Ace trucks

[Lee Ralphs Dear Old Mum]

I think I read somewhere that Ace Axles are actually intentionally a little thicker. Makes the bearings perform better and axles stronger.

[Mbrimson88]

I bought some 66 af1's and the bearings wouldn't fit on the axle at first. Like, it went right on and past all the threads then stopped short and stuck at the smooth part of the axle. Dude at the shop said "oh this happens all the time" and banged em on. I have never seen anything like that before, however I don't really buy new trucks for years at a time. Anyone else ever had an axle that seemed like mm too thick until you beat it into submission?

The only time I have seen that is when some axles (usually on older stock but not always) have had a little rust or other build up that needs cleaning off, either with grip tape offcuts or steel wool, or sometimes even just a quick spray of WD40 onto a cloth and then on each axle area.

Didn't have any issues with most bearings I know when I have assembled Ace trucks, but I am curious what bearings you were using, whether new or used, or any other info - just cause I am too curious for my own good sometimes.

[Sk.A.T.A.N]

He’s one of us again

Not for long…

[Urtripping]

@Mbrimson88 they were reds! Everything new, too. I was so puzzled, especially since it was only on the right side of the axle on the front truck... all of the others were just fine. I wish I would've taken a picture, none of the bearings were sliding on until the guy hit it. He seated the bearings into the wheel with a press, put the wheel on as far as it could go without force, then literally smacked it with a rubber mallet like 3 times and voila.

[Mbrimson88]

I think I read somewhere that Ace Axles are actually intentionally a little thicker. Makes the bearings perform better and axles stronger.

Is that the definition of innovation meets Ace quality control?

Not a worry to me either way, but I could see some people might jump to conclusions.

@Mbrimson88 they were reds! Everything new, too. I was so puzzled, especially since it was only on the right side of the axle on the front truck... all of the others were just fine. I wish I would've taken a picture, none of the bearings were sliding on until the guy hit it. He seated the bearings into the wheel with a press, put the wheel on as far as it could go without force, then literally smacked it with a rubber mallet like 3 times and voila.

Thanks!

I just saw your complete too (So good!) but re axles  - yeah so weird.  I guess at least a rubber mallet is better than some other things.


Next time I get out the board with AF1 trucks on it I might have a look and see clearances with different bearings and just see too but thinking about the setups I have built for people, no other AF1 trucks had issues like that.

Now they are on I am also thinking you don't want to try to take them off in a hurry, but I wonder if that might be a problem if you need to change anything / rotate wheels in the future.

[Richard Skidder]

AF1 axles are slightly larger but not enough for bearings to get stuck on them. Even when using a press bearings don’t always go in straight the first time around. Especially with older presses that have been abused by shop employees and groms that over muscle the lever instead of letting the machine do the work. Anytime I’ve encountered this at the shop I just simply remove the bearings from the wheel and reseat. 9 times out of 10 it’s improperly seated. A couple of times it’s because there’s a little flash metal that I’ve had to remove with a razor blade. Glad it worked out ok but I don’t think I’d be too stoked if someone was banging on my new setup with a mallet, rubber or not. That being said I’m not sure how much different the bearing stress would be compared to missing a few whiffed kick flips landing primo anyway.

[Urtripping]

It definitely wasn't the bearings or how they were seated, because they individually would not slide onto the axle (none of them in the pack would). I don't typically use a bearing press to put them in my wheels, I just slide em on the axle and press the wheel down into them, which was what I was trying to do but they just wouldn't slide on in the first place. The shop dude seated em with the press so that he could commence the bangin' lol.

When i was messing with it, it felt like either the axle was slightly bent and that was preventing then from sliding all the way on, or like it wasn't machined down enough to allow it to slide on... either way, I'm glad it worked out too because the setup is the best I've ever had. Af1's skate really great when they're brand new, and the dane 1 lived up to the hype I've read about it here for sure

[Richard Skidder]

It definitely wasn't the bearings or how they were seated, because they individually would not slide onto the axle (none of them in the pack would). I don't typically use a bearing press to put them in my wheels, I just slide em on the axle and press the wheel down into them, which was what I was trying to do but they just wouldn't slide on in the first place. The shop dude seated em with the press so that he could commence the bangin' lol.

