Which Bushings R U Running?

[Boog]

I love the blue conical Indy aftermarket bushings with the nuts flush and the stock purple just a thread over flush with my ventures. Independent for wb over 14.25 and venture for 14.25 and lower.

[FrozenIndustries]

Expand Quote

I know it seems like nerdy hair splitting, but it 100% makes a difference. FWIW, I have had a few sets of the blue aftermarkets (both conical and barrel) and have never ran into this issue before.

Also, I have to politely disagree with your assessment that the yellows don't feel hard at all. I tried them and and it make my board tictac tight. Even after trying to stick with them for weeks I had to take the L and put my old blues back in.

[close]

I actually agree with you - others who wanted ultra tight trucks are the ones who disagree.

For as long as I can remember, I have used the 92 low heads (red bushings that came in the white cardboard box, which are about the same as the blue current bushings) but going by what others have said, re the harder bushings, which are way too hard for my liking, others have said they are not hard enough, which I always found weird - that was my take on them.

That is interesting to see the different heights too, as all the normal bushings I have looked at (mainly the white, red and orange of the current stock) all seemed like the same heights.

Thanks for putting up such good pics of them too.

Much appreciated!

I see what you mean...yeah, they're crazy tight. I've never seen the red lows in the wild, but I do like the blues. No problem with the pics!

I'm not a fan of the conical bottoms...not enough rebound. But I also think the black busings in a barrel might be too tight for me.

[FrankSweat]

185lbs

I used to run stock indies but I felt they were too soft for me, I got stuck way too many times and they were crushed quickly. I got some Cylinder black Indy bushings and they are perfect. I just tight the nut just enough so it doesn't fall and I can ride around loosely without losing stability or having wheelbite.

[Mbrimson88]

I see what you mean...yeah, they're crazy tight. I've never seen the red lows in the wild, but I do like the blues. No problem with the pics!

I'm not a fan of the conical bottoms...not enough rebound. But I also think the black busings in a barrel might be too tight for me.

When the new ones came out, I bought all I could find in the low blue ones as they just worked so well, then came across a wholesale lot of the old red ones and bought them all, or at least enough to never need more again.  After discontinuing the low trucks, the low bushings were also on the endangered list.

They are the same bottoms (conical) but with a couple of mm lower heads, which works out about the same as what we used to always do when we grinded our trucks down too far, so would cut the top bushings down to fit with the kingpin nut below the hanger.

If the black ones felt too tight, you could cut the tops down to make them fit.


Oddly enough when I googled them, this place still shows as eight in stock of the low blue bushing sets:

https://www.chutingstar.com/independent-trucks-low-conical-cushions-92a-medium-hard-blue


Or these guys in the UK who have both the medium orange and the medium hard blue in low:

https://drugstoreskateboarding.com/products/indepn?variant=31703627497546



This is the best pic of the older ones anyway:

[Mbrimson88]

Found an old thread with a good pic of all the Indy bushing options.


Good Bushings

https://www.slapmagazine.com/index.php?topic=80946.0


Specifically this post with the catalog pic:

Then the info I posted in the Independent bushings thread, so it is all in the same place:

https://www.slapmagazine.com/index.php?topic=118963.0


Here is my run down on the Indy bushings, from using them as well as setting them up for friends and people in the shop but then skating their boards as well, so I have had a chance to see what all of them are like, not just on the first day but after they have broken in nicely too.


The white "super soft" ones are 78 duro and so very mushy feeling all round for me (normal adult size and weight) so I really only recommend them for very small lightweight skaters, or those who want trucks that almost feel like there are no bushings.

The red 88s, as said seem harder than even the blue 92s but have different properties to the blue or black ones, so it is a bit funny as the older red ones are way softer than the newer red ones.

The aftermarket orange 90 duro bushings are by fay the best for any normal person, which give a lot more than the red 88s oddly enough, especially the conical shaped ones, but I have all of them and the cylinder works fine as well.

The blue 92 duro are about my favourite, but with the low top option or cut down tops, if they are the normal ones, which are just a bit firmer and more stable, but with lower heads, I can have the trucks a bit more loose, while still having more stability than the softer options.

