Notable Pros and Cons of each truck you have ridden

[intendedreceivers]

Lots of talk about Indy, Thunder, Ace & Venture. Any word on Theeve Tiax or Destructo?

I’ve got a set of D1 Mids. I was curious because I had a pair in the late 90s/early 00s and wanted to see what they were like since they’re back now.

I actually think this is a great truck for the price. If you like transition and crusty street spots/ditches/banks, I think they’re worth checking out. I’m not going to pro/con them because everyone like their ride a little different, but these are the details:

HEIGHT
Axle height is tall. I’ve got 56mm Loophole vees on them and I don’t even think about wheelbite. They do tend to feel unnaturally tall for me on sub-56mm wheels or on sub-8.25 in. decks.

KINGPIN
It’s low, maybe even lower than a Venture Hi. Still takes a good range of aftermarket bushing sizes without changing the geo too much.

BUSHINGS
The set that came with them was black and they’re more like the matte-finish Ace bushings (less of a squeak and more of a whatever that noise Aces make when you first set them up). They feel good, but are a little on the hard side so you can really lean on turns. Can confirm Ace bushings work great, as well as Supercush 88s if you want a looser turn. I have some of the aftermarket Destructo bushings to try out, but they seem more conventional than the bushings that came with.

TURN/GRIND/POP
Turn action feels pretty good, actually quite carvy due to the extra height. The height allows you experiment with softer bushings and still stay clear of wheelbite issues, which is nice. Grind is fine on coping or angle iron, haven gotten them onto some proper concrete yet. Pop is a little different if you’re coming from something lower, obviously. Not sure what the closest comparison would be. Indy XI standard?

WEIGHT/DURABILITY
These don’t feel that heavy on the board to me. There’s a big cavity in the baseplate and they aren’t as beefy as an Indy. No word on durability as I haven’t gotten them out enough, but they seem to focus on that in their marketing, so I’m hoping they hold up well.

[SlapMcKracken]

Indy:
Pros
- Awesome turn and carve
- Lasts a long time regarding grinding
- Smooth grind
Cons
- It can feel heavy at times
- Pop feel can feel slow and soggy sometimes, especially with worn in decks
- Sometimes feels too tall

Venture Hi:
Pros
- Stability
- Can make board pop feel strong, no matter the condition of the board
- Harder grind can make it feel you're more in control while grinding
- Lightweight
- Great kingpin clearance
Cons
- No Venture-brand aftermarket bushings. You have to use Indy or Bones bushings as safe options.
- Not the best turn/carve
- Doesn't last long regarding grinds. I hit axle on both hangers within 3-4 weeks of doing slappies.
- Lower height means you can't use bigger wheels

Ace:
Pros
- Feels carvy but stable at the same time
- Very smooth grind
- Light pop feel for anyone that likes that
- Sexy old school design
Cons
- Axle bend
- Sometimes grind feels too smooth and you lose control
- Bushings are a bitch to break in, you're forced to keep them tight until they break in
- Bushings feel kinda hard to turn if you're on the lighter side
- Ace brand aftermarket bushings are the only safe options. Bones bushings will explode if you use them and do hard grinds.
- Smaller wheelbase and lower height makes board pop feel very light, especially on worn in boards.

I haven't rode Thunders in a few years, but those are going to be my next truck after my Ventures are through.

Did yu get thunders? So thunders or venture in your opinion?

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

The conclusion we came to in this thread is Theeve is the best…..

[Xen]

The conclusion we came to in this thread is Theeve is the best…..

Wish they were still readily avaialbe to have some on hand.

