Gear madness support thread

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

Yeah, I’d just find try and stay within Indy.  If you change, just get regular thunders or venture hi’s, because you might hate them.  They are both lower and lighter in their raw state.  Indy to venture Lo is crazy talk…. Unless you’re a multiple set up guy….

[Sedition]

Indy to venture Lo is crazy talk…. Unless you’re a multiple set up guy….

^ That.

Also, there is that Thunder baseplate issue, if that bothers you.

[FrenchSkater]

Thank you everyone for advices and your answers, I think I found a good compromise by watching several analysis videos from Ben Degros.. Maybe I would go for the indy mids ! The weight of a board doesn't bother me, especially since I skate short boards and I prefer a heavy board.

 I was almost on the verge of taking thunder but, compared to the light configuration, I have a bad memory of the thunder four years ago, my board has shot too fast in 360 flip because the pop was too light, and I twisted my ankle.. That's why the venture lo interested me because they still have their "hefty" pop, but, yes, maybe too low .. And I see a lot of positive opinions on the indy mids, especially for the 139s, it would be more stable while keeping the clean and unique feeling of the indy !

[WoodRat]

Hardware nylon locking nuts. What are the advantages/disadvantages of low profile nuts like Shorty's?

[Mbrimson88]

Hardware nylon locking nuts. What are the advantages/disadvantages of low profile nuts like Shorty's?

The normal nuts and low profile nuts, also called jam nuts when I looked them up and bought a box from a hardware wholesaler are pretty much the same overall apart from the height.

When I was using shorter bolts with very thin rubber risers, I could fit everything in nicely with the low profile nuts, whereas I couldn't fit it all in on 7/8" bolts with the regular nuts.

The whole idea of this back in the day was going from long bolts with taller nuts, down to shorter bolts with lower nuts to minimise any grab issues and a lot of people preferred this as they could set up and take apart boards way more quickly too.

Preferences in board setups aside, some people find the low profile nuts just a pain as their skate tool might often slip on them, but a decent or slim skate tool that fits squarely on to the nuts is fine, especially / even with trucks like Venture or Venture low which are known to never really get a thicker tool to fit cleanly onto the nuts beside the pivot housing.

Both the normal and jam / low profile nuts are available from wholesalers or hardware specialists too, so often just replacing the nuts as needed, rather than the whole set of nuts and bolts is a game changer for me, in the skate shop, reason being the nyloc material starts to have issues after a few changes, so then they end up not holding the trucks on firmly, so changing to fresh nuts makes all the difference.

Without nyloc, nuts will not stay tight, no matter what you do, so having nyloc that works and holds is essential to the good working order of a normal skateboard.


From a madness perspective, having nuts that loosen off is very frustrating, so there are some people I know who will change out their nuts every second board or so, just to ensure they have nice tight hardware.

Seeing people who have deck bolts literally fall out of their setups through not tightening down their nuts is mind blowing to me, along with those who have truck holes that have ovalled out so much that their setups look like they can never run straight either, along with the trucks not lasting half as long or the decks having very wide gouges in them from the trucks moving side to side every time they try something.

General rule - if the nut can be finger tightened all the way on, it is time to replace them.  That goes for kingpin, axle and deck bolt nuts, all of which can be bought separately too.

[WoodRat]

Expand Quote

Hardware nylon locking nuts. What are the advantages/disadvantages of low profile nuts like Shorty's?

[close]

The normal nuts and low profile nuts, also called jam nuts when I looked them up and bought a box from a hardware wholesaler are pretty much the same overall apart from the height.

When I was using shorter bolts with very thin rubber risers, I could fit everything in nicely with the low profile nuts, whereas I couldn't fit it all in on 7/8" bolts with the regular nuts.

The whole idea of this back in the day was going from long bolts with taller nuts, down to shorter bolts with lower nuts to minimise any grab issues and a lot of people preferred this as they could set up and take apart boards way more quickly too.

Preferences in board setups aside, some people find the low profile nuts just a pain as their skate tool might often slip on them, but a decent or slim skate tool that fits squarely on to the nuts is fine, especially / even with trucks like Venture or Venture low which are known to never really get a thicker tool to fit cleanly onto the nuts beside the pivot housing.

