New Ace AF1 *Low* announced

[big_kev_215]

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Apparently the pivots are heavily pre-lubed…goops started squishing out within a few minutes





Coming off Indy Forged mids, the height is fine, stock tightness and I can turn/carve super tight (without wheebite, unless I  really force the turn) much quicker than on the mindy (and deeper). Compared to the royals I was one for a minute, no contest, the ACE turn is still king, even on lows...I'd forgotten how fast you can adjust ACE at speed and not lose confidence in stability...

Grind-wise they're hard, like the AF1s I tried at launch (but I'm only an hour deep on them). Not any harder 'feeling' than Indy but they are stickier.

[close]

Sounds promising.  The 169s I’ve been skating for the past six months are starting to feel dead.  I can’t wait to throw these bad boys on my board next week and start putting them to the test.   

[close]

I've been off ACE for a hot minute (rode them religiously for a few years after they launched, weight be damned). Tried AF1s but my set had defects so bad taste (plus heavy); but I'm on a low kick these days and they're a bit lighter....but I'm getting over that since I was on an 8.5 hollow forged mindys (or Royals) and hefty conicals; Are you going 60s? 66s?

I did something similar.  Rode 55 classics for a bit, tried AF1s, wasn’t a huge fan compared to the classics, rode 44 classics for a while, then some Indy 169s more recently.  I skate primarily bigger boards so I grabbed the low 60s.  I grew up doing some of my best skateboarding on lower trucks (Royals and Ventures) so I’m hoping that lower truck feeling brings back some of those good vibes. 

[logjammin]

I didn’t like the AF1’s grind or turn compared to classics as well. Tried to experiment with classic hangers in AF1 baseplates and the kingpin sat even higher and the pivot nub on a classic hanger is too big to fit into the AF1 pivot cavity.

I recently scored some 1st gen 55 classics off eBay and the pivot nub on these is smaller like the AF1’s. So I’m curious if these 1st gen 55’s being “hi’s” will fit into the AF1 LOW baseplate if I used the “hi” height bottom bushing that comes stock on those, and then paired it with the shorter top bushing from the AF1 lows? Or would the geometry just not match up? I’m interested because the AF1 baseplate will offer more strength for slappies and a hollow kingpin would be kinda cool.

[Xen]

Session 2 and they felt right as rain...board does sound a bit 'soft' which I remember from riding my first set of AF1s...deck pops crispy new and the shieldless swiss + 103a STFs with a good amount of wiggle wouldn't be the cause. Didn't matter tho, had a good session on them. Maybe it's muscle memory or 'old shoes' but there's zero adjustment period/no break in required.

As for sticky/hard grind I'm just going faster to compensate.

[Carter]

Session 2 and they felt right as rain...board does sound a bit 'soft' which I remember from riding my first set of AF1s...deck pops crispy new and the shieldless swiss + 103a STFs with a good amount of wiggle wouldn't be the cause. Didn't matter tho, had a good session on them. Maybe it's muscle memory or 'old shoes' but there's zero adjustment period/no break in required.

As for sticky/hard grind I'm just going faster to compensate.

the soft sounding board is my only complaint so far besides getting used to a little heavier truck than used to. love my af1 lows so far. can't wait to get some grooves in the trucks

[In A Jar]

4 days in on some low 55s.  I come from a venture low background, but have wanted bigger boards and haven't found the right truck.  Venture highs are too hefty for me, I've tried pretty much everything else and didn't like them.  So far I'm really digging these ace lows.  Not much wheelbite with 52mm, quick snappy pop, light and flick well, good manual point, turn really well.  The clicking noise is annoying though, hope it goes away soon. 

[diplodocus]

Has anyone compared the AF-1 lows to AF-1 regulars?

[Xen]

4 days in on some low 55s.  I come from a venture low background, but have wanted bigger boards and haven't found the right truck.  Venture highs are too hefty for me, I've tried pretty much everything else and didn't like them.  So far I'm really digging these ace lows.  Not much wheelbite with 52mm, quick snappy pop, light and flick well, good manual point, turn really well.  The clicking noise is annoying though, hope it goes away soon. 

Mine clicked for the first time yesterday, which I thought was odd (they're stock btw) but it didn't happen again. I thought I snapped a bolt.

