New royal trucks

[LebowskisRug]

Interested to see how you feel about them with a consistent amount of time (a month or two straight like Ben Degros does) greater than a few days. Definitely sound like an improvement over the last ones in initial feel. By not imploding on the first few sessions they have AF1 beat.

[Roisto]

Height and angle vs Ace Classic ( 38 specials) & Indy

Pic 1 Royal-> Indy
Pic 2 Indy -> Ace
Pic 3 Royal -> Ace
Pic 4 Royal -> Indy
Pic 5 Royal -> Ace






pic gif

Are those the Indy mids as they’re lower than the Aces? 

[RichardBarkley]

Anyone seen these in Europe?

[Murge]

That review really makes them sound pretty ideal to me. But after feeling burned by ace’s QC issues with the AF1. Im probably not gonna be rushing out for any truck for a bit. But they sound pretty fucking ideal.

[streetmeat]

I cannot un-see the McDonalds arches in the new logo

[Fhk]

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[close]

I cannot un-see the McDonalds arches in the new logo

[Xen]

Pic 5 Royal -> Ace

Great pics!

For as close to ventures as they appear (especially the angle and 'space' between plate and hanger, they skate completely different:

Interested to see how you feel about them with a consistent amount of time (a month or two straight like Ben Degros does) greater than a few days. Definitely sound like an improvement over the last ones in initial feel. By not imploding on the first few sessions they have AF1 beat.

Yep. Like any new truck, I assume the worst, especially cracked plates or pins. As I noted, they feel really good so I won't be swapping them out anytime soon. But I'm not Ben so don't expect a video. I will follow-up after periodically skating them.

That review really makes them sound pretty ideal to me. But after feeling burned by ace’s QC issues with the AF1. Im probably not gonna be rushing out for any truck for a bit. But they sound pretty fucking ideal.

Depending on what you're after, possibly. My Aces were borked out of the gate (in the first 30min) with faulting milling shredding my pivot cups. The royals, so far, have held up for a few days with no issues. I know Indy and ACE aren't hard to beat in terms of weight seeing as any standard truck out there pretty much does it, but I'm still impressed they were able to make such a light truck that skates like that category of truck

I cannot un-see the McDonalds arches in the new logo

Damnit, now I can't either and I am stuck with them given how I nose and tail slide (I don't slide on my plate, probably due to skating thunders for so long).

Thanks for the review Xen! I’ll probably give these a shot next time I’m feeling an impulsive truck purchase

Was riding indy 149/Tensor 8.5s but was looking going to buy some Thunder 149ti; impulse-purchased these instead.

[goodatmeth]

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Height and angle vs Ace Classic ( 38 specials) & Indy

Pic 1 Royal-> Indy
Pic 2 Indy -> Ace
Pic 3 Royal -> Ace
Pic 4 Royal -> Indy
Pic 5 Royal -> Ace






pic gif

[close]

Are those the Indy mids as they’re lower than the Aces? 

Even mids would almost be the same height as ace. What's going on here?

[Xen]

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Height and angle vs Ace Classic ( 38 specials) & Indy

Pic 1 Royal-> Indy
Pic 2 Indy -> Ace
Pic 3 Royal -> Ace
Pic 4 Royal -> Indy
Pic 5 Royal -> Ace

[close]

Are those the Indy mids as they’re lower than the Aces? 

[close]

Even mids would almost be the same height as ace. What's going on here?

Agree with that...hell ACE classics are 52mm (and so were the .38 specials) as well and the Royals appear much lower in these pics, like a 48-49mm. Pretty big drop and they certainly don't feel like a low/sub-52mm truck...as I was riding indy ti just hours before I skate them which should only be a 1.5mm difference.

[rocklobster]

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Height and angle vs Ace Classic ( 38 specials) & Indy

Pic 1 Royal-> Indy
Pic 2 Indy -> Ace
Pic 3 Royal -> Ace
Pic 4 Royal -> Indy
Pic 5 Royal -> Ace

[close]

Are those the Indy mids as they’re lower than the Aces? 

[close]

Even mids would almost be the same height as ace. What's going on here?

[close]

Agree with that...hell ACE classics are 52mm (and so were the .38 specials) as well and the Royals appear much lower in these pics, like a 48-49mm. Pretty big drop and they certainly don't feel like a low/sub-52mm truck...I as riding indy ti just hours before I skate them which should only be a 1.5mm difference.

