Author Topic: Gear madness support thread  (Read 371185 times)

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Sedition

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Re: Gear madness support thread
« Reply #3450 on: December 24, 2025, 07:41:31 PM »
Just a shout to all the regular crew in this thread...

Merry and happy, well, everything...
"When life goes bad, make it go wronger"  -Gerwer

Rick Trapasso

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Re: Gear madness support thread
« Reply #3451 on: December 24, 2025, 07:47:11 PM »
Just a shout to all the regular crew in this thread...

Merry and happy, well, everything...

Right back at ya brother.

Ok

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Re: Gear madness support thread
« Reply #3452 on: December 24, 2025, 08:15:36 PM »
Af1s are great with the ace hard bushings, stable on center and crispy sounding but still can really dive when you want them to

I like the stock bushings too but it takes more energy riding "in" the board like that vs riding "on" top of it with a snappier, less gummy feeling bushing, especially for flip tricks

Aces pinch crooked grinds weird for me cause the turn is so deep

Soft wheels are sticky for me on crooked grinds

I've tried the AF1 55/regular radial 93a 58mm combo and it's super fun and I could still do all my shit. Was paired with an 8.5 x 14.25 board. Hard bushings, no risers.

58mm radial fulls are extremely wide

58mm normal radials, and 60mm classics aren't as wide but still wider than the other stuff

I personally wouldn't ride a 58+ wheel on anything smaller than an 8.5" truck

Boserio said they didn't really unlock any spots for him, they just look rad

After watching a lot of footage of people riding big wheels the last couple years, I got it in my head that I wanted to, too.

Now I'm back on 53s

I can just ride my cruiser if I want to just cruise


this is the exact scenario i was thinking of, and a deck with those same dimensions. comparatively, i’m far older, and much more limited than you.
this just might well be my cruiser…..era. gross.


anyways, i appreciate your timely and detailed response. very helpful.

i mean….instill might do it. i know it’s not going to work
it will be different from what i currently have.

Slave IV

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Re: Gear madness support thread
« Reply #3453 on: December 24, 2025, 08:17:26 PM »
Happy Holidays and another shout out to @Sedition for the generosity and already sending out what I’ll consider my only Christmas present! May we all solve a little madness in the new year!

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Re: Gear madness support thread
« Reply #3454 on: December 24, 2025, 09:31:37 PM »
Expand Quote

does anyone have some good things to say about the af1s...

[close]

I have some great things to say about AF1s! The most enjoyment I've gotten from them is giving them away! :)

Same for me. I never got them feel right no matter what I did with them so best decision was to give them away. I'm good with the Classics but I'm also ready to move on. Actually, since I started riding Aces I've messed with my setups more than ever, heh.

Sandwich Marty

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Re: Gear madness support thread
« Reply #3455 on: December 24, 2025, 10:02:57 PM »
significant madness/inspiration spun out for me.

fiendishly coveting ace af1 inverted hollows, and some very large softer spitfires, bannerot tribute setup.

on the positive side of things: ace turn great and are fun. big soft wheels would open up quite a bit of cruising around, skating for distance, which tbf, would be a more realistic way for me to have some fun on a skateboard (compared to skating infrequently, and trying tons of flip tricks from 25 years ago).

the against argument: i own more than i use. its just some greedy buying shit, trying to feel something nonsense. i’m just going to go to the same
parking lot and try and switchflip it.

my only positive ace pop experiences have been shorter boards with big wheels.

does anyone have some good things to say about the af1s, and/or, more importantly: the skating with very large wheels?

AF1’s require some dedication. For awhile they’re gonna be wobbly and weird. But man when you get really used to them and pair them with the right board & wheels they are magical. They’re like a wild horse that won’t let you be in total control of them until you’ve gained their trust. I’ve been drinking gin so I’ll probably be embarrassed of that last part later but right now it seems so on point.

*edit- yeah idk what I was on about 🫠
« Last Edit: December 25, 2025, 10:31:11 AM by Sandwich Marty »

rikki

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Re: Gear madness support thread
« Reply #3456 on: December 25, 2025, 01:06:04 AM »
Just a shout to all the regular crew in this thread...

