunders...

(1) Thunders have a weird baseplate that does not clear the distance of the wheels. This causes problems for me on nose/tailslides (e.g. my WHEELS lock-up on vertical side of curb/ledge unless there is a turbostupid amount of wax). Look at these two photos below. One is an Indy, another is a Thunder. Both have Spitfire 53mm wheels. On Thunders the WHEELS hit the edge, and the baseplate does not. On Indys (and every other truck on the market), the edge of the baseplates hits, and the wheels don’t. As a result, I can nose/tail slide much better on Indys than I can on Thunders (e.g. because there is no “wheel bite” on Indys).

Indy


Thunder


(2) Indys are taller than Thunders. Thus, they give me more pop. Watch this video with Prof. Paul Schmitt, as he explains the science of “pop” as it relates to board height. When Prof. Schmitt talks, you should listen. For me ANY ollie/nollie trick on Indys feels like it requires less effort and is more controlled than with Thunders, DESPITE Indys being noticeably heavier than Thunders. Yeah, I could add a riser, but then I’d have trucks as tall as Indys, with weird baseplates, that don’t turn as good as Indys…so, what’s the point? The height difference between Thunders and Indy is small, but combine that with the shorter wheel base of Indys, and I can absolutely notice a difference. I ride the forged Indys which are few MM taller than Thunder Teams, and a few MM shorter than standard Indys. Standard Stage 11 Indys are 55mm, and that's too much for me.

(3) Nothing turns / feels as good as Indys. Nothing. I missed that while riding Thunders.

I am not some pro who can rip on any skateboard. I need to pick and choose equipment that works best with the skill set I’ve got, and plays to my own strengths and weaknesses. Thunders weaken my nose/tail slides because of their “shorter” baseplate. I don’t seem to have this problem with Indys. Thunders don’t seem to “pop” as good as Indys, due to their lower height. Indys simply turn better. Indys win out for me. My dream would be a Deluxe-made truck that has Independent forged hollow height and geometry, but with reduced metal (like Thunders) to make them lighter. Why Deluxe? Because they are concerned about a lot more than just profit margins. Not sure I can say that about NHS, or many other companies.

[Dad you're embarrassing me]

My take on Indy v. Thunders...

(1) Thunders have a weird baseplate that does not clear the distance of the wheels. This causes problems for me on nose/tailslides (e.g. my WHEELS lock-up on vertical side of curb/ledge unless there is a turbostupid amount of wax). Look at these two photos below. One is an Indy, another is a Thunder. Both have Spitfire 53mm wheels. On Thunders the WHEELS hit the edge, and the baseplate does not. On Indys (and every other truck on the market), the edge of the baseplates hits, and the wheels don’t. As a result, I can nose/tail slide much better on Indys than I can on Thunders (e.g. because there is no “wheel bite” on Indys).

Indy


Thunder


(2) Indys are taller than Thunders. Thus, they give me more pop. Watch this video with Prof. Paul Schmitt, as he explains the science of “pop” as it relates to board height. When Prof. Schmitt talks, you should listen. For me ANY ollie/nollie trick on Indys feels like it requires less effort and is more controlled than with Thunders, DESPITE Indys being noticeably heavier than Thunders. Yeah, I could add a riser, but then I’d have trucks as tall as Indys, with weird baseplates, that don’t turn as good as Indys…so, what’s the point? The height difference between Thunders and Indy is small, but combine that with the shorter wheel base of Indys, and I can absolutely notice a difference. I ride the forged Indys which are few MM taller than Thunder Teams, and a few MM shorter than standard Indys. Standard Stage 11 Indys are 55mm, and that's too much for me.

(3) Nothing turns / feels as good as Indys. Nothing. I missed that while riding Thunders.

I am not some pro who can rip on any skateboard. I need to pick and choose equipment that works best with the skill set I’ve got, and plays to my own strengths and weaknesses. Thunders weaken my nose/tail slides because of their “shorter” baseplate. I don’t seem to have this problem with Indys. Thunders don’t seem to “pop” as good as Indys, due to their lower height. Indys simply turn better. Indys win out for me. My dream would be a Deluxe-made truck that has Independent forged hollow height and geometry, but with reduced metal (like Thunders) to make them lighter. Why Deluxe? Because they are concerned about a lot more than just profit margins. Not sure I can say that about NHS, or many other companies.

