Wheelbase on your trucks

[Mbrimson88]

Okay so I’m trying to do just a little math cause I want to size down my wheelbase from 14.625 to 14.5. And switch from venture v8s to Indy’s. According to the front page my ventures in the regular position add 3.125 to my wheelbase. But I want to try to get used to what the 14.5 with Indy’s (+3in) would feel like. Soooo if my v8s move my wb a quarter inch per truck, if I bring in just one truck it should be the same wheelbase as the 14.5 with Indy’s. Is my math right? I know there are a lot of other factors that will affect the overall feel between the two but I figure if I can at least get used to the wb now then the change won’t affect me nearly as much.

I think I did set up a board like this a while back, just the back truck in (but you could do the front, depending on how the truck positions feel) and it was about the same as the Indy trucks for the same overall wheelbase.

Because Venture are so wide and so minimal to turn, I ended up trying a number of options, but settled for not having drilled in trucks at the end of it, but I had to find decks that each truck option worked on, eg I had Venture trucks in their regular position on a 14.1 wb which made them feel comparable to the turn on Indy on 14.5 wb for pretty much the same overall board, 8.5 / 8.38 versions, 149 / 5.8 trucks on them.

If we are just talking wheelbase, that is about it, but the length of kick and pop timing was quite different on the two boards / truck combinations, which I feel was worth noting, because it is not just about the wheelbase, but also where the trucks sit on the deck in relation to the concave and length of the mold.  That might be better off in the madness thread, but it really did make a big difference to me, when I was mixing and matching, especially with drilled in trucks, or the V8 truck options.

At least bringing in the nose, it wouldn't affect how the tail feels quite so much, but you can still see what a shorter Venture wheelbase feels like.  Some people prefer that option to the tail, which lightens the pop way too much depending on the board, the concave, or the deck mold and where the holes are drilled in it.

[Hqjdncm]

Expand Quote

Okay so I’m trying to do just a little math cause I want to size down my wheelbase from 14.625 to 14.5. And switch from venture v8s to Indy’s. According to the front page my ventures in the regular position add 3.125 to my wheelbase. But I want to try to get used to what the 14.5 with Indy’s (+3in) would feel like. Soooo if my v8s move my wb a quarter inch per truck, if I bring in just one truck it should be the same wheelbase as the 14.5 with Indy’s. Is my math right? I know there are a lot of other factors that will affect the overall feel between the two but I figure if I can at least get used to the wb now then the change won’t affect me nearly as much.

[close]

I think I did set up a board like this a while back, just the back truck in (but you could do the front, depending on how the truck positions feel) and it was about the same as the Indy trucks for the same overall wheelbase.

Because Venture are so wide and so minimal to turn, I ended up trying a number of options, but settled for not having drilled in trucks at the end of it, but I had to find decks that each truck option worked on, eg I had Venture trucks in their regular position on a 14.1 wb which made them feel comparable to the turn on Indy on 14.5 wb for pretty much the same overall board, 8.5 / 8.38 versions, 149 / 5.8 trucks on them.

If we are just talking wheelbase, that is about it, but the length of kick and pop timing was quite different on the two boards / truck combinations, which I feel was worth noting, because it is not just about the wheelbase, but also where the trucks sit on the deck in relation to the concave and length of the mold.  That might be better off in the madness thread, but it really did make a big difference to me, when I was mixing and matching, especially with drilled in trucks, or the V8 truck options.

At least bringing in the nose, it wouldn't affect how the tail feels quite so much, but you can still see what a shorter Venture wheelbase feels like.  Some people prefer that option to the tail, which lightens the pop way too much depending on the board, the concave, or the deck mold and where the holes are drilled in it.

Okay cool. I’m glad I got it figured out. And I did think about the pop feel on the nose and tail. But rn it’s not too big of a deal for me as I figure if I’m always buying different brand boards and shapes then it would just be like getting used to the fingers of flat rather than adjusting to the wb itself. And I just tried bringing in my front truck yesterday cause like you said I knew it would make the pop feel way lighter if I did my tail. But I just set up a new deck so I’m trying my back truck today. But I shall report back later on it. Depending on how it goes either in here or gear madness thread

[Jort250]

Sorry if it’s been asked already but where do Ace AF1s sit between OG Aces and Indy, Thunder and Venture

[Mbrimson88]

Sorry if it’s been asked already but where do Ace AF1s sit between OG Aces and Indy, Thunder and Venture

Order almost as you list it - OG Ace, AF1, Indy, Thunder and Venture.