Merry and happy, well, everything...

Yo! Ho ho ho!

Hqjdncm

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Re: Gear madness support thread
« Reply #3457 on: December 28, 2025, 05:05:21 PM »
So I went from 53mm classic fulls on ventures to 56mm classic fulls on Indy’s, and man does it feel like home. I rode big wide wheels on Indy’s for sooo long (probably like 7 years) i don’t know why I strayed away from it! I was trippin on the weight and the pop feel because of it is fantastic (pretty similar feeling to ventures actually, just more height before the tail hits but already adjusted to it) haven’t lost any tricks, and honestly they feel kinda easier now. Idk maybe cause I’m so tall and big that this is just what I need, a tall and big setup to match!

And as I said before I had venture v8s on a 14.625 wb with just my front truck in which is the exact same wb as my Indy’s on a 14.5 (which is on the April im riding) so honestly the only adjustment was the actual height of Indy’s and the 56s. Also does anyone know what the height increase would be from what I was riding to now?

Obijuan91

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Re: Gear madness support thread
« Reply #3458 on: December 28, 2025, 06:46:22 PM »
So I went from 53mm classic fulls on ventures to 56mm classic fulls on Indy’s, and man does it feel like home. I rode big wide wheels on Indy’s for sooo long (probably like 7 years) i don’t know why I strayed away from it! I was trippin on the weight and the pop feel because of it is fantastic (pretty similar feeling to ventures actually, just more height before the tail hits but already adjusted to it) haven’t lost any tricks, and honestly they feel kinda easier now. Idk maybe cause I’m so tall and big that this is just what I need, a tall and big setup to match!

And as I said before I had venture v8s on a 14.625 wb with just my front truck in which is the exact same wb as my Indy’s on a 14.5 (which is on the April im riding) so honestly the only adjustment was the actual height of Indy’s and the 56s. Also does anyone know what the height increase would be from what I was riding to now?

Bout 3 mm

Mbrimson88

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Re: Gear madness support thread
« Reply #3459 on: December 29, 2025, 03:46:49 AM »
Expand Quote
So I went from 53mm classic fulls on ventures to 56mm classic fulls on Indy’s, and man does it feel like home. I rode big wide wheels on Indy’s for sooo long (probably like 7 years) i don’t know why I strayed away from it! I was trippin on the weight and the pop feel because of it is fantastic (pretty similar feeling to ventures actually, just more height before the tail hits but already adjusted to it) haven’t lost any tricks, and honestly they feel kinda easier now. Idk maybe cause I’m so tall and big that this is just what I need, a tall and big setup to match!

And as I said before I had venture v8s on a 14.625 wb with just my front truck in which is the exact same wb as my Indy’s on a 14.5 (which is on the April im riding) so honestly the only adjustment was the actual height of Indy’s and the 56s. Also does anyone know what the height increase would be from what I was riding to now?
[close]

Bout 3 mm


Yes, Venture 53 mm to Indy 55 mm, so 2 mm in trucks, then 53 mm wheels to 56 mm wheels so halve the difference, so 1.5 mm from ground to axle.

Combine that with the difference in truck axle position in relation to the bolts to tail length and you are going to have what would almost be an easier pop on your current setup - although taller, it sits in further - compared to the lower but further out Venture ride, which would make the tail somewhat shorter, but being lower would be a bit more snappy.

It was an interesting experiment when I did a big old mix and match a while back, with much the same heights and sizes of product, if not the same shapes of deck or wheels.

By the sound of it though, as per my own experiments, it has worked so well with similar combinations in the past.

Gone since 1988.  I talk too much about skateboards.  Sorry.