Sounds about time to break out the digital calipers and get this properly measured.

Just swapped back from forged to cast plates on my Ventures and all I could think about was a sub 52mm truck that extended the wheelbase out less than a Venture Cast (+3.25"). Let's see what the black Friday sales bring.

[LebowskisRug]

Weird, when I suggested using calipers to compare kingpin clearance I got hated on...

@RockLobster- Thunder forged will do just that for you especially if you ride 147s.

Also one thing I have noticed is that all these pics are from an angle. Sometimes with my iPhone it switches to a wider angle and distorts unless it is straight on. I think having the camera flat with the table surface would distort less. Those Aces do seem oddly high since the Indy's next to them are lower and they're not Mids.

[Xen]

Weird, when I suggested using calipers to compare kingpin clearance I got hated on...

@rocklobster- Thunder forged will do just that for you especially if you ride 147s.

Also one thing I have noticed is that all these pics are from an angle. Sometimes with my iPhone it switches to a wider angle and distorts unless it is straight on. I think having the camera flat with the table surface would distort less. Those Aces do seem oddly high since the Indy's next to them are lower and they're not Mids.

Not weird, you were coming across as a hater, so you got hated on bro.

Regardless, I agree with you on the ACE and Indy match up, that looks like a 2-3mm drop. That photo is suspect.

However, those Indys are cast, and not mids as there is no IKP, as standards, then any ACE would not be taller than a 55mm Indy standard (tallest ACE is what, 53 on the AF1s?) which they are in the photos; I'm thinking the .38 special hanger isn't sitting level.

I'm not taking mine apart but with the royals mounted, I put a stock bushing/washer cast IKP indy plate with 159 hollow hanger on the board flush/square against the royal plate, in the wheel base area and put a level on the axles (I know not caliper accurate) eyeballing only it's only a few mm difference as expected but nowhere near the level we're seeing in these pics; I then did the same thing with a forged indy plate, they are for sure within 1-2mm of the royals

Even his own side view of the royals and ACE the axles are much closer than they are than in the straight on view, by a lot




I'll say this, if they are lower than 52 MM, anyone who who skates a low truck or wants a wide low truck that turns, should fucking jump on them because they have better clearance, have less wheel bite and turn better than any low truck I've ever skated.

[LebowskisRug]

You need to differentiate hate, objectivity, and subjectivity. In a lot of cases I was offering objective critiques and asking for actual measurements on kingpin claims. I believe Ben Degros overblew his reservations without anything to back it up as you don't see much kingpin grind wear in his video even. Weight and impact on pop feel are subjective of course, which is why I think it's often stupid when people use weight as a plus/minus. I found out the hard way I like a bit more heft, but I won't say light trucks are bad. Finally, my critiques on finish are pretty objective. I'm not a metallurgic specialist, but spent a while working on casting autoparts and even at one point tried to make my own truck hanger and that finish would be considered fairly poor relative to that experience. I still stand by that although it doesn't impact how they skate.

[Xen]

You need to differentiate hate, objectivity, and subjectivity. In a lot of cases I was offering objective critiques and asking for actual measurements on kingpin claims. I believe Ben Degros overblew his reservations without anything to back it up as you don't see much kingpin grind wear in his video even. Weight and impact on pop feel are subjective of course, which is why I think it's often stupid when people use weight as a plus/minus. I found out the hard way I like a bit more heft, but I won't say light trucks are bad. Finally, my critiques on finish are pretty objective. I'm not a metallurgic specialist, but spent a while working on casting autoparts and even at one point tried to make my own truck hanger and that finish would be considered fairly poor relative to that experience. I still stand by that although it doesn't impact how they skate.

My review/take on them is as objective as I could be based on skating them (kingpin nut didn't fallout, they didn't shatter because of casting, they turn, they grind...these are facts), without knowing how or why they were made...what sort of special casting they used, metal %s, etc., (we're all assuming they tried to make a good truck, right?).

My review is also based on me liking them after skating them (I like how they turn and how light they are, how they grind, etc.) this is, of course, is all subjective.

But nowhere in my take on them did I attempt to discredit them based on a picture for no reason.

Here's an idea, buy a fucking pair and come back to us.

[LebowskisRug]

They won’t shatter if you didn’t do anything high impact and they aren’t worn. Any issues would develop over time. From your photo they look to have like half a session of wear if that.