[fur lined sea]

New Royals:

Pros
-Not too high, not too low
-Not too heavy, not too light
-Minimal wheelbite
-Durable enough
-Visually pleasing
-Teenage nostalgia

Cons
-Stock bushings may be too soft for some
-Teenage nostalgia

[brownjenkin]

Indy Standard or Forged
Pros
-I can skate them well on the widest variety of boards
-great turn
-great grind
-ideal WB
-probably skate the best overall on these

Cons
-I just don't feel very stoked riding them

Venture Hi 5.2 and 5.6
Pros
-the truck I have the most affinity for due to 90s nostalgia
-the best pop on the right board
-stable
-height is perfect
-flip tricks work best on these

Cons
-can feel clunky on a steep board
-the mounting hole placement is annoying. I wish they were drilled 1/8" up to bring in the WB and make getting a skate tool in there easier

Thunder 147 and 148
Pros
-I love how they look
-great grind/pinch

Cons
-twitchy without the carve
-wheelbite
-pop angle yields a weak pop for me
-slide on wheels instead of baseplate
-this is the truck that no matter how often I go back to trying, I always swear it's the last time. I objectively skate the worst on these out of the major truck brands

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

Expand Quote

The conclusion we came to in this thread is Theeve is the best…..

[close]

Wish they were still readily avaialbe to have some on hand.

You’re officially koo koo for cocoa pops….

[Skatebeard]

Tensor Mag lights

Pros
-Grind like nothing else, pure butter on even the worst unwaxed ledges
-Super light so take no effort to get flips going, easy on the knees

Cons
-Axles bend even with mild use, I gave up after doing them in on 3 pairs just skating flatground
-Super light so you have little to no feedback from the board, easy to over rotate tricks.

[roba]

in chronological order:

blind trucks:
pros:
- the baseplate was shaped like the blind reaper

i don’t remember anything else about them

street corner ventures:
pros:
- i had a rasta colored pair and i thought they were the shit when i was 12
- the turning was alright
cons:
- as mentioned before, when i had them i was 12 and could barely ollie and two sets broke on me, one baseplate, one hanger. i wasn’t a fat kid or anything, they simply must have been trash then.

old royal trucks (crailtap collab)
pros:
- i liked how they looked
cons:
- those were the first trucks that i had that didn’t turn well
- i gave them to somebody in good condition and one hanger snapped on them, there was a bubble in there or something, it looked crazy
- i think they had almost zero kingpin clearance

at this point i learned how to do grinds

(usa made) independent stage xi standards:
pros:
- extremely durable, as far as grinding goes
- classic look, to this day when i think „skateboard truck” i see an indy
cons:
- heavy
- i don’t like how indys turn. i figured that out much, much later, but coming from thunders or aces i felt like there was a little delay before they started turning. like i would lean and then i had to wait a split second before they actually turned?

thunder lights:
pros:
- very responsive and quick turning
- pinch
- lightweight
cons:
- not very durable, i would always hit the axle after a year of skating skatepark ledges with angle iron, there’s not much crusty shit or curbs to grind where i live, and every time i hit the axle the hanger around would crack.
- i don’t like how they look
- short baseplate, but i got used to that

thunder team: same as above, but a little heavier, which didn’t really matter to me, as they were still lighter than (for example) an indy

silver m-class:
pros:
- none
cons:
- by far the worst turning trucks i’ve ever had/skated. the stock bushings felt like hard plastic. i switched the bushings and had them shakey as fuck and they still didn’t really turn.
- bent axles, more so than on any other truck i had
- heavy (pretty much as heavy as an indy)
- zero kingpin clearance

ace classics:
pros:
- the turn, cruising on aces is so much fun
- the best stock bushings in any trucks i owned
- i like the look
- smooth ass grinds
- durable (as far as grinding goes), my first set lasted me for like 3 years before i hit the axle (again, skatepark ledges mostly)
- good for manuals
cons:
- pretty heavy
- bent axles (nothing too crazy, but i had coned wheels because of that)
- almost no kingpin clearance
- because of the softer metal they use they grinded amazingly, but the bolt holes would get wider quickly, so they wouldn’t stay straight

dlx venture standards:
pros:
- explosive pop
- stable
- with softer bushings they turn really nice
- not too heavy
- very aesthetically pleasing (to me)
- great kingpin clearance
- you can sit in the pocket while doing a manual and still go straight
cons:
- stock bushings blew out quickly
- stock top washer cuts into the hanger
- even with the pocket thing i mentioned, it’s harder to hold a manual on them than on aces
- i can’t speak for the durability as i’m still on my first set and they’re looking good, but probably not as durable as aces/indys
- slightly bent axles

[IpathCats]

Indy
Pro: It feels good to be told you're riding the best.

