The Thunder Thread

[back smith]

Bring 181s back

I'd buy a set

[kitcatski]

Looks like they changed the hollow kingpin in the inverted thunders to a solid one. Probably from all of the reports of it snapping lol

[BeachChicken]

what reports? there isnt a single one in this thread.

[BL0B]

.

top of the page is the about that.

[kitcatski]

 

what reports? there isnt a single one in this thread.

Someone posted about it on the last page, I had posted about it happening to me a few months ago. I've also seen it reported on youtube

[munchbox]

the t2 bushings look cool
would be down to try a set if they do aftermarkets
which they should if we are being honest

[Mbrimson88]

what reports? there isnt a single one in this thread.

I have seen a few broken hollow inverted kingpins, both from people I skate with (who got warranty replacements) and from others online as well.

The thing is I really didn't want to make a big deal of it, mainly because DLX is so good with things, so it did kind of suck to have that being the main or only fault / issue with the new inverted trucks, but I can see a solid kingpin being a welcome addition and I can only hope that they would bring out those kingpins separately or provide them to distributors to then use / pass on to anyone who does break kingpins, as the truck as a whole works really well for me, with the lower kingpin and a lot more clearance now.

[Mbrimson88]

I committed one of my personal biggest sins today by setting up brand new trucks on a well skated deck with well skated wheels. My axles were bent and making my wheels cone inwards so I tried to unbend them and accidentally made a slight double bend and now my wheels won't go back on. Anyways, I'm about to skate some 148 team editions and the stock bushings don't feel super hard first time in a long time. At least something positive comes out of me fucking around and finding out

update: I was fooled. they felt great for a while, then I sat down for a bit and they turned rock fucking hard lol

Damn that would be a pain.

I know some people who would always take the top bushing down on their grip tape mid session and I always thought it was kind of weird, but now it makes more sense to me anyway, in situations like that, where I think having a lower top means you can have a truck that is a bit more loose and still get the kingpin nut all the way down.

That said, it is a fine line sometimes and after doing it myself on a few boards, or even on a piece of grip stuck to the counter top, I do get some weird looks, but it works and that is the main thing.

[tom]

Expand Quote

I committed one of my personal biggest sins today by setting up brand new trucks on a well skated deck with well skated wheels. My axles were bent and making my wheels cone inwards so I tried to unbend them and accidentally made a slight double bend and now my wheels won't go back on. Anyways, I'm about to skate some 148 team editions and the stock bushings don't feel super hard first time in a long time. At least something positive comes out of me fucking around and finding out

update: I was fooled. they felt great for a while, then I sat down for a bit and they turned rock fucking hard lol

[close]

Damn that would be a pain.

I know some people who would always take the top bushing down on their grip tape mid session and I always thought it was kind of weird, but now it makes more sense to me anyway, in situations like that, where I think having a lower top means you can have a truck that is a bit more loose and still get the kingpin nut all the way down.

That said, it is a fine line sometimes and after doing it myself on a few boards, or even on a piece of grip stuck to the counter top, I do get some weird looks, but it works and that is the main thing.

Here's where I got some funny looks: I changed through three sets of bushings at the park. I took the stock ones out and swapped in some of the new white ones, but they were even stiffer. Compared them before swapping back and the whites were actually bigger. I still had a miserable time and couldn't lock in on any grinds right or comfortably find my usual lines because my trucks were too stiff, so I skated home(I live across the street) and grabbed a third set(rebuild red 90a's) and swapped those in. My board started to feel "right" and I could magically skate the park again

I used to take the bottom washers out to get them to feel right but I'm heavier in my mid 30's than I was in my early 20's so I can keep them in and have them feel right. I'm dropping back down though and pretty soon those washers are getting tossed. It's almost time to re-stock up on some red rebuild kits

[Mbrimson88]

Here's where I got some funny looks: I changed through three sets of bushings at the park. I took the stock ones out and swapped in some of the new white ones, but they were even stiffer. Compared them before swapping back and the whites were actually bigger. I still had a miserable time and couldn't lock in on any grinds right or comfortably find my usual lines because my trucks were too stiff, so I skated home(I live across the street) and grabbed a third set(rebuild red 90a's) and swapped those in. My board started to feel "right" and I could magically skate the park again

I used to take the bottom washers out to get them to feel right but I'm heavier in my mid 30's than I was in my early 20's so I can keep them in and have them feel right. I'm dropping back down though and pretty soon those washers are getting tossed. It's almost time to re-stock up on some red rebuild kits

Yeah that is weird - some people had said the plain white ones were always softer, unless I got that round the wrong way.  If they are taller though, that would explain it, cause even half a mm in height difference makes things way tighter if taller, or way more loose if lower, hence the sanding back the bottom of the upper washer to make things a little more fun.

