Gear madness support thread

[Plan9Customs]

Been skating AF1’s for a few months pretty consistently now but had a shitty session the other day so I threw the forged hollows on just to see what would happen. Skated really well on them tonight so the madness is back. They’re similar feeling trucks so it boils down to the minutia, but it almost feels like it’s a placebo because I was expecting the Indy’s to be a little more stable.  Idk though. On AF1’s pop shoves especially feel like a gamble, on Indy’s they felt solid every time. Same with setting up for ledge tricks. I may just have to setup two boards and have a vs match between the two trucks.

How’s the grind compare on those 2? Getting ready to go the opposite of what you did.

[Sandwich Marty]

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Been skating AF1’s for a few months pretty consistently now but had a shitty session the other day so I threw the forged hollows on just to see what would happen. Skated really well on them tonight so the madness is back. They’re similar feeling trucks so it boils down to the minutia, but it almost feels like it’s a placebo because I was expecting the Indy’s to be a little more stable.  Idk though. On AF1’s pop shoves especially feel like a gamble, on Indy’s they felt solid every time. Same with setting up for ledge tricks. I may just have to setup two boards and have a vs match between the two trucks.

[close]

How’s the grind compare on those 2? Getting ready to go the opposite of what you did.

Aces feel softer to me. It’s noticeable more on metal edged skatepark ledges. I find I stick more on them, but it’s not a huge issue and is probably more due to bad form on my part.

[DNTRODDEN]

I tried to post this yesterday, but I got the "Human Verification" and it deleted the post.

I ride 1 size truck, and that is whatever size 149, 55, 8.5, whatever, that is designed for an 8.5 deck.
I ride them on 8.25, 8.3, and 8.5s but I have definitely settled on 8.3 as my desired deck width. I ride pretty wide wheels as well, and don't care if the wheel is tucked or extended past the deck edge.  I will say that my wheels have moved on from Spitfire Radial fulls, and Bones V7s to a more "normal" V6 shape

[Mbrimson88]

I tried to post this yesterday, but I got the "Human Verification" and it deleted the post.

I ride 1 size truck, and that is whatever size 149, 55, 8.5, whatever, that is designed for an 8.5 deck.
I ride them on 8.25, 8.3, and 8.5s but I have definitely settled on 8.3 as my desired deck width. I ride pretty wide wheels as well, and don't care if the wheel is tucked or extended past the deck edge.  I will say that my wheels have moved on from Spitfire Radial fulls, and Bones V7s to a more "normal" V6 shape

If the verification thing happens again, just hit back twice, or at least back to the message you just typed (which is still here for me when that happens) then hit post again.  No need to retype everything.

That has been coming up a bit more lately and I was starting to wonder, but that seems like the easiest option.

...wish I hadn't pigeonholed myself into ~8.25 decks. After that I'll probably check out team thunder 149s since I've never had them before.

Quite a few people ride 8.25 trucks on 8.38 or similar size boards with no issues.  Just an option anyway, but I often find myself just wanting wider trucks on wider decks, but even just putting three washers on the inside of each wheel, just the nut on the outside can also bring the wheels out just enough for 8.25 trucks to work on some wider boards too, not quite 8.5 as that was a bit of a stretch, but some people like it like that.

An interesting finding— I tried banging out the kingpin and inverting it myself on the thunders as it does have the hex shaped bottom area and the nut didn’t fit. 

I noticed a few of my Thunder baseplates were a little off center when I took out the kingpins - hammered out maybe half a dozen or more sets now - so with that slight imperfection, I had to machine the kingpin nut a bit on some, but then I ended up just drilling out the bit of baseplate that didn't sit right, which worked better than anything else.

If it is minimal, even just scraping the kingpin nut on some rough concrete to wear down one side or corner point a bit might help it fit too, but a basic battery drill I have with a small metal drill bit angled into the corner of the baseplate and just drilling a touch, not very deep, was able to take off the bit that was preventing the kingpin nut from sitting nicely down in there.

Some baseplate bottoms were so snug the kingpin nut almost stayed wedged in there, but I didn't want the kingpin to sit on an angle or crooked from the nut not being 100% right in there, so this worked the best for me.

