Gear madness support thread

[Sedition]

Why not just used Forged Indy?

That's what I normally skate /  ones I already mentioned.

[Hqjdncm]

I think its case by case.

Im 6ft5 size 13 feet, 200 pounds. Skate mostly ledges, flat, flatbars, curbs. Very little transition.

8.25-8.5, 14.25-14.5, ideally not under 32 but a little bit is fine. Currently on Thunders, but have skated all the big four over the years. Ventures the most by a considerable margin, then indys and thunders, then aces.

Going bigger than 8.5 just makes it feel like I'm standing on a boat, and going longer than 14.5 makes me not want to flip my board at all. Personally I feel that unless you're doing something really gnarly, you really don't need that much board, at a certain point more skateboard starts becoming more of a hinderance rather than a benefit

Late reply but I’m pretty much the same height weight as u but my shoe size is 1 full size down (1.5 in Lrab and cons) but coming from skating a lot of transition and having a big board phase for it, 8.75 and a 14.5+ wb is definitely more comfortable for me. I can still do flip tricks even tho they might look like shit and take more effort, but for sitting on grinds and going fast as hell it’s definitely more comfortable. Granted I haven’t skated an 8.5 in a minute, I don’t think I need to. But I agree it’s case by case. But for what the guy was asking an 8.5 with a 14.25-14.5 sounds ideal to try and get some flip tricks back. Keeping the board with consistent but trying variable wb helps keep things a little easier to get used to but getting some help with certain rotational stuff

[Sandwich Marty]

Why not just used Forged Indy?

The Toyota Corolla of skate trucks. Idk why I sleep on them.

[PolarJames]

Was trying to work out why my ollies aren't as good as before. Might be way overthinking it but I'm sure my ollies were better when I had Accel OGs rather than my current vans. Going to go back to the OGs for sure. Those in combination with thunders and the Sour 8.38 shape is the end of my gear madness hopefully.

[swongolianbbq]

Expand Quote

Why not just used Forged Indy?

[close]

The Toyota Corolla of skate trucks. Idk why I sleep on them.

I've finally come around to forged 149s

Though I love the feel of standards the most, especially riding on rough ground and grinding chunkier stuff

But the height/width/weight/wheelbase ratio on forged hollow indy 149s is pretty great

[Ok]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Why not just used Forged Indy?

[close]

The Toyota Corolla of skate trucks. Idk why I sleep on them.

[close]

I've finally come around to forged 149s

Though I love the feel of standards the most, especially riding on rough ground and grinding chunkier stuff

But the height/width/weight/wheelbase ratio on forged hollow indy 149s is pretty great

i used to think i didn’t like forged baseplates. i think i didn’t like hollow axles. something about the sound/vibration. idk.
indy 149s, on a narrower/shorter board, say 8.2 ish, less than 32….i want it. i’m not gonna, because i rarely skate, but there was one short lived setup for me 10 plus years ago: 149s, carlos young 8.5 magenta guest board that i recall being short, and it was super fun. i think i had a bad day with some regular kickflips and then gave it to a buddy.
back on track. bobby worrest’s setup from the alisports video. looks ideal

[rikki]

I just recently slapped on 144 forged Indys after a long while.

Once again, I was reminded of the fact that they are not for me. I just can't get the required oomph out of them.

I should give away all my trucks apart from Ventures in order to not make the same mistake again and again for the umpteenth time.

Homo sapiens, a slow learner.

[Sedition]

I just recently slapped on XXX after a long while.

Once again, I was reminded of the fact that they are not for me. I just can't get the required XXX out of them.

I should give away all my XXX apart from YYY in order to not make the same mistake again and again for the umpteenth time.

Homo sapiens, a slow learner.

I feel this.

[logjammin]

anyone else think hollow kingpins drag worse on grinds?

[Mbrimson88]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Both these boards still felt too steep with any and every truck combination on it...

Any which way, I can't ride steep kicks / steep tails...

[close]

I feel like years ago I may have tried different trucks/wheels to mitigate steep kicks...and failed, and have since forgotten about it. Some how I just feel like I've done this before. If it had worked, I wouldn't still be stressing about steeps kicks to this day, but I am, so...