Depends what else you might like to add in there too, but Thunder T-II is about the same as Ace, then Slappy is between Indy and Thunder, from what I recall.


OG Ace
Thunder T-II
Ace AF1
Indy Stage 4
Indy Stage 11
Slappy
Thunder
Venture


Anyone know it is a different order, please correct it.  I hadn't gone to check any other info for this one.

[Jort250]

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Sorry if it’s been asked already but where do Ace AF1s sit between OG Aces and Indy, Thunder and Venture

[close]

Order almost as you list it - OG Ace, AF1, Indy, Thunder and Venture.

Depends what else you might like to add in there too, but Thunder T-II is about the same as Ace, then Slappy is between Indy and Thunder, from what I recall.


OG Ace
Thunder T-II
Ace AF1
Indy Stage 4
Indy Stage 11
Slappy
Thunder
Venture


Anyone know it is a different order, please correct it.  I hadn't gone to check any other info for this one.

Thank you kindly

[moonordie]

If I didn't screw up measurements...
T2: +3"
Lurpiv: +3.25"

[Hqjdncm]

If I didn't screw up measurements...
T2: +3"
Lurpiv: +3.25"

I saw in the google doc that lurpivs add 3.125
Do u measure middle of axle to middle of axle or outside to outside ?

[moonordie]

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If I didn't screw up measurements...
T2: +3"
Lurpiv: +3.25"

[close]

I saw in the google doc that lurpivs add 3.125
Do u measure middle of axle to middle of axle or outside to outside ?

Middle to middle sir.

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

What about a measurement of what the truck does to the kicks.  Like if you set up the same board with all the trucks and ran the a level when the tail is down, there’s a pretty big variance which co-relates to pop ie. medium truck/axel forward=Venture/hefty. 

[rikki]

If I didn't screw up measurements...
T2: +3"
Lurpiv: +3.25"

T2 is 2.75", i.e. about the same as Ace Classic.

[munchbox]

so all this time lurpivs push the wb out?
would have sworn by all the chatter, they are ace-like

[Mbrimson88]

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If I didn't screw up measurements...
T2: +3"
Lurpiv: +3.25"

[close]

T2 is 2.75", i.e. about the same as Ace Classic.

Re T-II trucks

They sit in so much further than anything else I am riding or have set up here - Indy, Thunder, Venture and Slappy, but I don't have a set of Ace handy to check against for the same wheelbase that my T-II trucks are on - boards with 14.5 wb right now.

The closest comparison by eye is T-II on the board with a 14.5 wb when compared to a board with Venture cast on 14.0 wb, which both have almost exactly the same axle position, but as this is not really the best way to measure, make of it what you will.  I also turned one board around at a time to use the other axles to check too, for both the boards, just to get an even measure, which came up the same, but it is known sometimes boards will have trucks that "lean" to one side, which then cause axle differences.


The difference being about .5 all up seems to make it around 2.75 if the Venture are 3.25 though, as said above.

They definitely sit way further in than any board with my normal setup of 14.5 wb on standard Indy trucks.


* Crazy how much they do actually change things, when I am just rolling around, which is pretty comfortable now the bushings are worn in nicely, but that is beside the point.

[moykky]

What about a measurement of what the truck does to the kicks.  Like if you set up the same board with all the trucks and ran the a level when the tail is down, there’s a pretty big variance which co-relates to pop ie. medium truck/axel forward=Venture/hefty.

You mean the pop-angle, angle of attack, or what ever it's called? I remember I calculated it (in theory) recently for most trucks (Thunder cast/forged/T2, Indy std/forged/mid, Venture Hi cast/forged Slappy std/low), but cannot find it now...
But if I remember correctly, Slappy lows and T2's had the exact same pop-angle - and lowest of the bunch. Ace lows might have even lower pop-angle but I didn't calculate that. I was using the WB -offsets from this thread.
Also, one thing to notice that the amount of force you need to apply to the tip of the tail that your front wheels will leave the ground is significantly more affected by the weight of the trucks than the WB offset. So basically standard Ventures feel hefty since the WB is pushed out, they're relatively heavy and have larger pop-angle (so there will be more "momentum" that you feel in your front leg). Indy std will require more force, but it doesn't feel so hefty because of the smaller pop-angle... I might be totally wrong, so take it as you like!

