The Thunder Thread

[Lou Strux]

  All the trucks have benefits.

Ain’t that the truth, too.
Wishing I could marry the turn of an Ace to the pop feel/timing of a Thunder, and stir in a lickle bit of the Indy grind & I would have my all-porpoise utili-truck.
Those Stage IVs came close, but I want that “infinite turning” capacity of the Ace & the Indy bushings never broke in quite as soft, or generous of turn.  Maybe shaving a mm of the top bush would help, but I haven’t quite been able to replicate the Ace turn outside of Joey’s trucks & frankly, they’re neither my favorite grind, nor pop (though I DID finally figure out how to get my snap back on Ace by being stingy with my rear foot placement.)
Maybe these speculative T2s will be a step towards one or more of these nerdy unfulfilled truck desires.
A lickle taller? A more horizontal sweep for a deeper turn before hitting wheelbite? (Wheelbite is the thing that dragged me away from a lifelong love affair with Thunders.) Perhaps a bit more meat on the baseplate’s pivot housing, as some folks have been begging for for years?
Would gladly put my aluminum budget back into DLX trucks if they could get me closer to my dream truck.
Seems that enough people love the current geo: would be a shame to dump it w/ the bath water, but it ain’t for me at this stage of my riding life.
Seperate, 2nd model seems crazy though.
One thing’s for certain though, those cats are monitoring the market: they’ve got their finger on the proverbial pulse (SLAP included) & when it makes fiscal sense to launch something new, they for sure gonna do it.

[Ok]

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  All the trucks have benefits.

[close]

Ain’t that the truth, too.
Wishing I could marry the turn of an Ace to the pop feel/timing of a Thunder, and stir in a lickle bit of the Indy grind & I would have my all-porpoise utili-truck.
Those Stage IVs came close, but I want that “infinite turning” capacity of the Ace & the Indy bushings never broke in quite as soft, or generous of turn.  Maybe shaving a mm of the top bush would help, but I haven’t quite been able to replicate the Ace turn outside of Joey’s trucks & frankly, they’re neither my favorite grind, nor pop (though I DID finally figure out how to get my snap back on Ace by being stingy with my rear foot placement.)
Maybe these speculative T2s will be a step towards one or more of these nerdy unfulfilled truck desires.
A lickle taller? A more horizontal sweep for a deeper turn before hitting wheelbite? (Wheelbite is the thing that dragged me away from a lifelong love affair with Thunders.) Perhaps a bit more meat on the baseplate’s pivot housing, as some folks have been begging for for years?
Would gladly put my aluminum budget back into DLX trucks if they could get me closer to my dream truck.
Seems that enough people love the current geo: would be a shame to dump it w/ the bath water, but it ain’t for me at this stage of my riding life.
Seperate, 2nd model seems crazy though.
One thing’s for certain though, those cats are monitoring the market: they’ve got their finger on the proverbial pulse (SLAP included) & when it makes fiscal sense to launch something new, they for sure gonna do it.

all the trucks do have benefits. i’d rather ride certain things for certain scenarios, then one for all.

the thunder pop is my favorite part of that truck. the leverage, pop angle, something….not sure what it is, feels good.

[tom]

In regards to Thunders not feeling like they turn: the stock bushings are rock hard even though they claim they’re 90a’s. When they switched to the blue ones from the piss yellow ones however long ago they started feeling firmer. I get the translucent red 90a rebuild kits because they’re the softest feeling Thunder bushings. I can ride them loose and they turn how they’re supposed to


https://orchardshop.com/products/thunder-bushing-rebuild-kit?

[fs1/2cab]

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I always describe the thunder turn as the first 1/4 of the turn is Ace….the next half is venture….the last quarter is wheelbite…..the risers change the last quarter as does tightening your trucks….

[close]

This. I’ve been on some Thunders for a while now but I just can’t get them to where I like them.

Indys are tippy. Aces are carvey and pretty stable at center for me. Thunders though feel like the “center” point is so small. They’re not tippy like Indy’s per say. Thunder turn takes less effort to initiate but can also max out very easily and wheelbite. So it feels unstable. I ride mine medium tight as well on stock bushings. Anytime I don’t land perfectly square bolts I will wheelbite.

Any advice ?

[close]

Without instantly jumping down the "try harder bushings" type of reply, I do think that slightly harder bushings can sometimes be a win here, even combinations of them, even though I really don't like to mix and match colours, eg a stock top with a harder bottom or something like that, but I will often trim down slightly harder bushings to get the desired result more so than running softer bushings that might turn nicely, but then wheelbite if I land incorrectly.