Something in my gut says the same thing as you, "Any which way, I can't ride steep kicks / steep tails."

As to the car thing, I have absolutely gotten the kicks to feel more IV-ish before. But as I mentioned above, the problem I then have is "IV" kicks and "I" center concave, and that feels super weird to me (it's basically the opposite of an "easy rider" lol!).

But like I said, the 8.25 isn't even my main ride anymore, so this project is more of my own curiosity into "what impact does different gear make (on steep kicks)" than anything else.

I've also since ruled out Ace unless I can could find an absurd sale---didn't quite realize just how much those trucks cost, and I'm not willing to drop that kind of $$$ for a roll-of-the dice, weird side-show of mine.

Off to the park shortly, and my first experiment with all this. Will report back later.

[close]

Following-up on this...

I def liked the (Team/cast) Thunders on it more than my Indys (because it was lower). That said, I couldn't imagine dropping further down to the height of forged-plate Thunders.

It also occurred to me that mIndys might be an option, too? They are lower and with a shorter WB than Thunders, but not as squirrel as Ace? Those seem to be on sale everywhere (because they suck). Maybe I'll grab a set at some point.

In the short term, it seems like Thunders will make this thing a bit more manageable. No ideal. But manageable.

I feel like over time I did actually get used to boards with a bit more concave, because I skated my lightly used 8.5 Black Label setup on my ramp just before and it didn't feel overly steep, even though when I first got it, it was way too much, compared to other boards I had set up.

Maybe with a bit more rolling around on it, you might actually get a bit more used to it, as well as it mellowing out a bit over time, but as with anything, it is sometimes a bit more or less not quite what you would have chosen to ride, so it might always be bugging you in the back of your mind, if something slips out, or your foot stays on when you try to bail, dammit that board was too steep, etc.

Not to make you think the thing is cursed, but I know quite often even some of my normal boards do feel a bit funny when I first set them up but a nicely broken in board is just so perfect when I get back on it, so I really do appreciate some of my worn in but not worn out skate hardgoods, shoes, etc.


* This is the madness thread, so I guess it was not too much to have those thoughts in here.

[Mbrimson88]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Why not just used Forged Indy?

[close]

The Toyota Corolla of skate trucks. Idk why I sleep on them.

[close]

I've finally come around to forged 149s

Though I love the feel of standards the most, especially riding on rough ground and grinding chunkier stuff

But the height/width/weight/wheelbase ratio on forged hollow indy 149s is pretty great

anyone else think hollow kingpins drag worse on grinds?

This is a known thing with hollow kingpins.

Some people don't care, others don't mind, but I have never really been so keen on any trucks with hollow kingpins when I get that stick or drag and feel the kingpin connect with coping, especially on my own half pipe where it takes bites out of the coping.

For this I prefer just the regular baseplates with solid kingpins, but on a few setups, especially the forged hollow Indy variants on some boards I have setup, I have taken the top of the hollow kingpin down a bit more than I usually might, just to ensure there is no possible way it will hit on smith grinds or feebles, so if anything does touch it will be the nut only.


Venture have just come out with the polished V forged, which have the forged baseplate with solid kingpin.  I got a set of them just recently and feel like they will work well.  Pretty good for that combination, even if some people might think it is unwanted, but I guess Venture have often been ahead of the game in some of their things.


I do recall the first set of Indy forged baseplate trucks had solid kingpins too, when they came out, just at the end of Stage 10, before they changed up to Stage 11 trucks, back in 2011 or so.  Then when Stage 11 came out, they all had hollow kingpins on the forged baseplates, as do most other truck brands.

[DNTRODDEN]

Of all the things I have changed truck width has been the on constant. I ride whatever size is designated for an 8.5 deck.

I mainly ride 8.3 now. Wheels I have locked in @54mm. But I am still working through hardness and formulas. Started at 95 now up to 99

Bushing were my biggest or deepest rabbit hole. Got my Thunders sorted, now to sort the AF1

[SwitchBenihana]

Expand Quote

Why not just used Forged Indy?

[close]

That's what I normally skate /  ones I already mentioned.

Can't keep all the setups in here straight, but historically I've always found Thunders to feel not all that different to forged Indy in terms of pop feel, but the other details definitely are.

