The Indy Thread

[IpathCats]

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I had also forgotten to mention that important aspect of these stage 4's, they wheelbite way less than Aces. With 1/8" risers underneath these, my wheels are never touching my board no matter how deep I turn, which is really nice. I skated these all weekend with the Ace bushings and even in the cold they are feeling amazing.

[close]

I did notice that. That’s kinda why I was saying I don’t know if the bushings being “firm” is good or bad.

Although if you want them loose loose ace bushings are trick?  Just confirming before I start to tinker. 😂

people have reported using ace bushings in the stage 4's and enjoying them.

[logjammin]

Yes, Ace standard/medium duro bushings will take these to the next level. If Indy was smart they'd go one step furthur to saying fuck you Ace, and steal their bushing formula lol. They should have those as stock, not those shitty red ones with no rebound.

[Richard Skidder]

Looks like forged hollow on these. Orange bushings may indicate just a hanger swap to the 146.

[IpathCats]

Looks like forged hollow on these. Orange bushings may indicate just a hanger swap to the 146.

good eye. given his style of skateboarding, i wouldnt expect him to like the stage 4's. seeing him ride them for so long now has been interesting.

[Frank and Fred]

Yes, Ace standard/medium duro bushings will take these to the next level. If Indy was smart they'd go one step furthur to saying fuck you Ace, and steal their bushing formula lol. They should have those as stock, not those shitty red ones with no rebound.

I feel the opposite. The stock red ones almost have too much rebound. I really did not like the Ace bushings in the Stage 4s as they felt really unpredictable on center... so I went back to the stock red ones, which now are feeling a lot better as the trucks get more broken in. I'm heavy though and I really prefer trying to make stock bushings work. Love Ace stock bushings in Ace for instance.

[Wafools]

Has this happened to any one else?!  I don’t mind the bushings rotating but I’m annoyed they printed “indy” on it so now it’s actually noticeable. The front truck has done a full 180.

They are starting to loosen up but I might have to ditch them for some ace bushings.

[Mbrimson88]

Has this happened to any one else?!  I don’t mind the bushings rotating but I’m annoyed they printed “indy” on it so now it’s actually noticeable. The front truck has done a full 180.

They are starting to loosen up but I might have to ditch them for some ace bushings.

I have noticed sometimes when I mark the bushings that while I am wearing them in, especially if the trucks are fairly loose that one or both lots of bushings will turn, more often just the bottoms, but occasionally the tops too, which I put down to leaning certain ways doing the same tricks or movements over and over, putting pressure on the bushings a certain way.


One thing I have noticed to stop a lot of movement, clicking or anything is to wax each bit including the underside of the kingpin nut.  Not the sort of thing I would be doing usually, but a certain squeaking that was not the pivot cup kept bugging me on one set of trucks so I thought I would see and lightly waxed the pivot nub of the hanger, the yoke where bushings touch in the hanger, the underside of the kingpin nut and it seemed to stop noise as well as make things just turn more smoothly as well.

Might seem like overkill but there is not wax melting all over the board and just the small amount used on those areas helped a whole lot more than nothing or just trying to ride the stiffness and noise out.

[Deadringer]

Has this happened to any one else?!  I don’t mind the bushings rotating but I’m annoyed they printed “indy” on it so now it’s actually noticeable. The front truck has done a full 180.

They are starting to loosen up but I might have to ditch them for some ace bushings.

Yep, this happened to mine also. Swap to the Ace bushings. I know you want to keep them stock, I did too but once I put the Ace bushings in it unlocked them again.

[IpathCats]

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Has this happened to any one else?!  I don’t mind the bushings rotating but I’m annoyed they printed “indy” on it so now it’s actually noticeable. The front truck has done a full 180.

They are starting to loosen up but I might have to ditch them for some ace bushings.

[close]

I have noticed sometimes when I mark the bushings that while I am wearing them in, especially if the trucks are fairly loose that one or both lots of bushings will turn, more often just the bottoms, but occasionally the tops too, which I put down to leaning certain ways doing the same tricks or movements over and over, putting pressure on the bushings a certain way.


One thing I have noticed to stop a lot of movement, clicking or anything is to wax each bit including the underside of the kingpin nut.  Not the sort of thing I would be doing usually, but a certain squeaking that was not the pivot cup kept bugging me on one set of trucks so I thought I would see and lightly waxed the pivot nub of the hanger, the yoke where bushings touch in the hanger, the underside of the kingpin nut and it seemed to stop noise as well as make things just turn more smoothly as well.