Jort250

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Re: Gear madness support thread
« Reply #3460 on: December 29, 2025, 10:23:25 AM »
Self moment of realization which maybe can assist other folks too.. I was a longtime 8” truck rider up until 8.25” trucks came out. I was riding 8.25” boards at that time so I decided to update my trucks to match however I noticed that I was gradually losing my flip tricks which I chalked up to getting older and working too much overtime. This summer, I went back to 8” trucks and slowly got some of my old flip tricks back. Most importantly, I also learned that I can get away with holding longer grinds on the smaller trucks too

Everyone’s mileage varies but the gist of the above is that I learned that I can get away with smaller trucks for longer grinds but not wider trucks for non-straight 8 flip tricks. This might sound intuitive but my experience is that the shorter trucks really let some of my flip tricks happen
« Last Edit: December 29, 2025, 10:44:31 AM by jorch250 »

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Re: Gear madness support thread
« Reply #3461 on: December 29, 2025, 01:34:58 PM »
Self moment of realization which maybe can assist other folks too.. I was a longtime 8” truck rider up until 8.25” trucks came out. I was riding 8.25” boards at that time so I decided to update my trucks to match however I noticed that I was gradually losing my flip tricks which I chalked up to getting older and working too much overtime. This summer, I went back to 8” trucks and slowly got some of my old flip tricks back. Most importantly, I also learned that I can get away with holding longer grinds on the smaller trucks too

Everyone’s mileage varies but the gist of the above is that I learned that I can get away with smaller trucks for longer grinds but not wider trucks for non-straight 8 flip tricks. This might sound intuitive but my experience is that the shorter trucks really let some of my flip tricks happen

Perhaps the weight of a 8.25 truck affects it as well since they have more material. I've noticed I skate much better and longer with lighter trucks.

Teethcanbesexy

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Re: Gear madness support thread
« Reply #3462 on: December 29, 2025, 04:35:20 PM »
Currently have gear procrastination and laziness.  Want to change some shit up but I’d rather just skate it how it is than use my time to set it up

Ok

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Re: Gear madness support thread
« Reply #3463 on: December 29, 2025, 05:08:00 PM »
Self moment of realization which maybe can assist other folks too.. I was a longtime 8” truck rider up until 8.25” trucks came out. I was riding 8.25” boards at that time so I decided to update my trucks to match however I noticed that I was gradually losing my flip tricks which I chalked up to getting older and working too much overtime. This summer, I went back to 8” trucks and slowly got some of my old flip tricks back. Most importantly, I also learned that I can get away with holding longer grinds on the smaller trucks too

Everyone’s mileage varies but the gist of the above is that I learned that I can get away with smaller trucks for longer grinds but not wider trucks for non-straight 8 flip tricks. This might sound intuitive but my experience is that the shorter trucks really let some of my flip tricks happen

oh i identify with this.

my grinding has always been extremely limited, i’ve mainly been interested in flatground type bullshit. Lavar in Trilogy would be my ideal ability.
anyways.
i’ve struggled to size up past 8” trucks, and i’ve tried for so long that now everything is all messed up for me, and smaller setups feel shitty, and bigger setups, also shitty. probably not the setups. i think ive isolated the variable (the constant?).
i get hyped when i read about Ishod or Worrest using 8” trucks, Reynolds….I just haven’t gained any tricks from using a larger rig. some of the tricks do feel better tho, so that’s why i keep trying.

as to trying lighter trucks and all of that: that is only important to me, when im not riding my size. meaning, if im trying some big board (for me that’s 8.5) and matching trucks and shit, i might like hollow/light whatever. but if i try light 8” trucks i generally hate them.

swongolianbbq

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Re: Gear madness support thread
« Reply #3464 on: December 29, 2025, 07:20:56 PM »
Expand Quote
Self moment of realization which maybe can assist other folks too.. I was a longtime 8” truck rider up until 8.25” trucks came out. I was riding 8.25” boards at that time so I decided to update my trucks to match however I noticed that I was gradually losing my flip tricks which I chalked up to getting older and working too much overtime. This summer, I went back to 8” trucks and slowly got some of my old flip tricks back. Most importantly, I also learned that I can get away with holding longer grinds on the smaller trucks too

Everyone’s mileage varies but the gist of the above is that I learned that I can get away with smaller trucks for longer grinds but not wider trucks for non-straight 8 flip tricks. This might sound intuitive but my experience is that the shorter trucks really let some of my flip tricks happen
[close]

oh i identify with this.