I just recently slapped on 144 forged Indys after a long while.

Once again, I was reminded of the fact that they are not for me. I just can't get the required oomph out of them.

I should give away all my trucks apart from Ventures in order to not make the same mistake again and again for the umpteenth time.

Homo sapiens, a slow learner.

I love Indy's, but actually really dislike any forged version. Once I learned to stop caring about heights and wheelbase matching I realized I like 0 forged plate iterations of any trucks. To me an Indy and Venture cast both require a bit more force to pop, but Indy suck up nicer, don't air foot, and are more enjoyable for me. As much as I want the 2020 hype to still be in my bones I just don't skate as well on Venture all around and they're way too limiting in board selection for me. It was nice on a few grinds, but losing Nollie flips and hating them on banks made me realize I was gaining very little for how much I gave up.

[swongolianbbq]

 I never liked forged 144s, they felt too light/flipped too fast

Once I got in better condition and started skating bigger and fast this year after the winter, I felt like the cast standard 144s were kinda tall and still flipped a little too fast

I wonder if can replace the kingpins for solid ones on the forged Indy plates

Or if I should pick up some forged inverted plates

I bet I would hate that though, not being able to see exactly how tight they are hahah. Or having to do any kinda extra work to get the truck right. Fuk dat.

A forged Indy standard would be clutch

I'ma just go for it, the kingpins are a little grabby at first

Prolly gonna just use these forged hollow 149s all summer, they feel good

I used to just wallie right up the middle of this granite boulder in front of the bar I worked at in Yellowstone park

That would break in the hollow kingpins real quick! Get em super nice

I gotta go find a rock to wallie on these before I try to smith the metal skatepark ledge

[Obijuan91]

I never liked forged 144s, they felt too light/flipped too fast

Once I got in better condition and started skating bigger and fast this year after the winter, I felt like the cast standard 144s were kinda tall and still flipped a little too fast

I wonder if can replace the kingpins for solid ones on the forged Indy plates

Or if I should pick up some forged inverted plates

I bet I would hate that though, not being able to see exactly how tight they are hahah. Or having to do any kinda extra work to get the truck right. Fuk dat.

A forged Indy standard would be clutch

I'ma just go for it, the kingpins are a little grabby at first

Prolly gonna just use these forged hollow 149s all summer, they feel good

I used to just wallie right up the middle of this granite boulder in front of the bar I worked at in Yellowstone park

That would break in the hollow kingpins real quick! Get em super nice

I gotta go find a rock to wallie on these before I try to smith the metal skatepark ledge

I had the forged standard 139 a while back when they were on sale before I stoped skating I loved em. When I came back into skating I couldn’t find a truck that felt good to because the weight of it made it feel good to me. I had the same issues with the 144 forged where I liked em but something about it was meh
The solution of course is 149s tho
149 royals with 1’mm to make the forged Indy height

[swongolianbbq]

Standard/cast 8.25" thunders at 52mm, 52.3mm high or whatever are a nice, proportionate truck, get that super good pinch with 53/54mm wheels

The pinch on thunder 149s is even better

Curious about cast 8.5" venture highs @ 53mm or so high, never had those.

I've tried these

Venture low standard 5.0, 5.2
Thunder low standard 145, 147
Thunder high standard 149, many sets
Indy stage 7 136, 146
Indy stage 8 136, 146
Indy stage 10 standard 139
Indy stage 11 standard 139, 144, 149, 159, 169
Indy stage 11 hollow standard 149, 159
Indy stage 11 hollow forged 144, 149
Indy stage 11 forged titanium 144, 149, 159
Ace AF1 standard 55
Ace AF1 hollow 55

I think like a 53mm high, 8.38" axle, ~360g truck with a wheelbase like indys sounds best on paper, to work with the widest range of decks

So right now forged hollow indy 149s are what I'm gonna stick with


The coolest and best feeling trucks are always gonna be standards regardless of brand

Standard venture high 6.1 are probably the best hill bomb trucks

I'm just getting old and trying to find a good balance of feel, pinch, turn, stability, etc

Seems I'm willing to sacrifice some tasty grind feel for a wee bit more pinch

If I were a beast I'd just skate 56mm wheels and standard 159s

I wonder if putting standard 149 hangers on forged baseplates is even gonna make a noticeable difference

[Ok]

i like solid axles with forged baseplates.

thunder 149s, just regular teams, are nice.
i am skating solid axle forged baseplate 148s lately. as close to a madness free truck, for me. sorta work with whatever board and whatever wheels.

my mad thoughts still go almost exactly like this: ‘oh shit that dylan jaeb shape looks weird as fuck. i hate indy’s. i’d probably hate that….’
and now i want it.
or ‘oh shit, griffin posted with ventures on his board….hes beast tho, shit would never work for me….’
and then just bargaining with myself.
so dumb.