I'm still surprised how little I'm wheebiting, one truck area has no wheel bite marks yet, which is really weird.

[Xen]

Has anyone compared the AF-1 lows to AF-1 regulars?

so how does a shorter bushing compare to the regular height bushing?

Not sure what you are really after here? They're AF1 lows...they're lower. Having skated AF1s (but not at length) I can safely say in comparison to them:

They're lighter and lower.
They still don't wheebite that much (YMMV).
The bushings are shorter (top and bottom).
The grind is just as hard/slightly sticky.
They 'deaden' the sound of your board slightly.

And most importantly, the turn is still magical.

(I won't speak to pop feel as they're low so it will be different but feels great to me).

[big_kev_215]

Tried mine today for a little bit.  I forgot how loose AF1s are in general out of the box.  Did these tighten up for you guys as you skated them? 

[Xen]

Tried mine today for a little bit.  I forgot how loose AF1s are in general out of the box.  Did these tighten up for you guys as you skated them? 

I'm only 3 sessions deep but the 3rd session showed no signs of firming up, if anything I felt a bit more 'play' on center than the day before. It has also been pretty hot out, high 70s/low 80s.

[Roisto]

Tried mine today for a little bit.  I forgot how loose AF1s are in general out of the box.  Did these tighten up for you guys as you skated them?

Haven’t skated the lows but my 55s were ridiculously loose out of the box. They firmed up maybe even a tad too much for my tastes. Both pairs of 66s I’ve had I think weren’t crazy loose to star with and didn’t loosen or firm up noticeably. Got a fresh pair of 60s to test when I heal up a bit.

[In A Jar]

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Tried mine today for a little bit.  I forgot how loose AF1s are in general out of the box.  Did these tighten up for you guys as you skated them?

[close]

Haven’t skated the lows but my 55s were ridiculously loose out of the box. They firmed up maybe even a tad too much for my tastes. Both pairs of 66s I’ve had I think weren’t crazy loose to star with and didn’t loosen or firm up noticeably. Got a fresh pair of 60s to test when I heal up a bit.

Coming from Venture lows I definitely had to tighten up my 55 lows.  But I'm really enjoying the increased turn and somehow less wheelbite. 

[Xen]

I'm literally out skating and fuck me click click click click wtf happened...?

I know there are solutions which I will apply but man...

Also, stock tightness, at the extreme end of the turn, where it wheelbites, the hanger and washers bind (not the source of the clicking mind) top and bottom…

Switching to flat washers.

Click the link for clicky truck video
https://youtube.com/shorts/8q9XZ7-Peys?feature=share

[rocklobster]

I'm literally out skating and fuck me click click click click wtf happened...?

I know there are solutions which I will apply but man...

Also, stock tightness, at the extreme end of the turn, where it wheelbites, the hanger and washers bind (not the source of the clicking mind) top and bottom…

Switching to flat washers.

Click the link for clicky truck video
https://youtube.com/shorts/8q9XZ7-Peys?feature=share

So what's the verdict? Worth the buy or did Ace drop the ball here?

[diplodocus]

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Has anyone compared the AF-1 lows to AF-1 regulars?

[close]

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so how does a shorter bushing compare to the regular height bushing?

[close]

Not sure what you are really after here? They're AF1 lows...they're lower. Having skated AF1s (but not at length) I can safely say in comparison to them:

They're lighter and lower.
They still don't wheebite that much (YMMV).
The bushings are shorter (top and bottom).
The grind is just as hard/slightly sticky.
They 'deaden' the sound of your board slightly.

And most importantly, the turn is still magical.

(I won't speak to pop feel as they're low so it will be different but feels great to me).

I'm asking questions about trucks is what I'm after. Thanks for your response.

[Carter]

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I'm literally out skating and fuck me click click click click wtf happened...?

I know there are solutions which I will apply but man...

Also, stock tightness, at the extreme end of the turn, where it wheelbites, the hanger and washers bind (not the source of the clicking mind) top and bottom…

Switching to flat washers.

Click the link for clicky truck video
https://youtube.com/shorts/8q9XZ7-Peys?feature=share

[close]

So what's the verdict? Worth the buy or did Ace drop the ball here?

