Gear madness support thread

[Hqjdncm]

So I am about a month in on my Indy 159 standards and honestly they aren’t feeling as great as I remembered. Maybe it’s cause I came from venture or because I am skating a lot differently than I used to (skating more street, ledges curbs and flip tricks as opposed to mainly skating transition) but I think I’m ready to try lurpivs. Im gonna try and go in with no expectations at all, just try something different, and maybe after that thunders with some risers, cause I like the 55mm height but the weight and pop feel just feels off. Granted I also did move up wb from 14.5 to 14.625 on this white eagle but idk I just wanna try different stuff and see what feels just good. I know I likely won’t find a “perfect” set up but I just wanna find something that feels all around good
I know I should just stick to a setup and skate that but there is just a lot I wanna try too and I know the feeling of Indy’s and honestly don’t know if they are for me anymore.
Ofc I’m gonna have to axle these first so will report back once I do or if anything changes before then

[Rick Trapasso]

So I am about a month in on my Indy 159 standards and honestly they aren’t feeling as great as I remembered. Maybe it’s cause I came from venture or because I am skating a lot differently than I used to (skating more street, ledges curbs and flip tricks as opposed to mainly skating transition) but I think I’m ready to try lurpivs. Im gonna try and go in with no expectations at all, just try something different, and maybe after that thunders with some risers, cause I like the 55mm height but the weight and pop feel just feels off. Granted I also did move up wb from 14.5 to 14.625 on this white eagle but idk I just wanna try different stuff and see what feels just good. I know I likely won’t find a “perfect” set up but I just wanna find something that feels all around good
I know I should just stick to a setup and skate that but there is just a lot I wanna try too and I know the feeling of Indy’s and honestly don’t know if they are for me anymore.
Ofc I’m gonna have to axle these first so will report back once I do or if anything changes before then

What don't you like about them now? Were you riding 8.75 ventures with risers previously?

Personally, I would ride 149s on an 8.62/8.75 just to try and make that large setup feel a bit more manageable. (If we're talking regular setups and not cruisers or anything)

But that is totally just a personal taste/preference thing. Not saying it's objectively the way to go or anything.

[HyperBeam]

I ended up grabbing those T2s.

Only a couple sessions in so far, bushings feel like they've firmed up.

I like/dislike all the same things about these as I do aces so far.

But I think I prefer these to aces.

Meh, will probably be back to the ol Indy standards whenever this deck runs it's course. Unless something major clicks for me on them or something.

It was fun to check these out though.

What things are those? been thinking about TII, but what i like about TI is that the hangar sits farther out relative to the baseplate and it give me a good feel for the lever and when i pop, i feel like the pushed out hangar causes the board to keep its forward momentum better, whereas on ace or a shorter wheelbase truck it feels like all the energy doesn't transfer forward, but instead just goes straight up like when you're popping your board into your hand.

worried that the TII won't have the same feeling as the WB is shorter, and presumably the hangar does not sit the same way relative to the baseplate.

[tzhangdox]

Expand Quote

I ended up grabbing those T2s.

Only a couple sessions in so far, bushings feel like they've firmed up.

I like/dislike all the same things about these as I do aces so far.

But I think I prefer these to aces.

Meh, will probably be back to the ol Indy standards whenever this deck runs it's course. Unless something major clicks for me on them or something.

It was fun to check these out though.

[close]

What things are those? been thinking about TII, but what i like about TI is that the hangar sits farther out relative to the baseplate and it give me a good feel for the lever and when i pop, i feel like the pushed out hangar causes the board to keep its forward momentum better, whereas on ace or a shorter wheelbase truck it feels like all the energy doesn't transfer forward, but instead just goes straight up like when you're popping your board into your hand.

worried that the TII won't have the same feeling as the WB is shorter, and presumably the hangar does not sit the same way relative to the baseplate.

You won't like the t2 then, the wheelbase is very short.