Black 94 duro hard bushings are firm but still compress enough for turning for heavier skaters, which in turn can be more a wheelbite issue as well, given some people want tight trucks and think these will be what they want.  If tightened too much, they will have more issues than if they had harder bushings to begin with, as they don't bounce back or stay compressed more than they should.

Yellow 96 duro super hard or whatever they call them still turn but are very stiff, so pretty much the true medium hard option really, but again when people who want no turn and tight trucks get them, then tighten them down too far, then have issues with them as they think they are going to be harder than they are.



Also just to throw in thoughts on the Indy stock bushings, no matter which colour, 90 duro, a bit soft and squishy to start with but they firm up a fair bit with normal use, so while left at kingpin nut top of kingpin, they will be way more loose than most of the other bushings, apart from the white aftermarket 78s.

The stock ones used to be rubbish and would blow out or have all sorts of issues in older stage Indy trucks, but nowdays they are actually really good and I have recycled many stock sets that were taken out right from new (when people put in other bushings right away) then put them into other trucks when people have had issues with their own bushings and almost all of them have said how well they work, including putting the stock Indy white ones into Ace trucks I have had set up and people thought they turned better than the stock Ace bushings.

They are by no means the be all and end all of bushings, but they definitely work well, when worn in and not tightened down to start with or skated pretty much at factory set kingpin nut or a bit below.

[the snake]

Indy black cylinder 94a aftermarket are my favorite, and I don't work for them lol

[GBLange]

Indy black cylinder 94a aftermarket are my favorite, and I don't work for them lol

+1

[Srt32srt]

stock bushing and ride them both stock till they break in but tighten both the same to keep my board stable when skating switch. love the tensor bushing and pivot cups.

[Darbyhash]

I love ace 55’s, but trucks only last so long so I thought I’d give the made in China indy 149’s a try. However the problem with the orange stock bushings is if u want quick turning trucks u gotta take the washers out but I hate that cause its harder to control unlike aces. So in order to fix this problem I found using the indy 78a whites in the bottom and indy 88a reds as my top is the best way to get a similar type of turning to aces.

[Xen]

Still running the Riptide/Venom combo in my thunders, feels amazing.

On my Indys, I switch from 88a aftermarket conicals to bones med, no washers, and forced myself to break them in, they feel amazing right now.

[fs1/2cab]

I am running 92a indy cylinders in my 144s with the kingpin nuts flush. Yesterday a homie put some cones on the ground and we had some slalom action. That was funky.

[funeral_tuxedo]

Still running the Riptide/Venom combo in my thunders, feels amazing.

On my Indys, I switch from 88a aftermarket conicals to bones med, no washers, and forced myself to break them in, they feel amazing right now.

hey @Xen I forget, did you cut down the top bushings of your Riptides in your Thunders?

[manysnakes]

I left my Red Indy bushings outside for a few weeks, then I put them on a pair of trucks I wasn't skating and cranked them down for a few more weeks. They are noticeably softer and easier to turn now, but I haven't really got to skate them because it's raining buckets today.

[Xen]

Expand Quote

Still running the Riptide/Venom combo in my thunders, feels amazing.

On my Indys, I switch from 88a aftermarket conicals to bones med, no washers, and forced myself to break them in, they feel amazing right now.

[close]

hey @Xen I forget, did you cut down the top bushings of your Riptides in your Thunders?

@funeral_tuxedo

I did not, I left the Riptides tops stock, however, I did shave down the Venom bottoms just a bit (best combo I've skated in Thunders by far).

[funeral_tuxedo]

I finally had a second opportunity to skate my hollow light thunders with riptide bushings and it's such an improvement. They're not loose, but they're looser than I've ever been able to get thunders. The pop and stability feels really good, but I still want to mess with the bushings to see if it will improve the turn. I'd forgotten how light and quick thunders feel.