my grinding has always been extremely limited, i’ve mainly been interested in flatground type bullshit. Lavar in Trilogy would be my ideal ability.
anyways.
i’ve struggled to size up past 8” trucks, and i’ve tried for so long that now everything is all messed up for me, and smaller setups feel shitty, and bigger setups, also shitty. probably not the setups. i think ive isolated the variable (the constant?).
i get hyped when i read about Ishod or Worrest using 8” trucks, Reynolds….I just haven’t gained any tricks from using a larger rig. some of the tricks do feel better tho, so that’s why i keep trying.

as to trying lighter trucks and all of that: that is only important to me, when im not riding my size. meaning, if im trying some big board (for me that’s 8.5) and matching trucks and shit, i might like hollow/light whatever. but if i try light 8” trucks i generally hate them.

I completely agree about the weight

I'd rather have a heavier, smaller truck than a lighter, bigger truck

The feedback from the weight, and the way your board goes where you expect it to, is far more valuable to me than the width... I can pretty much get down on any board size as long as the wheelbase and trucks stay the same size

I'd say just stay on 8" trucks, and stick to whatever wheelbase works for you. Magic carpet if you want, fuck it.

Hella pros have done 8.25 and 8.5 boards on 8" trucks, it's a classic move

bluedohdohs

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Re: Gear madness support thread
« Reply #3465 on: December 30, 2025, 11:27:23 PM »
Self moment of realization which maybe can assist other folks too.. I was a longtime 8” truck rider up until 8.25” trucks came out. I was riding 8.25” boards at that time so I decided to update my trucks to match however I noticed that I was gradually losing my flip tricks which I chalked up to getting older and working too much overtime. This summer, I went back to 8” trucks and slowly got some of my old flip tricks back. Most importantly, I also learned that I can get away with holding longer grinds on the smaller trucks too

Everyone’s mileage varies but the gist of the above is that I learned that I can get away with smaller trucks for longer grinds but not wider trucks for non-straight 8 flip tricks. This might sound intuitive but my experience is that the shorter trucks really let some of my flip tricks happen

I use to skate 8.5 deck & trucks until the 8.25s came out & i think I agree with you my flip tricks didn’t suffer at all except they were alot higher and over spinning for like half a day & then it just better, but i was recently wondering if my grinds would be better with the 8.5 trucks so reading your post is comforting thank you



Mbrimson88

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Re: Gear madness support thread
« Reply #3466 on: December 31, 2025, 01:46:17 AM »
Expand Quote
Self moment of realization which maybe can assist other folks too.. I was a longtime 8” truck rider up until 8.25” trucks came out. I was riding 8.25” boards at that time so I decided to update my trucks to match however I noticed that I was gradually losing my flip tricks which I chalked up to getting older and working too much overtime. This summer, I went back to 8” trucks and slowly got some of my old flip tricks back. Most importantly, I also learned that I can get away with holding longer grinds on the smaller trucks too

Everyone’s mileage varies but the gist of the above is that I learned that I can get away with smaller trucks for longer grinds but not wider trucks for non-straight 8 flip tricks. This might sound intuitive but my experience is that the shorter trucks really let some of my flip tricks happen
[close]

I use to skate 8.5 deck & trucks until the 8.25s came out & i think I agree with you my flip tricks didn’t suffer at all except they were alot higher and over spinning for like half a day & then it just better, but i was recently wondering if my grinds would be better with the 8.5 trucks so reading your post is comforting thank you


Some people I know and skate with always ride smaller trucks than their board, for that very reason - it just works better for them with how they skate, eg 8.75" with 8.5" trucks, 8.38" with 8.25" trucks, or 8.25" with 8" trucks.

Even having minimal washers on the inside of the same width trucks as the deck feels different to having three washers on the inside, but experimenting with the options can really make something work well or work well enough.

Then there are the others who have wider trucks to deck setups, which is a whole different game, but if it works for them, then that's ok too.


* I usually ride same width board to trucks, but I have skated enough "other boards" to feel what all options were like and can appreciate the differences, but I guess that doesn't help at all in the Gear Madness Support Thread.