Interesting. I found Thunders were more responsive and turned sharper than Indies, and I didn’t need to loosen them up as much. Also I learned tail slides on transition before ledges, so I am used to sliding on my wheels. But now I’m thinking of slappying a curb till I’m down to the axle so I have an excuse to change my trucks up!

[Firebert]

(3) Nothing turns / feels as good as Indys. Nothing.

Ever try Theeve? Oval yoke is no joke. It's absolutely a game changer.

[Sedition]

Interesting. I found Thunders were more responsive and turned sharper than Indies...

Thunders have a longer wheel base than Indys. By definition that means they turn slower. Thunder Teams are great trucks, no doubt. Indys are just a little bit better (in the areas that count for me).

[roba]

thunders. i've tried other brands (indy, royal, venture) and i liked my indys but i think that thunders turn the best, are more stable when loose and i like the way they look more

[JusticeAbberdash]

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Interesting. I found Thunders were more responsive and turned sharper than Indies...

[close]

Thunders have a longer wheel base than Indys. By definition that means they turn slower. Thunder Teams are great trucks, no doubt. Indys are just a little bit better (in the areas that count for me).

Wheelbase isn't the only thing that determines how a truck turns. Thunders have a quicker turn than indys, not by "definition", but from experience.

[pile]

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stock indy 139's. i used to think i needed to try different trucks, or add bones bushings or some shit to them, but not fucking with them at all works the best for me. i just skate them for a few days and feel a bit off but once the bushings wear in it's all good.

i've been trying quite hard to ignore all of my ocd tendencies when it comes to my skateboard lately, and it's been real nice.

[close]

Sounds good. I wish I could ignore mine! I'm trapped in the madness (again). I made this poll then 2 days later I switched my Indys out for ventures. Haven't skated it yet. Trying to convince myself to put the Indys back on. I keep all trucks stock because in my opinion, if you have to dick around with them, then they must not be so great.

For myself, Indys feel the best for just skating itself. And ollies/ cruising through the streets/ tranny. What tech skills I have (okay being honest... had) .. ventures worked great for me. Switch flip tricks especially. Thunders to me, feel like right in between the two.

Odd note: my Front side flips on Indys were decent, on ventures were great and on Thunders I can't do them for shit (I think they turn into Osiris flips). Just one weird thing I noticed

fuck, that is next level ocd.

i liked skating both ventures and thunders in the past, but as someone mentions a few posts below yours, i figured out that the base plate is less likely to hit the ledge/rail with thunders. the instant that thought was in my head, i went and switched my trucks out for indys, hit the park for some slides and there was actually a huge difference. way less resistance from the wheels on blunt/nose/tailslides while on indys. thunders turned fine and were great to skate stock, little to no wear in time at all. my only only qualms with thunders/ventures were the base plate issues, and they wear down too easily.

as an aging skater i definitely can use the indys to my advantage as they require less effort whilst attempting my favorite slides and don't wear down nearly as quickly. 

[Not Local]

Indy, Ace or Thunder. Ace 44s and Thunder 151s are probably my two favorites though. 44s for a loose narrower truck with a deep turn, and 151s for a wider more stable truck with a quick turn. Stock bushings on both.

[Hypnotoad]

I think I’m the last person on earth rockin’ Indy 139 Lows.

[asakusa75]

Venture 5.25 highs, no hollow nothing ever. Always plain trucks.

[Firebert]

Thunders have a longer wheel base than Indys. By definition that means they turn slower.

False. Geometry of the triangle (imagine a triangle connecting your kingpin's base, pivot cup and wheels)determines how fast trucks turn, as well as the shape of the yoke on the hangers. Thunders have a sharper turn than Indys. Other trucks like theeve have an accelerated turn created by the oval yoke in the hanger, they are stable until a point in which they turn sharper the harder you lean.