Sometimes I think the t2 with an indy forged wheelbase would be the perfect truck

[Rick Trapasso]

Expand Quote

I ended up grabbing those T2s.

Only a couple sessions in so far, bushings feel like they've firmed up.

I like/dislike all the same things about these as I do aces so far.

But I think I prefer these to aces.

Meh, will probably be back to the ol Indy standards whenever this deck runs it's course. Unless something major clicks for me on them or something.

It was fun to check these out though.

[close]

What things are those? been thinking about TII, but what i like about TI is that the hangar sits farther out relative to the baseplate and it give me a good feel for the lever and when i pop, i feel like the pushed out hangar causes the board to keep its forward momentum better, whereas on ace or a shorter wheelbase truck it feels like all the energy doesn't transfer forward, but instead just goes straight up like when you're popping your board into your hand.

worried that the TII won't have the same feeling as the WB is shorter, and presumably the hangar does not sit the same way relative to the baseplate.

I like the quick/deep turn, the way they grind, the way they lock in on coping.

The light pop feel is nice sometimes, but in most cases it isn't for me.

I dislike the crooked grind lock in, how unstable they can feel (which is a tradeoff for the turn), and the lack of rebound they seem to have even after the bushings have firmed up and I have like 3 threads showing.

I don't think the height/weight/wheelbase combination works for my tastes personally.

Also, def don't get these thinking they are anything like t1. Totally different truck. Def not a T1 with more baseplate by any assessment.

[bluedohdohs]

Well shit…. Bamboozled myself looking at the set up threads and ended up buying some V8s from the local for pick up
Was thinking of going thru here and reading reviews but as one vato over there said it best, just throw em on and see how it feels

Been feeling really good on the board and on point, but thinkin of how i rode Indys & Aces for so long I got curious if i’d feel better shortening the wheel base.
Stoked to have an extra hanger on ice & stock bushings for the summer though, no idea where my purps went

[Hqjdncm]

Expand Quote

So I am about a month in on my Indy 159 standards and honestly they aren’t feeling as great as I remembered. Maybe it’s cause I came from venture or because I am skating a lot differently than I used to (skating more street, ledges curbs and flip tricks as opposed to mainly skating transition) but I think I’m ready to try lurpivs. Im gonna try and go in with no expectations at all, just try something different, and maybe after that thunders with some risers, cause I like the 55mm height but the weight and pop feel just feels off. Granted I also did move up wb from 14.5 to 14.625 on this white eagle but idk I just wanna try different stuff and see what feels just good. I know I likely won’t find a “perfect” set up but I just wanna find something that feels all around good
I know I should just stick to a setup and skate that but there is just a lot I wanna try too and I know the feeling of Indy’s and honestly don’t know if they are for me anymore.
Ofc I’m gonna have to axle these first so will report back once I do or if anything changes before then

[close]

What don't you like about them now? Were you riding 8.75 ventures with risers previously?

Personally, I would ride 149s on an 8.62/8.75 just to try and make that large setup feel a bit more manageable. (If we're talking regular setups and not cruisers or anything)

But that is totally just a personal taste/preference thing. Not saying it's objectively the way to go or anything.

I was thinking of trying 149s or just 8.5 trucks in general on my 8.75 cause it is my regular set up but no I wasn’t riding riser before but I think thunders with risers makes sense in my brain for me. And idk they are just heavy but the pop isn’t that hefty like ventures so it just makes it hard to get off the ground. My trucks just feel lower and kinda rocket on kick flips.
Honestly tho I just wanna try different stuff

[swongolianbbq]

I think I'd rather magic carpet than hot rod

and I think I like tighter trucks rather than looser

I'm just reverting back to my early 2000s self hahah

I feel like my Indy 144s are quicker turning and wheelbite less than my 149s

The blue conical Indy bushings might still be too soft for me so I'ma try the 94a black conicals. (I'm ~155lbs)