When i was messing with it, it felt like either the axle was slightly bent and that was preventing then from sliding all the way on, or like it wasn't machined down enough to allow it to slide on... either way, I'm glad it worked out too because the setup is the best I've ever had. Af1's skate really great when they're brand new, and the dane 1 lived up to the hype I've read about it here for sure

Man that’s crazy. Now that they’re on there commence to banging indeed!

[Lou Strux]

I’m gonna guess there was a little relic of the axle threading process still sticking up “proud” & hindering the normal install.
Such a small flake of steel would easily yield to the abrupt force of a mallet, but may provide just enough resistance to stymy your efforts with slow, constant pressure.
No surprise Ace QC might have missed a minor artifact of the machining process.
Consider my 2% of a dollar hereby submitted.

[intendedreceivers]

It’s definitely an issue with their oversized axles being out of tolerance. I bought a set of AF1s from a shop and one of the axle ends was too large to thread a bearing past the threads. No shards, no aesthetic problems, they just sometimes don’t get the rod quite small enough. Got it replaced via warranty within a week and they said it happens from time to time.

I should note: this is the only QC issue I’ve ever had after a few sets of Aces.

[Richard Skidder]

Just got a set of AF1-44 and I’m hyped so far. I thought the turn was going to be pretty wild at first coming from Thunder but I got used to it within a few minutes. Honeymoon period of course but I have no complaints about them yet. Interested to see how they feel after they’re really broken in.

[Aquatic Dinosaur]

I read that ace got rid of the curved/rocker hanger but I just got some 44 lows and it feels like the hanger is so convexed that my truck will always slide until the wheel hits the coping and it’s super annoying.  I’m sliding all over the coping during grinds until my wheels lock on both trucks and it feels out of control.  I never had this problem with indys at all. 

Any body have a similar experience or solutions?  I like the height and the turn, but I might just go to a park that has a raw non coped quarter and slash the shit out of the center of the trucks or just buy some hollow forged mids

[GumOnMyGrip]

I read that ace got rid of the curved/rocker hanger but I just got some 44 lows and it feels like the hanger is so convexed that my truck will always slide until the wheel hits the coping and it’s super annoying.  I’m sliding all over the coping during grinds until my wheels lock on both trucks and it feels out of control.  I never had this problem with indys at all. 

Any body have a similar experience or solutions?  I like the height and the turn, but I might just go to a park that has a raw non coped quarter and slash the shit out of the center of the trucks or just buy some hollow forged mids

I’ve the same problem until they get broken in and a little grooved. It’s really bad on new trucks and bigger metal coping.

[Lee Ralphs Dear Old Mum]

I read that ace got rid of the curved/rocker hanger but I just got some 44 lows and it feels like the hanger is so convexed that my truck will always slide until the wheel hits the coping and it’s super annoying.  I’m sliding all over the coping during grinds until my wheels lock on both trucks and it feels out of control.  I never had this problem with indys at all. 

Any body have a similar experience or solutions?  I like the height and the turn, but I might just go to a park that has a raw non coped quarter and slash the shit out of the center of the trucks or just buy some hollow forged mids

They didn't get rid of it. I think they just added meat to the ends to minimize it a little. Things will improve once the trucks break in. Until then just learn to use for locking in. I was thrown off it at first but like it now.

[Aquatic Dinosaur]

^thanks for the replies, waiting for them to break in

[logjammin]

That's any new truck, you don't have grooves yet player. Get to work...

[toe_knee]

I read that ace got rid of the curved/rocker hanger but I just got some 44 lows and it feels like the hanger is so convexed that my truck will always slide until the wheel hits the coping and it’s super annoying.  I’m sliding all over the coping during grinds until my wheels lock on both trucks and it feels out of control.  I never had this problem with indys at all. 