At least the "Try without bottom washer" is a good one too, which I often do for lighter weight people / kids just so they can feel what it is like to turn more, or in some cases at all.  Very easy to put the washer back in if things start to feel too much like their board is out of control without messing with anything too much.

The Bones or other flat washer is also a good one, if people have access to them.

I keep hearing people say they wish there were more colour options with the stock 90 duro bushings, as they are sick of the orange aftermarket tube now, but as with anything, different trucks, different bushing options, but those red ones in the rebuild kits do stand out nicely.  People get weird about all the red metallic washers and nuts though, which is kind of funny - some love them, some hate them.

[Rick Trapasso]

Expand Quote

Here's where I got some funny looks: I changed through three sets of bushings at the park. I took the stock ones out and swapped in some of the new white ones, but they were even stiffer. Compared them before swapping back and the whites were actually bigger. I still had a miserable time and couldn't lock in on any grinds right or comfortably find my usual lines because my trucks were too stiff, so I skated home(I live across the street) and grabbed a third set(rebuild red 90a's) and swapped those in. My board started to feel "right" and I could magically skate the park again

I used to take the bottom washers out to get them to feel right but I'm heavier in my mid 30's than I was in my early 20's so I can keep them in and have them feel right. I'm dropping back down though and pretty soon those washers are getting tossed. It's almost time to re-stock up on some red rebuild kits

[close]

Yeah that is weird - some people had said the plain white ones were always softer, unless I got that round the wrong way.  If they are taller though, that would explain it, cause even half a mm in height difference makes things way tighter if taller, or way more loose if lower, hence the sanding back the bottom of the upper washer to make things a little more fun.

At least the "Try without bottom washer" is a good one too, which I often do for lighter weight people / kids just so they can feel what it is like to turn more, or in some cases at all.  Very easy to put the washer back in if things start to feel too much like their board is out of control without messing with anything too much.

The Bones or other flat washer is also a good one, if people have access to them.

I keep hearing people say they wish there were more colour options with the stock 90 duro bushings, as they are sick of the orange aftermarket tube now, but as with anything, different trucks, different bushing options, but those red ones in the rebuild kits do stand out nicely.  People get weird about all the red metallic washers and nuts though, which is kind of funny - some love them, some hate them.

Yea, thats me, I hate them.

So bad lol.

[vicious cycle]

Expand Quote

what reports? there isnt a single one in this thread.

[close]

I have seen a few broken hollow inverted kingpins, both from people I skate with (who got warranty replacements) and from others online as well.

The thing is I really didn't want to make a big deal of it, mainly because DLX is so good with things, so it did kind of suck to have that being the main or only fault / issue with the new inverted trucks, but I can see a solid kingpin being a welcome addition and I can only hope that they would bring out those kingpins separately or provide them to distributors to then use / pass on to anyone who does break kingpins, as the truck as a whole works really well for me, with the lower kingpin and a lot more clearance now.

I broke my kingpin today. A real bummer beeing jobless and broke..
I managed to get the rest of the pin out of the plate with a drill. And because i'm smart, i ordered replacemet kingpins the same day i ordered the trucks.
Change both of them to a solid pin. Beside that, i love these...
Edit, they are arround 2 months old.

[BeachChicken]

Thunders terrible bushings, axles that are prone to bending, and overall quality across the lifespan of the truck are what keep me from riding them. I like how they turn and skate, but I fucking hate my trucks constantly feeling different. I don't think I've had a pair recently that got to axle without 3+ bushing swaps and with axles that were not super bent and I'm not heavy nor do I huck.

