Anyone here had thunders and tried aces? Aces look weak as hell. Not sure if they're lighter though.
Edit: Nvm. Aces are heavy AF for some reason 394g's for AF1s vs thunder titanium's which are 312g's for 8.25. Getting thunders next probs.
Up until about a year ago, I was primarily on Thunders, but gave some Ace Classics a try & loved their turn.
Here’s my take…
Weight: Thunder wins out here: until there’s a hollow Ace, even the standard Thunders will likely weigh less.
Pop: I prefer the pop on the Thunders, but after getting used to the Ace, the reduced effort to get that tail/nose to the ground feels nice, but side by side, I still prefer the steeper pop of the Thunder.
Turn: Ace all day, all the way. I’m going to get all D. Gesmer for a second & remind everybody that “turning is the essence of skateboarding.”
My Aces turn in nearly as quickly as the seemingly psychically controlled Thunders, but do so waaay deeper by having the sweep of the hanger at a less extreme angle (more towards the center of the board, less upward toward the deck itself). For this same reason, they are less prone to wheel-bite, even while run looser. I can run 56mm wheels on the Ace while at being limited to 54mm on the Thunders to maintain similar performance. Also, for how “surfy” these feel, they are also very stable across the middle & pop back to center real nice. Thunders are just alright, by comparison, in both regards.
Grind: I’m throwing this one over to Thunder with a caveat: I’m riding the Ace Classics & they are renowned for having a “slow/sticky” grind, compared to some other aluminum. The AF1s feel a lot more like all the other trucks I prefer. One of my sets of Thunders is well into the axle, and that pair are the best grinding trucks I’ve ever had (since the last pair I took down into steel) but that’s more about the metallurgy. I did NOT like the narrower axle “barrel” of the Thunder hanger when they were new, but once worked in a bit, they were fine.
Durability: both have been known to have issues, Ace has a bit of a reputation for QC issues, as I’m sure you know. Both manus have excellent warrantee policies though, so as long as you’ve got a back up pair of trucks you don’t mind setting up while your new set of whatever you choose gets shipped to you, you should be good to go.
Pinch: Thunder. Definately. Not that I’m out their pinching grinds very often, but Thunder for sure.
If you add all of this up, it seems like Thunder is a no-brainer, but I fucking love these Classics. The turn, man… it’s beautiful and not to be underrated, but if it’s tech skating you’re after, my money is on the Thunders.
All of this comes, by the way, from a dude who frequently (& happily) rides three or more different set-ups a session, each w/ different dims & trucks, so how much are you really going to trust my opinion?
Also, MY tech game is nearly non existent, so maybe that advises you as far as how seriously you should weigh my input.
Currently on Indys, Thunder & Ace (love them all, for their own reasons) & I have a set of Ventures that I am hesitant to set up, because I like a quick turn.
Topic: Ace trucks (Read 747413 times)