[swongolianbbq]

i like solid axles with forged baseplates.

thunder 149s, just regular teams, are nice.
i am skating solid axle forged baseplate 148s lately. as close to a madness free truck, for me. sorta work with whatever board and whatever wheels.

my mad thoughts still go almost exactly like this: ‘oh shit that dylan jaeb shape looks weird as fuck. i hate indy’s. i’d probably hate that….’
and now i want it.
or ‘oh shit, griffin posted with ventures on his board….hes beast tho, shit would never work for me….’
and then just bargaining with myself.
so dumb.

Yeah I definitely get that shit.

I'll watch somebody who is just super dialed as a skater(and could get along with literally whatever equipment-see Aimu kickflipping Franky's board) and determine in my primitive dopamine-addicted raccoon gambler brain that somehow, if I had that setup, I could do that shit too.

Funny how my love for K-grinds has pretty much cancelled out all my perceived setup improvements over the winter

I'm like, yeah dude, a bones top bushing in standard 144s, 14" wb.. that's my shit

Now I'm like, naw. My shit needs to be low, wide, and loose so I can fuckin crook with ease

My shit is pretty standard now aside from the futuristic trucks

14.125 to 14.375 wb, 8.25 to 8.5 boards, pretty much just whatever
Indy forged hollow 149s, stock bushings
Swiss six, shields popped for the sound
54mm, 99a F4 classics

Now that I'm a little stronger I can balance on the stock bushings and get pop for flip tricks better

But man popping a bones hard just in the top was a game changer for a while there

Crazy how I switched to thunder when stage 9 came out, I prolly shoulda just stuck with it until the forged came out

I broke so many pivots on my thunders and the bushings were made out of bouncy balls or something, always crumbled and I've ran my shit nut-flush or only a turn tighter since day one

[Sedition]

Some good discussion going here.

Standard vs. Hollow kingpins: Yeah, this one is actually the only real madness thorn-in-my-side these days. I’ve basically skated only Indy Forged Hollows since they came out.* Somewhere along the line, I became aware of the difference between standard and hollow kingpins on grinds. I noticed it the most when skating min ramps. Sometimes my board would just dead-stop on a given grind. I also started noticing these really weird gouges on/in the coping. I realized the two were related, and it was the kingpin (usually have about .5 to 1 thread showing). I had tried skating cast plates several times, but I really hated the (always) added height of cast vs. the (occasional) kingpin catch of forged.

About 6-9 months ago, for some reason I decided to give standard Indys a try again. I really liked the way they just plowed through grinds (added weight, I assume). It was like once the boat got moving, it wasn’t stopping, and its trajectory was set. Also, none of this twitchy, flapping in the breeze stuff if my ollie, kickflip, pop-shuv, etc. isn't absolutely perfect. Hell, even the ones that are perfect fee very precarious to me…as if board could just drift away at moments notice. Standards/cast just felt so much more there. I also noticed that ledges started to seem a bit lower to me with standard/cast. Not sure if this was because my board was taller (making my feet a tad closer to the top of a ledge), or because of added pop because of increased pop angle, but it seemed real.

The trade off, of course, is height and weight. With standards, I was certainly getting more ghost pop at times, and my board seemed really clunky for other things. I’ve now been back on forged hollows for a while, with a 1mm riser (which I am sure is more of a mental factor than an actual one). But I am missing that there feeling, and the plow-through grinds, of Standards. I might try them again soon. 

A forged plate with standard kingpin would be sweet.

I also tried the cast inverted kingpin plates for a while. They sounded very different to me, and once the self-loosening started to kick-in, I was just like, “I am not dealing with this.”