[rikki]

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What about a measurement of what the truck does to the kicks.  Like if you set up the same board with all the trucks and ran the a level when the tail is down, there’s a pretty big variance which co-relates to pop ie. medium truck/axel forward=Venture/hefty.

[close]

You mean the pop-angle, angle of attack, or what ever it's called? I remember I calculated it (in theory) recently for most trucks (Thunder cast/forged/T2, Indy std/forged/mid, Venture Hi cast/forged Slappy std/low), but cannot find it now...
But if I remember correctly, Slappy lows and T2's had the exact same pop-angle - and lowest of the bunch. Ace lows might have even lower pop-angle but I didn't calculate that. I was using the WB -offsets from this thread.
Also, one thing to notice that the amount of force you need to apply to the tip of the tail that your front wheels will leave the ground is significantly more affected by the weight of the trucks than the WB offset. So basically standard Ventures feel hefty since the WB is pushed out, they're relatively heavy and have larger pop-angle (so there will be more "momentum" that you feel in your front leg). Indy std will require more force, but it doesn't feel so hefty because of the smaller pop-angle... I might be totally wrong, so take it as you like!

The weight differences between trucks are really miniscule as compared to what kind of forces are present when popping.

The wb effect and truck height are the factors that matter the most. You don't pop easier/higher with just a lighter truck.

I pop the highest with solid cast Ventures and solid cast Indys, which are among the heaviest of trucks. If I take a hollow Thunder (which is a lot lighter truck) and calibrate the pop angle with risers and the deck's wb and kick angle to correspond to the angle of the aforementioned trucks, my pop doesn't get easier. On the contrary.

I gotta feel the board on my feet when popping. A setup that is too light doesn't respond to my muscles the way I prefer. Ollies are about control and inertia too. Y'know. OOMPH.

[moykky]

I had Venture V-lights (or what ever they are called, forged base plate, normal solid axle hanger) and Thunder T-II's on my table yesterday and I decided to compare the wheelbases. So, I bolted the trucks to deck and measured the distance between the axles for both trucks (hanger ends, the distance from start of one axle to end of another, not center to center, I only wanted to know the difference...). I actually did this couple of times switching the trucks from front to back for both brands. I still couldn't accept my measurements and so I bolted both trucks to where you would bolt one truck (so that the distance between trucks was less than 2", using two bolts per truck, hope you understand what I mean) and I could use a digital caliper to measure the distance. Anyways, depending, the wheelbase was ~16mm shorter with T-II's than the Ventures. That is 0.63". Both trucks have been skated a bit, but T-II's had the original brand spanking new bushings and Ventures had new top bushing. So, if anything the Ventures might have been a bit collapsed (=shorter wheelbase) if that makes any difference.

I didn't find the information how much T-II's would affect the wheelbase but this would mean that if Ventures push the wheelbase out 0.3" then T-II's would take it in more than 0.3". Sounds a bit too much, but this is what I got... 

[Mbrimson88]

I had Venture V-lights (or what ever they are called, forged base plate, normal solid axle hanger) and Thunder T-II's on my table yesterday and I decided to compare the wheelbases. So, I bolted the trucks to deck and measured the distance between the axles for both trucks (hanger ends, the distance from start of one axle to end of another, not center to center, I only wanted to know the difference...). I actually did this couple of times switching the trucks from front to back for both brands. I still couldn't accept my measurements and so I bolted both trucks to where you would bolt one truck (so that the distance between trucks was less than 2", using two bolts per truck, hope you understand what I mean) and I could use a digital caliper to measure the distance. Anyways, depending, the wheelbase was ~16mm shorter with T-II's than the Ventures. That is 0.63". Both trucks have been skated a bit, but T-II's had the original brand spanking new bushings and Ventures had new top bushing. So, if anything the Ventures might have been a bit collapsed (=shorter wheelbase) if that makes any difference.

I didn't find the information how much T-II's would affect the wheelbase but this would mean that if Ventures push the wheelbase out 0.3" then T-II's would take it in more than 0.3". Sounds a bit too much, but this is what I got... 