I've tried the stock orange, aftermarket orange, black, and blue(conical)

I think the black conicals are gonna be sick since I loved the 94a ace hards in my af1s, nut flush

I could alternatively just turn them a complete rotation after nut flush(~2 threads showing) and angle grind that shit off

Love the pinchability for crooks and shit of the conical blues vs the cylinder stock and aftermarket oranges

But I like my board to sound all snappy and dry and shit too

I remember getting used to aces was really hard and I ate shit a lot

But I think there might've been other factors at play

Not sure the exact differences between AF1s(44 or 55) and ace classics(44) but I wouldn't be against trying some with the hard bushings again after I axle these indys

I do remember going back to indys pretty much immediately re-unlocked my kickflip tricks

Fingers crossed but I think I'm really gonna dig the black conicals

[Sedition]

Fingers crossed but I think I'm really gonna dig the black conicals

@Mbrimson88 and I have talked about this before....the Indy conicals skate/feel like 1/2-steps between relative Indy barrel durometers. For example...

90a Barrel
92a conical
92a Barrel
94a conical
94a Barrel
etc...

[Schinken]

Currently I'm using mini logo 94a bushings in my 159 standards. At first they sucked but now they are the best bushings I've ever had. They don't freeze, stable on center but have a nice deep carve. I once put them in a set of forged hollow 169 but they felt way to tight. I think the hollow kingpins in indies are a little shorter than the standard kingpins.

[Mbrimson88]

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Fingers crossed but I think I'm really gonna dig the black conicals

[close]

@Mbrimson88 and I have talked about this before....the Indy conicals skate/feel like 1/2-steps between relative Indy barrel durometers. For example...

90a Barrel
92a conical
92a Barrel
94a conical
94a Barrel
etc...

Yeah, being able to have a so called in between variant, or maybe something that is "more firm" for cylinders or "less firm" in conical bushings, it just gives more options there.

That is not even going at all into reshaping top bushings, or changing out washers, eg flat or shallow washers allow for much more turn, deeper washers give a firmer feel to the bushings by not allowing them to move as much.


* I just got a couple of the stand alone Indy baseplates, so went to work modifying them to fit a specific board I wanted to change up, both kingpins taken down a few threads, one double drilled for maximum shortening the wheelbase on the front truck and the other just drilled almost beside the current holes to move the truck only a couple of mm.  So far they have worked great on the 159 hangers I put on them.  That is a whole other side of madness though.

[swongolianbbq]

Good idea

I think I'll get some aftermarket baseplates and cut the kingpins down a bit to get a bit more pressure and tension in softer bushings without having 2 or more threads sticking out... Reynolds style hahah

Then I'll still have my stock baseplates if I change my mind

I like having those sort of in-between hardnesses too

I mainly like the conicals cause I feel like they dive/pinch easier/deeper

I'm trying to get them to feel more stable and crispy on center for certain flip tricks, while still biting the deck real easy on crooks

I wish I skated better on aces cause the af1s with hards, nut flush really had that crispy stable feeling while still being able to dive if I wanted them too... I just lost a bunch of tricks when I switched to them and got them back when I went back to indys, and the crooks pinch was a little weird for me on aces too

Which is crazy cause I can pretty much skate whatever shoe

I think thicker shoes like 933s or 1010s are easier to skate with a little bit tighter truck though



Can't believe I only made it a little over a month without madness

I think skating my friends board and certain tricks being way easier was the culprit

I'm still locked in on Indy 144s and 54mm classics tho, I feel like that's the most important part. I'm gonna stick to 8.25s and 8.5 shorts. Still have 3 in the stack. Kinda glad the 14" experiment failed.

