The Indy Thread

[Aquatic Dinosaur]

Wow thanks for the in depth answers on wheel size.  You all probably saved me a slam.

I might start making wheel wells myself so I can have more variety in decks and bigger wheels

[JM]

I've said this before, and I'll say it again: the Indy blue 92 medium hard cylinders are great bushings if one feels that the stock oranges feel too squirrely.

That said, one cannot emphasize the importance of a proper break-in period with basically any Indy bushing. Even the 92s feel super loose and soft at first, but you just gotta resist the urge to crank them down instantly. Give the bushings, stock or aftermarket, enough time and tighten them little by little. Usually 1, max. 2 sessions for breaking in is enough.

I mean, effin' Chris Russell rides stock oranges. He goes f*cking hard and is not the lightest dude. The stocks are amazing once broken in properly.

I tried the Black, and then got Blue.

The Blues are exactly right. The black was just too tight.

[Meathook]

Just setup some 144 standards on an Xmas complete to step up my board size and had maybe my best session all year on brand new everything.

I’ve gone through a ton of truck madness this year (AF1 55, Royal, Thunder 147, venture 5.2 lo and hi) and for better or worse going back to Indy might be the only way for me.  They’re the only trucks that after I break them in, I don’t have to think about.  I find myself focusing more on skating than my skateboard which is ultimately the point I guess.

In the end I can look past their downsides easier than all other trucks.  Maybe it’s horseshit and I’ll be off these in a week.

[JM]

Just setup some 144 standards on an Xmas complete to step up my board size and had maybe my best session all year on brand new everything.

I’ve gone through a ton of truck madness this year (AF1 55, Royal, Thunder 147, venture 5.2 lo and hi) and for better or worse going back to Indy might be the only way for me.  They’re the only trucks that after I break them in, I don’t have to think about.  I find myself focusing more on skating than my skateboard which is ultimately the point I guess.

In the end I can look past their downsides easier than all other trucks.  Maybe it’s horseshit and I’ll be off these in a week.

Nope.  Welcome home.

Indy’s just feel right.

Wonder if they’ll ever come out with stage 12…

[southphillytapwater]

I'm back on forged hollows after being on ventures for a while. It really is like returning home. I had a theory that you can get most of the benefits of skating other trucks (stability, pop, pinch) by just skating tighter indy's. I'm a light dude (~145 lbs) so I went with one stock orange and one blue in each truck. I like my back truck a little tighter so I have blue bottom, orange top in my back truck and orange bottom, blue top in my front truck. Been skating like this for a few weeks now and it's feeling like my ideal set up. I think I'm going to get rid of my other trucks so I don't get tempted into switching anymore.

[Mbrimson88]

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Just setup some 144 standards on an Xmas complete to step up my board size and had maybe my best session all year on brand new everything.

I’ve gone through a ton of truck madness this year (AF1 55, Royal, Thunder 147, venture 5.2 lo and hi) and for better or worse going back to Indy might be the only way for me.  They’re the only trucks that after I break them in, I don’t have to think about.  I find myself focusing more on skating than my skateboard which is ultimately the point I guess.

In the end I can look past their downsides easier than all other trucks.  Maybe it’s horseshit and I’ll be off these in a week.

[close]

Nope.  Welcome home.

Indy’s just feel right.

Wonder if they’ll ever come out with stage 12…

It has been 11 years since Stage 11 came out.

Really I am sure someone somewhere is thinking about modifications and upgrades, but the Standard truck just works so well for me, I really don't need to change anything on them at all, everything working so much better than any older stage and I don't need to worry about running out of them any time soon, especially in 149s which I am currently on for most setups.

* Sure I angle grind down the kingpins to have a bit more clearance, but I would be doing that on any truck and I can and do skate a good number of boards without any modifications, current stock bushings, nothing changed, etc.


To be fair, I would never try to tell anyone else what to ride, because others skate different things in different ways, but I prefer a taller truck like the Standards, no hollow this or forged that (even though I do have all options as test / loan boards at the indoor park) and I don't need risers or anything else with these.

Sometimes I hear people whinge about the politics or history of truck brands, goodness knows there are dramas everywhere if you look hard enough, but all that aside, I just want a truck that is sturdy enough to hold up to what I am doing, can turn easily, doesn't hang up on the kingpin when I am too lazy with smith variations, or the main thing, that I can set and forget when it comes to the bushings, so they work just fine for everything, tick all my boxes, etc.  People having a whinge are allowed, but I just blank face them until they are done and then move on to another topic, when I get those sort of people in the shop or at a skatepark, even just seeing a tiny fraction of comments on Instagram or similar things often make me shake my head, but then smile cause I don't care - I just want trucks that work for me.