Any body have a similar experience or solutions?  I like the height and the turn, but I might just go to a park that has a raw non coped quarter and slash the shit out of the center of the trucks or just buy some hollow forged mids

Yea, I don’t skate bowls much so I had to do all my breaking in on the skatepark ledge, same thing though, was hard to lock in til after i broke them in, not going back now though, the lows are my favorite shit right now, love the turn and how quick I can snap my board now, the lows are where it’s at

[rawbertson.]

5050 some double sider parking blocks
mine felt slippery like that only for literally 1 session lol the next session i actually forgot i was on new trucks

[Aquatic Dinosaur]

Yeah I overreacted.  I had aces around 2014, not even sure about the year, and the rocking shit was bad and the axels slipped so I scrapped them and was hoping for improvements this time around. 

[bombsaway86]

Has anybody else noticed changes to the AF1s since they were released? I had a set that I bought right when they were released. They were good trucks but the grind felt sticky, especially on metal coping. I ended up going back to Independent because the grind bothered me so much.

My Indys were ready to be replaced, so I got another set of AF1s last week. This set grinds so much better than the first set that I had. Maybe it’s in my head, but the metal feels more like the classics. Maybe I just got a bad set the first time? Either way, I’m pretty happy with this set now.

[jgonzalez]

Has anybody else noticed changes to the AF1s since they were released? I had a set that I bought right when they were released. They were good trucks but the grind felt sticky, especially on metal coping. I ended up going back to Independent because the grind bothered me so much.

My Indys were ready to be replaced, so I got another set of AF1s last week. This set grinds so much better than the first set that I had. Maybe it’s in my head, but the metal feels more like the classics. Maybe I just got a bad set the first time? Either way, I’m pretty happy with this set now.

I would be happy if this is the case. I bought some AF1s this summer from the local. Now I’m getting a groove but the grind seems more gritty dry and hard. Indy has a good grind, or maybe short term memory is romanticizing the past. My classic aces are bent and on their last legs but dam that butter grind is great plus the deep grooves help. I’m not in love with af1 grind but also wonder if I’m just nostalgic about past trucks. Plus my af1s are pretty creaky and clicky. Makes them feel cheap, just figured I gotta abuse them more and they’ll turn and grind better as trucks do.

Ngl I’m gonna get those new Indy’s when they drop

[logjammin]

Has anybody else noticed changes to the AF1s since they were released? I had a set that I bought right when they were released. They were good trucks but the grind felt sticky, especially on metal coping. I ended up going back to Independent because the grind bothered me so much.

My Indys were ready to be replaced, so I got another set of AF1s last week. This set grinds so much better than the first set that I had. Maybe it’s in my head, but the metal feels more like the classics. Maybe I just got a bad set the first time? Either way, I’m pretty happy with this set now.

This same thing happened to me, I hated the AF1's when they came out. I bought a couple sets in different sizes and they stuck immediately especially on metal coping. Then I decided to give them one more try and bought some AF1 44's awhile after they were on the market, and am still skating them. They're nearing axle and they've grinded like ice coated with butter their entire life. I personally believe they did in fact change something in the alloy to make them grind better, but I doubt they'd admit it. It's all anecdotal though. Some said theirs grinded better than the classics right when they hit the market so who really knows. They had a more vintage dull look to them when they first hit the scene, but then they started looking more polished and shinier especially now when you look at the new hollows. So that kinda reinforced my personal belief something changed.

[bombsaway86]

Expand Quote

Has anybody else noticed changes to the AF1s since they were released? I had a set that I bought right when they were released. They were good trucks but the grind felt sticky, especially on metal coping. I ended up going back to Independent because the grind bothered me so much.

My Indys were ready to be replaced, so I got another set of AF1s last week. This set grinds so much better than the first set that I had. Maybe it’s in my head, but the metal feels more like the classics. Maybe I just got a bad set the first time? Either way, I’m pretty happy with this set now.

[close]

This same thing happened to me, I hated the AF1's when they came out. I bought a couple sets in different sizes and they stuck immediately especially on metal coping. Then I decided to give them one more try and bought some AF1 44's awhile after they were on the market, and am still skating them. They're nearing axle and they've grinded like ice coated with butter their entire life. I personally believe they did in fact change something in the alloy to make them grind better, but I doubt they'd admit it. It's all anecdotal though. Some said theirs grinded better than the classics right when they hit the market so who really knows. They had a more vintage dull look to them when they first hit the scene, but then they started looking more polished and shinier especially now when you look at the new hollows. So that kinda reinforced my personal belief something changed.