Yes, sounds about right.

I put the T-II trucks and Ace trucks on the same decks, side by side, along with other trucks too and the Thunder T-II came up with the shortest wheelbase of all, even over the Ace trucks, although not by much.  Ace are said to be 2.75 from bolts, so the T-II would be about 2.74 or so.

Venture forged baseplate is about 3.4 to 3.5 depending on which truck from the first page.

[texasplant]

 Seems like a good time to ask - I’ve been giving Indy’s another go lately but at the same time I’m also trying to skate smaller boards/wheelbases. I’ve never given the forged hollows a try but wondering if swapping from standard would make a noticeable difference aside from weight?

I understand they’re low and set the wheels slightly further out, but at the end of the day do they just feel like standard Indy’s? I want to try something that pushes out just a little more but I don’t really like thunders and ventures.

[moykky]

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I had Venture V-lights (or what ever they are called, forged base plate, normal solid axle hanger) and Thunder T-II's on my table yesterday and I decided to compare the wheelbases. So, I bolted the trucks to deck and measured the distance between the axles for both trucks (hanger ends, the distance from start of one axle to end of another, not center to center, I only wanted to know the difference...). I actually did this couple of times switching the trucks from front to back for both brands. I still couldn't accept my measurements and so I bolted both trucks to where you would bolt one truck (so that the distance between trucks was less than 2", using two bolts per truck, hope you understand what I mean) and I could use a digital caliper to measure the distance. Anyways, depending, the wheelbase was ~16mm shorter with T-II's than the Ventures. That is 0.63". Both trucks have been skated a bit, but T-II's had the original brand spanking new bushings and Ventures had new top bushing. So, if anything the Ventures might have been a bit collapsed (=shorter wheelbase) if that makes any difference.

I didn't find the information how much T-II's would affect the wheelbase but this would mean that if Ventures push the wheelbase out 0.3" then T-II's would take it in more than 0.3". Sounds a bit too much, but this is what I got... 

[close]

Yes, sounds about right.

I put the T-II trucks and Ace trucks on the same decks, side by side, along with other trucks too and the Thunder T-II came up with the shortest wheelbase of all, even over the Ace trucks, although not by much.  Ace are said to be 2.75 from bolts, so the T-II would be about 2.74 or so.

Venture forged baseplate is about 3.4 to 3.5 depending on which truck from the first page.

Thanks for confirming. I didn't realize that I had probably the absolute polar opposites if we're talking about truck wheelbases. That is actually kinda extreme and I also feel that I will have much better time with the T-II's with a deck that has longer wheelbase and shorter tail than the one I was using before...

[Mbrimson88]

Yes, sounds about right.

I put the T-II trucks and Ace trucks on the same decks, side by side, along with other trucks too and the Thunder T-II came up with the shortest wheelbase of all, even over the Ace trucks, although not by much.  Ace are said to be 2.75 from bolts, so the T-II would be about 2.74 or so.

Venture forged baseplate is about 3.4 to 3.5 depending on which truck from the first page.

Thanks for confirming. I didn't realize that I had probably the absolute polar opposites if we're talking about truck wheelbases. That is actually kinda extreme and I also feel that I will have much better time with the T-II's with a deck that has longer wheelbase and shorter tail than the one I was using before...

In some ways it could be a good thing, having those two options, as then you do have two very different setups you can ride.

Examples of both of those:

T-II 148 / 149 trucks on 8.38 x 32.2 with 14.5 wb, 6.5 tail feels comfortable

T-II 149 / 151 trucks on 8.75 x 32.5 with 14.62 wb, 6.6 tail works too

Venture 5.2 / 5.6 forged baseplates on 8.12 x 32 with 14.25 wb, 6.75 tail feels comfortable

Also Venture 5.6 / 5.8 forged baseplates on the Manderson shape 8.38 x 32 with 14.25 wb, 6.65 tail works well too


* That is just me, but those examples have been tested by other people too and they say those setups do work well enough that they could skate them easily.

[moykky]

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Yes, sounds about right.

I put the T-II trucks and Ace trucks on the same decks, side by side, along with other trucks too and the Thunder T-II came up with the shortest wheelbase of all, even over the Ace trucks, although not by much.  Ace are said to be 2.75 from bolts, so the T-II would be about 2.74 or so.