Any bushing change can be weird, or make you want to swap back the old ones and be done with it, then just deal with the other issues, but that is one option I have gone with that has worked in the past for me.


Thunder trucks being lower also works nicely for me with very thin risers, usually 2 mm tops, of which I have made my own, but there are a lot of people out there that flatly refuse to put anything in between truck and board and that is quite ok too.  For me though, having that extra couple of mm in height makes things just feel more normal and I can turn more and land a little off without things instantly ending in being thrown off the board, which in most cases is easier than putting wheel wells in every board or riding significantly smaller wheels, which I know some others do as well.


So firmer bushings (often cut down / sanded or otherwise modified), risers, smaller wheels are all options for that situation.

[close]

I’d also like to add that a barrel shaped bottom bushing can provide a more stable center even in the same duro. If you were to go a little firmer than stock on the barrel you’d probably prevent some wheelbite situations as well. If you do try this though don’t forget to put a slightly wider bottom washer so it fits properly.

That's what I did with my 148s but I generally don't like the feeling of conical bushings. Those are Indy stock bottom bushings from an old set I had lying around. Top bushing is a Indy 92 duro where I cut off like 1.5mm of the underside of the top bushing to get the same height as Thunder stock top bushings. I am running that for a few months now and everything feels stable and responsive when I want to take tight turns. It also helps that those bushings are the colors of the Knicks. 😁 Oh and top washer is from Ace and bottom washer is a Indy stock one. No specific reason, that's just what a homie gave me or I had lying around.

[Dmng]

In regards to Thunders not feeling like they turn: the stock bushings are rock hard even though they claim they’re 90a’s. When they switched to the blue ones from the piss yellow ones however long ago they started feeling firmer. I get the translucent red 90a rebuild kits because they’re the softest feeling Thunder bushings. I can ride them loose and they turn how they’re supposed to


https://orchardshop.com/products/thunder-bushing-rebuild-kit?

Thanks for your message ! Finally it makes sense I’m confused when I read they are very loose and you get wheel bite cos I have 10 times less than on ace hard bushing.
 I’ll try to find those bushings at my locals. They have the orange transparent ones, are they fine as well?

What duro from the thunder line would you compare the ice blue to ?

[Fifty8mm]

In regards to Thunders not feeling like they turn: the stock bushings are rock hard even though they claim they’re 90a’s. When they switched to the blue ones from the piss yellow ones however long ago they started feeling firmer. I get the translucent red 90a rebuild kits because they’re the softest feeling Thunder bushings. I can ride them loose and they turn how they’re supposed to


https://orchardshop.com/products/thunder-bushing-rebuild-kit?

I would kill for piss yellow or the army green ones. Those were the best colors

[rawbertson.]

The thing for me about changing the bushings is once you break it in, doesnt it get ridiculously loose? When I use the normal bushings they start off pretty stiff but after a month of skating them they feel quite loose to me personally. To the point any more is introducing a lot of wheelbite...

[tom]

Expand Quote

In regards to Thunders not feeling like they turn: the stock bushings are rock hard even though they claim they’re 90a’s. When they switched to the blue ones from the piss yellow ones however long ago they started feeling firmer. I get the translucent red 90a rebuild kits because they’re the softest feeling Thunder bushings. I can ride them loose and they turn how they’re supposed to


https://orchardshop.com/products/thunder-bushing-rebuild-kit?

[close]

Thanks for your message ! Finally it makes sense I’m confused when I read they are very loose and you get wheel bite cos I have 10 times less than on ace hard bushing.
 I’ll try to find those bushings at my locals. They have the orange transparent ones, are they fine as well?

What duro from the thunder line would you compare the ice blue to ?

I couldn’t tell you an exact durometer but when I tried them a decade and a half ago they felt hard. I weigh a lot more than I used to and the stock bushings still feel hard. I haven’t tried the orange ones since I know the red rebuild kit ones work for me

@Fifty8mm sometimes you can still find the piss yellows. I have a couple sets of them just in case. The rebuild kits are also sometimes hard to find so I always have a few back up sets just in case

@rawbertson. I want them ridiculously loose. It’s what feels right. I need it for pinching and holding grinds and for flip tricks, plus it feels right on transition. I also weigh 210lbs and usually skate 54-56mm wheels, so yeah they have the potential to wheelbite, but it’s not something that I often complain about or even notice tbh

[mamba]

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I always describe the thunder turn as the first 1/4 of the turn is Ace….the next half is venture….the last quarter is wheelbite…..the risers change the last quarter as does tightening your trucks….

