To magic carpet or not....

[TooManyPros]

...and why?

[os89]

Same width, but preferably, a slight* magic carpet. Flip bit easier. Lighter. Don’t like seeing wheels stick out. You get it.

[tom]

I skate a “small” board by 2020 standards, so I like having my trucks the same width so I have more grind space on the hanger. I skate an 8” board, so I skate 8” trucks. Sometimes I’ll jump up to an 8.2 on the bigger end, but I still keep the same trucks. Never trucks that are wider than a board; they feel tighter and harder to flip

[sexhaver2006]

my current setup is a hardcore magic carpet and I was a bit apprehensive at first, but its actually been really fun and easy to skate. Ive always sucked at kickflips but ive been able to do them better than ever lately.

[FUBAR]

Riding Thunder 148s on an 8.38 so maybe a little. It’s fine.

[Baswell Cerry]

I like doing my 50's as head-on as possible and hitting coping you can get so much sloppier on coping makes skating way more fun on a magic carpet ride. Some might say, a whole new world.

[HugeBodBoyle]

Indy 144's on an 8.38 and it is aesthetically pleasing.

[Sila]

I'm riding 147's on an 8.38 and no issues.

[Xen]

Indy 144's on an 8.38 and it is aesthetically pleasing.

I'm rocking 144s on an 8.38 and it's perfect (board has a slight taper).

Used to ride 149s for everything 8.25" and above tho...until 8.25" came on scene (8.18" Theeves to be exact)

But I won't do 8" trucks on an 8.25" - I'll just go with equal width.

8.38" / 8.25" trucks
8.25" / 8.25" or 8.18" trucks
8.125" / 8" Trucks

I don't fuck with 8.5s anymore...

[Lou Strux]

My trucks fit the deck. Always.

[munchbox]

running 5.2 lows on an 8.5 with 3 inside washers and one out. pushes the wheels far enough to look like 5.6s (until the make the low editions). easily my best setup ever in terms of feel and overall progress, and this is coming off running the same deck with 151s. would highly recommend trying it out if you have the gear.

second setup will be a magic carpet but less extreme. venture 5.8 titaniums with 8.75 deck. wheels tucked has worked wonders for me

[SneakySecrets]

I’m like 75% same width, 25% trucks a little wider than the board. But now I kinda want to try the magic carpet again thing after reading a bunch of you saying it’s really good.

I tried the magic carpet thing a while ago for like 15 minutes before my skate OCD reached DEFCON 1 and I just couldn’t stop thinking about my board hanging over by a couple millimeters.  Stuck in my crawl so bad that I had to abandon the sesh and immediately set up something different.

I realize that it’s a little ridiculous to obsess over such a little thing... as I’m sure it would have skated just fine.  However, my mental illness did not agree.

 

[Xen]

I’m like 75% same width, 25% trucks a little wider than the board. But now I kinda want to try the magic carpet again thing after reading a bunch of you saying it’s really good.

I tried the magic carpet thing a while ago for like 15 minutes before my skate OCD reached DEFCON 1 and I just couldn’t stop thinking about my board hanging over by a couple millimeters.  Stuck in my crawl so bad that I had to abandon the sesh and immediately set up something different.

I realize that it’s a little ridiculous to obsess over such a little thing... as I’m sure it would have skated just fine.  However, my mental illness did not agree.

HAHA, I feel you man! OCD can cripple (DEFCON !LOL)!

I'm actually the opposite as trucks wider than the board has always bugged me even during the 8.25" and 149s days (it also looks fucking dumb)....it's like hanging the toilet paper the wrong way....

It was when theeve did 8.18" I was all in for 8.25s boards and the 8.3s with 8.25s are soooo perfect minimal overhang since they are both the 'weird' sizes....like 8.125" and 8" being a perfect combo (I just can't stand 8" trucks no matter how hard I try to get into them...and I don't know wtf that is all about).

[Vintagebody]

I ride 8,5" deck with 8.25 trucks atm. Kinda like it to be honest. I did not like 8.25" deck with 8" trucks tho

[tzhangdox]

I don't wanna rain on everyone's parade here, but personally I tried the magic carpet thing and it really didn't work for me.

Skated 8.5 trucks for years, usually on 8.5 boards. Made the switch last year to 8.25/8.38 and kept the same trucks and it was great (Venture 5.8s standard and titanium hanger with forged plates). Decided to try some 5.2 titaniums on an 8.25, padded with as many washers as I could too.

They turned a lot sharper and were much lighter, maybe flip tricks had slightly better leverage on them too, wasn't anything that made a big difference. But I definitely found myself falling off the board easier when not landing perfectly or leaning too much one way or the other when settings up for certain tricks.

Grinds on round rails and chunky concrete ledges were also a lot more difficult. Pretty much fine/the same on nice skatepark ledges but just could not find myself getting a secure enough lock in or cross pinch on sketchier rail tricks and it was much easier to miss or slip out on rounded off street ledges.

Maybe 5.6 would be okay, but I've got two more sets of 5.8 on ice so I probably won't find out for a long time.

[munchbox]

I don't wanna rain on everyone's parade here, but personally I tried the magic carpet thing and it really didn't work for me.