Now I'm just fucking with bushings. Once I find the ones I really like, I'll probably end up grinding the kingpin down like 2 threads. I don't think I'm gonna mod the bushings themselves at all. I probably won't mix and match tops or bottoms either, or put a bones washer underneath my bottom washer or anything

[Schinken]

For the last few months I had so much fun on my independent 159s.  Today I went to the skatepark, the weather was meh, ground slightly wet in some spots but I had the urge to have a little session. Grabbed my spare setup since I didn't want to mess up every board and had one of the best sessions in weeks. Thunder 151s x97 8.6 14.25 wheelbase, everything felt springy and light under my feet. I'm questioning my whole existence right now...

[Reese Bruno]

For the last few months I had so much fun on my independent 159s.  Today I went to the skatepark, the weather was meh, ground slightly wet in some spots but I had the urge to have a little session. Grabbed my spare setup since I didn't want to mess up every board and had one of the best sessions in weeks. Thunder 151s x97 8.6 14.25 wheelbase, everything felt springy and light under my feet. I'm questioning my whole existence right now...

Fret not, brother. You're probably just stoked from skating and got some good feelings from it. I bet you woulda had just as good of a time on my board

[Sandwich Marty]

For the last few months I had so much fun on my independent 159s.  Today I went to the skatepark, the weather was meh, ground slightly wet in some spots but I had the urge to have a little session. Grabbed my spare setup since I didn't want to mess up every board and had one of the best sessions in weeks. Thunder 151s x97 8.6 14.25 wheelbase, everything felt springy and light under my feet. I'm questioning my whole existence right now...

This is how I end up back on thunders. Skate aces or Indy’s for a few months and hit a wall on progress or just have a few bad sessions that likely have nothing to do with my setup, throw on thunders (because madness) and have an amazing session. Skate thunders for a few weeks and eventually have a bad session or forget to wax the wheel contact part of a ledge and stick on too many nose/tailslides, “I don’t do enough tech tricks to need these anyways” Indy’s or aces start to look appealing because people who skate the way I wish I could skate have them.

Rinse and repeat.

Right now I’m in the beginning of the Thunder phase. If I’m being honest with myself they suit my natural style of skating so much better and I’m almost always more consistent but I just get bored with their lack of surfyness and start lusting after a different ride. Maybe this time it’ll be different 🥴

[Schinken]

If I’m being honest with myself they suit my natural style of skating so much better and I’m almost always more consistent but I just get bored with their lack of surfyness and start lusting after a different ride

Exactly how I feel about them. Sometimes I even like their lack of turn compared to independent...

[Sandwich Marty]

If I’m being honest with myself they suit my natural style of skating so much better and I’m almost always more consistent but I just get bored with their lack of surfyness and start lusting after a different ride

Exactly how I feel about them. Sometimes I even like their lack of turn compared to independent...

Yeah it’s nice for awhile just to feel super stable, but Indy is like a perfect middle ground between the 3 brands I mentioned. I usually end up back on them lol

[swongolianbbq]

I've been fuckin around with different Indy bushings trying to get them stable on center and not mushy, have some rail-to-rail tension for flip tricks, but still have a responsive turn/crooks pinch when I want it

I used to skate thunders during the stage 9/10 era. Low and pinchy but I got hella wheelbite and I weigh 145 lbs and was on 53mm wheels.. I love the extra height on Indy standards and I think they pair perfectly with a 14.25" wb board like a blue eagle or baker b16..

I think I'd rather have a high truck with a shorter truck wheelbase and bigger wheels, than a low truck with a longer truck wheelbase and small wheels.. lil more versatile.