[Diocletian]

No matter what, I am forever in the clutches of Ace trucks. There is no other truck that can satisfy my need for deep carves and fast responsive turns. They grind perfectly fine, I don’t really notice much of a difference in grind between Ace and Indy, if anything Indy actually grinds a little smoother but it’s trivial.

I’ve tried Thunders in recent years, regular and the titanium ones with a riser underneath. They still didn’t provide the satisfaction that Ace brings me, and the weirdest part was even though they’re poured in the same factory as Indy, the grinds were incredibly sticky and sluggish. That was on both sets that I tried, which is odd. Indy’s will grind smooth from day one until the axle but Thunders felt like I was trying to grind with a hanger that had sticky glue all over it. Doesn’t make sense but that was my experience.

[ultrabra]

 Missed the vote. But one for minilogo here.

[IHOP]

My take on Indy v. Thunders...

(1) Thunders have a weird baseplate that does not clear the distance of the wheels. This causes problems for me on nose/tailslides (e.g. my WHEELS lock-up on vertical side of curb/ledge unless there is a turbostupid amount of wax). Look at these two photos below. One is an Indy, another is a Thunder. Both have Spitfire 53mm wheels. On Thunders the WHEELS hit the edge, and the baseplate does not. On Indys (and every other truck on the market), the edge of the baseplates hits, and the wheels don’t. As a result, I can nose/tail slide much better on Indys than I can on Thunders (e.g. because there is no “wheel bite” on Indys).

Indy


Thunder


(2) Indys are taller than Thunders. Thus, they give me more pop. Watch this video with Prof. Paul Schmitt, as he explains the science of “pop” as it relates to board height. When Prof. Schmitt talks, you should listen. For me ANY ollie/nollie trick on Indys feels like it requires less effort and is more controlled than with Thunders, DESPITE Indys being noticeably heavier than Thunders. Yeah, I could add a riser, but then I’d have trucks as tall as Indys, with weird baseplates, that don’t turn as good as Indys…so, what’s the point? The height difference between Thunders and Indy is small, but combine that with the shorter wheel base of Indys, and I can absolutely notice a difference. I ride the forged Indys which are few MM taller than Thunder Teams, and a few MM shorter than standard Indys. Standard Stage 11 Indys are 55mm, and that's too much for me.

(3) Nothing turns / feels as good as Indys. Nothing. I missed that while riding Thunders.

I am not some pro who can rip on any skateboard. I need to pick and choose equipment that works best with the skill set I’ve got, and plays to my own strengths and weaknesses. Thunders weaken my nose/tail slides because of their “shorter” baseplate. I don’t seem to have this problem with Indys. Thunders don’t seem to “pop” as good as Indys, due to their lower height. Indys simply turn better. Indys win out for me. My dream would be a Deluxe-made truck that has Independent forged hollow height and geometry, but with reduced metal (like Thunders) to make them lighter. Why Deluxe? Because they are concerned about a lot more than just profit margins. Not sure I can say that about NHS, or many other companies.

I never thought about this with thunders, but did you take into account that for a tailslide or noseslide your board would be angled upward, so instead of the truck/wall meeting at a right angle, it would be more of an obtuse angle where the truck would hit first regardless.

[IHOP]

I've been going back n forth between the big 3 ... been riding Indys lately and they feel like home. I've used them for 99% of my skate life since 1986 but i just keep getting ideas. I personally think nothing feels as comfy since I don't get to skate often anymore so I'm just permanently rusty.

Im in the crisis too between the big 3, but thunders feel like home for me.  Every 6 months or so I think "ok, the majority of people love indys so why do I hate them, maybe it was just a bad pair" and skate a new pair for 2 weeks just to go back to thunders.  Maybe I dont break them in for long enough, but they always stick one direction and aren't as responsive as I want.  I skated ventures for awhile, and at first it felt like the turn was delayed, but when i got used to them I liked them.  I just ended up going back to thunders because they feel the best.