[vicious cycle]

Any suggestions for bushings skating in the cold ?
I was outside today at arround 32° F with my cruiser.
Runnin Film 5.5 trucks with standard bushings. After a few minutes they became completely unresponsive, hard and kind of mushy. So I switched to the independent 90A conical aftermarket bushings but with the same results.
So now I'm looking for some bushings that hold up in the cold. Thanks in advance !

[Beeker]

Any suggestions for bushings skating in the cold ?
I was outside today at arround 32° F with my cruiser.
Runnin Film 5.5 trucks with standard bushings. After a few minutes they became completely unresponsive, hard and kind of mushy. So I switched to the independent 90A conical aftermarket bushings but with the same results.
So now I'm looking for some bushings that hold up in the cold. Thanks in advance !

Ace classics and the new Royal bushings are both great in the cold but good luck finding either one a la cart at the moment.

[bombsaway86]

+1 for Ace bushings. Skated my Aces this morning when it was 38 degrees outside and they felt pretty nice.

I actually just ordered some Ace low bushings this morning to put in a set of Indy 169s that only feel good when the nut is about to fall off

[BlueCadet3]

Expand Quote

Indy black cylinder 94a aftermarket are my favorite, and I don't work for them lol

[close]

+1

+2
I use these in some venture highs with the nut flush. I weigh around 160lbs but they still turn really nice and I only get wheel bite with one wheel on occasion. I use to get wheel bite all the time so I'd crank the nut down and tic tac a lot. This solved it for me.

[vicious cycle]

Thanks guys. Now I try to dind ace bushings in europe.
I found some classic ace bushings. Are those the one ?
Do the AF1s have different bushings than the classics ?

[bombsaway86]

Thanks guys. Now I try to dind ace bushings in europe.
I found some classic ace bushings. Are those the one ?
Do the AF1s have different bushings than the classics ?

AF1 and classics have pretty much the same bushings. Durometer is the same, but they are shaped slightly different. They are interchangeable. The main thing you need to consider is the stock bushing height on your current trucks then determine if you want the regular or low bushings.

Ace low bushings are 10mm top and 12mm bottom.
Regular are 12mm top and 14mm bottom.

Lows are harder to find, but you can shave down the regulars if they are too tall.

[Beeker]

Thanks guys. Now I try to dind ace bushings in europe.
I found some classic ace bushings. Are those the one ?
Do the AF1s have different bushings than the classics ?

Best option unfortunately (for most trucks) would be to get a set of low AND regular Ace classics and mix and match low top with regular bottom. If you skate tight you might be able to get away with only regular ones or if you skate loose, the lows.

At the very least Ace classic regular bottom bushing with whatever top you want will still be an improvement.

I haven’t tried the AF1s, I sincerely hope they didn’t change the bushings cause the classic formula is so good. The new royals absolutely give them a run for their money though. Good to see the industry upping its bushing game.

[munchbox]

anyone know the height of krux bushings?

edit found the measurements online:
krux bushings
9.8 top
13.7 bottom
23.5mm total

doh dohs
9.5 top
13.5 bottom
23mm total

[bombsaway86]

anyone know the height of krux bushings?

Krux are the same size as Ace, 12mm top and 14mm bottom. They’re really nice in Aces too, you get a lot more stability without sacrificing much turn.

[Vintagebody]

Anyone tried Indy black cylinder 94a with a medium top bushing? I want my indys to be more stable during lots of load (like going from a steep bank to flat at higher speed)

[listentoaheartbeat]

Anyone tried Indy black cylinder 94a with a medium top bushing? I want my indys to be more stable during lots of load (like going from a steep bank to flat at higher speed)

I tried this combination and didn’t like it. Very poor rebound and the most annoying squeaking. The blue 92A cylinder bushings top and bottom are more responsive and stable at the same time.

After I stopped using Bones I tried many combinations of Indy and Riptide, nothing came close to the blue cylinders. I can have a good session with a fresh set, and once broken in they are perfect.

By the way, during this process I also started using Riptide pivot cups. They definitely change things, no squeaking and improved rebound. Felt a bit ridiculous to order $14 pieces of plastic from overseas but well worth it in retrospect.