[Mbrimson88]

I broke my kingpin today. A real bummer beeing jobless and broke..
I managed to get the rest of the pin out of the plate with a drill. And because i'm smart, i ordered replacemet kingpins the same day i ordered the trucks.
Change both of them to a solid pin. Beside that, i love these...
Edit, they are arround 2 months old.

https://www.dlxsf.com/warranty/


Even if all you get is a set of kingpins, at least it is worth it.

[Ok]

Thunders terrible bushings, axles that are prone to bending, and overall quality across the lifespan of the truck are what keep me from riding them. I like how they turn and skate, but I fucking hate my trucks constantly feeling different. I don't think I've had a pair recently that got to axle without 3+ bushing swaps and with axles that were not super bent and I'm not heavy nor do I huck.

whoa!
good reminder for me that our skate experiences are all so different.
regular cast thunders have been so easy for me. my 148s with the forged plates/solid axles were first day great. i honestly can’t remember why i stopped skating them….
the thunder bushing crumble has never bothered me, but their specific bushings are not great for a fair amount of folks.
i’ve never bent thunders, and haven’t broken any since the late 90s.


my main issue thunder beef is i need to skate smaller wheels, and live in an area with rough terrain. but i also hate big wheels so this me being a moron.

[dcwilliamsrva]

Looks like they changed the hollow kingpin in the inverted thunders to a solid one. Probably from all of the reports of it snapping lol

One broke on me skating a flatbar.  I sent it back and Thunder sent me a pair of team hollows since they didn't have any more inverted 148's in stock.  They also said they would send me a new pair of the IKPs once they manufactured more.  I checked in with them last week and they said replacement trucks were going out this week and next so I should get the new version soon.  I wish they would sell the solid kingpin separately so I could retrofit the few pairs I have. 

Mine broke at the same spot as the pics above in the thread.  DLX will take care of you if it happens. 

[dcwilliamsrva]

Just a quick update - got my replacement trucks today from DLX, so if you broke a set and sent them in under warranty, I suspect you will have a replacement set headed your way. The new batch def has a solid kingpin now.

[BeachChicken]

The best warranty is the one you never have to use

[Rick Trapasso]

Kader riding thunders in this vid.

8:32 for the up close.

Looks like he has standards on his shaped deck, and forged plates on his regular board. Gonna guess lights, but I can't really tell. Could possibly be hollows or titanium?

https://youtu.be/6QN3U0_Z62Y?si=v-XUp6jIyZhjXMyo

[flamincheney]

Expand Quote

I broke my kingpin today. A real bummer beeing jobless and broke..
I managed to get the rest of the pin out of the plate with a drill. And because i'm smart, i ordered replacemet kingpins the same day i ordered the trucks.
Change both of them to a solid pin. Beside that, i love these...
Edit, they are arround 2 months old.

[close]

https://www.dlxsf.com/warranty/


Even if all you get is a set of kingpins, at least it is worth it.

They sent me a new baseplate/kingpin combo. Didn’t even dawn on me until I got the baseplate that I’d have to kind of drill out the remnants of the old kingpin.

Love the trucks with swapped in black bushings from the rebuild kit.

[Ok]

Kader riding thunders in this vid.

8:32 for the up close.

Looks like he has standards on his shaped deck, and forged plates on his regular board. Gonna guess lights, but I can't really tell. Could possibly be hollows or titanium?

https://youtu.be/6QN3U0_Z62Y?si=v-XUp6jIyZhjXMyo

he makes shit look edit***COOL eh
149s or 148s tho?

***jfc i blew it


what this video/ad made me really want to get was the tri-plane board.
and then i started looking at the baby beemers.
idk

[BartHarleyJarvis]

Expand Quote

Kader riding thunders in this vid.

8:32 for the up close.

Looks like he has standards on his shaped deck, and forged plates on his regular board. Gonna guess lights, but I can't really tell. Could possibly be hollows or titanium?

https://youtu.be/6QN3U0_Z62Y?si=v-XUp6jIyZhjXMyo

[close]

he makes shit look eh
149s or 148s tho?


what this video/ad made me really want to get was the tri-plane board.
and then i started looking at the baby beemers.
idk

Can wholly endorse the beamers. I checked out the ladybug and the triplane and I don't even really understand how to skate them/where they'd be fun so i never ende up pulling the trigger. However I've had a couple beamers and they're a super fun challenge. Join us in the beamer thread!!