Venture forged baseplate is about 3.4 to 3.5 depending on which truck from the first page.

[close]

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Thanks for confirming. I didn't realize that I had probably the absolute polar opposites if we're talking about truck wheelbases. That is actually kinda extreme and I also feel that I will have much better time with the T-II's with a deck that has longer wheelbase and shorter tail than the one I was using before...

[close]

In some ways it could be a good thing, having those two options, as then you do have two very different setups you can ride.

Examples of both of those:

T-II 148 / 149 trucks on 8.38 x 32.2 with 14.5 wb, 6.5 tail feels comfortable

T-II 149 / 151 trucks on 8.75 x 32.5 with 14.62 wb, 6.6 tail works too

Venture 5.2 / 5.6 forged baseplates on 8.12 x 32 with 14.25 wb, 6.75 tail feels comfortable

Also Venture 5.6 / 5.8 forged baseplates on the Manderson shape 8.38 x 32 with 14.25 wb, 6.65 tail works well too


* That is just me, but those examples have been tested by other people too and they say those setups do work well enough that they could skate them easily.

Yeah list makes sense, I've had that Manderson shape with those Ventures and it was one of my favorite setups of late

[Slave IV]

By any chance, would anyone know the wheelbase offset of Gullwing Shadow DLX trucks or be able to figure it out for me?
I was skating these mid to late 90s, which were my heydays in terms of popping ability. I know there are tons of other factors and I could easily post this in the madness or other truck threads but I think I saw that they were mid/lower and know they were something under 8” but this wheelbase factor is the thing everyone seems to be on these days when I don’t even think it was even a glancing thought on anyone’s minds back then. I know I don’t want to just get a set to try again but I would like to find out what is a close modern equivalent.

[Teethcanbesexy]

Switched from forged Indy to ace and loved everything about it especially the (hard) bushings and turn, but I started falling on tricks that I know like the back of my hand because I was missing the coping or ledge with that truck. 

I’m convinced it’s from the wheelbase being tighter.  Put my Indy’s back on and they felt kind of gross so I switched back to ace again.  Thinking about getting a longer wheelbase deck like 14.38 or 14.5 when I was previously on 14 or 14.25

[Mbrimson88]

By any chance, would anyone know the wheelbase offset of Gullwing Shadow DLX trucks or be able to figure it out for me?
I was skating these mid to late 90s, which were my heydays in terms of popping ability. I know there are tons of other factors and I could easily post this in the madness or other truck threads but I think I saw that they were mid/lower and know they were something under 8” but this wheelbase factor is the thing everyone seems to be on these days when I don’t even think it was even a glancing thought on anyone’s minds back then. I know I don’t want to just get a set to try again but I would like to find out what is a close modern equivalent.

If they looked like this, then I have a set that was on an ebay complete I bought for the deck and the wheels.

I can put them back on a board to check and see, but I seem to recall they felt similar to Indy at the time, for the pop and the overall turn, maybe a bit lower, but will check and see and get back to you before the end of the week.





* I found this info too, so maybe they are quite low compared to everything else.


https://offsetskatesupply.co.uk/product/gullwing-shadow-dlx-trucks/

The Gullwing Shadow DLX truck is an old-school truck with a modern feel. If you want something with proper 1980s quality but that can handle modern street skating, this is the truck for you.

Currently, we only stock the 8.5″ version of the Gullwing Shadow DLX, and we’ve measured it as having a real-world hanger measurement of 147mm, an axle of 8.43″, and a height to the center of the axle of about 51mm with the stock bushings, with a weight (including all supplied nuts and washers) of 390g per truck. That means these are relatively low trucks compared to trucks in this size from other brands. Stick to small wheels or throw some risers in your setup!

The bottom bushing is a 13.5mm tall barrel, and the top one is a 9.5mm tall cone. The provided bushings measure 88a on our durometer. The bushing seat in the hangar is fairly open, with an elliptical hole for the kingpin, so expect these to turn quite deeply when pushed.

The baseplate is double-drilled, having both the new school (shorter) hole pattern and the original 80s style holes, meaning these will fit on any board in existence, whether it’s a modern shaped deck or a classic reissue.