Royals have a history of cracking and breaking so longevity is relevant they just never held up long term. If they nail that then they’re finally a B level threat to the big 3.

[Post A Fit Fuccboi]

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What happened to this thread?

[close]

I’ve been following this fucking mess way too closely. Here’s what I can make of it.


al_cvbera, Fastplant87 and moonordie have similar writing styles and keep saying the same thing. They’re blatantly  the same person.  They made a joke so funny they shit  their own pants upon reading it and now they owe themselves new boxers. they proceeded to make their own comment their sig

Puffin is an unlikeable abrasive asshole. It seems he has experience working with bearings

To my limited knowledge Quantum Bearing Science is trying to ‘square peg round hole’ bulk ceramic bearings from Asia

The common consensus by those in the know- buy Swiss Six

Sorry, I can’t comment on bones place of origin

[close]

LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOO you are a nut. idek where you got the idea that I or either one of those other accounts all belong to me or the same person but i can assure you my views are my own and my own only. idk about those other accounts you mentioned. you are blantantly one jump to conclusions ass mfer.

The common consensus by those in the know- get off my diackkkkkkkk

Ya I'm getting strong Xen-alt vibes from that guy

[GumOnMyGrip]

Weird, when I suggested using calipers to compare kingpin clearance I got hated on...

@RockLobster- Thunder forged will do just that for you especially if you ride 147s.

Also one thing I have noticed is that all these pics are from an angle. Sometimes with my iPhone it switches to a wider angle and distorts unless it is straight on. I think having the camera flat with the table surface would distort less. Those Aces do seem oddly high since the Indy's next to them are lower and they're not Mids.

There may be some distortion due to iPhones shitty camera. I’ll go back and measure if I can tonight.
I also just noticed that the Ace baseplate is actually warped. Maybe that contributed? That’s a first for me. I guess it is bent from ledge contact? It sure wasn’t run over by a car or anything.

As for the Royals- initial “subjective” feedback from a diehard Ace convert. I ride my hangers so loose they rattle, with Krux aftermarket bushings so I’m comparing to a very specific setup.

The Royals aren’t bad at all.

At first the turn felt real linear, like a Thunder or or tighter Indys. But they go deeper and surfier/ more carve if you push them. They do bottom out -I did get wheelbite but I had to turn pretty tight. That’s with 54mm wheels. It’s a pleasant turn. Not jerky and they feel like they track well.
They def feel like a mid or lower, the pop is quick compared to Ace. They gave me a lot more stability for ollie stuff than my loose Aces. One of my biggest complaints with Ace is the grind feel and hanger shape, especially on coping. The Royals feel sooo much better.
Interesting side note, the threading on the axle ends was tighter than any other truck I can remember. In a good way.
Time will tell as far as quality and if they will replace Aces for me but really good initial impression.
Better than the new Krux, which I couldn’t ever tell how hard they would turn. They would turn and then give out-Surprise wheelbite all the time.
At least as good as broken in Indys .
Don’t know about Thunder or Venture because I don’t go there…

[Xen]

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What happened to this thread?

[close]

I’ve been following this fucking mess way too closely. Here’s what I can make of it.


al_cvbera, Fastplant87 and moonordie have similar writing styles and keep saying the same thing. They’re blatantly  the same person.  They made a joke so funny they shit  their own pants upon reading it and now they owe themselves new boxers. they proceeded to make their own comment their sig

Puffin is an unlikeable abrasive asshole. It seems he has experience working with bearings

To my limited knowledge Quantum Bearing Science is trying to ‘square peg round hole’ bulk ceramic bearings from Asia

The common consensus by those in the know- buy Swiss Six

Sorry, I can’t comment on bones place of origin

[close]

LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOO you are a nut. idek where you got the idea that I or either one of those other accounts all belong to me or the same person but i can assure you my views are my own and my own only. idk about those other accounts you mentioned. you are blantantly one jump to conclusions ass mfer.

The common consensus by those in the know- get off my diackkkkkkkk

[close]

Ya I'm getting strong Xen-alt vibes from that guy

It's not me, dead serious. I'd call him out for being a little cunt to his face, either via post or DM, if I felt so inclined. As it is, I haven't felt the need to drop that low.

EDIT: Correction, please see below! =)

[Xen]

They won’t shatter if you didn’t do anything high impact and they aren’t worn. Any issues would develop over time. From your photo they look to have like half a session of wear if that.

