Aftermarket Independent Bushings

[gabbesucks]

Thinking about picking up the 78a cylinders (white). Anyone had any experience skating them? Mostly getting them so I can have my trucks loose without removing the washers. Do they make indies turn like aces at all? Have given up on Ace because of pivot cup tearing.

[LebowskisRug]

I briefly had them, they make the truck feel soggy. Ace turn like they do because of the geo, but the bushings aren’t that soft. I would recommend trying Ace bushings- standard bottom and low top but i would tru a flat top washer as well. You’ll need to sand the bottom a tad to match OR just use the low bushings altogether.

[Boog]

Thinking about picking up the 78a cylinders (white). Anyone had any experience skating them? Mostly getting them so I can have my trucks loose without removing the washers. Do they make indies turn like aces at all? Have given up on Ace because of pivot cup tearing.

Get the conical aftermarket bushings if you want a deeper turn. I'm rocking the blue ones and they feel great.

[Maccat]

Got some, they're meh.

I'd try the clear Supercush instead.

[JugeL]

Red conical ones felt awesome after breaking in, never felt like aces tho

[Mbrimson88]

The Indy white 78 duro are oh so very soft, so unless you like the feeling of almost no bushing resistance, or are ultra lightweight (or both) they often feel a bit too soft, as per the number of people I know who have bought them from me through my shop, but most are in one or both of those two categories, so those bushings work really well for them.

Are you putting them in Indy trucks or other?

Not that it matters, because they work in any and all trucks I have put them in, which includes the main four, plus a few other smaller brands.

That said, Indy aftermarket bushings break in very easily and hold up well (unless you tighten them down too much), so if you are in the above groups, I think they would work really well for you.


I have even trimmed down the top of those white bushings for at least one person to use in trucks that had been worn down a lot, so needed a lower top to fit on the kingpin with the truck grinded to axle, and they still worked fine, could turn, held up and bounced back to the middle too.

[gabbesucks]

The Indy white 78 duro are oh so very soft, so unless you like the feeling of almost no bushing resistance, or are ultra lightweight (or both) they often feel a bit too soft, as per the number of people I know who have bought them from me through my shop, but most are in one or both of those two categories, so those bushings work really well for them.

Are you putting them in Indy trucks or other?

Not that it matters, because they work in any and all trucks I have put them in, which includes the main four, plus a few other smaller brands.

That said, Indy aftermarket bushings break in very easily and hold up well (unless you tighten them down too much), so if you are in the above groups, I think they would work really well for you.


I have even trimmed down the top of those white bushings for at least one person to use in trucks that had been worn down a lot, so needed a lower top to fit on the kingpin with the truck grinded to axle, and they still worked fine, could turn, held up and bounced back to the middle too.

I am pretty light and am used to running my trucks really loose so I think the loosenes should be fine, is there some big reason why I shouldn’t use the cylinder bushings?

[Mbrimson88]

I am pretty light and am used to running my trucks really loose so I think the loosenes should be fine, is there some big reason why I shouldn’t use the cylinder bushings?

The white super soft bushings should work well for you then.

Re cylinder vs conical bushings, it is slightly more stable on the cylinder, as a general opinion, as that will give a bit more resistance than the more narrow bottom point of the conical, but the whole reason many brands run cylinders is they work for what is needed, so I wouldn't be worried about the shape at all.

I have pretty much all my setups with the conical shape and like a fairly loose feel overall, but the setups I have left stock or cylinder have had no issues or differences, so there is a lot of personal preference in it.  When the white ones only come in cylinder, the choice is made for you.

[gabbesucks]

Expand Quote

I am pretty light and am used to running my trucks really loose so I think the loosenes should be fine, is there some big reason why I shouldn’t use the cylinder bushings?

[close]

The white super soft bushings should work well for you then.

Re cylinder vs conical bushings, it is slightly more stable on the cylinder, as a general opinion, as that will give a bit more resistance than the more narrow bottom point of the conical, but the whole reason many brands run cylinders is they work for what is needed, so I wouldn't be worried about the shape at all.