Con: Fucking the rest seems a bit uncalled for.

[IpathCats]

Venture
pro: forces you to be AWAKE
con: causes sleeping issues

Thunder
pro: its good to know control
con: i'm not exactly sure how i feel about control now that i know them.

Ace
pro: these loose trucks claim to save lives
con: your life may be saved, but is it even worth it if you're landing less tricks?

[Lee Ralphs Dear Old Mum]

Why are you landing less tricks on Ace?

[IpathCats]

Why are you landing less tricks on Ace?

They just dont suit my preferences for my regular setup, love them on my cruisers though. The surfy nature leads to less consistent pop and squirrelly setup/landings for me.

Also, I was just trying to come up with a stupid joke with their slogan like i did for the others lol. I didn't want to be all edgy and list the con as "maybe yours isnt worth saving". So i went with this instead.

[ish_wav]

If thunder bushings weren’t complete garbage they’d be a 10/10 truck for me.

[LebowskisRug]

Thunder bushings still last longer than Venture tops. If you email DLX with a pic they will send you more bushings that you will ever skate.

[IpathCats]

If thunder bushings weren’t complete garbage they’d be a 10/10 truck for me.

Was def a turn off for me.

[Filip]

Thunders
I skated 147 (long time ago), and 151s

147 - Nice and quick turn, cant remember too much about them though
151 - Great, great truck, I had the hollows, couple sets. Super light, nice turn, stock bushings worked well (white ones), than I replaced it with the blue replacement kit from Thunder, good too.  Kingpin clearance could be better.

Theeve
5,85 Tiax - Super light, If I remember correctly, they were a little too tall. Turn was good, but not as good as with Thunders, which is why I stopped skating them. Overal though, great truck, I have no idea why everyone hates them. I dont even know if the company still exists. Bones bushings are good for about 2 weeks for me, after that, Indy replacements if I remember correctly.

Krux
Some 8 inch high Krux maybe 15 years ago, turn was OK, but I bent them in a couple months.

Venture
6,1 standards - Ive been on them for about a month, and I have to say, best truck I have ever tried. A little tall at first (especially coming from Thunders 151s), but I got used to that in about a week. Grind is great, Turn is fantastic. Quick, yet stable. I love the baseplate slide. Kingpin clearance, best I have ever had.

[Vintagebody]

Thunder 147 & 148s
Pros:
Lighter then Indy
Stable
Consistent movement
Overall consistency
Das pinch
Cons:
Kingpin clearance
Longevity
Inconsistent axle width - I got 4 pairs of 148's, and 2 of them have upwards of 3mm shorter on one side of the axle, making the axle nut flush with the axle end Could say its a pro, but na..

Indy 144
Pros:
Fun
Smuud grind
Less wheelbite
Baseplate to scare you on nose/tails
Cons:
Heavy
Twitchy - too turny for precise consistent movement.

I should note im not a long time indy skater. In fact, 80% of my skate life ive been skating Grind King and Thunder. Only this year ive experimented with Indy's.

[IpathCats]

Thunder 147 & 148s
Pros:
Lighter then Indy
Stable
Consistent movement
Overall consistency
Das pinch
Cons:
Kingpin clearance
Longevity
Inconsistent axle width - I got 4 pairs of 148's, and 2 of them have upwards of 3mm shorter on one side of the axle, making the axle nut flush with the axle end Could say its a pro, but na..

Indy 144
Pros:
Fun
Smuud grind
Less wheelbite
Baseplate to scare you on nose/tails
Cons:
Heavy
Twitchy - too turny for precise consistent movement.

I should note im not a long time indy skater. In fact, 80% of my skate life ive been skating Grind King and Thunder. Only this year ive experimented with Indy's.

tighten them

[Vintagebody]

If it was that easy... I tried a stiffer top bushing, and it did help slightly.
Thunder is just more stable at center, and more "forgiving" in terms of lean and turn.
I notice it straight away. Dont miss grinds bcuz I overshoot etc duo to Indy's turning

[IpathCats]

If it was that easy... I tried a stiffer top bushing, and it did help slightly.
Thunder is just more stable at center, and more "forgiving" in terms of lean and turn.
I notice it straight away. Dont miss grinds bcuz I overshoot etc duo to Indy's turning

I ran indy hard cylinders for the longest time, about flush on the kingpin, maybe 1/2 a thread showing. I'm currently on the stock bushings with like 2 threads showing. there's pros and cons to both.