[close]

This. I’ve been on some Thunders for a while now but I just can’t get them to where I like them.

Indys are tippy. Aces are carvey and pretty stable at center for me. Thunders though feel like the “center” point is so small. They’re not tippy like Indy’s per say. Thunder turn takes less effort to initiate but can also max out very easily and wheelbite. So it feels unstable. I ride mine medium tight as well on stock bushings. Anytime I don’t land perfectly square bolts I will wheelbite.

Any advice ?

[close]

Without instantly jumping down the "try harder bushings" type of reply, I do think that slightly harder bushings can sometimes be a win here, even combinations of them, even though I really don't like to mix and match colours, eg a stock top with a harder bottom or something like that, but I will often trim down slightly harder bushings to get the desired result more so than running softer bushings that might turn nicely, but then wheelbite if I land incorrectly.

Any bushing change can be weird, or make you want to swap back the old ones and be done with it, then just deal with the other issues, but that is one option I have gone with that has worked in the past for me.


Thunder trucks being lower also works nicely for me with very thin risers, usually 2 mm tops, of which I have made my own, but there are a lot of people out there that flatly refuse to put anything in between truck and board and that is quite ok too.  For me though, having that extra couple of mm in height makes things just feel more normal and I can turn more and land a little off without things instantly ending in being thrown off the board, which in most cases is easier than putting wheel wells in every board or riding significantly smaller wheels, which I know some others do as well.


So firmer bushings (often cut down / sanded or otherwise modified), risers, smaller wheels are all options for that situation.

[close]

I’d also like to add that a barrel shaped bottom bushing can provide a more stable center even in the same duro. If you were to go a little firmer than stock on the barrel you’d probably prevent some wheelbite situations as well. If you do try this though don’t forget to put a slightly wider bottom washer so it fits properly.

Thanks for the tips. Very insightful. I don't think I could go smaller then 53mm and don't wanna run risers just yet. Looks like I'm getting to bushing madness now.

Didn't think to run a bottom barrel bushing since it would mess with geo, but fuck it. Anyone have any luck with ace bushings fitting? Seems like Indys fit just fine.

[rawbertson.]

Expand Quote

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In regards to Thunders not feeling like they turn: the stock bushings are rock hard even though they claim they’re 90a’s. When they switched to the blue ones from the piss yellow ones however long ago they started feeling firmer. I get the translucent red 90a rebuild kits because they’re the softest feeling Thunder bushings. I can ride them loose and they turn how they’re supposed to


https://orchardshop.com/products/thunder-bushing-rebuild-kit?

[close]

Thanks for your message ! Finally it makes sense I’m confused when I read they are very loose and you get wheel bite cos I have 10 times less than on ace hard bushing.
 I’ll try to find those bushings at my locals. They have the orange transparent ones, are they fine as well?

What duro from the thunder line would you compare the ice blue to ?

[close]

I couldn’t tell you an exact durometer but when I tried them a decade and a half ago they felt hard. I weigh a lot more than I used to and the stock bushings still feel hard. I haven’t tried the orange ones since I know the red rebuild kit ones work for me

@Fifty8mm sometimes you can still find the piss yellows. I have a couple sets of them just in case. The rebuild kits are also sometimes hard to find so I always have a few back up sets just in case

@rawbertson. I want them ridiculously loose. It’s what feels right. I need it for pinching and holding grinds and for flip tricks, plus it feels right on transition. I also weigh 210lbs and usually skate 54-56mm wheels, so yeah they have the potential to wheelbite, but it’s not something that I often complain about or even notice tbh

Great, I like it! Basically: get good! 
I like riding thunders cause it makes flip tricks easier , but your setup makes different tricks easier. I love the way a thunder or venture sits in a crooked grind vs a Indy or ace all day so I can totally see why you would want this now.

[DanRar009]

Wanting to see if anybody else has had this happen but yesterday I set up a new deck that had pretty steep kicks with a fuller shaped nose and tail. Would normally never skate a board like this but it was on sale, threw on my go to truck, thunder 149 standards, and it just was not working for me at all. Pop felt very strange and every flip trick felt inaccurate. I always ride mellow boards with mellow kicks, so anybody else skate steep kick boards with thunders and not have the issue I’m talkin about?