So glad I have Indy Standards, along with Spitfire Formula Four wheels, Jessup grip on any and every board I ride, other things change but these things always stay the same for me.  I could add BBS boards - usually DLX wood and Bones bearings, with Shortys bolts, but I don't want to get too picky.

[JM]

I'm back on forged hollows after being on ventures for a while. It really is like returning home. I had a theory that you can get most of the benefits of skating other trucks (stability, pop, pinch) by just skating tighter indy's. I'm a light dude (~145 lbs) so I went with one stock orange and one blue in each truck. I like my back truck a little tighter so I have blue bottom, orange top in my back truck and orange bottom, blue top in my front truck. Been skating like this for a few weeks now and it's feeling like my ideal set up. I think I'm going to get rid of my other trucks so I don't get tempted into switching anymore.

Yes, purge the inferior garbage from your life and be well.

I’m actually trying to figure out what to do with these hollow light 148 thunder trucks (light blue bushing) that have little wear.

[JM]

So glad I have Indy Standards, along with Spitfire Formula Four wheels, Jessup grip on any and every board I ride, other things change but these things always stay the same for me.  I could add BBS boards - usually DLX wood and Bones bearings, with Shortys bolts, but I don't want to get too picky.

Pretty much same:
Indy Hollow (standard plate)
Bones bearings
1” Shortys allen (but couldn’t get them again at local so got 1” thunder Allen with green bolts: rad)
Jessup grip
DLX wood for life
But…… Bones X formula…. Though spitfire standard shape is mighty fine and looks just “right”

[southphillytapwater]

Expand Quote

Just setup some 144 standards on an Xmas complete to step up my board size and had maybe my best session all year on brand new everything.

I’ve gone through a ton of truck madness this year (AF1 55, Royal, Thunder 147, venture 5.2 lo and hi) and for better or worse going back to Indy might be the only way for me.  They’re the only trucks that after I break them in, I don’t have to think about.  I find myself focusing more on skating than my skateboard which is ultimately the point I guess.

In the end I can look past their downsides easier than all other trucks.  Maybe it’s horseshit and I’ll be off these in a week.

[close]

Nope.  Welcome home.

Indy’s just feel right.

Wonder if they’ll ever come out with stage 12…

I think the stage 11's are pretty much perfected. I do hope they remake the mids, though. I wish they actually made an indy designed for tech skating and not just a 52mm tall stage 11. Trying to maintain the exact geometry led them from one poor decision to another. No one expects a mid/low truck to turn exactly the same as its standard counterpart. I'd love to skate an indy mid without an inverted kingpin and chunky hangers.

[Ourladyoftheflowers]

Just switched from venture to Indy. About two weeks in and the only complaint I have is loss of pop. I ride them both stock (no adjustments).

The Indy’s have a much better turn of course but I feel way less stable popping and don’t have the confidence getting up on higher ledges.

I don’t wanna have to tighten the stock bushings too much so I guess my question is would blue or black bushing help with stability without sacrificing too much turn if ran flush? I’m already getting a little madness (only switched cause I was hitting axel on ventures in about six months and wanted a more durable truck) but want to stick with Indy’s. They feel amazing riding around and on small stuff but the loss of confidence popping fast on flat gaps and getting up tall ledges is messing with me.

[JM]

Just switched from venture to Indy. About two weeks in and the only complaint I have is loss of pop. I ride them both stock (no adjustments).

The Indy’s have a much better turn of course but I feel way less stable popping and don’t have the confidence getting up on higher ledges.

I don’t wanna have to tighten the stock bushings too much so I guess my question is would blue or black bushing help with stability without sacrificing too much turn if ran flush? I’m already getting a little madness (only switched cause I was hitting axel on ventures in about six months and wanted a more durable truck) but want to stick with Indy’s. They feel amazing riding around and on small stuff but the loss of confidence popping fast on flat gaps and getting up tall ledges is messing with me.

If it helps: I weigh 210-215, and I can make the blacks turn without too much trouble, but they are super stable when setting up and I can’t make micro-adjustments when approaching a ledge/rail. The barrel bushing is rock solid on the black. I haven’t tried conical bushings since stage 7 or 8 when they were stock.

The blue is about a perfect “medium” tightness. They feel like the orange stock bushings with about a 3/4 turn of the axle nut, while the black feels like maybe twice that (1.5 turn).