I have pretty much all my setups with the conical shape and like a fairly loose feel overall, but the setups I have left stock or cylinder have had no issues or differences, so there is a lot of personal preference in it.  When the white ones only come in cylinder, the choice is made for you.

Alright thanks a lot for the help

[Bongwater Mojito]

Set up my old spare Indys for a homie, took out the red aftermarkets I had in place and put the stock oranges back in. With aftermarkets, trucks felt much tighter even though the kingpin nut was not even flush, just barely had nylock in. With stock bushings they felt perfect loose, nut flush. Don't have my mauser at hand right now but it really felt like aftermarket top was taller than stock. Can someone explain, madness getting closer again...

Stock bushings and trucks were Stage 11, ie. should be 90A vs. 88A. Both bushings should have been broken in, skated for several sessions.

[Cthulhu!]

Mixed feelings. I've had a few sets now. And I've had a few split apart on me. Though I do use them without the bottom washer. At times they feel a bit mushy. I have a set on right now and these are holding up perfectly, these feel good. Bad batches? Who knows. I'm going to run testing for the 88a red indies, the clear supercush, and the blue doh-dohs

[mattchew]

Just copped the white super soft in my 159s a few sessions ago and I love them; can’t really tell you much more than that because I (thankfully) don’t have any type of set-up madness. They’re soft/broken in feeling right off the bat, turn well, snap back into place better than their Bones counterparts, and most definitely hold up better than them as well.

[Bongwater Mojito]

Just copped the white super soft in my 159s a few sessions ago and I love them; can’t really tell you much more than that because I (thankfully) don’t have any type of set-up madness. They’re soft/broken in feeling right off the bat, turn well, snap back into place better than their Bones counterparts, and most definitely hold up better than them as well.

Maybe I should still jump into tinkering mode and cop these... Just to close the case.

[spacial_profiling]

Red conical ones felt awesome after breaking in, never felt like aces tho

I run the red softs with no bottom washer. Loosest pair of trucks. Can't compare to ACE geometry, but more stable and responsive while being loosey goosey imo. Kingpin nut to the top thread obvi.

[Xen]

88a Reds is a soft as I can go. The one time I rode the 78a super softs they got shredded (used them in 159s).

[Yossi]

I've been on the orange conical aftermarket bushings for about ten years and just set up new ones recently. This is my fourth set in those ten years. Last set lasted 3.5 years. Pros: My new trucks and bushings feel exactly the same as the previous well worn trucks/bushings. Cons: having to super glue the nut because they are two threads from being flush and the nut will come off easily. The turn isn't the same when I go sans washer, so I just glue them.

[ChuckRamone]

Set up my old spare Indys for a homie, took out the red aftermarkets I had in place and put the stock oranges back in. With aftermarkets, trucks felt much tighter even though the kingpin nut was not even flush, just barely had nylock in. With stock bushings they felt perfect loose, nut flush. Don't have my mauser at hand right now but it really felt like aftermarket top was taller than stock. Can someone explain, madness getting closer again...

Stock bushings and trucks were Stage 11, ie. should be 90A vs. 88A. Both bushings should have been broken in, skated for several sessions.

I think the aftermarket tops are slightly taller than the stock tops.

The stock Indy bushings break in faster and are pretty nice for a while but IME they eventually split because they are squishy and cheap. I swap out to the orange aftermarkets, which seem to be slightly harder than the stock bushings, even though they should be the same duro, in all my new Indys and they have all lasted the life of the trucks. They take longer to break in than the stock ones but I think they hold up better. They should be the "stock" bushings but they're not because Indy is greedy.

[Xen]

Expand Quote

Set up my old spare Indys for a homie, took out the red aftermarkets I had in place and put the stock oranges back in. With aftermarkets, trucks felt much tighter even though the kingpin nut was not even flush, just barely had nylock in. With stock bushings they felt perfect loose, nut flush. Don't have my mauser at hand right now but it really felt like aftermarket top was taller than stock. Can someone explain, madness getting closer again...

Stock bushings and trucks were Stage 11, ie. should be 90A vs. 88A. Both bushings should have been broken in, skated for several sessions.

[close]

I think the aftermarket tops are slightly taller than the stock tops.