[Slave IV]

Expand Quote

By any chance, would anyone know the wheelbase offset of Gullwing Shadow DLX trucks or be able to figure it out for me?
I was skating these mid to late 90s, which were my heydays in terms of popping ability. I know there are tons of other factors and I could easily post this in the madness or other truck threads but I think I saw that they were mid/lower and know they were something under 8” but this wheelbase factor is the thing everyone seems to be on these days when I don’t even think it was even a glancing thought on anyone’s minds back then. I know I don’t want to just get a set to try again but I would like to find out what is a close modern equivalent.

[close]

If they looked like this, then I have a set that was on an ebay complete I bought for the deck and the wheels.

I can put them back on a board to check and see, but I seem to recall they felt similar to Indy at the time, for the pop and the overall turn, maybe a bit lower, but will check and see and get back to you before the end of the week.





* I found this info too, so maybe they are quite low compared to everything else.


https://offsetskatesupply.co.uk/product/gullwing-shadow-dlx-trucks/

The Gullwing Shadow DLX truck is an old-school truck with a modern feel. If you want something with proper 1980s quality but that can handle modern street skating, this is the truck for you.

Currently, we only stock the 8.5″ version of the Gullwing Shadow DLX, and we’ve measured it as having a real-world hanger measurement of 147mm, an axle of 8.43″, and a height to the center of the axle of about 51mm with the stock bushings, with a weight (including all supplied nuts and washers) of 390g per truck. That means these are relatively low trucks compared to trucks in this size from other brands. Stick to small wheels or throw some risers in your setup!

The bottom bushing is a 13.5mm tall barrel, and the top one is a 9.5mm tall cone. The provided bushings measure 88a on our durometer. The bushing seat in the hangar is fairly open, with an elliptical hole for the kingpin, so expect these to turn quite deeply when pushed.

The baseplate is double-drilled, having both the new school (shorter) hole pattern and the original 80s style holes, meaning these will fit on any board in existence, whether it’s a modern shaped deck or a classic reissue.

Wow, thanks for being such an incredible resource once again! Reading the description and from memory, I must have had the Street Shadows, not the Shadow DLX but they looked very similar. I’m guessing they are pretty similar in overall geometry. Well, if anyone has specs on the Street Shadows, even better but I can go off whatever the Shadow DLX numbers are just to ease some madness, lol.

Thanks again for offering to check with yours. I’m in no hurry but whenever you get around to it, I’d definitely be curious about what you find.

[Mbrimson88]

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By any chance, would anyone know the wheelbase offset of Gullwing Shadow DLX trucks or be able to figure it out for me?
I was skating these mid to late 90s, which were my heydays in terms of popping ability. I know there are tons of other factors and I could easily post this in the madness or other truck threads but I think I saw that they were mid/lower and know they were something under 8” but this wheelbase factor is the thing everyone seems to be on these days when I don’t even think it was even a glancing thought on anyone’s minds back then. I know I don’t want to just get a set to try again but I would like to find out what is a close modern equivalent.

[close]

If they looked like this, then I have a set that was on an ebay complete I bought for the deck and the wheels.

I can put them back on a board to check and see, but I seem to recall they felt similar to Indy at the time, for the pop and the overall turn, maybe a bit lower, but will check and see and get back to you before the end of the week.





* I found this info too, so maybe they are quite low compared to everything else.


https://offsetskatesupply.co.uk/product/gullwing-shadow-dlx-trucks/

The Gullwing Shadow DLX truck is an old-school truck with a modern feel. If you want something with proper 1980s quality but that can handle modern street skating, this is the truck for you.

Currently, we only stock the 8.5″ version of the Gullwing Shadow DLX, and we’ve measured it as having a real-world hanger measurement of 147mm, an axle of 8.43″, and a height to the center of the axle of about 51mm with the stock bushings, with a weight (including all supplied nuts and washers) of 390g per truck. That means these are relatively low trucks compared to trucks in this size from other brands. Stick to small wheels or throw some risers in your setup!

The bottom bushing is a 13.5mm tall barrel, and the top one is a 9.5mm tall cone. The provided bushings measure 88a on our durometer. The bushing seat in the hangar is fairly open, with an elliptical hole for the kingpin, so expect these to turn quite deeply when pushed.