Gone since 1988.  I talk too much about skateboards.  Sorry.

bluedohdohs

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Re: Gear madness support thread
« Reply #3467 on: December 31, 2025, 07:40:10 AM »
Expand Quote
Expand Quote
Self moment of realization which maybe can assist other folks too.. I was a longtime 8” truck rider up until 8.25” trucks came out. I was riding 8.25” boards at that time so I decided to update my trucks to match however I noticed that I was gradually losing my flip tricks which I chalked up to getting older and working too much overtime. This summer, I went back to 8” trucks and slowly got some of my old flip tricks back. Most importantly, I also learned that I can get away with holding longer grinds on the smaller trucks too

Everyone’s mileage varies but the gist of the above is that I learned that I can get away with smaller trucks for longer grinds but not wider trucks for non-straight 8 flip tricks. This might sound intuitive but my experience is that the shorter trucks really let some of my flip tricks happen
[close]

I use to skate 8.5 deck & trucks until the 8.25s came out & i think I agree with you my flip tricks didn’t suffer at all except they were alot higher and over spinning for like half a day & then it just better, but i was recently wondering if my grinds would be better with the 8.5 trucks so reading your post is comforting thank you
[close]


Some people I know and skate with always ride smaller trucks than their board, for that very reason - it just works better for them with how they skate, eg 8.75" with 8.5" trucks, 8.38" with 8.25" trucks, or 8.25" with 8" trucks.

Even having minimal washers on the inside of the same width trucks as the deck feels different to having three washers on the inside, but experimenting with the options can really make something work well or work well enough.

Then there are the others who have wider trucks to deck setups, which is a whole different game, but if it works for them, then that's ok too.


* I usually ride same width board to trucks, but I have skated enough "other boards" to feel what all options were like and can appreciate the differences, but I guess that doesn't help at all in the Gear Madness Support Thread.

That actually is something i’m wanting to do here soon lol put extra washers to stick the wheels out dunno why i never thought of that until being on slap
Or maybe i did n just was too lazy lol
Finally put wax in my pivot cups & felt silly I hadn’t done it sooner
Yeah i think imma stick with the magic carpet can’t think of any reason to stray away
Ya’ll all have a great new years and stay safe don’t drink n drive pls

Sedition

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Re: Gear madness support thread
« Reply #3468 on: December 31, 2025, 11:15:42 AM »
My experience with truck widths and grinds…

I rode the DLX 8.25/14.38 with 144s as my main set-up for well over 10-years (149s prior to 144s coming out). During that time I occasionally put 149s (again) on my 8.25, rode a few 8.5 decks (with 149s), and had the DLX 8.75/14.62 with 159s as more of a cruiser type deck.

For a very long time, whenever I went above 144s, I really hated the “lateral slop” (e.g. lateral movement) of/on wider trucks. Once I got into a grind, I didn’t want to deal with side-to-side movement—I wanted a solid lock, and I got this more quickly with smaller trucks. Moreover, anytime something was cross-locked, wider trucks put the board at more of an off-angle from the direction of travel, whereas narrower trucks keep the board more parallel (with the direction of travel), and I felt less “twisted-up” on smaller trucks.

Over time, and with age, I started riding wider boards a bit more. It took me a bit to adjust to the “lateral slop,” but I also realized, at least for me, wider trucks had some real grind advantages, too. Specifically, I didn’t have to be as precise. Take something like a b/s 180 to fakie 50/50 grind on a curb/ledge/etc. With narrow trucks, that trick is easier to “over rotate” if your body is still turning a bit after the trucks lock-in. For me at least, wider trucks will “absorb” a bit more of that rotation, and be less likely to toss you off if you are not perfect (and I am certainly not). The other thing is that once in a grind, wider trucks just feel more stable. As of now, my main set-up is the BLKLBL 8.75/14.5 with 159s. When I get back on my 8.25, it now feels like I am on a “tight rope,” and even olleing into a b/s 50-50 on a bench feels a bit precarious (because of how “7.75” the 8.25 now feels). My 8.75 feels much more…balanced. 

Not grind related, but another place I really like wider trucks is on axle/feeble/pivot to fakies on transition. I do those tricks, and variations of them, A LOT. A wider truck puts that rear toe-side wheel further “in” the ramp, and for me, that makes those tricks a lot more fluid and easier to bring back in.