I say worth it for sure

[Frank and Fred]

The clicking never lasts that long for me. A few sessions max.

The reality is new trucks are never as good as they are about to become... that's the price we have to pay for having really great feeling broken in trucks.

I also find new trucks just don't grind as well. It is really hard to assess a truck until you are solid dozen or so sessions in.

[Xen]

The clicking never lasts that long for me. A few sessions max.

The reality is new trucks are never as good as they are about to become... that's the price we have to pay for having really great feeling broken in trucks.

I also find new trucks just don't grind as well. It is really hard to assess a truck until you are solid dozen or so sessions in.

Agree, all trucks grind 'hard' when new and I'm sure AF1s are no different (as it is I am already used to them); that said, new indys feel better than the rest imo.

Hopefully the clicking will go away. I'm still going flat washers tho, I was pretty freaked at the yoke binding on the washers with just hand pressure...if it's doing it with hand pressure then it's for sure doing it with 180lb of body weight.

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I'm literally out skating and fuck me click click click click wtf happened...?

I know there are solutions which I will apply but man...

Also, stock tightness, at the extreme end of the turn, where it wheelbites, the hanger and washers bind (not the source of the clicking mind) top and bottom…

Switching to flat washers.

Click the link for clicky truck video
https://youtube.com/shorts/8q9XZ7-Peys?feature=share

[close]

So what's the verdict? Worth the buy or did Ace drop the ball here?

Worth a buy, especially if you know/understand what you are getting...a low version of the AF1 complete with all the benefits (and issues) that come with AF1s, plus hollow pins and a pinched cross beam plate (whatever that's worth/assuming it's reinforcement due to the lower/thinner plate).

Before I switched to flat washers I loosened them up to flush, clicking stopped but I couldn't hang, too floppy. Quick test with flat washers thread and a half over flush and no clicking so far...perhaps they just needed to be shifted a bit?

When swapping stock top washer to the sleeved flat I noticed the top bushing is smaller in diameter than that of the previous low bushings as there is some overhang of the washer on these whereas there never was before.

[goodatmeth]

Just weighed an AF1 baseplate+bushings and washers and compared it to the AF1 low.
The low baseplate+stuff is only 20g lighter, not the 33g claimed by ace. So either they're lying or there's something different about the hangers too.
I don't have regular AF1 55, but my lows are 375g without the rethreader in case anybody wants to compare it.
They are 37g lighter than my AF1 66.
Hangers definitely fit into each others baseplates

[Diamond_Dallas_Pudge]

Just weighed an AF1 baseplate+bushings and washers and compared it to the AF1 low.
The low baseplate+stuff is only 20g lighter, not the 33g claimed by ace. So either they're lying or there's something different about the hangers too.
I don't have regular AF1 55, but my lows are 375g without the rethreader in case anybody wants to compare it.
They are 37g lighter than my AF1 66.
Hangers definitely fit into each others baseplates

So if you put standard AF1 Hangers in the LOW BASEPLATE I now have a low truck?

[Xen]

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Just weighed an AF1 baseplate+bushings and washers and compared it to the AF1 low.
The low baseplate+stuff is only 20g lighter, not the 33g claimed by ace. So either they're lying or there's something different about the hangers too.
I don't have regular AF1 55, but my lows are 375g without the rethreader in case anybody wants to compare it.
They are 37g lighter than my AF1 66.
Hangers definitely fit into each others baseplates

[close]

So if you put standard AF1 Hangers in the LOW BASEPLATE I now have a low truck?

Yep.

"Lowered baseplate for more size options across the range"

If they tweaked the ACE1 low hanger to be lower, than a regular hanger+low plate would be a mid. Not sure anyone has compared the hangers yet?

[Diamond_Dallas_Pudge]

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Just weighed an AF1 baseplate+bushings and washers and compared it to the AF1 low.
The low baseplate+stuff is only 20g lighter, not the 33g claimed by ace. So either they're lying or there's something different about the hangers too.
I don't have regular AF1 55, but my lows are 375g without the rethreader in case anybody wants to compare it.
They are 37g lighter than my AF1 66.
Hangers definitely fit into each others baseplates

[close]

So if you put standard AF1 Hangers in the LOW BASEPLATE I now have a low truck?