Both the normal and jam / low profile nuts are available from wholesalers or hardware specialists too, so often just replacing the nuts as needed, rather than the whole set of nuts and bolts is a game changer for me, in the skate shop, reason being the nyloc material starts to have issues after a few changes, so then they end up not holding the trucks on firmly, so changing to fresh nuts makes all the difference.

Without nyloc, nuts will not stay tight, no matter what you do, so having nyloc that works and holds is essential to the good working order of a normal skateboard.


From a madness perspective, having nuts that loosen off is very frustrating, so there are some people I know who will change out their nuts every second board or so, just to ensure they have nice tight hardware.

Seeing people who have deck bolts literally fall out of their setups through not tightening down their nuts is mind blowing to me, along with those who have truck holes that have ovalled out so much that their setups look like they can never run straight either, along with the trucks not lasting half as long or the decks having very wide gouges in them from the trucks moving side to side every time they try something.

General rule - if the nut can be finger tightened all the way on, it is time to replace them.  That goes for kingpin, axle and deck bolt nuts, all of which can be bought separately too.

Thanks for the info. I'm buying bulk hardware myself, and never stopped to think about the pros and cons over a hex jam nut.

[MOE SYZLAK]

Truck/ WB madness update.
After much deliberation, video review viewings, truck thread browsing I set up some royal IKPs
My guy at Crail sent me a set a while ago and I’ve been curious but never pulled the trigger. I guess it’s PTSD from the royals of my adolescence.
I was surprised at how surfy these trucks are.
Haven’t touched them with a tool and probably wont.
Happy to say my tricks are popping again and even reeled in a grail trick on the first session.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DDGF3zCJOpK/?igsh=MTN2aTl6bHdjYXEyeQ==

I do have a few boards with 14.43 WB to test out with the aces on the way.

[BeachChicken]

Hardware nylon locking nuts. What are the advantages/disadvantages of low profile nuts like Shorty's?

I use Shorty's nuts almost exclusively. Weird OCD thing. Anyways, the main disadvantage is that the actual hex is lower profile so with Ventures it can be awkward to grip and it rounds the nut more. Also, I have had many Shorty's nuts end up getting stripped threads after only a deck or two probably because there is less nylock.

[drinny]

Drop of superglue on the thread, never have to buy multiple sets of bolts ever again.

Snaps off fine when time to unmount, use proper tools not ‘sK8’ crap

(honestly…. must be fucking kidding me, relying on nylock that’ll become ineffectual in at most a couple boards time? buying over and over, buying in bulk? nonsense)

[Rick Trapasso]

Truck/ WB madness update.
After much deliberation, video review viewings, truck thread browsing I set up some royal IKPs
My guy at Crail sent me a set a while ago and I’ve been curious but never pulled the trigger. I guess it’s PTSD from the royals of my adolescence.
I was surprised at how surfy these trucks are.
Haven’t touched them with a tool and probably wont.
Happy to say my tricks are popping again and even reeled in a grail trick on the first session.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DDGF3zCJOpK/?igsh=MTN2aTl6bHdjYXEyeQ==

I do have a few boards with 14.43 WB to test out with the aces on the way.

Hell yea mo, sick clip

[Mbrimson88]

Drop of superglue on the thread, never have to buy multiple sets of bolts ever again.

Snaps off fine when time to unmount, use proper tools not ‘sK8’ crap

(honestly…. must be fucking kidding me, relying on nylock that’ll become ineffectual in at most a couple boards time? buying over and over, buying in bulk? nonsense)

I like to do a lot of mods to things, as well as using glue on some things, but from a shop perspective, people often run a mile from anyone saying "use glue" or other things like that and I don't even bother, so it is way easier to buy cheap bulk things like nuts and supply those as needed.

I definitely get what you are saying though - wastage from parts in skateboarding is crazy, but in some ways that is what makes it work.

As another example, someone I know has been super keen on the rubber grip, but I am not ever going to get any in as it just is not what I think would work or sell, but some people don't want to go through shoes every month, so if they want to do that, they can and that's ok.  I like normal grip tape and keep things simple in that regard.

Different perspectives are also what makes this place and skateboarding so good too - wouldn't it be so very average if everyone did the same things, had the same boards, wore the same clothes... *

* Yeah I know how much the skate industry is just cloned to a point, but it is the little things that make it work better for me.