This was my adventure with Thunder inverted kingpins:


https://www.instagram.com/mbrimson88/p/DQJjoTQE4nN/

[jamesmocapaldi]

Kingpins weren't off-center in my case, just the hex area was too narrow for a nut to fit. Stupid luck that I'd have a set that can't be easily inverted without pulling out an angle grinder. I just went back to a healthier set of hangers (even though they're 1/4" wider). I figure if I get some inverted thunders, I can put the old 148 hangers on the new plates and try to kill them then. I just don't have much concrete (curbs/ledges) to skate so axle isn't a good measure of doneness for me.

Am I remembering correctly that someone here said T2 inverted would have a click-lock system like Ace? I wonder if they'll update T1 with the same system.

[Plan9Customs]

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Been skating AF1’s for a few months pretty consistently now but had a shitty session the other day so I threw the forged hollows on just to see what would happen. Skated really well on them tonight so the madness is back. They’re similar feeling trucks so it boils down to the minutia, but it almost feels like it’s a placebo because I was expecting the Indy’s to be a little more stable.  Idk though. On AF1’s pop shoves especially feel like a gamble, on Indy’s they felt solid every time. Same with setting up for ledge tricks. I may just have to setup two boards and have a vs match between the two trucks.

[close]

How’s the grind compare on those 2? Getting ready to go the opposite of what you did.

[close]

Aces feel softer to me. It’s noticeable more on metal edged skatepark ledges. I find I stick more on them, but it’s not a huge issue and is probably more due to bad form on my part.

Thanks. That’s what I was looking for.

[Sedition]

Am I remembering correctly that someone here said T2 inverted would have a click-lock system like Ace?

T-2 IKP is slated for the 2nd fall drop, if I recall correctly. I don’t remember seeing any mention of click-lock system in the DLX info on them.

[Mbrimson88]

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Am I remembering correctly that someone here said T2 inverted would have a click-lock system like Ace?

[close]

T-2 IKP is slated for (LATER), if I recall correctly. I don’t remember seeing any mention of click-lock system in the DLX info on them.

Might have just opted for the regular / normal / no fuss version, which would both keep the price down and maybe have fewer complications, but I know nothing more about them either.

I know there will be people who will always want an inverted option on any truck they ride, but I think the Thunder T-II sits high enough that it doesn't really need an inverted kingpin, just like Indy sits high enough, so I have taken the grinder to both those truck variants to take the kingpin down a bit and they work well for me.

The original Thunder had way less clearance, so no manner of machining could help that, when I tried, but the inverted option makes for a very comfortable clearance on them now.

Maybe once the truck is down near axle, then you can really notice the clearance, or lack of it, but I feel like some of the marketing out these days for extremely low top bushings and kingpin clearance can actually create more problems than just angle grinding down the kingpin a bit, but I also retire trucks or swap them out for kids setups or cruisers before they get really bad like that.

Some others skate those things til they break and feel like they have been cheated if they can't skate a truck til it is in pieces, so I guess that is also just one of those things, down to how someone skates, what tricks they like to do, even a lot of feeble or smith combos can destroy a truck before it gets through the axle on some I have seen.

Always fascinating to see, but I can also appreciate how some people will set up new trucks before things even get half that far, as to them, it just feels way better on newer than older trucks too, with the old trucks being passed down the line to someone else anyway.

[The Huffer]

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Am I remembering correctly that someone here said T2 inverted would have a click-lock system like Ace?

[close]

T-2 IKP is slated for (LATER), if I recall correctly. I don’t remember seeing any mention of click-lock system in the DLX info on them.

[close]

Might have just opted for the regular / normal / no fuss version, which would both keep the price down and maybe have fewer complications, but I know nothing more about them either.

Despite the initial rumors, I saw a pic and its not the Ace system (which is pretty damn great system IMO).

But I also agree.... T2 KPs are already  low enough for me.

[SwitchBenihana]

Would be weird for Thunder to license tech from Ace if they have an in house system that supposedly works. Mine self loosened but others seem to be fine. If Ace had been smarter they would made it available through Mesa so it didn't seem like "Thunder licensing tech from a competitor because they can't do it right themselves".

[swongolianbbq]

Also thinking about making a Truck Height/Wheelbase chart as well, if only for me

There's a truck wheelbase thread or two, not sure how accurate/up to date it is. Folks had different ways of measuring and I don't know how much of it is verified/standardized. If I worked at a shop I would do it on a slow day and take pics.