I wish I would have tried Indy conical bushings in my thunders back then. I broke more hangers on thunders than I did on indys though

Has anyone tried ace low bushings in thunders? I bet that shit would be sick

Anyways after trying my friend board with tight trucks a couple weeks ago, and trying aces with hard bushings a couple years ago, I really like the sort of, pressurized, dry, crispy, snappy sound of my board, and being able to kinda just put my foot wherever for flip tricks and it won't veer off in that direction.. not nyjah level foot position hahah but not Aimu level either

Reynolds weighs enough to still pinch crooks on his orange barrel bushings, cranked down with the kingpin angle grinder'd off

I feel like I'll find a combo that works.. either straight-up black conicals, or some sort of combo like orange conical bottom, black top, angle grind the top 1/8" of the kingpin off

[Sandwich Marty]

I've been fuckin around with different Indy bushings trying to get them stable on center and not mushy, have some rail-to-rail tension for flip tricks, but still have a responsive turn/crooks pinch when I want it

I used to skate thunders during the stage 9/10 era. Low and pinchy but I got hella wheelbite and I weigh 145 lbs and was on 53mm wheels.. I love the extra height on Indy standards and I think they pair perfectly with a 14.25" wb board like a blue eagle or baker b16..

I think I'd rather have a high truck with a shorter truck wheelbase and bigger wheels, than a low truck with a longer truck wheelbase and small wheels.. lil more versatile.

I wish I would have tried Indy conical bushings in my thunders back then. I broke more hangers on thunders than I did on indys though

Has anyone tried ace low bushings in thunders? I bet that shit would be sick

Anyways after trying my friend board with tight trucks a couple weeks ago, and trying aces with hard bushings a couple years ago, I really like the sort of, pressurized, dry, crispy, snappy sound of my board, and being able to kinda just put my foot wherever for flip tricks and it won't veer off in that direction.. not nyjah level foot position hahah but not Aimu level either

Reynolds weighs enough to still pinch crooks on his orange barrel bushings, cranked down with the kingpin angle grinder'd off

I feel like I'll find a combo that works.. either straight-up black conicals, or some sort of combo like orange conical bottom, black top, angle grind the top 1/8" of the kingpin off

AF1’s with hard bushings are great if you need a little shorter WB than Indy provides with a similar turn. Aces are just a little too high maintenance for regular use, having to swap bushings and axle nuts so my wheels don’t eventually pop off while I’m skating. The IKP version has been even more needy since they require the low hard bushings to fit their geo, and as always with ace after about 4-5 months the bushings lose their pop and start to feel kinda flat.

[swongolianbbq]

Haha yeah I swapped all my axle nuts out on my af1s

Love the turn but the height, wheelbase/pop angle, and pinch were too weird for me

But I do remember absolutely loving the feeling of rolling up to a ledge for a kickflip crook and the board just goes perfectly straight, and after I roll away I can still lean in and turn around in a tight arc

I've never tried Indy bushings in aces, though I have tried ace bushings in indys, but I don't remember too much as it was in like 2021 and I was doing other weird shit with my board

I think I just want a bouncy responsive bushing and part of that on aces is because the top bushing is so damn tall, and the bottom ones are taller too

I wish they made conical stage 4 bushings so I could just use the bottoms with the regular stg 11 tops. I don't want to add a flat washer under my bottom washer or anything. That does work though. I think the cheapest/sinplest route is still gonna end up being just grinding the extra threads off. Fingers crossed conical blacks, nut flush are the solution without any mods

I think I get that more responsive feeling with a couple threads showing.. with some compression/energy in there. With the barrel bushings, it's easier to roll straight/stable on center with the nut flush, but I can't pinch them as much as I want or turn as deep as I want, so my compromise is gonna be conical bushings with like 1/8" ground off the kingpin I think

Kingpins gonna get all fucked up and ground down at an angle anyway especially if I start wallie-ing granite boulders again, never been great at smiths on ledges

[JM]

Expand Quote

For the last few months I had so much fun on my independent 159s.  Today I went to the skatepark, the weather was meh, ground slightly wet in some spots but I had the urge to have a little session. Grabbed my spare setup since I didn't want to mess up every board and had one of the best sessions in weeks. Thunder 151s x97 8.6 14.25 wheelbase, everything felt springy and light under my feet. I'm questioning my whole existence right now...