Flip tricks? Yeah. Those take more effort with wider trucks, for sure. But man, do they ever feel good on a bigger board, too.   
"When life goes bad, make it go wronger"  -Gerwer

swongolianbbq

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Re: Gear madness support thread
« Reply #3469 on: December 31, 2025, 11:43:24 AM »
^ one of my most fun setups ever was my first foray into big wheels and boards in 2016. I got a shaped Santa cruz 9+ something and some 58mm conicals, still ran it on 149s. Memories on that setup burned into my brain skating Cody, Jackson Hole, Big Sky and Bozeman.

-

Doing a slow transition into my new shit, phasing it in so it's not too weird all at once.

My setup before:

• 8.5 or 8.25, 14.25 wheelbase. Real blue ovals, AH blue eagles, baker logos, bbs blanks
• hollow cast indy 149s(I don't know why I bought hollows)
• 54mm spitfire classics

Ended up trying 56mm classics, 60mm classics, and 58mm radials this year before going back to 54mm classics

Some things I didn't like about my setup after starting to skate a little harder again:

• trucks felt too light on pool coping
• board felt too long

Switched from hollow cast 149 to standard 144, and set them up on a blue eagle I already had

Got an 8.25" x 14" wheelbase deck on ice

I learned/realized a lot of stuff in this thread

Ended up finally acting on all my madness and it was literally just a set of trucks and a board hahah. 1/4" here and 1/4" there. I'm gonna stick to 144 standards and 8.25 x 14". I think at 5'8" and 36 years old I'm gonna like that better than 149s and 8.5 x 14.25. both are absolutely great setups don't get me wrong. I kind of can't believe I finally peeled myself away from the mystical 149 x 14.25 wb combo

-

10 days madness free

Feels good

-

Building a board for my girlfriend. The last time she had a board she was like 12 and it was a 1977 fiberglass Hobie with Bennetts and no griptape that she bombed the hill in front of her house with. She recently expressed interest in wanting to go skate with me, and after seeing that board and that hill, I started showing her all kinds of graphics and there's a few she's pumped on. Originally we were gonna get the talking heads 10" pig shape, but she wanted a board like me and her friends have.

Probably gonna go with 56mm G-Slides and Indy 144s on a dlx true fit 8.25 to 8.5, 13.75 to 14 wb depending on what graphics she likes. I'm thinking 1/8" risers, and I'm going to make 1/4" thick tail skids out of a polyethylene cutting board so her board lasts longer, with those transparent rails from opera to protect the graphic+stickers

I wish I still had my first board but the kicks wore down SO much it was ridiculous. My dad re-drilled my wheelbase instead of getting me a new board hahah
« Last Edit: December 31, 2025, 12:09:01 PM by swongolianbbq »

bluedohdohs

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Re: Gear madness support thread
« Reply #3470 on: January 01, 2026, 10:25:55 PM »
My experience with truck widths and grinds…

I rode the DLX 8.25/14.38 with 144s as my main set-up for well over 10-years (149s prior to 144s coming out). During that time I occasionally put 149s (again) on my 8.25, rode a few 8.5 decks (with 149s), and had the DLX 8.75/14.62 with 159s as more of a cruiser type deck.

For a very long time, whenever I went above 144s, I really hated the “lateral slop” (e.g. lateral movement) of/on wider trucks. Once I got into a grind, I didn’t want to deal with side-to-side movement—I wanted a solid lock, and I got this more quickly with smaller trucks. Moreover, anytime something was cross-locked, wider trucks put the board at more of an off-angle from the direction of travel, whereas narrower trucks keep the board more parallel (with the direction of travel), and I felt less “twisted-up” on smaller trucks.