[BALARGUE]

Any suggestions for bushings skating in the cold ?
I was outside today at arround 32° F with my cruiser.
Runnin Film 5.5 trucks with standard bushings. After a few minutes they became completely unresponsive, hard and kind of mushy. So I switched to the independent 90A conical aftermarket bushings but with the same results.
So now I'm looking for some bushings that hold up in the cold. Thanks in advance !

Bushings play a role here
From my experience, it comes more from the pivot cups used in Film Trucks

Break-in phase on Film trucks (bushings AND pivot) is looooong

[BartHarleyJarvis]

Expand Quote

Anyone tried Indy black cylinder 94a with a medium top bushing? I want my indys to be more stable during lots of load (like going from a steep bank to flat at higher speed)

[close]

I tried this combination and didn’t like it. Very poor rebound and the most annoying squeaking. The blue 92A cylinder bushings top and bottom are more responsive and stable at the same time.

After I stopped using Bones I tried many combinations of Indy and Riptide, nothing came close to the blue cylinders. I can have a good session with a fresh set, and once broken in they are perfect.

By the way, during this process I also started using Riptide pivot cups. They definitely change things, no squeaking and improved rebound. Felt a bit ridiculous to order $14 pieces of plastic from overseas but well worth it in retrospect.

Second this. I ran the Black Indy Hard barrel bushing boardside and orange conical Indy bushing roadside for a bit and aside from fun halloween colors, didn't do much for me.

The Indy Blue Conical bushings are the best replacements if the stock orange Indy bushings aren't working for you imo.

[Ronnie Rodriguez]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Anyone tried Indy black cylinder 94a with a medium top bushing? I want my indys to be more stable during lots of load (like going from a steep bank to flat at higher speed)

[close]

I tried this combination and didn’t like it. Very poor rebound and the most annoying squeaking. The blue 92A cylinder bushings top and bottom are more responsive and stable at the same time.

After I stopped using Bones I tried many combinations of Indy and Riptide, nothing came close to the blue cylinders. I can have a good session with a fresh set, and once broken in they are perfect.

By the way, during this process I also started using Riptide pivot cups. They definitely change things, no squeaking and improved rebound. Felt a bit ridiculous to order $14 pieces of plastic from overseas but well worth it in retrospect.

[close]

Second this. I ran the Black Indy Hard barrel bushing boardside and orange conical Indy bushing roadside for a bit and aside from fun halloween colors, didn't do much for me.

The Indy Blue Conical bushings are the best replacements if the stock orange Indy bushings aren't working for you imo.

Blue aftermarket Indy bushings are great, I really like them. I currently run Ace low bushings in my 149s but if they were to stop making those I would rock with the blues for sure.

Also, it has been said before but FWIW: If you're going to do dual duro, the softer bushing should be on the bottom(board side) and the hard should be on top (road side). That will give you more bang for your buck as far as ease of turn with improved stability/return to center. I don't think there are any advantages to having it flipped with the harder bushing on the bottom, though I would love to hear about it if there are.

[beandemon]

Expand Quote

Any suggestions for bushings skating in the cold ?
I was outside today at arround 32° F with my cruiser.
Runnin Film 5.5 trucks with standard bushings. After a few minutes they became completely unresponsive, hard and kind of mushy. So I switched to the independent 90A conical aftermarket bushings but with the same results.
So now I'm looking for some bushings that hold up in the cold. Thanks in advance !

[close]

Bushings play a role here
From my experience, it comes more from the pivot cups used in Film Trucks

Break-in phase on Film trucks (bushings AND pivot) is looooong

Can’t speak to film, but Indy bushings are cold sensitive. Bones are less so, Riptide claims theirs are not, and as of last the other day, I would say tracker super balls are less cold sensitive. I had an awful time with bushings last spring as I was skating in 80F and near freezing within a day of each other. It seems like a softer duro would be the key for cold, but it’s the lack of rebound that ruins it for me. It’s one of those things - along with the mud that make spring bittersweet in the upper Midwest.