[close]

This is how I end up back on thunders. Skate aces or Indy’s for a few months and hit a wall on progress or just have a few bad sessions that likely have nothing to do with my setup, throw on thunders (because madness) and have an amazing session. Skate thunders for a few weeks and eventually have a bad session or forget to wax the wheel contact part of a ledge and stick on too many nose/tailslides, “I don’t do enough tech tricks to need these anyways” Indy’s or aces start to look appealing because people who skate the way I wish I could skate have them.

Rinse and repeat.

Right now I’m in the beginning of the Thunder phase. If I’m being honest with myself they suit my natural style of skating so much better and I’m almost always more consistent but I just get bored with their lack of surfyness and start lusting after a different ride. Maybe this time it’ll be different

Thunder summer and Indy Winter because Thunder bushings suck in winter.

Unless you live in LA or somewhere similar.

My particular cry for help is that I don’t want to switch out from Forged baseplate to Cast baseplate because I just don’t wanna.

But I’m convinced the 1.5 mm difference is going to improve the pop….. I also am quite happy with the new 7/8” bolts, but will have to switch to old, longer hardware for cast baseplate I do not like flush hardware… I think it will fall off. I need those extra threads to be convinced they won’t.

Also… what is wrong with Indy bushings aftermarket? The top bushing is taller than my older bushings by about 1mm, and it makes the trucks tighter with the axle nut in same position.  What should I do? Boil them? Sand the top down? Should I just put up with harder bushings until they squish down?

I hate fine tuning now…  I thought I was happy and over worrying about the little things by having everything dialed in perfect. until I started missing Indy turn vs Thunders…

*Forgot to mention that Ace inverted top bushing with Indy bottom bushing works okay… not great, but okay. I think I like matching bushing durometers.

**boiled bushings. That loosened them up. But will have to wait until a session to see if changing baseplates affects pop in any discernible way.

Also… 8.38x14.5wb DLX with 8.5” trucks feels so gosh dang perfect just SKATING around, but the 8.25x14.38wb DLX with 8.25” trucks feels easier to control for doing any tricks.

No wonder quivers exist…

And I am not looking forward to trying TII’s or Slappy when the Indy’s wear out (which will be 5000 years from now). I don’t want truck madness.

[SwitchBenihana]

Honestly some days or even weeks things just feel bad as we age. Or good. I do a lot of mountain biking and cycling and in peak season I can show up feeling super excited to skate and my legs simply have zero pop. I can't imagine added trucks into the mix constantly and hoping to get any long-term conclusions other than a temporary novelty effect.

For me the most satisfying days are when I feel old and beat up on the sesh but things feel nice and familiar. I might not do anything new or interesting, but the simple basics just feel solid and fun.

[The Huffer]

There is no better feeling truck than an Ace Classic 55.

[JM]

Honestly some days or even weeks things just feel bad as we age. Or good. I do a lot of mountain biking and cycling and in peak season I can show up feeling super excited to skate and my legs simply have zero pop. I can't imagine added trucks into the mix constantly and hoping to get any long-term conclusions other than a temporary novelty effect.

For me the most satisfying days are when I feel old and beat up on the sesh but things feel nice and familiar. I might not do anything new or interesting, but the simple basics just feel solid and fun.

Amen. Yes that bliss is great, not stressing over “perfection” and “that trick wasn’t perfect I gotta do it again”.

Thats why these truck adjustments are getting on my nerves. Ha.

And Indy was supposed to be familiar turning and enjoyable sessions, but I had to do extra things to get them to perform how I remembered them. Things might be figured out now… hopefully.

[swongolianbbq]

There is no better feeling truck than an Ace Classic 55.

You know what, I think you're right

[Ok]

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There is no better feeling truck than an Ace Classic 55.