Over time, and with age, I started riding wider boards a bit more. It took me a bit to adjust to the “lateral slop,” but I also realized, at least for me, wider trucks had some real grind advantages, too. Specifically, I didn’t have to be as precise. Take something like a b/s 180 to fakie 50/50 grind on a curb/ledge/etc. With narrow trucks, that trick is easier to “over rotate” if your body is still turning a bit after the trucks lock-in. For me at least, wider trucks will “absorb” a bit more of that rotation, and be less likely to toss you off if you are not perfect (and I am certainly not). The other thing is that once in a grind, wider trucks just feel more stable. As of now, my main set-up is the BLKLBL 8.75/14.5 with 159s. When I get back on my 8.25, it now feels like I am on a “tight rope,” and even olleing into a b/s 50-50 on a bench feels a bit precarious (because of how “7.75” the 8.25 now feels). My 8.75 feels much more…balanced. 

Not grind related, but another place I really like wider trucks is on axle/feeble/pivot to fakies on transition. I do those tricks, and variations of them, A LOT. A wider truck puts that rear toe-side wheel further “in” the ramp, and for me, that makes those tricks a lot more fluid and easier to bring back in.

Flip tricks? Yeah. Those take more effort with wider trucks, for sure. But man, do they ever feel good on a bigger board, too.

Compelling words haha if I find a set of 5.8 ventures from a friend i’ll try them out because there was this one session i had years back i was just in flow state and like was skating fast and getting every grind & alot of em were shit I had never done before or at least not ever that good
Only day i ever did front crooks and that was on 8.5 trucks so shit maybe I’ve been playing myself haha

GashBandicoot

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Re: Gear madness support thread
« Reply #3471 on: January 02, 2026, 08:28:58 AM »
My partner got me the 8.25 Grimple Gerwer board from the latest catalog and I just can't figure out which trucks to put on it. It's 31.5" long with a 14" wb but the venture hollows I have on there currently and the venture cast I initially set up make the tail feel super short and I get no pop. Like I have to really reach for a medium sized ledge. I'm just shy of 6' tall, too so I feel a bit cramped on it. My other truck options on hand are Indy 144 standard and hollow forged. May put on the hollows after I finish my coffee this morning since I feel the smaller wheelbase offset and lower height might make the tail feel a tad bit longer. Wish I took a pic of the dimension sticker since I don't remember the nose or tail lengths.

Also I was naughty last night and bought the 8.25 grey eagle and the 8.25 grey oval easy rider. Did this sober too which is shocking, usually only drunk purchase stuff I don't really need. 32" and up I think is where I need to primarily stay. 14.38 with Indys is where I'm most comfortable, that was the last combo where I had tre flips and heelflips super consistent anyways. I'm late to the easy rider hype but figured I'd snag one on sale to try it out. I just wanted to be a cool venture tech guy so bad but can't deny that I'm much less versatile on this type of set up.

Happy New Years fellas

bluedohdohs

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Re: Gear madness support thread
« Reply #3472 on: January 02, 2026, 11:00:23 AM »
If you have a tape measure you can just measure it yourself i believe it’s from the edge or maybe middle of whichever bolt is closest to the nose or tail
Someone feel free to correct me but I did that the other day and got 6.5 & 7 on the dot so i figured it was right

swongolianbbq

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Re: Gear madness support thread
« Reply #3473 on: January 02, 2026, 11:28:51 AM »
My partner got me the 8.25 Grimple Gerwer board from the latest catalog and I just can't figure out which trucks to put on it. It's 31.5" long with a 14" wb but the venture hollows I have on there currently and the venture cast I initially set up make the tail feel super short and I get no pop. Like I have to really reach for a medium sized ledge. I'm just shy of 6' tall, too so I feel a bit cramped on it. My other truck options on hand are Indy 144 standard and hollow forged. May put on the hollows after I finish my coffee this morning since I feel the smaller wheelbase offset and lower height might make the tail feel a tad bit longer. Wish I took a pic of the dimension sticker since I don't remember the nose or tail lengths.

Also I was naughty last night and bought the 8.25 grey eagle and the 8.25 grey oval easy rider. Did this sober too which is shocking, usually only drunk purchase stuff I don't really need. 32" and up I think is where I need to primarily stay. 14.38 with Indys is where I'm most comfortable, that was the last combo where I had tre flips and heelflips super consistent anyways. I'm late to the easy rider hype but figured I'd snag one on sale to try it out. I just wanted to be a cool venture tech guy so bad but can't deny that I'm much less versatile on this type of set up.