Might seem like overkill but there is not wax melting all over the board and just the small amount used on those areas helped a whole lot more than nothing or just trying to ride the stiffness and noise out.

from my excessive tinkering, i have found that wax generally acts as a bandaid and once it breaks down whatever clicking or squeaking it was preventing will usually come back worse.

Nowadays I use a LIGHT dabbing of motor oil. As light as possible really. but it seems to hold up and last much better than wax.

[BL0B]

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Has this happened to any one else?!  I don’t mind the bushings rotating but I’m annoyed they printed “indy” on it so now it’s actually noticeable. The front truck has done a full 180.

They are starting to loosen up but I might have to ditch them for some ace bushings.

[close]

I have noticed sometimes when I mark the bushings that while I am wearing them in, especially if the trucks are fairly loose that one or both lots of bushings will turn, more often just the bottoms, but occasionally the tops too, which I put down to leaning certain ways doing the same tricks or movements over and over, putting pressure on the bushings a certain way.


One thing I have noticed to stop a lot of movement, clicking or anything is to wax each bit including the underside of the kingpin nut.  Not the sort of thing I would be doing usually, but a certain squeaking that was not the pivot cup kept bugging me on one set of trucks so I thought I would see and lightly waxed the pivot nub of the hanger, the yoke where bushings touch in the hanger, the underside of the kingpin nut and it seemed to stop noise as well as make things just turn more smoothly as well.

Might seem like overkill but there is not wax melting all over the board and just the small amount used on those areas helped a whole lot more than nothing or just trying to ride the stiffness and noise out.

[close]

from my excessive tinkering, i have found that wax generally acts as a bandaid and once it breaks down whatever clicking or squeaking it was preventing will usually come back worse.

Nowadays I use a LIGHT dabbing of motor oil. As light as possible really. but it seems to hold up and last much better than wax.

petroleum based products are usually pretty bad for plastics and rubber over time.

[IpathCats]

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Has this happened to any one else?!  I don’t mind the bushings rotating but I’m annoyed they printed “indy” on it so now it’s actually noticeable. The front truck has done a full 180.

They are starting to loosen up but I might have to ditch them for some ace bushings.

[close]

I have noticed sometimes when I mark the bushings that while I am wearing them in, especially if the trucks are fairly loose that one or both lots of bushings will turn, more often just the bottoms, but occasionally the tops too, which I put down to leaning certain ways doing the same tricks or movements over and over, putting pressure on the bushings a certain way.


One thing I have noticed to stop a lot of movement, clicking or anything is to wax each bit including the underside of the kingpin nut.  Not the sort of thing I would be doing usually, but a certain squeaking that was not the pivot cup kept bugging me on one set of trucks so I thought I would see and lightly waxed the pivot nub of the hanger, the yoke where bushings touch in the hanger, the underside of the kingpin nut and it seemed to stop noise as well as make things just turn more smoothly as well.

Might seem like overkill but there is not wax melting all over the board and just the small amount used on those areas helped a whole lot more than nothing or just trying to ride the stiffness and noise out.

[close]

from my excessive tinkering, i have found that wax generally acts as a bandaid and once it breaks down whatever clicking or squeaking it was preventing will usually come back worse.

Nowadays I use a LIGHT dabbing of motor oil. As light as possible really. but it seems to hold up and last much better than wax.

[close]

petroleum based products are usually pretty bad for plastics and rubber over time.

interesting, please enlighten me. I've had a much better experience since i've used motor oil. Would def like to know any science behind what youre talking about.

isnt wax a petroleum product too though?

[art hellman]

i use this stuff on pivot cups

[manysnakes]

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Has this happened to any one else?!  I don’t mind the bushings rotating but I’m annoyed they printed “indy” on it so now it’s actually noticeable. The front truck has done a full 180.

They are starting to loosen up but I might have to ditch them for some ace bushings.

[close]

I have noticed sometimes when I mark the bushings that while I am wearing them in, especially if the trucks are fairly loose that one or both lots of bushings will turn, more often just the bottoms, but occasionally the tops too, which I put down to leaning certain ways doing the same tricks or movements over and over, putting pressure on the bushings a certain way.


One thing I have noticed to stop a lot of movement, clicking or anything is to wax each bit including the underside of the kingpin nut.  Not the sort of thing I would be doing usually, but a certain squeaking that was not the pivot cup kept bugging me on one set of trucks so I thought I would see and lightly waxed the pivot nub of the hanger, the yoke where bushings touch in the hanger, the underside of the kingpin nut and it seemed to stop noise as well as make things just turn more smoothly as well.