[close]

You know what, I think you're right

right up until nollie flip number three

but yes

[myfeetarekillingme]

Expand Quote

For the last few months I had so much fun on my independent 159s.  Today I went to the skatepark, the weather was meh, ground slightly wet in some spots but I had the urge to have a little session. Grabbed my spare setup since I didn't want to mess up every board and had one of the best sessions in weeks. Thunder 151s x97 8.6 14.25 wheelbase, everything felt springy and light under my feet. I'm questioning my whole existence right now...

[close]

This is how I end up back on thunders. Skate aces or Indy’s for a few months and hit a wall on progress or just have a few bad sessions that likely have nothing to do with my setup, throw on thunders (because madness) and have an amazing session. Skate thunders for a few weeks and eventually have a bad session or forget to wax the wheel contact part of a ledge and stick on too many nose/tailslides, “I don’t do enough tech tricks to need these anyways” Indy’s or aces start to look appealing because people who skate the way I wish I could skate have them.

Rinse and repeat.

Right now I’m in the beginning of the Thunder phase. If I’m being honest with myself they suit my natural style of skating so much better and I’m almost always more consistent but I just get bored with their lack of surfyness and start lusting after a different ride. Maybe this time it’ll be different 🥴

The waffling between Thunder and Ace is so damn relatable to me. I conceded now that I’ll never be able to just choose and stick with one for good, so I set up my Aces on an alt setup with rails to hit curbs and the more cruisey fun spots and set up my Thunders on a “main” setup for the standard sessions where I intend to really practice all my flip tricks and ledge tricks.

Sigh

[Sandwich Marty]

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Expand Quote

For the last few months I had so much fun on my independent 159s.  Today I went to the skatepark, the weather was meh, ground slightly wet in some spots but I had the urge to have a little session. Grabbed my spare setup since I didn't want to mess up every board and had one of the best sessions in weeks. Thunder 151s x97 8.6 14.25 wheelbase, everything felt springy and light under my feet. I'm questioning my whole existence right now...

[close]

This is how I end up back on thunders. Skate aces or Indy’s for a few months and hit a wall on progress or just have a few bad sessions that likely have nothing to do with my setup, throw on thunders (because madness) and have an amazing session. Skate thunders for a few weeks and eventually have a bad session or forget to wax the wheel contact part of a ledge and stick on too many nose/tailslides, “I don’t do enough tech tricks to need these anyways” Indy’s or aces start to look appealing because people who skate the way I wish I could skate have them.

Rinse and repeat.

Right now I’m in the beginning of the Thunder phase. If I’m being honest with myself they suit my natural style of skating so much better and I’m almost always more consistent but I just get bored with their lack of surfyness and start lusting after a different ride. Maybe this time it’ll be different 🥴

[close]

The waffling between Thunder and Ace is so damn relatable to me. I conceded now that I’ll never be able to just choose and stick with one for good, so I set up my Aces on an alt setup with rails to hit curbs and the more cruisey fun spots and set up my Thunders on a “main” setup for the standard sessions where I intend to really practice all my flip tricks and ledge tricks.

Sigh

I truly hope that works for you. I thought I found the cure once I had 3 setups for the same reason but after some time that only made it worse. I think I must have actual OCD (I don’t say that lightly) because I can’t be comfortable knowing I have other setups with various components. I need to be a Thunder guy, and ace guy, or an Indy guy etc. to feel this made up validation for myself that I’ve created.

This type of thinking has been something I’ve always struggled with in other aspects of life and I’ve concluded it’s just manifesting itself through skateboard trucks because I put so much emphasis on what I ride and what kind of skater I am to distract myself from the horrors of the real world. Kinda like creating smaller manageable problems to cope with the uncertainty and anxiety of the big scary ones that I am helpless against.

Probably the only way I’ll settle this for any extended length of time is to just totally rid myself of any other options but even then I’d probably find an excuse to order new trucks in some manic state after some new part or concept triggers me. I’m fucked lol.