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

[DNTRODDEN]

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Also thinking about making a Truck Height/Wheelbase chart as well, if only for me

[close]

There's a truck wheelbase thread or two, not sure how accurate/up to date it is. Folks had different ways of measuring and I don't know how much of it is verified/standardized. If I worked at a shop I would do it on a slow day and take pics.

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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

[close]

This is what I got so far, it is a slow day at work and i am getting paid way to much to to do this, LOL
So far this is built using all the research I can do on a network that has a lot of sites blocked, and the information I can find on Slap.

These are just the trucks I own, so it is not all inclusive

[jamesmocapaldi]

Speaking of truck heights...

I recently said that I thought indy 144s felt tippy compared to indy 149s at the same height and thus I prefer 149s.

But the same is not true for me for thunders or ventures (both sizes feel fine).

I've only tried Ace AF1s in the 8.5 size and they did not feel too tippy. Fwiw, when I say tippy, I mean they felt really tall and the turn felt like I just fell over into the turns rather than being in control of the turns. AF1s, for instance, felt very turny but I didn't feel like I was too high up, so I didn't experience a "tippy" feeling.

To those who've tried them and can speak to this:
Does the same phenomenon happen with AF1s? With Slappys?

[DNTRODDEN]

Speaking of truck heights...

I recently said that I thought indy 144s felt tippy compared to indy 149s at the same height and thus I prefer 149s.

But the same is not true for me for thunders or ventures (both sizes feel fine).

I've only tried Ace AF1s in the 8.5 size and they did not feel too tippy. Fwiw, when I say tippy, I mean they felt really tall and the turn felt like I just fell over into the turns rather than being in control of the turns. AF1s, for instance, felt very turny but I didn't feel like I was too high up, so I didn't experience a "tippy" feeling.

To those who've tried them and can speak to this:
Does the same phenomenon happen with AF1s? With Slappys?

I am not a good source, because I have only ran Slappy Lows, but they are not tippy at all and now that I got the bushing sorted on my AF1s they are not tippy either, but I didn't feel they were tippy on the stock bushing, just the lean into the turn  was a bit to fast for me, I would rather have a truck with a even lean, and a fast rebound to center

[Mbrimson88]

Speaking of truck heights...

I recently said that I thought indy 144s felt tippy compared to indy 149s at the same height and thus I prefer 149s.

But the same is not true for me for thunders or ventures (both sizes feel fine).

I've only tried Ace AF1s in the 8.5 size and they did not feel too tippy. Fwiw, when I say tippy, I mean they felt really tall and the turn felt like I just fell over into the turns rather than being in control of the turns. AF1s, for instance, felt very turny but I didn't feel like I was too high up, so I didn't experience a "tippy" feeling.

To those who've tried them and can speak to this:
Does the same phenomenon happen with AF1s? With Slappys?

Might be more so on any taller truck that comes in the smaller sizes, compared to a more balanced or lower truck in the smaller sizes.

Might also have something to do with how tight the bushings are too, eg tighter trucks from Indy in 129 / 139 or even 144 could feel way more tippy than the same bushings in 149, 159 or in other brands in smaller sizes.

In playing around with some smaller boards, including 7.3, 7.5 and 7.75 with trucks to match, they can definitely feel tippy on taller trucks, but if they are not as tight, the board seems to work a little better, but even then some people like the tippy feeling as it works better for them for tre flips or similar that make it easier to get the board up on its side, but for others, going to lean and having the board go up on two wheels or feel like you are going to slip off is not fun.


I did notice an older 8.12 black eagle with standard Indy 139s felt a bit like that on bigger wheels, but changed to forged baseplates and smaller wheels, things felt way more even all round.

[Sedition]

Just a follow-up from a few posts...

Since I am bit injured right now, and have to play it mellow for a bit, I'm using what skate time I do have to mess around with gear a bit.

We had been talking about 55mm trucks on 8.25 decks...I decided to try that again today. And Yeah, absolutely confirmed (again), that 55mm Indys just feel way too tall/tippy on my 8.25 (DLX). I normally run Forged Indys on that deck, and those feel good on it.

Conversely, I have cast Indys on my 8.75 Black Label, and those are great on that deck (my main ride these days).

53mm Classics on both.