*I’ve said this many times before, but I think Indy Forged Hollows are hands-down the best all-around / all-purpose truck ever made. Why? Because they are right in the middle of the road on everything. Turn better than Venture/Thunder, but not as squirrel as Ace. Pinch better than Ace, but not as good as Thunder. Not as tall as cast Indys, not as low as Thunders/Ace. Not the lightest truck, not the heaviest. Wheelbase and kingpin clearance is right in the middle, too. They may not excel in one specific area (e.g. Thunders with pinch), but they work great in every single area. No other truck comes close to that, at least to me. Oh, and, best after-market bushing options--FAR better than any other mfg.   

[SwitchBenihana]

Some good discussion going here.

Standard vs. Hollow kingpins: Yeah, this one is actually the only real madness thorn-in-my-side these days. I’ve basically skated only Indy Forged Hollows since they came out.* Somewhere along the line, I became aware of the difference between standard and hollow kingpins on grinds. I noticed it the most when skating min ramps. Sometimes my board would just dead-stop on a given grind. I also started noticing these really weird gouges on/in the coping. I realized the two were related, and it was the kingpin (usually have about .5 to 1 thread showing). I had tried skating cast plates several times, but I really hated the (always) added height of cast vs. the (occasional) kingpin catch of forged.

About 6-9 months ago, for some reason I decided to give standard Indys a try again. I really liked the way they just plowed through grinds (added weight, I assume). It was like once the boat got moving, it wasn’t stopping, and its trajectory was set. Also, none of this twitchy, flapping in the breeze stuff if my ollie, kickflip, pop-shuv, etc. isn't absolutely perfect. Hell, even the ones that are perfect fee very precarious to me…as if board could just drift away at moments notice. Standards/cast just felt so much more there. I also noticed that ledges started to seem a bit lower to me with standard/cast. Not sure if this was because my board was taller (making my feet a tad closer to the top of a ledge), or because of added pop because of increased pop angle, but it seemed real.

The trade off, of course, is height and weight. With standards, I was certainly getting more ghost pop at times, and my board seemed really clunky for other things. I’ve now been back on forged hollows for a while, with a 1mm riser (which I am sure is more of a mental factor than an actual one). But I am missing that there feeling, and the plow-through grinds, of Standards. I might try them again soon. 

A forged plate with standard kingpin would be sweet.

I also tried the cast inverted kingpin plates for a while. They sounded very different to me, and once the self-loosening started to kick-in, I was just like, “I am not dealing with this.”


*I’ve said this many times before, but I think Indy Forged Hollows are hands-down the best all-around / all-purpose truck ever made. Why? Because they are right in the middle of the road on everything. Turn better than Venture/Thunder, but not as squirrel as Ace. Pinch better than Ace, but not as good as Thunder. Not as tall as cast Indys, not as low as Thunders/Ace. Not the lightest truck, not the heaviest. Wheelbase and kingpin clearance is right in the middle, too. They may not excel in one specific area (e.g. Thunders with pinch), but they work great in every single area. No other truck comes close to that, at least to me. Oh, and, best after-market bushing options--FAR better than any other mfg.   

The list of pros is massive and the cons is small and much less significant. I've tried the same forged and riser combo and it's just not the same. After a month back on standards I completely forgot about the weight. If you can source Ti hangers that could be a good compromise.

Also with hollow KP I always use stock bushings to expose more threads and just angle grind the 1.5-2 showing. It still grinds harder, but sits lower.

[Sedition]

The list of pros is massive and the cons is small and much less significant. I've tried the same forged and riser combo and it's just not the same. After a month back on standards I completely forgot about the weight. If you can source Ti hangers that could be a good compromise.

Funny you mention that. I do have some Ti hangers, and I've never tried them on cast plates, and that's what I was thinking about trying...was just worried about losing the "plow through grind" feeling. I'll certainly try it, though.

[Mbrimson88]

Expand Quote

The list of pros is massive and the cons is small and much less significant. I've tried the same forged and riser combo and it's just not the same. After a month back on standards I completely forgot about the weight. If you can source Ti hangers that could be a good compromise.