[close]

Yep.

"Lowered baseplate for more size options across the range"

If they tweaked the ACE1 low hanger to be lower, than a regular hanger+low plate would be a mid. Not sure anyone has compared the hangers yet?

I keep asking but here we are on Slap in the year of our lord 2022 and NOBODY HAS POSTED THE PHOTOS COMPAIRING THE HANGERS.

[big_kev_215]

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Just weighed an AF1 baseplate+bushings and washers and compared it to the AF1 low.
The low baseplate+stuff is only 20g lighter, not the 33g claimed by ace. So either they're lying or there's something different about the hangers too.
I don't have regular AF1 55, but my lows are 375g without the rethreader in case anybody wants to compare it.
They are 37g lighter than my AF1 66.
Hangers definitely fit into each others baseplates

[close]

So if you put standard AF1 Hangers in the LOW BASEPLATE I now have a low truck?

[close]

Yep.

"Lowered baseplate for more size options across the range"

If they tweaked the ACE1 low hanger to be lower, than a regular hanger+low plate would be a mid. Not sure anyone has compared the hangers yet?

[close]

I keep asking but here we are on Slap in the year of our lord 2022 and NOBODY HAS POSTED THE PHOTOS COMPAIRING THE HANGERS.

I feel like I need some type of series of Venn Diagrams to wrap my head around all of these options. 

So either just hanger is different, just the baseplate is different, both are different, just the bushing and kingpin height/size are different, or everything is different?

[freidnly guy]

I'm literally out skating and fuck me click click click click wtf happened...?

clicky truck video

The only thing I can conceive is it's the washers against the kingpin? Like they get preloaded and after a certain angle they snap over to the other side?

[Ok]

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I'm literally out skating and fuck me click click click click wtf happened...?

clicky truck video

[close]

The only thing I can conceive is it's the washers against the kingpin? Like they get preloaded and after a certain angle they snap over to the other side?

I think that’s what happens, the washers and the kingpin. I loosened mine, and it started, but eventually went away. Mystery tho

[goodatmeth]

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Just weighed an AF1 baseplate+bushings and washers and compared it to the AF1 low.
The low baseplate+stuff is only 20g lighter, not the 33g claimed by ace. So either they're lying or there's something different about the hangers too.
I don't have regular AF1 55, but my lows are 375g without the rethreader in case anybody wants to compare it.
They are 37g lighter than my AF1 66.
Hangers definitely fit into each others baseplates

[close]

So if you put standard AF1 Hangers in the LOW BASEPLATE I now have a low truck?

[close]

Yep.

"Lowered baseplate for more size options across the range"

If they tweaked the ACE1 low hanger to be lower, than a regular hanger+low plate would be a mid. Not sure anyone has compared the hangers yet?

[close]

I keep asking but here we are on Slap in the year of our lord 2022 and NOBODY HAS POSTED THE PHOTOS COMPAIRING THE HANGERS.

There's no difference in hanger height, weight or anything else.

Edit: Skatedeluxe just got the lows and weighed them all. The lows really are only 20g lighter than standards.
I'm super hyped on ace at the moment, but they need to be called out on false-advertising pretty much everything they make. They didn't even have to specify a certain weight difference, why do that and then consistently miss it by 40%.

[munchbox]

nigerian prince ass estimates

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

I have classic 55’s and set up 44 lo’s and the hangers look quite different.  I didn’t weigh them but they seemed manageable compared to an Indy or Venture….

First impressions: I like what they’ve done to my board: longer nose/tail and shorter wheelbase…..

Super low which is what I wanted.  The geo is so tight that It’ll be interesting to see what the wheelbite factor will be.  I’ve got them set out on my worn down 52’s to start. 

It’s consistent to most brands but yah, new stock bushings…..so mushy.  I actually like to start new trucks tight and then loosening the, up…..the bushings have other ideas….

It’s exactly what I was asking for though….

[goodatmeth]

I have classic 55’s and set up 44 lo’s and the hangers look quite different.

What looks different? I just dm'd ace on insta to confirm it's exactly the same.

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

It’s a different factory I think…my classic 55’s are bulkier….finishing is way different….these are like a couple years old, so I don’t know if it’s a fair comparison.