Royals have a history of cracking and breaking so longevity is relevant they just never held up long term. If they nail that then they’re finally a B level threat to the big 3.

Thanks for repeating what I already said in my review about durability. Three sessions, actually. Once again, you fail to impress by your inaccurate assumptions in your statements based on visual inspection of truck pictures alone. Do tell me how ollieing, manuals, or flat land would would affect the visual appearance.

You'll note the three people who have actually ridden them and bothered to post in this thread, and be helpful, like them, and I am sure someone will try them and won't like them. I think I'm onto you now, your shitheel posts only go to me.

No one cares if they are a threat or not to any other truck but you? This conversation is about if they are good or not solely based on skating them...not hoping they will overturn the truck industry.

I'll say it again, go buy a pair, skate them and report back, otherwise you have nothing to offer other than being a little cunt that wants to argue at every turn. So, you get an ignore, you are just so, tiring...and thanks for the negs, right back at ya!

(Disclaimer: actual account, no need to be a bitch and make an alt account just to call out this prick).

[LebowskisRug]

I don’t even know how to neg an account but alright buddy.

[LebowskisRug]

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Weird, when I suggested using calipers to compare kingpin clearance I got hated on...

@RockLobster- Thunder forged will do just that for you especially if you ride 147s.

Also one thing I have noticed is that all these pics are from an angle. Sometimes with my iPhone it switches to a wider angle and distorts unless it is straight on. I think having the camera flat with the table surface would distort less. Those Aces do seem oddly high since the Indy's next to them are lower and they're not Mids.

[close]

There may be some distortion due to iPhones shitty camera. I’ll go back and measure if I can tonight.
I also just noticed that the Ace baseplate is actually warped. Maybe that contributed? That’s a first for me. I guess it is bent from ledge contact? It sure wasn’t run over by a car or anything.

As for the Royals- initial “subjective” feedback from a diehard Ace convert. I ride my hangers so loose they rattle, with Krux aftermarket bushings so I’m comparing to a very specific setup.

The Royals aren’t bad at all.

At first the turn felt real linear, like a Thunder or or tighter Indys. But they go deeper and surfier/ more carve if you push them. They do bottom out -I did get wheelbite but I had to turn pretty tight. That’s with 54mm wheels. It’s a pleasant turn. Not jerky and they feel like they track well.
They def feel like a mid or lower, the pop is quick compared to Ace. They gave me a lot more stability for ollie stuff than my loose Aces. One of my biggest complaints with Ace is the grind feel and hanger shape, especially on coping. The Royals feel sooo much better.
Interesting side note, the threading on the axle ends was tighter than any other truck I can remember. In a good way.
Time will tell as far as quality and if they will replace Aces for me but really good initial impression.
Better than the new Krux, which I couldn’t ever tell how hard they would turn. They would turn and then give out-Surprise wheelbite all the time.
At least as good as broken in Indys .
Don’t know about Thunder or Venture because I don’t go there…

Damn, they sound exactly how I prefer my trucks although not rattle loose the turn of tighter indys without the effort to initialize it is pretty solid.

On the PS Nine Club he said that Royals pull out the wheelbase so it seems they for sure changed the overall geo. It kinda sounds like a slightly taller 147 with an Indy turn, which would cover all their riders and a very wide range of consumers honestly. They sorta sound like Films actually.

[I Can't Think]

Thanks for the review! Gonna snag a pair at somepoint and throw in the krux kingpins

[WideFeet]

Was hoping they were out already, but have to wait a 5 more days. Really curious to see the specs. Price will be interesting seeing that all trucks have gone up in price recently. Would be down to try them out. Might have to grab a Girl or Chocolate deck  for the hell of it if I pick up a set.

[RichardBarkley]

Was hoping they were out already, but have to wait a 5 more days. Really curious to see the specs. Price will be interesting seeing that all trucks have gone up in price recently. Would be down to try them out. Might have to grab a Girl or Chocolate deck  for the hell of it if I pick up a set.

Theres a shop in Denmark selling them if you are EU

I'm defo gonna get a Girl deck too.

[rocklobster]

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Was hoping they were out already, but have to wait a 5 more days. Really curious to see the specs. Price will be interesting seeing that all trucks have gone up in price recently. Would be down to try them out. Might have to grab a Girl or Chocolate deck  for the hell of it if I pick up a set.