[close]

Funny you mention that. I do have some Ti hangers, and I've never tried them on cast plates, and that's what I was thinking about trying...was just worried about losing the "plow through grind" feeling. I'll certainly try it, though.

I feel like the grind feel is the same, as it is the hanger metal, not the axle, so much, but in saying that, a set of ti axles made a couple of bigger boards feel just that little bit lighter to be a bit more manageable too.

Should have said I put them on regular cast baseplates, because that forged baseplate with ti axle was way too light for what I wanted, or maybe just the forged baseplates were a little low on a bigger board, with bigger wheels.


Any which way, doing the mix and match meant that a couple of setups worked better than I thought:

8.25 DLX with forged baseplates and regular worn down 149 hangers with mashed axles, one washer on the inside of smaller wheels, which all worked nicely.

8.5 DLX long (14.75 wb) back truck baseplate drilled in so now 14.5 wb, regular cast baseplates, ti 149 hangers, 56 mm Radials as a mini big ramp board, with a good heft to it, but not overly heavy now.


I think a few other people have experimented with ti axles too, but at some point around 2020 the ti axles had a lot of issues, so quite a few people have said they will never touch Indy ti axles again.  Understandable, but at least they will easily replace any that snapped via the warranty process.

People have done the same with Thunder and Venture ti axles too - swapped in regular baseplates to "even out the weight" and they have worked well, but I guess that is a different story entirely.

[Sedition]

Any which way, doing the mix and match meant that a couple of setups worked better than I thought:

8.25 DLX with forged baseplates and regular worn down 149 hangers with mashed axles, one washer on the inside of smaller wheels, which all worked nicely.

Yeah, you and I have batted this concept around before. I am firm believer in "deck ratios." A 7.75" set-up with cast Indys and 56mm wheels is going to feel a lot taller than 10" set-up with the same cast Indys and 56mm wheels, even if the two are exactly the exact same height, and IMHO, the reason is ratios.

To this end, yes, cast Indys are too tall for 8.25's (at least for me), and 149 Forged Hollows work great on the deck. My 8.75 black label has little more wiggly room. Since my previous post, I put cast plates back on it (with hollow hangers...will try the Ti in a bit). It feels nice, but I didn't get to go full tilt, because I am pretty sure I bruised or fractured a rib last week...ON A CURB* so I am only doing super mellow skating / cruising right now. Might be a bit before I am "normal" again.

*Was doing a bunch of b/s 180 to fakie 50-50, and then fakie ollie out. Went for a longer one, ollied too much, landed with all wheels on top, board then slid/shot out, I went parallel to the curb, and came down directly on edge of curbs with my rib cage. Wasn't cute.   

[SwitchBenihana]

The ratio thing sorta makes sense, but personally I've skated that same DLX shape for close to a decade and always hate how forged plates feel on it. 144 and 149 are fine, the extra 1.5mm and weight just makes it feel slightly more stable as it's a smaller deck for me.

Regarding plowing through grinds I think that's mostly the height. I do a ton of smiths and even IKP Thunders felt harder to push despite having great clearance. I think the rear of the board being taller helps create leverage to push through. Could be mental since most of the time I'm on forged I'm thinking "why is this better than cast just because Ben D likes it, cast is somehow fine for most of the best tech skaters on earth..." which biases my openness to something different.

[swongolianbbq]

Theoretical ratio of axle width ÷ 4 = truck height:

7.625" - 48.4mm
7.75" --- 49.2mm
8" -------- 50.8mm
8.25" --- 52.3mm
8.375" - 53.1mm
8.5" ----- 53.9mm
8.625" - 54.7mm
8.75" --- 55.5mm
9" -------- 57.1mm
9.125" - 57.9mm

Truck heights according to the truck brands themselves:

Venture Low forged ---------------- 47mm
Venture Low --------------------------- 48mm
Thunder 145, 147 forged -------- 49mm
Thunder 145, 147 -------------------- 50mm
Thunder 148, 149, 151 forged - 51mm
Thunder 148, 149, 151 ------------ 52mm
Venture High forged ---------------- 52mm
Venture High --------------------------- 53mm
Ace AF1, Ace Classic -------------- 53mm
Independent Stg 11 Forged ---- 53.5
Lurpiv -------------------------------------- 55mm
Independent Stg 11 ----------------- 55mm
Independent Stg 4 ------------------- 55mm

[The Huffer]

I use the height to width ratio more as a minimum. I learned the hard way in the early 2000s that 58/ 60mm wheels aren't that fun on an 8.25". But Small wheels can be really fun on wider decks. Lil smokies on a Huffer for instance.