[The Huffer]

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For the last few months I had so much fun on my independent 159s.  Today I went to the skatepark, the weather was meh, ground slightly wet in some spots but I had the urge to have a little session. Grabbed my spare setup since I didn't want to mess up every board and had one of the best sessions in weeks. Thunder 151s x97 8.6 14.25 wheelbase, everything felt springy and light under my feet. I'm questioning my whole existence right now...

[close]

This is how I end up back on thunders. Skate aces or Indy’s for a few months and hit a wall on progress or just have a few bad sessions that likely have nothing to do with my setup, throw on thunders (because madness) and have an amazing session. Skate thunders for a few weeks and eventually have a bad session or forget to wax the wheel contact part of a ledge and stick on too many nose/tailslides, “I don’t do enough tech tricks to need these anyways” Indy’s or aces start to look appealing because people who skate the way I wish I could skate have them.

Rinse and repeat.

Right now I’m in the beginning of the Thunder phase. If I’m being honest with myself they suit my natural style of skating so much better and I’m almost always more consistent but I just get bored with their lack of surfyness and start lusting after a different ride. Maybe this time it’ll be different 🥴

[close]

The waffling between Thunder and Ace is so damn relatable to me. I conceded now that I’ll never be able to just choose and stick with one for good, so I set up my Aces on an alt setup with rails to hit curbs and the more cruisey fun spots and set up my Thunders on a “main” setup for the standard sessions where I intend to really practice all my flip tricks and ledge tricks.

Sigh

That is what T2s are for.

[Ok]

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For the last few months I had so much fun on my independent 159s.  Today I went to the skatepark, the weather was meh, ground slightly wet in some spots but I had the urge to have a little session. Grabbed my spare setup since I didn't want to mess up every board and had one of the best sessions in weeks. Thunder 151s x97 8.6 14.25 wheelbase, everything felt springy and light under my feet. I'm questioning my whole existence right now...

[close]

This is how I end up back on thunders. Skate aces or Indy’s for a few months and hit a wall on progress or just have a few bad sessions that likely have nothing to do with my setup, throw on thunders (because madness) and have an amazing session. Skate thunders for a few weeks and eventually have a bad session or forget to wax the wheel contact part of a ledge and stick on too many nose/tailslides, “I don’t do enough tech tricks to need these anyways” Indy’s or aces start to look appealing because people who skate the way I wish I could skate have them.

Rinse and repeat.

Right now I’m in the beginning of the Thunder phase. If I’m being honest with myself they suit my natural style of skating so much better and I’m almost always more consistent but I just get bored with their lack of surfyness and start lusting after a different ride. Maybe this time it’ll be different 🥴

[close]

The waffling between Thunder and Ace is so damn relatable to me. I conceded now that I’ll never be able to just choose and stick with one for good, so I set up my Aces on an alt setup with rails to hit curbs and the more cruisey fun spots and set up my Thunders on a “main” setup for the standard sessions where I intend to really practice all my flip tricks and ledge tricks.

Sigh

[close]

I truly hope that works for you. I thought I found the cure once I had 3 setups for the same reason but after some time that only made it worse. I think I must have actual OCD (I don’t say that lightly) because I can’t be comfortable knowing I have other setups with various components. I need to be a Thunder guy, and ace guy, or an Indy guy etc. to feel this made up validation for myself that I’ve created.

This type of thinking has been something I’ve always struggled with in other aspects of life and I’ve concluded it’s just manifesting itself through skateboard trucks because I put so much emphasis on what I ride and what kind of skater I am to distract myself from the horrors of the real world. Kinda like creating smaller manageable problems to cope with the uncertainty and anxiety of the big scary ones that I am helpless against.

Probably the only way I’ll settle this for any extended length of time is to just totally rid myself of any other options but even then I’d probably find an excuse to order new trucks in some manic state after some new part or concept triggers me. I’m fucked lol.

if you threw in:


wondering what the local/pro hot shoe was using
some personal identity call-backs to the past/simpler times


i identify with what you’re written for certain