Skated 8.5 trucks for years, usually on 8.5 boards. Made the switch last year to 8.25/8.38 and kept the same trucks and it was great (Venture 5.8s standard and titanium hanger with forged plates). Decided to try some 5.2 titaniums on an 8.25, padded with as many washers as I could too.

They turned a lot sharper and were much lighter, maybe flip tricks had slightly better leverage on them too, wasn't anything that made a big difference. But I definitely found myself falling off the board easier when not landing perfectly or leaning too much one way or the other when settings up for certain tricks.

Grinds on round rails and chunky concrete ledges were also a lot more difficult. Pretty much fine/the same on nice skatepark ledges but just could not find myself getting a secure enough lock in or cross pinch on sketchier rail tricks and it was much easier to miss or slip out on rounded off street ledges.

Maybe 5.6 would be okay, but I've got two more sets of 5.8 on ice so I probably won't find out for a long time.

funnily enough i feel the same way. in my experience magic carpet felt the best on 8.5 and up. anything below that deck width felt better with wider axles. cant honestly recommend magic carpet if you ride 8.25/.38s, unless its a low truck.

[tzhangdox]

Expand Quote

I don't wanna rain on everyone's parade here, but personally I tried the magic carpet thing and it really didn't work for me.

Skated 8.5 trucks for years, usually on 8.5 boards. Made the switch last year to 8.25/8.38 and kept the same trucks and it was great (Venture 5.8s standard and titanium hanger with forged plates). Decided to try some 5.2 titaniums on an 8.25, padded with as many washers as I could too.

They turned a lot sharper and were much lighter, maybe flip tricks had slightly better leverage on them too, wasn't anything that made a big difference. But I definitely found myself falling off the board easier when not landing perfectly or leaning too much one way or the other when settings up for certain tricks.

Grinds on round rails and chunky concrete ledges were also a lot more difficult. Pretty much fine/the same on nice skatepark ledges but just could not find myself getting a secure enough lock in or cross pinch on sketchier rail tricks and it was much easier to miss or slip out on rounded off street ledges.

Maybe 5.6 would be okay, but I've got two more sets of 5.8 on ice so I probably won't find out for a long time.

[close]

funnily enough i feel the same way. in my experience magic carpet felt the best on 8.5 and up. anything below that deck width felt better with wider axles. cant honestly recommend magic carpet if you ride 8.25/.38s, unless its a low truck.

Mmmm I guess. 8.25 trucks on an 8.25 or 8.38 would probably be manageable, but I just don't see any scenario where I'd prefer having less than an 8.5 hanger to grind on. (Though Thunder 151s are a bit too wide for my preference too, probably just too used to 8.5 trucks. Can't imagine 8.25s improving my flip tricks enough to justify it, maybe I'll try one day.

[Slayer666]

Stability

[chappers]

I'm riding 147's on an 8.38 and no issues.

any extra washers on the ‘inside’ of the wheel?

[moonordie]

Magic carpet all day long baby.
Best skating I've done in years was on a 8.5 with 139, now I'm testing my luck with 44

[Sila]

Expand Quote

I'm riding 147's on an 8.38 and no issues.

[close]

any extra washers on the ‘inside’ of the wheel?

No extra washers. Might give it a go soon though. I'm generally not very consistent when it comes to flip tricks but they feel much better for me on a magic carpet set up.

[Boog]

I like 144s on my 8.5 but I also like 5.8s too. I skate better with the 144 on an 8.5 tho.

[Frank and Fred]

Both. I tend to magic carpet for street. Hot wheel for transition.

But really it is the width and more specifically the riding surface width of your wheels and where they line up on the deck, that affects things in any meaningful way.

I like my wheels just slight tucked in on street and lined up with the deck edge on transition.

[Frank and Fred]

Also, illegitimate poll.

The answer is, however Fred Gall sets his board up.

[Slayer666]

Also, illegitimate poll.

The answer is, however Fred Gall sets his board up.

good verdict

[Ok]

Magic carpet. Better leverage, for turning, and flipping. Less wheelbite, way less wheelbite actually. Lighter. 

Looks less cool (maybe I’m slowly getting tired of the hotrod look, but bigger trucks look sick). Less pinch (see more wheelbite). I can’t pinch anyways.

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

Nollie heels....

[Firebert]

Magic carpet. Better leverage, for turning. Less wheelbite, way less wheelbite actually.

I find the opposite to be true. If you have more leverage, and less space between the edge of the wheel and deck (due to concave), you can't possibly get less wheelbite, unless you changed the bushings or something.

[sketchyrider]

i do both as well, my 10 inch shaped boards are both pretty tucked in with 169's. popsicle setup has a full quarter inch extra axle sticking out.

hot rodding absolutely makes wheelbite happen more, which i like when im pinching ledge or coping.

[Firebert]

Getting a pinch on a ledge isn't the same as getting wheelbite, because the edge of the ledge is being used to push the wheel up. The ledge has more leverage over the deck in that situation - which is why it is easier to get that pinch while hotrodding.

Having more leverage over the wheel means less force is required to press the edge of the deck downward while riding - which is contrary to saying you get less wheelbite.

To say it is easier to wheelbite for you inherently means that you have more leverage over the wheel, though having a different bushing will totally change that.