[dr.prestige]

I have some Streetcorner Ventures from the old days in my garage that I tried about a year ago and I have to say that the Deluxe ones are vastly improved, the Streetcorner ones basically didn't turn (although the bushings could have hardened since my mom got them from DLXSM in the early 2000s). I like how the Streetcorner ones look though, the paint is nice and I liked the stencil V logo they put on them back then.

I haven't seen (or I overlooked) anyone talk about Tensor Maglight ATG lows, so here's a few notes on them:

Pros:
- Magnesium grinds the best on almost everything except metal, which is a mediocre grind
- Even lighter than Maglight ATG highs
- Look better than ATG highs. The hanger on ATG highs look weird, the lows look more like how Tensors did prior to the revamp they had in the last decade or so, which isn't too bad in my opinion. Obviously they don't look as good as an Indy or a Venture but I'd rather look at these than Thunders or Royals
- These are the lowest trucks I've ever ridden as far as I know, even lower than Venture los with forged baseplates
Cons:
- They turn like shit if you don't ride them tight, although why are you riding low trucks if you don't ride your trucks tight as hell?
- You're gonna be wheelbiting your ass off
- Apparently people bend the axles although I've never done that personally

In summation, if you're into tight trucks, small wheels, an insanely light setup, grinding things that aren't metal coping or angle iron and generally going in a straight line then these are your trucks. Otherwise, go with something else.

[LebowskisRug]

Expand Quote

If it was that easy... I tried a stiffer top bushing, and it did help slightly.
Thunder is just more stable at center, and more "forgiving" in terms of lean and turn.
I notice it straight away. Dont miss grinds bcuz I overshoot etc duo to Indy's turning

[close]

I ran indy hard cylinders for the longest time, about flush on the kingpin, maybe 1/2 a thread showing. I'm currently on the stock bushings with like 2 threads showing. there's pros and cons to both.

Technically speaking there are minor cons to cranking a stock bushing vs swapping for a hard. You are technically "using up" some of the bushing's rebound by having it pre-compressed more. That will alter the rebound kinetics somewhat sorta like you would if you pre-loaded a mountain bike shock or let it sit lower in the sag. Because of this, the forces on the bushing when turning are higher since you're starting it at 75% capacity and taking it to 25% vs 100% and taking it to 50%. Bushings are less likely to last longer. And since you take it lower you are bottoming out the turning.

Using hard bushings with less threads makes more sense in the long-run. I don't get why companies don't pour all 1 color and then just etch in or mold in some sorta indicator on the bottom. That way none of us have to be immediately signaled out for running hards.

[Murge]

Venture
pro: forces you to be AWAKE
con: causes sleeping issues

Thunder
pro: its good to know control
con: i'm not exactly sure how i feel about control now that i know them.

Ace
pro: these loose trucks claim to save lives
con: your life may be saved, but is it even worth it if you're landing less tricks?

I could see this being a thing in thrasher or something. Good post. Brought a smile to my face

[jimgrude]

Thunders
I skated 147 (long time ago), and 151s

147 - Nice and quick turn, cant remember too much about them though
151 - Great, great truck, I had the hollows, couple sets. Super light, nice turn, stock bushings worked well (white ones), than I replaced it with the blue replacement kit from Thunder, good too.  Kingpin clearance could be better.

Theeve
5,85 Tiax - Super light, If I remember correctly, they were a little too tall. Turn was good, but not as good as with Thunders, which is why I stopped skating them. Overal though, great truck, I have no idea why everyone hates them. I dont even know if the company still exists. Bones bushings are good for about 2 weeks for me, after that, Indy replacements if I remember correctly.