[Vintagebody]

^
Yes

For steep boards, I prefer indy, or very small wheels to compensate for Thunders wheelbase

[goodatmeth]

Wanting to see if anybody else has had this happen but yesterday I set up a new deck that had pretty steep kicks with a fuller shaped nose and tail. Would normally never skate a board like this but it was on sale, threw on my go to truck, thunder 149 standards, and it just was not working for me at all. Pop felt very strange and every flip trick felt inaccurate. I always ride mellow boards with mellow kicks, so anybody else skate steep kick boards with thunders and not have the issue I’m talkin about?

Once you get used to it your pops gonna be insane. Steep+thunder is the best. It's a real workout though

[Xen]

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I always describe the thunder turn as the first 1/4 of the turn is Ace….the next half is venture….the last quarter is wheelbite…..the risers change the last quarter as does tightening your trucks….

[close]

You just summed up exactly why I don't skate Thunders. Well, that and the poorly designed baseplate.

Same here but wheelbite can be alleviated by swapping for some harder bushings just like with any other truck; I'm 190lbs on avg. and tend to need 94a+ in other trucks (Indy/Slappy/ACE/Royal, i.e, barrel bottom bushings) and 97a/100a aftermarkets in thunders (harder because conical); this idea that 'trucks should just work without needing different bushings' (e.g., Royals) is a weak argument...if it was valid, we'd only have/need 99a wheels.

The baseplate 'issue' doesn't bother me, I don't use it to slide for whatever reason....probably why I suck at nose slides.

[DanRar009]

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Wanting to see if anybody else has had this happen but yesterday I set up a new deck that had pretty steep kicks with a fuller shaped nose and tail. Would normally never skate a board like this but it was on sale, threw on my go to truck, thunder 149 standards, and it just was not working for me at all. Pop felt very strange and every flip trick felt inaccurate. I always ride mellow boards with mellow kicks, so anybody else skate steep kick boards with thunders and not have the issue I’m talkin about?

[close]

Once you get used to it your pops gonna be insane. Steep+thunder is the best. It's a real workout though

Reporting back and you were right my man. Stopped my bitchin and took the time to get used to the setup and had one of the best sessions I’ve had in a while lol it’s a bit more tiring on the legs but worth it

[CarcassToss]

I actually feel Thunders worked for me on basically anything I tried them on. Steep decks can be rough for me on anything with a more hefty pop like Indy's or Ventures, but Thunders being slightly lowered and honestly not too much more stretched than Indy makes it work enough to just suck it up until the next one.

[rawbertson.]

well just be glad you dont have Aces on that steep board because that would feel REALLY hard to pop. The wheels are closer to the centre so it will take a lot longer for the tail to hit the floor vs the thunders that are pushed out from the centre farther than any other brand.

[Frank and Fred]

well just be glad you dont have Aces on that steep board because that would feel REALLY hard to pop. The wheels are closer to the centre so it will take a lot longer for the tail to hit the floor vs the thunders that are pushed out from the centre farther than any other brand.

yes, but this gives your tail more leverage. and also less to lift off the nose. I find Ace will make a steeper set up a tad mellower feeling.

[CarcassToss]

Actually if you have Ace's your nose is lower when the tail hits the ground. The arc is longer, but it effectively makes the pop angle mellower. If you were to just take a flat object like a ruler and put a pen under it, then move the pen toward the tail as if you were going from Ace to Venture the tip of the ruler will rise. This is what makes pop delayed and creates more of an aggressive seesaw motion, but can also make the suck up to the rear foot more hefty.

[Frank and Fred]

Law of moments. Front wheels are closer to the middle means less effort to lift the nose.

[CarcassToss]

Yes, but how is less effort more leverage? We might be confusing terms here: what I mean is if you put Ace's and Ventures on the same deck Ace's will always feel like lighter pop all else equal.

[Frank and Fred]

I see what you’re saying. Agree on Ace in part bc you have more leverage/ less effort but you get less in return. It’s why, again in part, steep board with thunders will give you a more solid return if you put the effort into it.

I’m old and lazy so prefer Ace but Thunders have worked well for me on mellow boards and small wheels.

[CarcassToss]

I think for me Thunders being 52mm vs Indys at 55 or Ventures being further out and 53.5 makes it more manageable. I'm not a gear expert, but from what I remember reading on here Thunders were only +.125 longer than Indy standard. That is 1/16"/side so the lower height negates the longer wb and makes the tail hit faster. Probably not accurate, but in my head it made sense and somehow seemed to work. There isn't as much delay as the Ventures I am on now, but at the end of the day I've never liked steep decks and especially steep noses.

