Long ago I tired out a ton of different gear, and found my "holy grail" set-up. I then rode the same decks, trucks, wheels, etc. over and over. Much later, I got bored with my set-up...Boredom started my Madness. Boredom, novelty, curiosity, and just a good-old fashion love of new skate gear lit a Madness flame that didn't go out for awhile. I started trying different WBs, trucks, wheel shapes/sizes, etc. I believe it is good to occasionally test your assumptions, if only to prove they still hold true. And guess what? They did. My "grail" set-up was still indeed just that. The Madness went away, or rather, like Pennywise the Clown, or the Ring of Power, it just went dormant, only to later come back with new vigor.
Then I broke my leg/ankle. I could not skate for a year. Once cleared to skate again, I had to relearn everything. It took me two weeks to ollie up a 4" curb again. My leg/ankle would never be the same. My body now moved differently before. The Madness saw an opening, and knew it's time had come. Your body does not function the same way it used to, therefore, you might now be better served by a different set-up to accommodate new-found limitations. The Madness roared back to life, stronger and more pervasive than anything I had ever known.
Eventually, I found myself saying things like;
"Thunders are not going to have a better base plate now that you are trying them for the 3rd, 4th, or 5th time."
"A 14" wheel base still feels too cramped no matter if it's on an 8.06" or an 8.1" deck."
"Did you really enjoy your time at curb comparing the nuanced feels of tailslides on 6.5" vs. 6.56' tail, or would you rather have been just skating the way you would have been without Madness at the session?"
I began to hate the time, effort, emotional investment, and money that the Madness demanded of me. Rather than "just skating," I was skate-testing gear so at some point in the future I could be "just skating" once I figured out what gear I really like the best. As this was happening, I was also starring realizing something else; my ankle, despite the fact that it would never be the same, would be "good enough." I was also narrowing down the gear I liked, yet again. And lo-and-behold, what did I find myself riding? The same "holy grail" set-up. I believe it is good to occasionally test your assumptions, if only to prove they still hold true. Test them enough, and the Postulate-assumption becomes a Theorem of existential reality. And now I knew what that reality was--the same one it had always been. Since, the Madness has gone dormant, for now.
My Grail:
DLX 8.25/14.38
144 Forged (Ti or Hollow)
F4 Classics 53*
92a Indy cylindrical (blue ones)
Super Swiss 6
MOB
7/8" Allen
*101a, 99a, and 97a all have their own proper time, manner, and place. Hell, even 80HDs are useful sometimes.