My first set looked dull too. This new set is much shinier

[Roisto]

Inverted kingpin most likely in the not so distant future:

[the_sandlot]

Probably a dumb performance question but anyone here hotrodded an 8.5 on some classic 55s? Is it too fucked, or is it more than adequate? How did normal flip tricks, grinds and the like feel?

Done the old Indy 149s on an 8.25 and didn’t notice a thing but just wanted to see if the slappers had gone the full half inch with the premier skateboard truck before as I know classic 44s were the most minuscule under 8.38 and that seems to bug heads.

[arrbee]

I know I'm not the first to experience it and I know they would warranty them. But has anyone come up with a solution for the axle nut being able to be hand tightened/loosened? This set has some great grooves going and I really don't want to set up new trucks, at the same time I don't want my wheel flying off mid session.

[goodatmeth]

Probably a dumb performance question but anyone here hotrodded an 8.5 on some classic 55s? Is it too fucked, or is it more than adequate? How did normal flip tricks, grinds and the like feel?

Done the old Indy 149s on an 8.25 and didn’t notice a thing but just wanted to see if the slappers had gone the full half inch with the premier skateboard truck before as I know classic 44s were the most minuscule under 8.38 and that seems to bug heads.

I actually tried that for a day, felt amazing on transition and worked fine for everything, I can remember it just feeling too heavy for me because it was a steep deck. It's at the point where it starts to look kind of weird though, like the trucks are very obviously bigger than the deck unless you ride the skinniest wheels.

I know I'm not the first to experience it and I know they would warranty them. But has anyone come up with a solution for the axle nut being able to be hand tightened/loosened? This set has some great grooves going and I really don't want to set up new trucks, at the same time I don't want my wheel flying off mid session.

If it also happens with new nuts you can only use loctite or superglue.

[manysnakes]

I know I'm not the first to experience it and I know they would warranty them. But has anyone come up with a solution for the axle nut being able to be hand tightened/loosened? This set has some great grooves going and I really don't want to set up new trucks, at the same time I don't want my wheel flying off mid session.

New standard 5/16 Nyloc nuts are $.12 each at my local hardware store. If you are lazy, you can buy little bags of 4 on eBay or Amazon for a few bucks. 'Fixed my problem.

[Lou Strux]

I know I'm not the first to experience it and I know they would warranty them. But has anyone come up with a solution for the axle nut being able to be hand tightened/loosened? This set has some great grooves going and I really don't want to set up new trucks, at the same time I don't want my wheel flying off mid session.

There’s a clip in the Deedz HVVS Raw Files edit on the Thrasher®️ website where he loses a wheel on the approach to a trick.
Got me wondering if this is a larger problem than just a few of us nerds on here.
I keep thinking Ace just gotta know about this issue, and have plans to fix it once their current stock of axle nuts is depleted.
Fingers crossed that “self loosening” nuts are no longer a feature of the product line by the time I pick up my next set.
Thanks for the god-level turning, regardless.

[arrbee]

Expand Quote

I know I'm not the first to experience it and I know they would warranty them. But has anyone come up with a solution for the axle nut being able to be hand tightened/loosened? This set has some great grooves going and I really don't want to set up new trucks, at the same time I don't want my wheel flying off mid session.

[close]

There’s a clip in the Deedz HVVS Raw Files edit on the Thrasher®️ website where he loses a wheel on the approach to a trick.
Got me wondering if this is a larger problem than just a few of us nerds on here.
I keep thinking Ace just gotta know about this issue, and have plans to fix it once their current stock of axle nuts is depleted.
Fingers crossed that “self loosening” nuts are no longer a feature of the product line by the time I pick up my next set.
Thanks for the god-level turning, regardless.

Part of me thinks it could be related to the rethreader nuts. I would be willing to bet I take my wheels off well above average. Whether it be changing to new wheels which I do pretty often, or cleaning bearings.