[close]

Theres a shop in Denmark selling them if you are EU

I'm defo gonna get a Girl deck too.

Required by law actually

[WideFeet]

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Was hoping they were out already, but have to wait a 5 more days. Really curious to see the specs. Price will be interesting seeing that all trucks have gone up in price recently. Would be down to try them out. Might have to grab a Girl or Chocolate deck  for the hell of it if I pick up a set.

[close]

Theres a shop in Denmark selling them if you are EU

I'm defo gonna get a Girl deck too.

[close]

Required by law actually

Good to know I would be following the law.

Not in the EU. Thanks though

[Post A Fit Fuccboi]

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I'm going to answer your criticisms in 1 post Xen, then stop polluting.

• 
  1. Mini Logo? Are you serious? That's setting the bar pretty fucking low.
  2. I do not understand why you keep bringing what I ride into this thread. I am not comparing Royals to Mids. You seem to just want to bring up what I'm currently riding to discredit my personal opinion, which I've said is just based on appearances.
  3. Mids also bring the wheelbase in 6mm. They have a more Indy-like pop feel than forged plates. This was by design. They replace lows and have more kingpin clearance. In order to actually turn like standards they use taller bushings and the IKP does have more clearance than a standard nut. I don't know why Ben Degros and Slap thought they would be a miracle truck in that regard. Again, I am not comparing Royals to Mids.
  4. I compare all trucks to the big 3. Ace has had so many QC issues that I view them with skepticism.
  5. I am loosely familiar with the various aluminum alloys out there as well as what they tend to look like after casting after apprenticing at a forgery. The big 3 all have much better raw finishes and this looks exactly like alloys that use tin and zinc. They are usually fairly light, but also brittle. These alloys are commonly used in shoddy aluminum products often from China, so no surprise there.
  6. I've said like a dozen times I don't want to see them fail, but I am viewing them with skepticism since their company has a long history of shitty products and cutting corners. How long did Crail have wood that was literally among the worst in skateboarding? Royals were the worst of the worst for 2 decades. So from that end they're the ones that have something to prove and I will remain skeptical until they do.
  7. It is really easy to see how bad their QC is from your pictures. The lip of the nut sleeve isn't even flush with the base plate. From the underside photo of the nut you can see that they have an excess alloy lip on the inner part of the base plate hole. This suggests some sloppy casting. I am looking at a pair of cast plate Ventures, Thunders, and Aces and none of them have lips from casting. On the right side of the photo you can see how the edge of the base plate relief groove isn't even straight.
  8. Can you take your set of Mids as well as other trucks, set them flat on a table, place a bubble level on the axle and then use a MM rule or calipers to measure kingpin clearance? I have and my Mids have better clearance than Thunders and I wonder how Royal managed to get the best clearance supposedly for this height with standard sized bushings. I wouldn't be surprised if they were all in 1mm or so of one another. I think Slap just likes to parrot Ben Degros because there isn't a single Mid rider that I have met or seen that has significant scratches on their kingpin on the sides. If I measure from the top of the hanger to the side of the dome it actually has the same clearance as my forged hollows.
  
  

[close]

oh man oh man i’m about to bring out my inner quantum bearing science thread energy if it keeps going like this

[close]

I'm just egging him on now (guess the meme helped). I should stop, just look at the tone of his last post, he wants to be right so badly he's challenging me to a caliper dual over the interwebs - I honestly don't give a shit what he thinks, and it's already taking too much effort..

I will say two things to the above post, yes, crail wood sucked forever but it doesn't anymore...hence giving them the benefit of the doubt...why? Because I like skate shit. The other, yeah, we all know the M-indy IKP clearance is shit if it's within 1mm of forged hollows, hell they had to bolster the hanger just to get it within that 1mm hanger..why did they even bother (I'm serious because I wanted them them to be great)? I'll be back on a few days to a week with detailed impressions.

The worst part, if they do suck, we then have to listen to him saying I told you so from his computer chair throne of vindication and then shaking his fist yelling "I TOLD YOU ROUGH CASTING WAS BAD!"