[TomCruz]

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Just setup some 144 standards on an Xmas complete to step up my board size and had maybe my best session all year on brand new everything.

I’ve gone through a ton of truck madness this year (AF1 55, Royal, Thunder 147, venture 5.2 lo and hi) and for better or worse going back to Indy might be the only way for me.  They’re the only trucks that after I break them in, I don’t have to think about.  I find myself focusing more on skating than my skateboard which is ultimately the point I guess.

In the end I can look past their downsides easier than all other trucks.  Maybe it’s horseshit and I’ll be off these in a week.

[close]

Nope.  Welcome home.

Indy’s just feel right.

Wonder if they’ll ever come out with stage 12…

[close]

I think the stage 11's are pretty much perfected. I do hope they remake the mids, though. I wish they actually made an indy designed for tech skating and not just a 52mm tall stage 11. Trying to maintain the exact geometry led them from one poor decision to another. No one expects a mid/low truck to turn exactly the same as its standard counterpart. I'd love to skate an indy mid without an inverted kingpin and chunky hangers.

I agree.  I want to like them but the chunky hanger and the weight kills it for me.  It shouldn't matter that much but I would like to think less truck less weight.   

[Mbrimson88]

Just switched from venture to Indy. About two weeks in and the only complaint I have is loss of pop. I ride them both stock (no adjustments).

The Indy’s have a much better turn of course but I feel way less stable popping and don’t have the confidence getting up on higher ledges.

I don’t wanna have to tighten the stock bushings too much so I guess my question is would blue or black bushing help with stability without sacrificing too much turn if ran flush? I’m already getting a little madness (only switched cause I was hitting axel on ventures in about six months and wanted a more durable truck) but want to stick with Indy’s. They feel amazing riding around and on small stuff but the loss of confidence popping fast on flat gaps and getting up tall ledges is messing with me.

I did a history search before answering...

5’7”
145 lbs
Shoe size is 8

I skate an 8.5
5.8 ventures
56-58mm spits
Jessup grip only
Rest of the parts is whatever I can get on sale (including deck as long as it’s 14.25 or lower wb and bbs)

So being quite light you are going to most likely find that some bushings are just going to be too stiff or solid no matter how much they break in, so I would not go harder than the blue 92 in cylinder, or maybe at the most try the black 94 in conical, but I think the blue ones would be the best bet for bushing upgrades.

That is what I use for my setups, also 8.5 on 149s so the 92 duro bushings just give a little more stiffness and I can still turn easily when I want to.  I am on the (low top) conical 92 duro bushings and I like a lot more turn than some others, so these give me a nice amount more than stock bushings, so the normal cylinder 92 duro bushings should be good for you in that regard.


Conical shaped bottom bushings will allow more turn than cylinder shaped bottom bushings, which will feel more firm and stable.  The tops are all the same.  Low tops are now out of stock, but I wouldn't recommend those unless you want to angle grind the kingpin down a few threads, or like riding loose with the nut flush.

Breaking them in is fairly easy, but take a session just to roll around on them first and get a good feel for them and they go a  little mushy then firm up nicely within one or two sessions, from any new ones I have set up.

The black ones take a bit longer or don't really feel like they are going to break in at all unless you really put a lot of weight into side to side movement if you are so light, but once solidly broken in, they also skate well for stiffer turns on boards I have skated.

I am 180 lbs, 6 ft + for comparison.

[Vintagebody]

Just switched from venture to Indy. About two weeks in and the only complaint I have is loss of pop. I ride them both stock (no adjustments).

Its just the timing screwing with you. Look at Tiago... Also... If you put Indy's on a board thats been used with Thunder or Venture at first, it will just feel dead forever. Indy's seem to wear more surface area, which makes sense.

[smg1138]

Anybody tried putting Indy titanium hangers on the standard cast baseplates? I've skated both standards and forged titaniums and realize I like the weight of the forged titaniums, but the height and turn of the standards. And there's something about forged baseplates that just seem kind of toy like and brittle that I don't really like.

[Xen]

Running the IKP cast plate with ti hangers currently, not sure if they’re lighter than standards given the added weight of the IKP parts.

Works great tho. Been riding more transition and bigger wheels so bumped up truck height; it didn't mess with me as much as I thought it would (weight either); gotta say the pop was  much better than 52mm trucks and 51mm wheels!

Big Daddy Ben found his  'perfect indy' a forged plated, solid hanger.