Might seem like overkill but there is not wax melting all over the board and just the small amount used on those areas helped a whole lot more than nothing or just trying to ride the stiffness and noise out.

[close]

from my excessive tinkering, i have found that wax generally acts as a bandaid and once it breaks down whatever clicking or squeaking it was preventing will usually come back worse.

Nowadays I use a LIGHT dabbing of motor oil. As light as possible really. but it seems to hold up and last much better than wax.

[close]

petroleum based products are usually pretty bad for plastics and rubber over time.

[close]

interesting, please enlighten me. I've had a much better experience since i've used motor oil. Would def like to know any science behind what youre talking about.

isnt wax a petroleum product too though?

Paraffin wax is a petroleum product, but I imagine the fact that it is inert until it's burned means it will result in less damage than other petroleum products. My thoughts on this are that, while all this stuff is true and you should keep petroleum off of your bushings, it simply is not going to matter in the lifespan of a skateboard truck. It's the same reason I will never bother to take care of my skateboard bearings in the same way I painstakingly service the bearings on my high-end bicycle hubs.

[Mbrimson88]

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Has this happened to any one else?!  I don’t mind the bushings rotating but I’m annoyed they printed “indy” on it so now it’s actually noticeable. The front truck has done a full 180.

They are starting to loosen up but I might have to ditch them for some ace bushings.

[close]

I have noticed sometimes when I mark the bushings that while I am wearing them in, especially if the trucks are fairly loose that one or both lots of bushings will turn, more often just the bottoms, but occasionally the tops too, which I put down to leaning certain ways doing the same tricks or movements over and over, putting pressure on the bushings a certain way.


One thing I have noticed to stop a lot of movement, clicking or anything is to wax each bit including the underside of the kingpin nut.  Not the sort of thing I would be doing usually, but a certain squeaking that was not the pivot cup kept bugging me on one set of trucks so I thought I would see and lightly waxed the pivot nub of the hanger, the yoke where bushings touch in the hanger, the underside of the kingpin nut and it seemed to stop noise as well as make things just turn more smoothly as well.

Might seem like overkill but there is not wax melting all over the board and just the small amount used on those areas helped a whole lot more than nothing or just trying to ride the stiffness and noise out.

[close]

from my excessive tinkering, i have found that wax generally acts as a bandaid and once it breaks down whatever clicking or squeaking it was preventing will usually come back worse.

Nowadays I use a LIGHT dabbing of motor oil. As light as possible really. but it seems to hold up and last much better than wax.

Yeah I totally get where you are coming from with that, as well as what others are saying too regarding some products to use or not to use, for whatever reasons.

I guess for me in a shop situation where I don't want to have too many other products, having some lube - Singer sewing machine oil or speed cream, some degreaser / cleaner - WD40, some dry lube - graphite powder and just odds and ends of simple candle wax type of thing to cover all bases, I don't usually venture much past that in terms of other products.

Definitely the longevity of some things is not the main thought, more so when anyone (myself included) sets up a board or changes something over and something squeaks or clicks, at least that worked for there and then and I can deal with whatever comes tomorrow later, or for most things, whatever comes the next time I get the urge to take something apart or change something over again, otherwise once a board is set up for me, I often don't change anything on it until I am done with it so don't usually need to deal with squeaks or clicks as everything tends to work well after that.


I am still amazed at some of the little things I have tried and done in more recent years that I think would have helped had I tried that from way back in the day, but I guess we live and learn all these things, as well as having some trial and error to work out what is good and what is not so good with various fixes or changes to setups.

[Lou Strux]

Gnar’d for no other reason than the Otherness Barker deck.
Clearly, you are an individual of distinguished tastes & I celebrate you for it.

[funeral_tuxedo]

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[close]

Gnar’d for no other reason than the Otherness Barker deck.
Clearly, you are an individual of distinguished tastes & I celebrate you for it.

otherness is such an incredibly cool name

[Lou Strux]

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[close]

Gnar’d for no other reason than the Otherness Barker deck.
Clearly, you are an individual of distinguished tastes & I celebrate you for it.

[close]

otherness is such an incredibly cool name

Agreed.
It somehow rings a bell deep inside me.
Gnar’d for no other reason than @funeral_tuxedo is one of the most visually evocative names on these bloards. Genuinely a favorite of mine.
Also, YOU clearly have unimpeachable tastes yourself, as clearly demonstrated by your likewise apreesh of Otherness.
Sooo…
Wait, what’s this thread about?
My stage IVs arrived via post, courtesy of @144p & the fine gents at 35th Ave. only just yesterday, so I too shall soon be sniffing out these thing’s merits.
No report is likely forthcoming: I’ll be busy smiling my bunz off breaking in a new set of aluminium.
Shalom.