[Ok]

interesting ideas listed above.
i have very rarely had a good ace setup, in regards to pop. thunders are good enough with whatever deck i setup, same with venture lo’s. if i hate a deck with those trucks, then its the deck.
i annoyingly repeat myself, but pop is the most important criterion, for me. the previous versions of royals worked well for me, thunders, venture lo’s. i can get used to almost anything, but that’s just because now im just bad at skating, so the results are equal across the board. shitty

[Xen]

I see what you’re saying. Agree on Ace in part bc you have more leverage/ less effort but you get less in return. It’s why, again in part, steep board with thunders will give you a more solid return if you put the effort into it.

I’m old and lazy so prefer Ace but Thunders have worked well for me on mellow boards and small wheels.

Thunder and small wheels are a must for me, especially running forged. 51/50mm minimum

[big_kev_215]

We’ve reached the point every year or so where I want to make some drastic change to the trucks I’m riding that I’ll probably end up regretting…

Anyone switch from Indy/Ace to Thunder recently?  If so, what did you like about it and what did you hate?

[moonordie]

We’ve reached the point every year or so where I want to make some drastic change to the trucks I’m riding that I’ll probably end up regretting…

Anyone switch from Indy/Ace to Thunder recently?  If so, what did you like about it and what did you hate?

Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to give you some insights

[fs1/2cab]

We’ve reached the point every year or so where I want to make some drastic change to the trucks I’m riding that I’ll probably end up regretting…

Anyone switch from Indy/Ace to Thunder recently?  If so, what did you like about it and what did you hate?

Oh mate.. I am not sure if that helps you or your wallet now but you asked. These are my experiences and opinions so far, others might think different. Last October after a small hip surgery I switched from Indy Forged Hollow 144s to Thunder Hollow Light 148s.

I only hated the Thunder bushings but I generally don't like conical bushings. Replaced everything. Indy bottom washer, stock bottom bushing. Ace Top washer, Indy 92a top bushing (cut down 1.5mm), Indy pivot cups.

Absolutely love the Thunder pop. My sessions last a little bit longer now. Not sure if it is because of the lower height, a tiny bit less weight or because of the slightly extended wheelbase. Wheelies feel more stable. Nose- and Tailslides feel the same as before to me. I like the feeling of the wheels dragging against the ledge. I am less scared of slipping out which happened sometimes on Indy's for me. I also would never go higher as 53mm for wheels. But since 53 is an uneven number, I stick with 52mm. Less overall ghost pop and I learned Nollies to fakie on steep banks. And my ankles hurt a little bit less after a long day of skating, which doesn't say much because my ankles are twice as old as me.

* Last September my girl was in the hospital for a few days and I read through every single page in this thread. This helped a lot that I don't go fully insane or lose my shit. She is fine now but those were some really dark days. Thanks to everyone who contributed in this thread.

[CarcassToss]

I actually like 54 Classics on Thunders. Generally takes a month if they're new to wear down to 52.5 or so and the perfect overall wheel dimensions.

[moonordie]

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We’ve reached the point every year or so where I want to make some drastic change to the trucks I’m riding that I’ll probably end up regretting…

Anyone switch from Indy/Ace to Thunder recently?  If so, what did you like about it and what did you hate?

[close]

Oh mate.. I am not sure if that helps you or your wallet now but you asked. These are my experiences and opinions so far, others might think different. Last October after a small hip surgery I switched from Indy Forged Hollow 144s to Thunder Hollow Light 148s.

I only hated the Thunder bushings but I generally don't like conical bushings. Replaced everything. Indy bottom washer, stock bottom bushing. Ace Top washer, Indy 92a top bushing (cut down 1.5mm), Indy pivot cups.

Absolutely love the Thunder pop. My sessions last a little bit longer now. Not sure if it is because of the lower height, a tiny bit less weight or because of the slightly extended wheelbase. Wheelies feel more stable. Nose- and Tailslides feel the same as before to me. I like the feeling of the wheels dragging against the ledge. I am less scared of slipping out which happened sometimes on Indy's for me. I also would never go higher as 53mm for wheels. But since 53 is an uneven number, I stick with 52mm. Less overall ghost pop and I learned Nollies to fakie on steep banks. And my ankles hurt a little bit less after a long day of skating, which doesn't say much because my ankles are twice as old as me.

* Last September my girl was in the hospital for a few days and I read through every single page in this thread. This helped a lot that I don't go fully insane or lose my shit. She is fine now but those were some really dark days. Thanks to everyone who contributed in this thread.

Happy that things are good for u and ur girl G