[swongolianbbq]

I use the height to width ratio more as a minimum. I learned the hard way in the early 2000s that 58/ 60mm wheels aren't that fun on an 8.25". But Small wheels can be really fun on wider decks. Lil smokies on a Huffer for instance.

Yup, this is what I found too.

56mm wheels on 139s? I can't get down.

51mm wheels on 159s? Super fun

Man there were so many dudes at school with CCS setups when I was a kid that were like, Indy 126s, with risers(!), and 56mm bigheads on a 7.5"

[DarkPools]

Proportions are important. At least to me, and I generally followed the concept since starting 20 years ago

As my shoes sized up from 8 (US) around 12yo up to 12-13 now, my gear did, too! Decks starting from 7.5  and landing on 8.5 in 2011-12.

 It just makes sense to have the proportions/ratio in place, BUT some of the best to do it have wheels or trucks or decks wider or smaller than what they should be riding. I'll never NOT trip out on US 13 shoes on an 8" or smaller deck, but dudes rock it!

[Mbrimson88]

.




Trying something a little different but same, but decided to do a full new complete, with mix and match options because there are quite a few of this 8.5 shape in recent drops and I like the look of full stains with minimal graphics.


DLX 8.5 with 14.38 wb
Indy cast baseplates with ti axle 149 hangers
Spitfire 54 mm Bighead / Classic Full wheels


I posted this in the setup thread, but have come here, mainly as it is a bit of madness as well, going into this complete.

The deck is a new China made DLX board and it just feels so very stiff and a touch heavy, so after trying a number of different options for trucks tried on it last night, I settled on another mix and match of regular cast baseplates (that a friend had filled in and I redrilled closer to where T-II baseplates sit) to bring in the wheelbase and put ti axle 149s to lighten up the whole weight of the board.  Without scales to check, it feels closer to my other BBS completes with Standard Indy trucks and same other parts.  I like longer tails, so at least this change means everything works without having to redrill the deck.

The wheels are the recent 54 mm Bighead (Classic Full) shape, but they just look and feel slightly small on this board right now, so with the last few posts about proportions, I would usually run wider wheels, if not bigger overall, at least a bit wider so they sit closer to the edge of the board.  Right now these are sitting in a bit, with three washers on the inside, but they just might need to swap out for something else, although I didn't try different wheels on it before.

Because I am not riding half as much bigger stuff, I am running smaller wheels than I might have previously, where 56 mm Classic Full wheels would have been my go to on something like this, but I might still try some anyway.


Between the stiffness, the weight, the wheels and then even the fact that it is a brand new complete, I almost don't want to skate it, so left it at home today while having my usual Friday session at a local skatepark on an old favourite, but we will see.  I might come to terms with it, or could even let others have a roll on it and see what they think of it, before I really feel like I can be comfortable on it.

On paper, everything is perfect, but I can't help but think "What have I done?" and "Do I really want to skate this?"

Might get out for a roll on the weekend, otherwise it might be mid next week before this even comes out to play.



* Who just got one of these decks recently??  I am sure I saw one, but can't find it...


** @JM from DLX shapes thread - got one of these too!

https://www.slapmagazine.com/index.php?topic=85076.msg4503750#msg4503750

That darker stain is so good on yours.

[DNTRODDEN]

I am slowly transitioning from madness to stability.

Have a deck shape/size that works well, but also have one more shape/size inbound to test.
Trucks down to two - Thunder T2 / Ace AF1
Wheels - Bones X99
Bearings - Fireball Supply Built
Grip - was set on Pepper, but with some of my shoes my foot is too locked in, going to try Jessup/Jessup Ultra - (low key been liking some FKD)

Bushings have been my deepest dive recently but have them sorted for the T2 (Mini Logo Med boardside / Bones Hardcore Hard Roadside)
Working fine tuning the the Ace, the combo above works, but I still get a squirrelly when I squat at speed