I don't like how low thunders are, but with risers they are way too squirly.  I also tend to go through thunders quicker than any truck, wether it be axels bending, hitting axel, or cracking them.

Don't know if I will ever find a truck I truly like.

[JusticeAbberdash]

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My take on Indy v. Thunders...

(1) Thunders have a weird baseplate that does not clear the distance of the wheels. This causes problems for me on nose/tailslides (e.g. my WHEELS lock-up on vertical side of curb/ledge unless there is a turbostupid amount of wax). Look at these two photos below. One is an Indy, another is a Thunder. Both have Spitfire 53mm wheels. On Thunders the WHEELS hit the edge, and the baseplate does not. On Indys (and every other truck on the market), the edge of the baseplates hits, and the wheels don’t. As a result, I can nose/tail slide much better on Indys than I can on Thunders (e.g. because there is no “wheel bite” on Indys).

Indy


Thunder


(2) Indys are taller than Thunders. Thus, they give me more pop. Watch this video with Prof. Paul Schmitt, as he explains the science of “pop” as it relates to board height. When Prof. Schmitt talks, you should listen. For me ANY ollie/nollie trick on Indys feels like it requires less effort and is more controlled than with Thunders, DESPITE Indys being noticeably heavier than Thunders. Yeah, I could add a riser, but then I’d have trucks as tall as Indys, with weird baseplates, that don’t turn as good as Indys…so, what’s the point? The height difference between Thunders and Indy is small, but combine that with the shorter wheel base of Indys, and I can absolutely notice a difference. I ride the forged Indys which are few MM taller than Thunder Teams, and a few MM shorter than standard Indys. Standard Stage 11 Indys are 55mm, and that's too much for me.

(3) Nothing turns / feels as good as Indys. Nothing. I missed that while riding Thunders.

I am not some pro who can rip on any skateboard. I need to pick and choose equipment that works best with the skill set I’ve got, and plays to my own strengths and weaknesses. Thunders weaken my nose/tail slides because of their “shorter” baseplate. I don’t seem to have this problem with Indys. Thunders don’t seem to “pop” as good as Indys, due to their lower height. Indys simply turn better. Indys win out for me. My dream would be a Deluxe-made truck that has Independent forged hollow height and geometry, but with reduced metal (like Thunders) to make them lighter. Why Deluxe? Because they are concerned about a lot more than just profit margins. Not sure I can say that about NHS, or many other companies.

[close]

I never thought about this with thunders, but did you take into account that for a tailslide or noseslide your board would be angled upward, so instead of the truck/wall meeting at a right angle, it would be more of an obtuse angle where the truck would hit first regardless.

This. I'm too lazy to take pictures, but if you hold thunders up to the edge of something in the position you'd actually be sliding, the problem isn't so critical.

[B. Hopper]

Just of note; that Prof. Schmidt video is spot on. I now have 3 setups; from SUPER low...Tensor Mag Light Lows with 50mm wheels...to Indy Stage XI 149 on 52mm with 1/8 risers...and Indy Stage XI 159 on 58mm with 1/8 risers.

Out of all 3, the "big" board is easily the heaviest but I can ollie way higher for the same effort than the other 2 setups. The "low" small setup is an 8.25 Daewon deck too, so it's pretty damn light all the way around.

The "big" setup is an 8.75 (mid = 8.5)

I can get up on high (for me) ledges that I had problems with before with minimal effort and be successful vs. full effort and a low success rate.

I just added the risers to the "mid" size setup and now it's basically the same height as the 'big' one and the risers alone gave me more pop instantly.

I love the 58s so much that the mid board will probably get some too.

[Sad Hippo]

Where'd you get all the stage VI's?

I had to make my own Ventures.  Got the new raw 5.2s, blue indy bushings, all silver washers and nuts.  Looks clean, feels good too.

[B. Hopper]

Where'd you get all the stage VI's?

I had to make my own Ventures.  Got the new raw 5.2s, blue indy bushings, all silver washers and nuts.  Looks clean, feels good too.

I found them somewhere between "stupid" and "idiot" LoL.

Fix'd