Krux
Some 8 inch high Krux maybe 15 years ago, turn was OK, but I bent them in a couple months.

Venture
6,1 standards - Ive been on them for about a month, and I have to say, best truck I have ever tried. A little tall at first (especially coming from Thunders 151s), but I got used to that in about a week. Grind is great, Turn is fantastic. Quick, yet stable. I love the baseplate slide. Kingpin clearance, best I have ever had.

Opinions are obviously subjective, but as a Theeve fanboy I feel obligated to correct a couple things.

"If I remember correctly, they were a little too tall"

• Although they may be listed as 55mm, all Theeve models are 52-53mm tall.

"Turn was good, but not as good as with Thunders, which is why I stopped skating them"

• You may prefer the Thunder turn, but objectively, the Theeve geometry is more responsive and has a much deeper turn radius.

"I dont even know if the company still exists"

• They do. There's even a whole (tiny) team here in Japan.

But yeah, bones bushings are trash and don't even work well with the trucks. I usually put Ace or RipTide in them.

[IpathCats]

Technically speaking there are minor cons to cranking a stock bushing vs swapping for a hard. You are technically "using up" some of the bushing's rebound by having it pre-compressed more. That will alter the rebound kinetics somewhat sorta like you would if you pre-loaded a mountain bike shock or let it sit lower in the sag. Because of this, the forces on the bushing when turning are higher since you're starting it at 75% capacity and taking it to 25% vs 100% and taking it to 50%. Bushings are less likely to last longer. And since you take it lower you are bottoming out the turning.

Using hard bushings with less threads makes more sense in the long-run. I don't get why companies don't pour all 1 color and then just etch in or mold in some sorta indicator on the bottom. That way none of us have to be immediately signaled out for running hards.

The comments about stress on the bushing and longevity are accurate. But as someone who ran hards for the longest time (im not completely opposed to going back to them either), the main benefit/difference of running the standards cranked a bit (2-2.5 threads showing) IS the bottom out you mentioned. The softer bushings allow me enough turn initially, with little resistance, but when they bottom out your board is tight/stable for popping. It almost makes my indys feel sort of thunder-ish. Running hards flush will give you a nice, consistent, deep turn though. However sometimes I felt like i struggled to find that PERFECT tightness. Flush was a bit too loose, 1 thread was a bit too tight. IDK..... madness.

Expand Quote

Venture
pro: forces you to be AWAKE
con: causes sleeping issues

Thunder
pro: its good to know control
con: i'm not exactly sure how i feel about control now that i know them.

Ace
pro: these loose trucks claim to save lives
con: your life may be saved, but is it even worth it if you're landing less tricks?

[close]

I could see this being a thing in thrasher or something. Good post. Brought a smile to my face

thanks <3

[PisstickleTypeExperience]

New Royals:

Pros
-Not too high, not too low
-Not too heavy, not too light
-Minimal wheelbite
-Durable enough
-Visually pleasing
-Teenage nostalgia

Cons
-Stock bushings may be too soft for some
-Teenage nostalgia

I'll agree with all of this except there's no nostalgia for me or I was too stoned to remember.

My 8.75 ultra lights with bones hards just feel amazing all around.

[FUBAR]

I’m due new trucks and have been eyeing Ventures again but the more I hear about the Royal ultra lights the more I want to try them.

[IpathCats]

I’m due new trucks and have been eyeing Ventures again but the more I hear about the Royal ultra lights the more I want to try them.

I'd say try the royals if you like your trucks medium or looser. Have to mod ventures to get a decent turn, but if you ride tighter than most people im sure it wouldnt bother you.

[LebowskisRug]

Expand Quote

New Royals:

Pros
-Not too high, not too low
-Not too heavy, not too light
-Minimal wheelbite
-Durable enough
-Visually pleasing
-Teenage nostalgia

Cons
-Stock bushings may be too soft for some
-Teenage nostalgia

[close]

I'll agree with all of this except there's no nostalgia for me or I was too stoned to remember.

My 8.75 ultra lights with bones hards just feel amazing all around.

Cons
-Grind is hard like Venture, doesn't grind as smooth on chunky stuff.
-Friends will clown on you.