[close]

hold your horses buddy! i’m not with you. i’m on the other guys side. so you think you’re the certified slap truck alloy/molding/whatever expert because you were an apprentice? well, listen here, you condescending twat. i have you know unlike an apprentice (you), i am a master of all things metal (also not you). so i think its fair to say fuck you because you obviously know less about this subject matter than me.

the royals in those pics honestly looked wonky. wtf was that pivot cup. other than that, i’d be down to give em a shot if i didnt just order some thunders. thats all i’m gonna say about them. fuck you lebowski. royals for life (i have never ridden royals). fuck what you ride (also ur gay)

Haha, jesus christ. Xen jumping to his own rescue yet again

[I Can't Think]

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No idea, I was hoping for a fixed hex hole like the Indy or film plates, that's piece of mind to me. As it is, I have no idea (and we never will unless someone cuts this fucker open) how they have it attached, but from just looking at them, I can't visibly see a 'seam' to where a standalone nut would meet the plug in the plate, it actually looks like a solid milled piece, this is the best I can get right now:







I honestly can't see a seam (pics don't do it justice), it just looks like one straight piece right up to the nylock.

I'm curious of the extra threading and if it might cause snappage, even tho it's threaded all the way/deep unlike Indy or Krux pins...what I do like about this amount of threading is I know it's still 'in there' even if I were to back out of the nylon of the nut, sure it would come way loose and probably snap off, but I don't feel like it would just fall out (I always have this fear since I ride loose, and have had it happen once with krux pins)...part of the IKP-life I guess.

To be clear, I am not saying they are best fucking thing out there, or better than XXX brand, or anything, because I haven't put them through the ringer yet. They could suck/break in the first week, baseplates could snap on the first slappy (tho they lasted through a few under 144p) I have no idea, and neither do you.

[close]

Woah, it looks like they Helicoil-ed the baseplates? That's pretty labor-intensive. Some people have issues with inverted kingpins on cast baseplates reaming out the hole. After lots of abuse, they develop play. Maybe this will prevent that? Pretty cool design if it works!

Also hoping this would prevent kingpins from getting wobbly over time on inverted trucks. I hope more truck companies start to offer and inverted option as well.

[FatGuy92]

Haters gonna hate. Neg away.

The Royals are definitely in the ACE/Indy/ML/Tensor/Theeve camp with a carvey feel; faster/twitchier than indy (but as smooth) but not as sharp as ACE (but damn close). They feel like theeve to me but a tad less stable when stock/loose. Carvey, but with a bit of twitch, very predictable. What really shines is how smooth they feel when you need to set up, they're not slow or jerky or twitchy, in a way they feel like ACE in that regard, when you are used to them and need to change on a dime so to speak, you have your long arc to get in line, then that little 'check', very responsive. 

Stock/nut flush They skate very loose, ACE loose (I've since tightened a full turn) but not floopy, as the bushing are pretty fucking great, lots of rebound (and my wonky pivot cup, which I rotated to have the divot on the bottom) is fine after multiple sessions. I could wheelbite standing on a carpet with very little effort (183lbs today); skating them I wasn't getting much to any wheelbite (especially on the front). 52mm trucks, 52mm wheels...doing the same shit I always do and I wasn't biting on my flatland. I'm quite surprised as I was honestly setting my expectations to venture level of turning/thunder wheelbite territory (not bashing). Most of my wheelbites were from front slappies gone wrong and shitty fakie f/s big spins (I usually pinch when I land with my front heel). I could also chalk this up to me skating more over the past month than usual.

Like Tensors and ACE, when really loose, you have to sort of balance to get that stability going, so much that you can feel when you hit it (unlike Indy to me). Tightening them up just a bit fixed it without compromising anything. I suspect I'll need to tighten more as the bushings break in further; but a full turn tighter than stock after a day of skating and they're [pretty] sweet.

pop
Thunder-ish. I skated them on both a 14.25" and 14.375" WB, they felt fine on either; I chalk that up to my preference of a mid truck pop, regardless of wheel base. But, they are also light (149s on an 8.375x32x14.375WB" and 8.25x31.875x14.25"WB) in weight and pop feel. Zero adjustment (but then, I've been skating indy, thunder and tensor over the last three weeks, a week each, so I might just be used to variety). They felt best to me (like indy and ace do) on a longer wheelbase, but that's just my stance/preference where I feel the most comfortable.

grind
They do. They don't feel soft (classics) or hard (venture). Faster than Venture, slower than ATG maglites. Close to Indy/Thunder? They're still too new, so for now they grind just fine/as you expect them too, I never felt like the truck was causing shorter or longer grinds just my speed); Sound-wise, they remind me of thunder teams.