The stock Indy bushings break in faster and are pretty nice for a while but IME they eventually split because they are squishy and cheap. I swap out to the orange aftermarkets, which seem to be slightly harder than the stock bushings, even though they should be the same duro, in all my new Indys and they have all lasted the life of the trucks. They take longer to break in than the stock ones but I think they hold up better. They should be the "stock" bushings but they're not because Indy is greedy.

I'd imagine there are inconsistencies but compared to the NEW stock 90a indys the 88a aftermarkets I have are taller, top AND bottom. 

That's why I shave my tops down so I can get the nut flush; only takes a few mins of sanding them down (I use old decks).

[OldCandy]

Set up my old spare Indys for a homie, took out the red aftermarkets I had in place and put the stock oranges back in. With aftermarkets, trucks felt much tighter even though the kingpin nut was not even flush, just barely had nylock in. With stock bushings they felt perfect loose, nut flush. Don't have my mauser at hand right now but it really felt like aftermarket top was taller than stock. Can someone explain, madness getting closer again...

Stock bushings and trucks were Stage 11, ie. should be 90A vs. 88A. Both bushings should have been broken in, skated for several sessions.

like others said about aftermarkets being harder and having longer break in time your stock bushings have probably compressed and broken in, hence being shorter

[sharkin]

92a all I ride. I like that the blue matches the Swiss six shields.
The conical turn is a bit snappier

[Plan9Customs]

I LOVE the super soft Indys. Cants really say how they’d compare to Aces since I don’t ride Ace. As for ‘stuck with cylinders’ that’s wrong. All it takes is a few minutes to mount them on a threaded rod with a jamb nut top and bottom, chuck them in a drill press or drill hit them with some 40-80-180 grit sand paper on a block and you have conicals. It also helps if you shave the top bushing down(or cut it down). Tons of turn and plenty of thread so no need for loctite or super glue. I’m a believer of Matt Rodriguez loose trucks though so keep that in mind if you go down that lane. It’s $5. Try it you may like them if not try mixing them with other duros or just give them away.

[Bongwater Mojito]

Verified with a mauser, both S11 stock oranges and aftermarket reds are exactly same height, top and bottom (10mm and 13mm, respectively). I hope I never started to look at this, everything felt pretty good in my setup already. Well, truck madness gives good excuses to go for a session, if nothing else.

[Mbrimson88]

I LOVE the super soft Indys. Cants really say how they’d compare to Aces since I don’t ride Ace. As for ‘stuck with cylinders’ that’s wrong. All it takes is a few minutes to mount them on a threaded rod with a jamb nut top and bottom, chuck them in a drill press or drill hit them with some 40-80-180 grit sand paper on a block and you have conicals. It also helps if you shave the top bushing down(or cut it down). Tons of turn and plenty of thread so no need for loctite or super glue. I’m a believer of Matt Rodriguez loose trucks though so keep that in mind if you go down that lane. It’s $5. Try it you may like them if not try mixing them with other duros or just give them away.

It makes me smile to see someone else modify their stock / standard aftermarket parts in such a way that makes them very unique.

Never tried the sanding cylinders into conicals but I can see how it works.

I am a 100% cut the tops down guy and often do this to help people get looser trucks on their stock setups, in particular but not limited to kids who have the usual stock setups that just don't turn enough for their light weight bodies.

The easiest way to get it just right is see how far off the nut needs to be and cut the bushings accordingly, usually about 2 to 3 mm is perfect to get the nut on flush and have so much more turn without the truck being wobbly loose for the person.

If they don't like it, they can always put the cut off bit back in, which has occasionally happened, but it is good to hang on to the cut off bit too, in case the bushings crush down almost too much in some other brands of bushing I have seen.

[Boog]

92a all I ride. I like that the blue matches the Swiss six shields.
The conical turn is a bit snappier

Yeah the blue conical are my favorite for sure.

[IpathCats]

I ride the hard black cylinders. I find the key to making them feel good is to use a thin top washer until they break in and compress some. when you don't have a lot of pressure on your bushings, they behave way differently. my setup is still very turny, without feeling soggy. This gives you quick turn in, but allows the bushings to do some work once they compress instead of just flattening like a soft bushing.