[munchbox]

went in to try some sneakers today
and it turns out i have been wearing the wrong size
the relief on my feet by going up a size was dizzying

wish me luck on the hunt for size 14 anythings

[rikki]

Truck/ WB madness update.
After much deliberation, video review viewings, truck thread browsing I set up some royal IKPs
My guy at Crail sent me a set a while ago and I’ve been curious but never pulled the trigger. I guess it’s PTSD from the royals of my adolescence.
I was surprised at how surfy these trucks are.
Haven’t touched them with a tool and probably wont.
Happy to say my tricks are popping again and even reeled in a grail trick on the first session.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DDGF3zCJOpK/?igsh=MTN2aTl6bHdjYXEyeQ==

I do have a few boards with 14.43 WB to test out with the aces on the way.

Sweet!

[Mbrimson88]

went in to try some sneakers today
and it turns out i have been wearing the wrong size
the relief on my feet by going up a size was dizzying

wish me luck on the hunt for size 14 anythings

Are there many around?

I recall a while back, one guy who just couldn't fit 13s could barely find anything in 14 besides some very basic gym type looking shoes and very few shops carried anything over 13 at all.

Even between some brands, some run bigger so a 13 in one brand might fit better than a 14 in another, but trying on almost everything in any given shop just to find one that works could be quite a pain.

[ok boomer]

Just wanted to chime in that my madness (haven’t mentioned in a few years) is still alive and well. I try to conform to this 8+ world (I have an 8.25 and 8.38) .. but I still prefer 7.625 and egg shapes. Wish more “cool” brands made them.

And still have my Thunder cheat fantasy as I know they’re great but I guess I’m married to Indy’s

[munchbox]

Expand Quote

went in to try some sneakers today
and it turns out i have been wearing the wrong size
the relief on my feet by going up a size was dizzying

wish me luck on the hunt for size 14 anythings

[close]

Are there many around?

I recall a while back, one guy who just couldn't fit 13s could barely find anything in 14 besides some very basic gym type looking shoes and very few shops carried anything over 13 at all.

Even between some brands, some run bigger so a 13 in one brand might fit better than a 14 in another, but trying on almost everything in any given shop just to find one that works could be quite a pain.

unfortunately, 3(?) core shops sell shoes in nyc
at least that i know of. rare to find 14s here
this will mostly be an online endeavor
480s and dunks have been scouted in my size

me sticking with those options would be sensible
adidas makes shoes too narrow for my foot shape
so shelltoes are permanently out of my rotation

i have to admit to myself that i am 1' taller
than the average skater
and need to stop squeezing into the bounds

[FrenchSkater]

Curious about that, does using medium bones bushings on forged hollows indy change the height of the truck ?

[Sedition]

Curious about that, does using medium bones bushings on forged hollows indy change the height of the truck ?

No.

[Creachteach]

Curious about that, does using medium bones bushings on forged hollows indy change the height of the truck ?

Keep your bottom washer on, or put a flat washer at the bottom, and it won’t change the geometry.

[Unkle Fleak]

Expand Quote

Curious about that, does using medium bones bushings on forged hollows indy change the height of the truck ?

[close]

Keep your bottom washer on, or put a flat washer at the bottom, and it won’t change the geometry.

Bottle cap is the move tho.

[RichardBarkley]

While we are talking Indy bushings what's the best slightly harder than normal bushings for Indy

[Sedition]

While we are talking Indy bushings what's the best slightly harder than normal bushings for Indy

The 92a blue barrel aftermarket Indy ones. They are “loose” for about 30 min, then firm up nicely. Just make sure you don’t get the ones for Stage 4, they are not same size as Stage 11 ones.

[rocklobster]

Expand Quote

While we are talking Indy bushings what's the best slightly harder than normal bushings for Indy

[close]

The 92a blue barrel aftermarket Indy ones. They are “loose” for about 30 min, then firm up nicely. Just make sure you don’t get the ones for Stage 4, they are not same size as Stage 11 ones.

Any chance you got the dimensions of the Stage 4 vs 11 bushings?

[Plan9Customs]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

While we are talking Indy bushings what's the best slightly harder than normal bushings for Indy

[close]

The 92a blue barrel aftermarket Indy ones. They are “loose” for about 30 min, then firm up nicely. Just make sure you don’t get the ones for Stage 4, they are not same size as Stage 11 ones.