Edit: pinch
Better than Indy and Tensor (quicker due to height) on par/close to thunder, I was able to sit fully upright on them no problems (literally my second grind on them)

Transition
Big surprise here, no issues in my thunder pitch zones/pockets. They're pretty predictable and worked when I wanted them too, obviously as a mid, you gotta choose your wheels wisley based on how loose you skate. I don't think they'll replace indy (slow) or ACE (fast) for anyone, just saying...ACE classics own the roundwalls.

This shouldn't be taken as a hype-train post, but I'm fickle and I really couldn't find anything to dislike about them (I always look for something, right?). What's more impressive: I don't feel the need to change anything out, I am leaving them stock...and if you read any of my OCD shit posts, I change everything out...cups, mix/match bushing duros and shapes, shave them down, swap out washers and shit, bitch about wheelbase with this truck or that, but I'm leaving the royals stock as they feel great as is /shrug; Jury is still out on long-term durability obviously and the IKP isn't anything special as Indy and Krux have proven. For all I know I could have liked how the old royals skated but I can't speak to the 'sacred' geometry' as I never rode them.

I think is was @ok or @off  that said something like 'middle of the road everything' and I think that's a somewhat accurate, but not derogatory, statement. They are neither too light or too heavy, too low nor too high, not too loose, not too stable, not too carvey, not too twitchy, they just kind of work (much ML do but the royals are faster feeling). Now, if you are all in on Venture probably give'em a pass. If thunder is your jam but you get wheelbite/don't like the long wb (and I don't know what the royals do: stretch/pull), you might be pleasantly surprised as they kind off feel like what I wanted my thunders and indys to feel like, and by that I mean more like each other

I'd sum them up as a Thindy (which is kind of what a Theeve was/is, poor theeve). How that's possible from crail/royal I don't know but they've got the carvey feel and just a hair of twitch to them as I stated above, like if you toned down the squirrly-ness of ACE but kept it faster than Indy. They're sleepers for sure. Also, they don't click, and have a very minimal squeak that I can only hear when stationary, can't hear them at all when skating (unlike my Tensors, good gods they're loud AF). Don't forget, they've got an 8.75" too.

Pics are from the first two sessions riding them (transition and curbs). I'm going to put some serious curb time on them this weekend. I had more adjustment time to the [one] new 8.3 deck, than I did to brand new [literally a brand that is new to me] trucks. The board I had my indys on I did a straight swap and was good to go except for how fast/loose and turny they were (149 indy ti had broken in bones meds).

Thanks for the detailed review! Sounds promising so far. I’ve been skating 14-14.12 WB decks lately so not sure how much I’d like these but if I ever go back up to 14.25 I might have to try them

[layzieyez]

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No idea, I was hoping for a fixed hex hole like the Indy or film plates, that's piece of mind to me. As it is, I have no idea (and we never will unless someone cuts this fucker open) how they have it attached, but from just looking at them, I can't visibly see a 'seam' to where a standalone nut would meet the plug in the plate, it actually looks like a solid milled piece, this is the best I can get right now:







I honestly can't see a seam (pics don't do it justice), it just looks like one straight piece right up to the nylock.

I'm curious of the extra threading and if it might cause snappage, even tho it's threaded all the way/deep unlike Indy or Krux pins...what I do like about this amount of threading is I know it's still 'in there' even if I were to back out of the nylon of the nut, sure it would come way loose and probably snap off, but I don't feel like it would just fall out (I always have this fear since I ride loose, and have had it happen once with krux pins)...part of the IKP-life I guess.

To be clear, I am not saying they are best fucking thing out there, or better than XXX brand, or anything, because I haven't put them through the ringer yet. They could suck/break in the first week, baseplates could snap on the first slappy (tho they lasted through a few under 144p) I have no idea, and neither do you.

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Woah, it looks like they Helicoil-ed the baseplates? That's pretty labor-intensive. Some people have issues with inverted kingpins on cast baseplates reaming out the hole. After lots of abuse, they develop play. Maybe this will prevent that? Pretty cool design if it works!

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Also hoping this would prevent kingpins from getting wobbly over time on inverted trucks. I hope more truck companies start to offer and inverted option as well.

This looks like a great upgrade instead of some dumb retreaders that will likely just get lost or are redundant for people who already have some *cough ace.