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Just to clarify tho, the one you and sedition were extolling the virtues of is NOT the full se, correct? The bog standard 8.25x14.38x32 is the desirable one if I understand it
The standard 8.25 x 32 with 14.38 wheelbase really is a great all rounder and the most commonly ridden size for DLX guys and the general public I think I saw somewhere - "our most popular size and shape..." or whatever it was said, but that was a while ago and I do think a lot more people are trying and liking the different options, of which there really are a lot more now too.
That said, I always think the standard 8.25 is wider than 8.25 so it stands to reason that it would work so well on 149s, or almost any other truck in the 8.25 to 8.5 size range, being what it is.
I cannot count how many 8.25/14.38 decks I’ve had. Well over 100. I’ve measured every single one. All of mine have been dead-on 8.25 width. I ride them with Indy 144s. Fits perfectly.
Where do your wheels sit in relation to the edge of the deck on the 144s and what did you ride before 144s came out?
I know with 149s and normal washers (one on the inside) with normal sized width wheels, they sit pretty much perfectly on the edge for most of the setups I have seen, from other people who didn't have the option for 144s prior to 2017 when they came out, with most of them staying with that configuration for their setups.
That was also the reason I never went right up to 8.25 as I was on 139s with 8.12 decks and had an 8.5 on 149s from mid 00s as an alternate / bigger setup.
When 144s are on the DLX 8.25 boards, the wheels sit inside a fair bit, but I have put 3 washers on the inside to have 56mm classic wheels sit right on the edge since I got some 144s after 2017, but I know I like wheels sitting on the edge of the board more so than being inside and definitely not outside the line of the deck.
Smaller sizes of any wheel worked really well on the 8.25 on 149s, from what most people would set up over the years, but I recall seeing some with weird looking setups, mainly with Conical Full 56mm wheels which sat outside the deck on 149s and didn't work for me on that board anyway, but I am not really into that shape wheel in bigger sizes anyway.
I think they have the most varied setup options too, but that is just me.
God, was it that long 144s came out (2017)? I couldn't remember the year. I rode 149s prior. About 50% of the skating I do is on mini ramps. When 144s came out, I actually had two 8.25s set-up for awhile. 149s on transition. 144s on street (later when down to just one--with 144s). With 149s I could see a tad bit of axle nuts over the edge. I ride 53mm Classics, with washer on both sides of wheel. I just looked at my board (with 144s), and it seems like outer edge of wheel just sits a hair inside. So, i guess the question is how do you define a "perfect fit." But yeah, no question, 149s can used on the 8.25 w/o any problem at all, and there are a lot of nuanced ways to configure the 8.25" with truck width, wheels shape/washers, etc. And that's not even to mention adjusting effective wheelbase if factor in truck variance (but that is also true on any deck). But yeah, the 8.25" is a great deck, at least for me.
This is also touches one of the reasons I don't like the "in between" deck sizes--.38s, .62s, etc. I don't like serious magic carpet. I don't like noticeable overhang. I want axle length to be same as the deck, or within a tiny allowance. I feel like the "in between" decks lend themselves to these. 8.38 is your main jam, correct? How do you have the set-up? All this said, I also have an 8.28" that I occasionally set-up when I feel like getting more tech. My measurements of that come in at 8.12". I still can't figure out if I like 8.0 or 8.25 trucks on that!
Interesting re 149s to 144s, but I can definitely see the attraction.
Quite a few people I know only ride 144s nowdays on everything, from 8.25 through 8.38 and even on 8.5 boards, but those guys are almost totally street tech so prefer a narrower truck on a wider board.
I find now if I am riding a true 8.5 the normal Indy 149s (or any 149 truck) sit inside a fraction unless I have wide wheels on it, so usually the 56mm classic full wheels on any 8.5 board and then the 149s sit perfectly on the 8.38 size decks, with the normal 56mm classic (usually worn down) or older 54mm conical full / classics / radials, which sit perfectly just inside that shape. I don't usually ride anything smaller than 53mm (when new) as I prefer a wider wheel, although many are used so already worn down a bit, even around 50mm on the really thrashed setups. Usually all with 3 thin washers on the insides too, but sometimes just two if the axles ends are messed up - quite a few second hand sets of 149s have come back to me from swaps and trades too.
The 8.38 DLX boards are so close to 8.5 though, which is why I do like them so much. Normal 149s with three washers on the inside and regular sized wheels fit perfectly for 8.38 deck to truck / wheel width.
The only trucks I haven't pushed the wheels out on are the 159s and bigger, mainly because they usually have big enough wheels on those setups anyway, but just to try it, I did set up a normal 8.5 with 159s and classics, which definitely feels too wide for what I like, so there is a line there, funnily enough.
The difference in truck hanger width is so minimal to look at but I can feel it so much when skating the boards, identical setups only one with 149s and one with 159s. Putting those same 159s on an 8.62 was perfect for the fit of wheel to truck, but the board is very long with 14.75 wb so felt like a tank to skate normally.
The 8.75 eagles I have setup with 159s in the same way as my smaller boards are really good to ride too, not feeling too big, although I know they are bigger, longer, etc. The 8.75 also tapers down from 8.75 to below 8.6 in the back.
The 9" orange eagle on 169s was definitely too big for comfortable skating for me, but I like it as a cruiser.
That was maybe a bit too much info, but I could talk all day about any of those setups.