So, here is my unnecessarily lengthy and only occasionally insightful review on the Theeve TiAx 5.5 v3
(I am aware that there is a dedicated Theeve thread somewhere, but I felt it made more sense to revive this one)
First, a little backstory:
About ten months ago, I decided to finally try a different truck brand after riding Indys exclusively for over 16 years. This decision was of course spurred on by the madness I've developed from lurking these boards, but also because of pivot issues I've experienced since Indy moved production to China. I personally have no issue with the move, and I feel like the production quality is overall excellent, if not better than before. However, I keep getting trucks where the pivots themselves are way too thin for the pivot hole. I've tried several different pivot cups, but they would be chewed up within a couple sessions. The only pivot cups that could take the punishment were riptides, but the pivot would still sit as loose as a bowling ball in your grandma's anal cavity. I was also on forged baseplates as I desired a slightly lower setup, but I've realized that I really don't like how they feel, kinda like your grandma with a bowling ball up her ass. I'd had enough.
Why TiAx?:
All versions use the same geometry. The only difference is in materials and weight. TiKING is the lightest alloy truck, but be aware that despite it's name, the v3 versions no longer come with a titanium kingpin, but a hollow steel one. I guess "HoKing" didn't have quite the same ring to it. I decided to go for the TiAx, not for the reduced weight, but because I highly prefer titanium axles. The only reason I would ever retire trucks in the past, was because of chewed up axle threads caused by gnarled axle nuts. I like doing rail flips, ok, fucking sue me.
Size:
Let me begin by saying that I've heard nothing but good things about Theeve as a company. They seem very serious and their customer service has a good reputation from what I hear. That being said, never in their 14 year history have they gotten the sizing of their trucks right.
That is, the actual dimensions are different from what they claim on their website and official listings.
They have always claimed their trucks to be 55mm in height. Before putting them on a deck, I measured them from the bottom of the baseplate to the middle of the axle on both sides, for both trucks, with the kingpin nuts flush. The average height between all four measurements came out to just under 53mm. Most people who have measured their Theeves will say that they are 52mm, and I'd imagine that's pretty accurate for a broken in pair.
As for weight, when I first put one on the scale, it was 333g, which is 54g lighter than a standard Indy 144, and about on par with forged titanium.
But then, much to my surprise, the other truck was only 327g. 6 grams isn't a huge difference (unless you're buying bud), but it sure made me wonder about the source of this discrepancy.
The answer was revealed as soon as I went on to check the axle width. A Theeve 5.5 truck is supposed to have 8.25" axles, and that's exactly what the heavier truck was, right on the money. The slightly lighter truck, however, was only 8.2. I find it very strange that the actual axle width could differentiate between trucks, but I assume this is where those 6 grams went. I obviously use the heavier, wider truck as my front truck, as I usually ride slightly tapered decks. I'm not tripping about this fault, but it sure is curious.
Bushings:
All Theeve trucks come stock with bones hardcore bushings. I have many a time expressed my deep hatred for these fucknuggets of satan, so I'll mostly skip that rant. I do however have a principle of always riding trucks stock for a little while, just to see how it works out. It was spring when I started riding them, so still a bit chilly outside. The bushings actually took a long time to break in (which eliminates their one supposed benefit). This could be due to the temperature, but might also be affected by the fact that Theeve come with standard conical washers, as opposed to the flat bones washers.
After about a dozen sessions of bombing hills and skating flat, they started to soften up But as expected, as soon as it started getting warm-ish outside, they immediately lost all their rebound and crumbled into a millions fragments of fucknugget dust. I promptly switched to krux bushings with one flat washer on top, and that's how they'll stay.
The turn:
While breaking in bushings, I really couldn't get much turn out of them, and was a little worried. However, they completely transformed when broken in. Many people before me have spoken of how magically stable these trucks are on center. I can definitely attest to this, and I think that's why they initially didn't have a deep turn. Once broken in, I kid you not, the turn feels deeper than an Indy and on par with Ace when you properly lean into it. It's a really quick and responsive turn as well, but they're not wobbly on center. You might already know this, but this stability is intentionally built into the truck in the form of oval yokes in the hanger. To put it simply, they allow the hanger to turn at a low angle on shallow turns, but the more you lean, the deeper the angle of the hanger gets. This is off course how the geometry of any truck works, but the oval yoke gives you a more stable starting point, while maintaining a super turny geometry. The result is a truck that feels tech when skating tech, but gladly goes full Jay Adams whenever you decide to. This is a very desirable feature for someone like me who skates mostly tech, but has become dependent on the independent turn (lol).
The grind:
The aluminum alloy that Theeve uses for the hanger is supposedly unique in that it contains a small amount of titanium. Who knows how this actually affects the strength and weight, but I can tell you that the alloy feels pretty hard. I've heard people discribe hard trucks like Venture to have a "tinny" feel, and this kinda makes sense to me. I've never owned Ventures though, so don't quote me on the similarity. The grind feels excellent on coped ledges, and I have thrown them onto some crusty crust as well without issue, but as curb chomper, I probably wouldn't rate them quite as high as Indy or Ace. The alloy seems really durable though, but I guess time will tell.
The pinch:
For some reason,I could never get good pinch on Independent trucks, even though it was all I skated. If I was being honest with myself, I always thought the problem was with my own bitch ass, but I sometimes wondered when seeing little kids on Thunders pinching crooks better than I pinch loaves. It certainly isn't all Indy's fault, but I tell you, my crooked grinds and feebles improved instantly on Theeves. I still struggled sometimes, but it was like I was finally able to correct my shitty technique and see some real improvement. I figured out the pinch for fs crooks as well, which never seemed within reach before.
A side note about pinch: I always thought trucks with a deeper turn would be harder to pinch because of how the hanger goes more inwards before the wheel hits the board. This was my explanation for why Thunders pinch so good. Being a bit lower and not turning so deep, they give you more leeway with the angle and preventing your pinch from slipping out on tricks like crooks and feebles. However, I'm starting to think there's more to it. Theeve, with their oval yoke, turns inwards quite drastically when the wheel hits the deck, but both feebles and crooks are feeling much more secure than they used to on Indy's. I've also had surprisingly good results on Ace, which probably has the deepest turn of any truck.
Maybe it's all about height?
So, in conclusion, should you make the switch?
In my opinion, Theeve is for you if:
* you, like a lot of people these days, for a myriad of different reasons, aren't feeling Indy anymore and are looking for another truck that turns just as well and has similar lightweight options.
* you are on a truck brand that has a shallower turn and bigger wheelbase offset (Venture, Thunder, etc) and are curious to try the opposite, but for some reason not Indy's or Ace.
Theeve is not for you if:
* you are of Japanese descent and therefore will never be able to pronounce 2/3 phonemes necessary to describe the trucks you're packing under your board.
That's about it.