Happy New Years fellas

Pretty sure the real 8.25 easy rider is 14" wb, it does measure 32" in length though because of the flatter kicks

GashBandicoot

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Re: Gear madness support thread
« Reply #3474 on: January 02, 2026, 08:00:28 PM »
Oh yeah my thinking with that one was pairing it with some ventures I have without feeling cramped

swongolianbbq

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Re: Gear madness support thread
« Reply #3475 on: January 02, 2026, 09:07:36 PM »
Oh yeah my thinking with that one was pairing it with some ventures I have without feeling cramped

Dope

Would be a great combo for sure

surfjunior

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Re: Gear madness support thread
« Reply #3476 on: January 03, 2026, 12:10:50 AM »
I feel like my gear madness comes from me not knowing my "specialty/style".

I started skating over a year ago with some prior experience (I learned how to ollie and shuv using a friends board in high school) and I have been learning to skate different obstacles.

Because of that, I constantly adjusted my setup in hopes to make things easier. Like skating a smaller board for ledges and flatground, and then switching to a larger board for curbs and transition.

The constant switching did not make learning tricks any easier (what a surprise) and I have learned that there are a lot of obstacles that I cannot skate at all.

I mainly skate curbs and mini ramps if I can find one, occasionally do flatground tricks if I feel like it. Ive been trying to get 360 flips more consistent.

So I decided to setup a Christmas complete with this realization (genius move). I am currently riding a 9" egg with Thunder Hollow Light 149s with SF 52mm Classic Wheels. It feels good to skate although it is a little harder to flip, me being short with a very small shoe size does not help.

At this point if im not satisfied with my setup ill just suck it up knowing that switching certain parts will not make me a good skater.
« Last Edit: January 03, 2026, 12:18:56 AM by surfjunior »

Mbrimson88

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Re: Gear madness support thread
« Reply #3477 on: January 03, 2026, 03:30:51 AM »
I feel like my gear madness comes from me not knowing my "specialty/style".

I started skating over a year ago with some prior experience (I learned how to ollie and shuv using a friends board in high school) and I have been learning to skate different obstacles.

Because of that, I constantly adjusted my setup in hopes to make things easier. Like skating a smaller board for ledges and flatground, and then switching to a larger board for curbs and transition.

The constant switching did not make learning tricks any easier (what a surprise) and I have learned that there are a lot of obstacles that I cannot skate at all.

I mainly skate curbs and mini ramps if I can find one, occasionally do flatground tricks if I feel like it. Ive been trying to get 360 flips more consistent.

So I decided to setup a Christmas complete with this realization (genius move). I am currently riding a 9" egg with Thunder Hollow Light 149s with SF 52mm Classic Wheels. It feels good to skate although it is a little harder to flip, me being short with a very small shoe size does not help.

At this point if im not satisfied with my setup ill just suck it up knowing that switching certain parts will not make me a good skater.



On the plus side, you have a very decent set of trucks and wheels which could easily go on almost any other 8.38 to 8.75 normal deck or any slightly bigger egg too, eg 8.75 or so eggs fit 149s really well, as do 8.38 to 8.5 popsicle / normal decks.

At least if the overall board wasn't working so well, getting a new deck could help a lot in getting that setup sorted.

Gone since 1988.  I talk too much about skateboards.  Sorry.

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Re: Gear madness support thread
« Reply #3478 on: January 06, 2026, 08:31:36 PM »
what trucks work best with huge huge wheels?
please and thanks

bluedohdohs

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Re: Gear madness support thread
« Reply #3479 on: January 06, 2026, 08:49:55 PM »
I think aces are the highest followed by indy but they both turn alot and especially the aces go alot further back
I remember wheel biting alot even with small wheels
Idk even tho my ventures are shorter the fact that they’re so stable & don’t turn backwards as much as aces or Indys i feel like i get alot less wheelbite, even though my wheels are alot bigger now 53-54mm
Had 50mmish on my aces

So my educated guess would be venture hi’s or without any experience i’d imagine those new thunder T2s would be good too
Someone else will probably have a better opinion/answer
Could always just opt for riser pads on whatever trucks you have right now but i guess this is the madness thread