Waiting on BF deals to snag some cast hollows.

[JM]

Anybody tried putting Indy titanium hangers on the standard cast baseplates? I've skated both standards and forged titaniums and realize I like the weight of the forged titaniums, but the height and turn of the standards. And there's something about forged baseplates that just seem kind of toy like and brittle that I don't really like.

Why yes. Yes I have.

Pics in setup thread, but they pop and grind as they should. Proper like

[Ourladyoftheflowers]

Did about a 40% turn to the right and they feel much better. Extra stability setting up and the kingpin is barely poking out. I appreciate the responses and I think if I switch bushings I’ll go with the blue barrel shape.

[JM]

Running the IKP cast plate with ti hangers currently, not sure if they’re lighter than standards given the added weight of the IKP parts.

Works great tho. Been riding more transition and bigger wheels so bumped up truck height; it didn't mess with me as much as I thought it would (weight either); gotta say the pop was  much better than 52mm trucks and 51mm wheels!

Big Daddy Ben found his  'perfect indy' a forged plated, solid hanger.


Waiting on BF deals to snag some cast hollows.

Yeah but at the end he said he didn’t really notice a difference as much as he thought he would.

I still am blown away by how much fun cast baseplate with titanium hangar is.  Everything just feels more solid with them vs. the forged baseplate.

Just bought some cast hollows as well! so it’ll be interesting to see what the hollow kingpin and hollow axle is like, comparatively. 

[LebowskisRug]

I ran Ti hangers for a long time on cast hollow and even the IKP plates. IIRC the Ti axle got the heavier IKP plates just south of regular territory, but they were heavier than cast hollows (hollow KP and axle). Hollow pin and Ti axle was nice since you don't get the weird sound from the hollow axle that some don't like and it is lighter. It feels sorta similar to how the Venture V-Cast are- hefty pop but light when its in the air albeit the Indys end up being noticeably taller.

I do notice that Ti axle ends seem to wear down much faster. I only ran 1 washer inside and outside and after 6-7mo the ends got so worn the axle nuts barely stayed on so I gave em away. Led me to now run 2 washers on the outside at a minimum so the nuts and ends are flush from the get go.

[smg1138]

I ran Ti hangers for a long time on cast hollow and even the IKP plates. IIRC the Ti axle got the heavier IKP plates just south of regular territory, but they were heavier than cast hollows (hollow KP and axle). Hollow pin and Ti axle was nice since you don't get the weird sound from the hollow axle that some don't like and it is lighter. It feels sorta similar to how the Venture V-Cast are- hefty pop but light when its in the air albeit the Indys end up being noticeably taller.

I do notice that Ti axle ends seem to wear down much faster. I only ran 1 washer inside and outside and after 6-7mo the ends got so worn the axle nuts barely stayed on so I gave em away. Led me to now run 2 washers on the outside at a minimum so the nuts and ends are flush from the get go.

Have you found the IKP plates to be better than regular cast plates? I've considered trying them, but had some concern about them loosening up on their own. Also, is the kingpin clearance significantly better on smiths, feebles, etc?

I typically use the 3 washer method on all my trucks which usually makes the nut flush with the end of the axle. I like pushing out the wheels as much as possible for extra grinding surface and I'm pretty OCD about my axles poking out too much lol

[smg1138]

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Running the IKP cast plate with ti hangers currently, not sure if they’re lighter than standards given the added weight of the IKP parts.

Works great tho. Been riding more transition and bigger wheels so bumped up truck height; it didn't mess with me as much as I thought it would (weight either); gotta say the pop was  much better than 52mm trucks and 51mm wheels!

Big Daddy Ben found his  'perfect indy' a forged plated, solid hanger.


Waiting on BF deals to snag some cast hollows.

[close]

Yeah but at the end he said he didn’t really notice a difference as much as he thought he would.

I still am blown away by how much fun cast baseplate with titanium hangar is.  Everything just feels more solid with them vs. the forged baseplate.

Just bought some cast hollows as well! so it’ll be interesting to see what the hollow kingpin and hollow axle is like, comparatively.

I almost feel like a cast hollow plate with a Ti hanger would be the ultimate Indy for me in regard to height and weight. Is it true that hollow kingpings are actually stronger than solid? Seems like I remember reading that somewhere before.

[LebowskisRug]

No the IKP sucks and hasn't been addressed and normal Indy plates have good clearance and are lighter.