The baseplate is double-drilled, having both the new school (shorter) hole pattern and the original 80s style holes, meaning these will fit on any board in existence, whether it’s a modern shaped deck or a classic reissue.

[close]

Wow, thanks for being such an incredible resource once again! Reading the description and from memory, I must have had the Street Shadows, not the Shadow DLX but they looked very similar. I’m guessing they are pretty similar in overall geometry. Well, if anyone has specs on the Street Shadows, even better but I can go off whatever the Shadow DLX numbers are just to ease some madness, lol.

Thanks again for offering to check with yours. I’m in no hurry but whenever you get around to it, I’d definitely be curious about what you find.

No worries!

Just funny with some things to go back and have a look or whatever.


The Gullwing Street Shadows that come up had the old plastic baseplates, or maybe that is the older versions, as per this ebay listing:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/267390660913


Any which way, I think Gullwing was one of those brands that was around and well known in the 80s, with the shape of the hangers in particular, but the function and other things about them make me think they belong on old style boards that stay on the wall now.  Someone set up an old set not too long ago and said they skated so bad - memories of them are way better than the product in this case.

Anyway I will get them on a board tomorrow and have a look.

[Slave IV]

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By any chance, would anyone know the wheelbase offset of Gullwing Shadow DLX trucks or be able to figure it out for me?
I was skating these mid to late 90s, which were my heydays in terms of popping ability. I know there are tons of other factors and I could easily post this in the madness or other truck threads but I think I saw that they were mid/lower and know they were something under 8” but this wheelbase factor is the thing everyone seems to be on these days when I don’t even think it was even a glancing thought on anyone’s minds back then. I know I don’t want to just get a set to try again but I would like to find out what is a close modern equivalent.

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If they looked like this, then I have a set that was on an ebay complete I bought for the deck and the wheels.

I can put them back on a board to check and see, but I seem to recall they felt similar to Indy at the time, for the pop and the overall turn, maybe a bit lower, but will check and see and get back to you before the end of the week.





* I found this info too, so maybe they are quite low compared to everything else.


https://offsetskatesupply.co.uk/product/gullwing-shadow-dlx-trucks/

The Gullwing Shadow DLX truck is an old-school truck with a modern feel. If you want something with proper 1980s quality but that can handle modern street skating, this is the truck for you.

Currently, we only stock the 8.5″ version of the Gullwing Shadow DLX, and we’ve measured it as having a real-world hanger measurement of 147mm, an axle of 8.43″, and a height to the center of the axle of about 51mm with the stock bushings, with a weight (including all supplied nuts and washers) of 390g per truck. That means these are relatively low trucks compared to trucks in this size from other brands. Stick to small wheels or throw some risers in your setup!

The bottom bushing is a 13.5mm tall barrel, and the top one is a 9.5mm tall cone. The provided bushings measure 88a on our durometer. The bushing seat in the hangar is fairly open, with an elliptical hole for the kingpin, so expect these to turn quite deeply when pushed.

The baseplate is double-drilled, having both the new school (shorter) hole pattern and the original 80s style holes, meaning these will fit on any board in existence, whether it’s a modern shaped deck or a classic reissue.

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Wow, thanks for being such an incredible resource once again! Reading the description and from memory, I must have had the Street Shadows, not the Shadow DLX but they looked very similar. I’m guessing they are pretty similar in overall geometry. Well, if anyone has specs on the Street Shadows, even better but I can go off whatever the Shadow DLX numbers are just to ease some madness, lol.

Thanks again for offering to check with yours. I’m in no hurry but whenever you get around to it, I’d definitely be curious about what you find.

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No worries!

Just funny with some things to go back and have a look or whatever.


The Gullwing Street Shadows that come up had the old plastic baseplates, or maybe that is the older versions, as per this ebay listing:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/267390660913


Any which way, I think Gullwing was one of those brands that was around and well known in the 80s, with the shape of the hangers in particular, but the function and other things about them make me think they belong on old style boards that stay on the wall now.  Someone set up an old set not too long ago and said they skated so bad - memories of them are way better than the product in this case.

Anyway I will get them on a board tomorrow and have a look.