[BeachChicken]

They don't look like T2, but his bottom bushings look like cylinders almost.

[back smith]

Anyone tried the Mitchie Brusco setup? Thunders with Doh Doh's boardside and Bones Hardcore roadside.

[Mbrimson88]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

I broke my kingpin today. A real bummer beeing jobless and broke..
I managed to get the rest of the pin out of the plate with a drill. And because i'm smart, i ordered replacemet kingpins the same day i ordered the trucks.
Change both of them to a solid pin. Beside that, i love these...
Edit, they are arround 2 months old.

[close]

https://www.dlxsf.com/warranty/


Even if all you get is a set of kingpins, at least it is worth it.

[close]

They sent me a new baseplate/kingpin combo. Didn’t even dawn on me until I got the baseplate that I’d have to kind of drill out the remnants of the old kingpin.

Love the trucks with swapped in black bushings from the rebuild kit.

Nice!

All the broken kingpins on trucks I have seen I was able to get out easily enough with a small screwdriver, just pushed into the end of the broken hollow kingpin and then turned like a normal screw and they came out easily enough.  Might be different on some other setups though, depending on how often the kingpin had been adjusted / the nyloc had worn.  If it was a solid kingpin, then it wouldn't have been at all easy to get out, but the hollow ones I could jam the end of the screwdriver down in there and just started turning.

Glad you got it sorted anyway.

DLX has an excellent warranty process.

[Sedition]

Just a curiosity point…do people here generally prefer the Team (cast) or forged baseplates? Is your preference because of height, or something else?

(edited for clarity)

[back smith]

Just a curiosity point…do people here generally prefer the Team or regular baseplates? Is your preference because of height, or something else?

The team edition baseplates are the regular ones (cast). Never tried the forged ones.

[Sedition]

Expand Quote

Just a curiosity point…do people here generally prefer the Team or regular baseplates? Is your preference because of height, or something else?

[close]

The team edition baseplates are the regular ones (cast). Never tried the forged ones.

"Regular" in the sense that they (forged) pre-date the cast/team ones.

[Mbrimson88]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Just a curiosity point…do people here generally prefer the Team or regular baseplates? Is your preference because of height, or something else?

[close]

The team edition baseplates are the regular ones (cast). Never tried the forged ones.

[close]

"Regular" in the sense that they (forged) pre-date the cast/team ones.

I don't know enough about the history of Thunder trucks, but I know with Indy, the forged baseplates came out around 2010, with the cast being the "normal" baseplate for a long time before and up to that point, they were the only baseplates.  Were forged baseplates available before then or everything came out around that time, as the trends changed, trucks from Indy, Thunder and Venture got forged baseplates that were thinner (lower) and lighter, etc?

I know I have a lot of old cast "Made in USA" Thunder trucks / baseplates which were always the team versions, but maybe were not called that or had the word "TEAM" on baseplates until later - just don't know.  They date back to the early 00s when there seemed to be the two different versions of both hanger and baseplates in the low and high (or mid depending on who you talked to), but I would have to go dig some out just to check what was on them.

The pair of baseplates I recall always were different, eg one had Thunder and a lightning bolt on it and the other one had three straight parallel lines or something.  Even older ones had all sorts of funny things, as they said someone had earrings of swords, lizards, etc so they would put those into the mold or something like that, just to make it different. 

Back to the fairly current ones, from looking over some stock pics and some I have, they were all the same height / thickness in the bolts area, just different in the words / depiction on the baseplates.

[Lou Strux]

Just a curiosity point…do people here generally prefer the Team or regular baseplates? Is your preference because of height, or something else?

Team connotes a cast baseplate.
Some confusion may result in the use of the term “regular” to indicate the forged plates, as they came along later on, so it’s understandable folks might think you meant the cast/team plates.

When I was on thunders, I found I preferred the cast plates as the extra mm of height permitted a 2mm increase in wheel size w/ the same net wheelbite factor.
I never fuck around w/ risers, so a little more wheel size/speed was an appreciated bonus.
Also preferred the pop feel on the cast, small though the dif may be.