[close]

Any chance you got the dimensions of the Stage 4 vs 11 bushings?

Pretty sure @Mbrimson88 posted that in the Indy thread.

[Sedition]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

While we are talking Indy bushings what's the best slightly harder than normal bushings for Indy

[close]

The 92a blue barrel aftermarket Indy ones. They are “loose” for about 30 min, then firm up nicely. Just make sure you don’t get the ones for Stage 4, they are not same size as Stage 11 ones.

[close]

Any chance you got the dimensions of the Stage 4 vs 11 bushings?

I don't but Stage 4 are taller, and if I recall, they come in a YELLOW box. They will not fit on Stage 11s.

[rikki]

The Indy blue aftermarkets are probably the best bushings if you're looking for something a bit firmer than the stock ones. I'm 142lbs/64kg and they're perfect for me, running 'em flush and pretty much not having to crank them down after taking them into use.

[RichardBarkley]

Thanks guys

[Mbrimson88]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

While we are talking Indy bushings what's the best slightly harder than normal bushings for Indy

[close]

The 92a blue barrel aftermarket Indy ones. They are “loose” for about 30 min, then firm up nicely. Just make sure you don’t get the ones for Stage 4, they are not same size as Stage 11 ones.

[close]

Any chance you got the dimensions of the Stage 4 vs 11 bushings?

[close]

Pretty sure @Mbrimson88 posted that in the Indy thread.

I have seen a few different measurements, but this is what I have on paper from the sets I measured the other day:

Indy 11

10.5 top
12.5 bottom (some say 13)


Indy 4

12 top
14.5 bottom (some say 15 or close to it)


Too many numbers, but yeah that was the basic info.

[Mbrimson88]

While we are talking Indy bushings what's the best slightly harder than normal bushings for Indy

The shape of the bushing is also something to note.

Conical is almost a half step up, but Cylinder is a whole step up, if that makes sense.


Running a Conical shaped bottom bushing makes things a little more mushy feeling than the comparable firmness of a Cylinder bottom bushing, for the same duro, so you could say something like this:


90 Cylinder = 90
92 Conical = 91
92 Cylinder = 92
94 Conical = 93
94 Cylinder = 94

That is the way I often explain things to people and I do actually like the Conical bushings a bit more than Cylinder for the black ones to have a slightly firmer feeling but not quite as firm as the black Cylinders, which are almost too firm.

From new they will feel different to broken in though, so the blue ones often feel very squishy but firm up a lot.  The black ones might feel stiff and hard, but they do soften up a lot, as do the yellow ones, but for some people it takes a long time for that to happen.

I also shave off / sand off a bit of the black ones some times just to get them feeling a little more forgiving, but overall they still feel more firm than the blue ones, even when fully broken in.


* I generally run the 92 Conicals on my own setups, but have some of each for testing / trying, as well as a lot of used ones from others when they swap out bushings.

[Rick Trapasso]

Expand Quote

While we are talking Indy bushings what's the best slightly harder than normal bushings for Indy

[close]

The shape of the bushing is also something to note.

Conical is almost a half step up, but Cylinder is a whole step up, if that makes sense.


Running a Conical shaped bottom bushing makes things a little more mushy feeling than the comparable firmness of a Cylinder bottom bushing, for the same duro, so you could say something like this:


90 Cylinder = 90
92 Conical = 91
92 Cylinder = 92
94 Conical = 93
94 Cylinder = 94

That is the way I often explain things to people and I do actually like the Conical bushings a bit more than Cylinder for the black ones to have a slightly firmer feeling but not quite as firm as the black Cylinders, which are almost too firm.

From new they will feel different to broken in though, so the blue ones often feel very squishy but firm up a lot.  The black ones might feel stiff and hard, but they do soften up a lot, as do the yellow ones, but for some people it takes a long time for that to happen.

I also shave off / sand off a bit of the black ones some times just to get them feeling a little more forgiving, but overall they still feel more firm than the blue ones, even when fully broken in.


* I generally run the 92 Conicals on my own setups, but have some of each for testing / trying, as well as a lot of used ones from others when they swap out bushings.

Yea, I ran the black cylinders for a while and hated when I had to get new ones because they felt rock hard at first.