[manysnakes]

Explain to me please why so many posters here don't like the hollow forged Indys. I had a pair and they were ... just fine? Skated exactly like I expect from a Stage XI.

[camel filters]

Explain to me please why so many posters here don't like the hollow forged Indys. I had a pair and they were ... just fine? Skated exactly like I expect from a Stage XI.

I like em but they definitely have a harder, tinny sound from the baseplate that feels a lot different from the duller rebound of the cast baseplate. They are also lower and lighter, which is welcomed by me but if youre used to standards then that might be a problem.

[IpathCats]

Explain to me please why so many posters here don't like the hollow forged Indys. I had a pair and they were ... just fine? Skated exactly like I expect from a Stage XI.

Theyre fine trucks, IMO you might as well spring for the titaniums if these suit you though, same specs just even lighter.

the forged baseplate is a point of contention. Height, weight, feel, and sound are the differentiating factors. They are lower, lighter, harder, and sound a bit sharper/tinnier than cast.

If you want a 53.5mm height truck they will suit you just fine.

I've been loving titanium hangers on cast baseplates for a while now. but thats just a preference thing.

[rawbertson.]

Explain to me please why so many posters here don't like the hollow forged Indys. I had a pair and they were ... just fine? Skated exactly like I expect from a Stage XI.

I have had like 4 pairs now in all 139 x2, 144 (titanium), 159s
I think it is very close to a perfect, solid, reliable truck. Never had any real issue with any of them, and I put them all through hell. Freezing Cold winters, Super Hot summers, and the crustiest of curbs.

I have had lots of pairs of standard indys before that, too many to count, first pair was in 98 or 99.

I agree with Ben De Gros when he says they do feel a tiny bit "tippy".
I feel like they are a bit "squirrley" when you go really fast and you have them loose. Unpredictable if they will wobble at times depending where my foot is.

I just think its fun to try other trucks, and I would say there are advantages and disadvantages to all of them. I can't say Ace are 1:1 better than Indy's at all. I would just say I find the way they turn a little more fun, and the way I have mine set up so far they seem to feel a little more stable at higher speeds. I have experienced the wheel bite big time which is big disadvantage. I dropped my wheel size down to 54mm and its gotten a lot more manageable. I also really like the height of 53mm for trucks.

[Ok]

Explain to me please why so many posters here don't like the hollow forged Indys. I had a pair and they were ... just fine? Skated exactly like I expect from a Stage XI.

I think ‘just fine’ is exactly what Indy’s have been, for me. Good qc, last the longest, possibly the best compromise of all important characteristics: grind, pop, turn.
For me, because they are so well balanced, they don’t stick out in any one way, and that makes them less exciting.
I end up preferring aces turn (and the af-1 grind is pretty decent now that I’ve given them a chance), but indy has a better pop for me, than aces do.
I, drastically, prefer the pop I get from thunders, just more consistent. Maybe get 1 out of 10 the highest with Indy, but the rest are just more where I expect the board to be, with thunder. Feels right.
Venture lo’s have been the thing for so long I am just attached to them, and I am a sentimental person, in a way that I’ve never felt with independent. I also prefer the venture pop to Indy, whilst sacrificing turn and grinding.
So yeah, just fine. Doesn’t excite.

[IpathCats]

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Explain to me please why so many posters here don't like the hollow forged Indys. I had a pair and they were ... just fine? Skated exactly like I expect from a Stage XI.

[close]

I think ‘just fine’ is exactly what Indy’s have been, for me. Good qc, last the longest, possibly the best compromise of all important characteristics: grind, pop, turn.
For me, because they are so well balanced, they don’t stick out in any one way, and that makes them less exciting.
I end up preferring aces turn (and the af-1 grind is pretty decent now that I’ve given them a chance), but indy has a better pop for me, than aces do.
I, drastically, prefer the pop I get from thunders, just more consistent. Maybe get 1 out of 10 the highest with Indy, but the rest are just more where I expect the board to be, with thunder. Feels right.
Venture lo’s have been the thing for so long I am just attached to them, and I am a sentimental person, in a way that I’ve never felt with independent. I also prefer the venture pop to Indy, whilst sacrificing turn and grinding.
So yeah, just fine. Doesn’t excite.

This is a great summary.

If i just skated flatground, I'd probably ride thunders

If i just skated transition, (smller tighter stuff anyways) I'd probably ride ace

If i just did manuals, I'd probably ride venture

Indys just work everywhere, when other trucks tend to excel in a specific area.