Yeah, google says there were metal base versions and it's probably true since the Shadow DLX didn't exist in the mid/late 90s and mine were all metal with the more conventional hanger shape. This is definitely a curiosity thing since I skate very differently these days. I used to tighten my trucks almost as much as I could and now I don't touch the factory settings. But I also can't ollie anywhere near I used to be able to... but I can turn, especially on transition way better than I used to be able to and I can do some pinch tricks. So, I guess it's a bit of give and take but seems like I might want to try stiffer bushings at some point to get a balance of the turn and pinch I experience now and the stability I used to have.

[Mbrimson88]

These ones are slightly lower than stock brand new Indy trucks, but about the same as a used set of Thunder cast trucks (when comparing them to each other), wheelbase a bit more than Indy, but less than Thunder, no exact measurements, or finer detail but that was just looking at them again with two other sets that were out (not on boards) and being compared at the time.

Overall I think they are maybe in a similar space to Slappy, in that they are marketed to be "about the middle" but I do remember having a bit of a skate on the two boards from ebay at the time and thinking they were pretty normal feeling, before taking them apart and recycling the decks and wheels, which was the main reason for getting them.


As to bushings, it is surprising what I think a lot of people did, self included from back then, with what might be considered very tight trucks these days, but that is how we skated and it only came later that things changed somewhat.  I do recall bushing issues and breaking kingpins being fairly common too.

Tighter trucks, even a little more firm, compared to loose trucks, will definitely help with a number of things and people do adapt to skating firmer setups easily enough, without losing the ability to turn while increasing the ability to do other things, eg ollie and pop more consistently.  I tried a few different harder bushings recently and was surprised how much of a difference it made, but I still like 90 to 92 tightened down a little more, compared to putting in 95, 97 or 100s.

[Slave IV]

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These ones are slightly lower than stock brand new Indy trucks, but about the same as a used set of Thunder cast trucks (when comparing them to each other), wheelbase a bit more than Indy, but less than Thunder, no exact measurements, or finer detail but that was just looking at them again with two other sets that were out (not on boards) and being compared at the time.

Overall I think they are maybe in a similar space to Slappy, in that they are marketed to be "about the middle" but I do remember having a bit of a skate on the two boards from ebay at the time and thinking they were pretty normal feeling, before taking them apart and recycling the decks and wheels, which was the main reason for getting them.


As to bushings, it is surprising what I think a lot of people did, self included from back then, with what might be considered very tight trucks these days, but that is how we skated and it only came later that things changed somewhat.  I do recall bushing issues and breaking kingpins being fairly common too.

Tighter trucks, even a little more firm, compared to loose trucks, will definitely help with a number of things and people do adapt to skating firmer setups easily enough, without losing the ability to turn while increasing the ability to do other things, eg ollie and pop more consistently.  I tried a few different harder bushings recently and was surprised how much of a difference it made, but I still like 90 to 92 tightened down a little more, compared to putting in 95, 97 or 100s.

Thanks for the details! Funny, I was thinking Slappys would be the next trucks I want to try out. What size were the Gullwings you measured?
I used to tighten by trucks a crazy amount but I never had kingpin or bushing issues. You always hear about not touching the kingpin until you break the bushings in these days but back in the day, I would crank by kingpin nut as tight as I could, ride it around a bit and then tighten some more. Bushings lasted just fine doing that. Go figure.

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

Sort of dumb question but what part of wheel base do you like/dislike, how does it affect your skating?  For me, I need a nose/tail pretty regular length so when wheelbase is too long by board feels huge.  When it’s too short it feels unstable. 

That said, I skate Venture V8’s and when I change the holes, I notice the kicks a lot more than the wheelbase.  How the trucks line up with the kicks is more important than the wheelbase for me. 

[tzhangdox]

Sort of dumb question but what part of wheel base do you like/dislike, how does it affect your skating?  For me, I need a nose/tail pretty regular length so when wheelbase is too long by board feels huge.  When it’s too short it feels unstable. 

That said, I skate Venture V8’s and when I change the holes, I notice the kicks a lot more than the wheelbase.  How the trucks line up with the kicks is more important than the wheelbase for me.

I agree, also notice the truck/kick interaction more than the wheelbase. It's a bigger factor when it comes to how your setup affects the overall pop.

Wheelbase still plays a part in that equation though, still affects how heavy or light the pop feels. Also affects how far you have to slide your foot etc, and also how stable of a ride your setup is, slipping out or sticking etc.