I don't think the ti axle makes some magical Indy. The normal hollows are fine. I think Ventures have a heavier pop feel to start with so lightening them makes sense and Ben is thinking "wow I liked these forged plate standard axle versions of these 2 trucks maybe correlation is causation" and it wasn't. Even the V Cast don't feel insanely different than standard it's like some icing on the cake for me. I rode the ti hanger and hollow hanger and other than sound when rolling there is zero noticeable difference it's like the amount of grams in 2 quarters.

[smg1138]

Thanks that's good to know. I actually already have a couple of sets of forged titaniums and standards which is the only reason I'm even thinking about this right now. Being older now and skating bigger boards, weight has become more important than it used to be.

[Obijuan91]

What’s a good Indy set up? Like board brands with the specs mellow kicks or whatever? Just curious

[Mbrimson88]

What’s a good Indy set up? Like board brands with the specs mellow kicks or whatever? Just curious

I guess a lot of people could all give different answers here, but I find the standard Indy truck works really well on DLX 8.38 boards, more often than not trying to get the more mellow ones - stamp on top between front bolts, I being steepest, IV being more mellow, so I look for the III or IV. 

More info on that in the DLX Shapes thread:

https://www.slapmagazine.com/index.php?topic=85076.0


They are BBS boards, so in general I find they can be here or there with finding the right ones, but I like to stand on them before buying or setting up, so I know if they are going to work for me.

Others who get some of the more mellow PS Stix boards also find they work really well, but again, some PS Stix boards can be on the steeper side too, so you have to check and see before buying.

The Woodshop thread has maybe too much info, but at least to check there for boards from different brands but the same woodshop, if that is what you like, or more so just going into a shop and standing on as many boards as you can.  The only other thing to note is the length of middle flat, where the bolt holes are drilled and how much flat there is before the kicks, as more flat will make a board easier to pop, along with less angle on the kicks.

Woodshop thread here:

https://www.slapmagazine.com/index.php?topic=120409.0

[DarkPools]

What’s a good Indy set up? Like board brands with the specs mellow kicks or whatever? Just curious

I only skate Indy (standard/hollow/forged back and forth) and enjoy something slightly steeper than mellow but not FA or Dwindle steep for the kicks

I find these boards to be the most compatible from my personal experience:

Black Label

Polar (better on forged hollow/forged standard if the tail happens to be on the steeper side)

DLX: Anti Hero/Krooked (Real I loved a lot earlier on but nowadays I haven't found as much success - May be one-offs on what I happened to try) always stamped III or IV but I'll make I and II work

The Killing Floor

Primitive

Isle Skateboards

Baker/Deathwish

[skateboardingenthusiast]

Put my Indy 144 cast/team hollows on after being on a big Thunder 148 cast/team hollows kick. Being on Indy’s just feels right, like its a hard reset lol.

Considering my first ever trucks were 139 standards, I really got used to Indy’s. They just feel exactly how everything should feel. From the grind, turn, and especially to even how they react when landing tricks. It just works how I’ve always been used to how a truck should feel.

I’ll have my phases of trying out different trucks and geometries like with Thunder and Ace, but going back to Indy always feels like home.

One of my favorite things about Indy’s are how they redistribute weight upon landing.

Anyone else ever notice in footage that when someone has on Ventures and they land a trick, it looks as if the truck doesn’t articulate at all very much upon impact? Makes for very clean footage, albeit to the point where it looks kind of boring. Like they lack character. The board stays on the same plane, theres no bend, theres no visible articulation.

Watching Thunder footage, the lands look pretty similar to Ventures, but less robotic type landings, but still within that same realm.

Say, with Ace footage, the lands almost always look like they’re turning as soon as they land.

But with Indy’s, it just looks like how I think they’re supposed to. Depending on how tight the trucks are, they can have that wiggly land like say an Ace would (but more controlled), or have the Venture/Thunder type of land where its planted and the truck and board doesn’t articulate.

Idk where i’m going with this lol. Just some things I’ve noticed from trying out different truck brands and watching footage of people that skate truck brands I’m curious about.

[Boog]

So I set up my dlx 8.5 with my 149 forged hollows after being on an 8.125 with venture lights and I am done with the madness of swapping back and forth. I learned how to do regular crooked grinds last year on my 149s and lost them when I went back to venture. I could only do them to fake. About 15 minutes ago I was at the park and I did some without even really trying. Took me 3 tries. I am so happy.

[LebowskisRug]

That's surprising since the Venture pinch makes it almost impossible to slip into a noseslide unlike Indy Standard or Ace.