Indys also have the best grind and are the most durable from my experience, which is a huge deciding factor. All around performance with the added benefit of having the best grind and lasting the longest?

Yes please.

[manysnakes]

To be clear, I am not asking about Independent vs. other trucks. I've skated Indys for decades (although I am currently on some AF-1 44s), I know how an Indy skates. But I've skated Standards, Forged Hollows, even a pair of Titaniums, and all of them felt to me exactly like an Independent Stage XI truck. I am just unclear about what it is specifically about this form of Independent which gets people riled up.

I ask because I pointed out in the Sale thread that SoCal Skates has tons of Forged Hollow Independent Trucks for $25/pair and a bunch of people were like "ewww, no thanks!"

[j....soy.....]

We may just be sensitive…..

[Nacho Maildrop]

To be clear, I am not asking about Independent vs. other trucks. I've skated Indys for decades (although I am currently on some AF-1 44s), I know how an Indy skates. But I've skated Standards, Forged Hollows, even a pair of Titaniums, and all of them felt to me exactly like an Independent Stage XI truck. I am just unclear about what it is specifically about this form of Independent which gets people riled up.

I ask because I pointed out in the Sale thread that SoCal Skates has tons of Forged Hollow Independent Trucks for $25/pair and a bunch of people were like "ewww, no thanks!"

• I don't like the feel of forged plates since they are harder. I don't think they slide worse or anything, but the feel when rolling is more rattly and kind of annoying. Maybe not a big deal for some, but I'm not into it.
• They shorten the nose/tail and lengthen the WB relative to cast, which I dislike.
• They're lower without any change to the KP angle and more prone to wheelbite. As someone who always goes back to a bigger wheel, it isn't worth it.
• The weight saving isn't enough for me to care. Or rather, I kind of prefer a heavier truck

In most cases forged cost more and I like them less, so why bother? And I get in the context above that they're super cheap, but at the end of the day I'd rather just pay full price and have exactly what I want.

[Mbrimson88]

.

I always just had way more of the standards than anything else, I guess because that was what was available more often than not, as well as them being cheaper in general.

For me personally, I am not worried by the height or weight of them, previously on 139s, then 144s when they came out but now 149s as my usual go to, even though I have some of every size on boards, as well as every option now too, standard, hollow cast, forged hollow, ti axle, almost all well used and traded in or bought on completes from ebay or private sellers, etc.

I have never bought anything other than standards from new, come to think of it.

The hollow axle / kingpin definitely had a few more issues with threading / stripping out, as well as the forged baseplate being impossible to get a broken kingpin out of when I did have to try, so there is that too.


In reality, the forged baseplate is too low for most of my preferred truck to wheel pairings, so I put a thin riser under them, but standards are fine as is, nothing else needed.


Others I skate with are all over the forged baseplate, ti axle, or at the very least hollow axle options and try to have the lowest and lightest setup they can, so for my overall group, I think more of those guys do go the forged hollow option, but many ride larger setups too, so I can see why lighter trucks on big boards work for them.

[manysnakes]

I have never bought anything other than standards from new, come to think of it.

Yeah, I've mostly skated Standards because that's usually the cheapest and most readily available, but the Forged Hollows I've had seemed to me completely fine, not appreciably different than the Standards.

Anyway, thanks for your answers. I already believe that I am less sensitive to this stuff than a lot of you and I guess this validates it.

[Plan9Customs]

To be clear, I am not asking about Independent vs. other trucks. I've skated Indys for decades (although I am currently on some AF-1 44s), I know how an Indy skates. But I've skated Standards, Forged Hollows, even a pair of Titaniums, and all of them felt to me exactly like an Independent Stage XI truck. I am just unclear about what it is specifically about this form of Independent which gets people riled up.

I ask because I pointed out in the Sale thread that SoCal Skates has tons of Forged Hollow Independent Trucks for $25/pair and a bunch of people were like "ewww, no thanks!"

I was one of the no thanks. That said, I ride forged hollows for everything(except one board with 215s). Only reason I was bummed was they were too small or mids. The only real issue I have with forged over standard is the baseplate for nose and tail slides. There’s less material on the pivot on the forged so you get way more wheel drag and need to wax the side of curbs/ledges unless they’re vertical. I hate having wax on my wheels since I’d normally go skate street then head home and hit my ramp. So waxed wheels was never fun. Aside from that one thing, I love them.

[Easy Slider]

The standards are too high and too heavy for me so I skate nothing but forged hollows. Took me a while to figure that out tho.