Truck set-ups

[rocklobster]

$40 ATG Mag Light 5.5's at TGM

https://tgmskateboards.com/tensor-trucks-5-5-mag-light-neon-yellow-black-8-25-axle/

God awful color and only 1 in stock, but hey they're cheap and the shipping is free.


Btw I saw some people mention bigger boards with 14" wb - the ScumCo logo decks from Pennswood come in 8.75" with a 14" wb. Doesn't look he has any in-stock on the site but you could email him and ask. I've got an 8.75", it's way too big for me but it was black and yellow so I bought it... use it as a cruiser sometimes and it's like driving a cadillac body on a honda frame or something. Feels kind of weird but not in an unpleasant way.

Edit: Found one

https://day-after-day-supply.myshopify.com/products/scum-co-8-75-logo

Good looking out man, the colorway is a crime against humanity but I would have grabbed it if i lived stateside.

[satan]

https://www.skatedeluxe.com/de/mob-skateboards-upper-flatwasher-silver-2er-pack_p114363?cPath=46
 I swear by these washers. top and bottom + barrell bushings.

Interesting. At 0.75" od that looks like a regular washer.
The thickness of washers has a large-ish range since the tolerances aren't tight.
Washers can also be bent when new. Or the two faces might not be parallel to each other.

https://www.mcmaster.com/shims select ring shims, then 3/8" id..
Shims have tighter tolerances so they will both be the same thickness.
They're typically ground flat, both sides parallel.
I think Bones uses a ring shim but I'm not sure..
Is the od on the Bones washer 5/8"?
Could someone with calipers measure the thickness?
Thanks. I like geeking on this stuff..

[backinaction]

Is the od on the Bones washer 5/8"?
Could someone with calipers measure the thickness?
Thanks. I like geeking on this stuff..

OD is 3/4"
Thickness is 3/64"

[Uncle Flea]

Hit up deluxe again. I hope this warranty is honored.

In so fucking stresses. I don't want to use the aces yet. They are going on a board that has a shape.

I can't use the thunders 8.5 teams. They have usa base plates and are extra low. Too low for a 55mm spit.

I just want this resolved by end of the month. I hate tapping my truck bolts on shit

[Murge]

Dork question here. I don’t bomb hills really but I been skating this incline and it’s 2 sections like incline flat incline. By the time I’m at the bottom speed wobbles start to get rough. 

Do you guys use harder bushings to be stable and prevent speed wobbles or would softer be better to absorb the vibrations?

Long story short how do I set a truck up to prevent speed wobbles.

[Paperclip20]

Dork question here. I don’t bomb hills really but I been skating this incline and it’s 2 sections like incline flat incline. By the time I’m at the bottom speed wobbles start to get rough. 

Do you guys use harder bushings to be stable and prevent speed wobbles or would softer be better to absorb the vibrations?

Long story short how do I set a truck up to prevent speed wobbles.

If your trucks are tighter speed wobbles will be less likely, Guys who skate vert/mega ramp generally run super tight trucks I believe. I would try to learn to powerslide to control your speed if possible though

[Firebert]

Dork question here. I don’t bomb hills really but I been skating this incline and it’s 2 sections like incline flat incline. By the time I’m at the bottom speed wobbles start to get rough. 

Do you guys use harder bushings to be stable and prevent speed wobbles or would softer be better to absorb the vibrations?

Harder bushings for sure. You can crank down all you want, and it will work, but this is why harder duro bushings exist. I always keep my nuts flush with the kingpin, if I want it looser or tighter, I swap bushings.

[FrozenIndustries]

Expand Quote

Dork question here. I don’t bomb hills really but I been skating this incline and it’s 2 sections like incline flat incline. By the time I’m at the bottom speed wobbles start to get rough. 

Do you guys use harder bushings to be stable and prevent speed wobbles or would softer be better to absorb the vibrations?

[close]

Harder bushings for sure. You can crank down all you want, and it will work, but this is why harder duro bushings exist. I always keep my nuts flush with the kingpin, if I want it looser or tighter, I swap bushings.

Secret to a happy life.

[Sativa Lung]

Expand Quote

Dork question here. I don’t bomb hills really but I been skating this incline and it’s 2 sections like incline flat incline. By the time I’m at the bottom speed wobbles start to get rough. 

Do you guys use harder bushings to be stable and prevent speed wobbles or would softer be better to absorb the vibrations?

Long story short how do I set a truck up to prevent speed wobbles.

[close]

If your trucks are tighter speed wobbles will be less likely, Guys who skate vert/mega ramp generally run super tight trucks I believe. I would try to learn to powerslide to control your speed if possible though

Mega ramp boards straight up don't turn, by design. They use 215s and the hardest bushings they can find, and then crank the fuckers down until they're rock hard. I forget where I heard it but someone compared it to being on a sled with runners more than a skateboard. Makes sense considering you're going more or less in a straight line and a wobble could literally kill you.

But yeah, for bombing hills I usually crank them down a little and I'm always a little more hesitant if I'm riding a higher truck. I looooove Mini Logos on hills, the combination of the low truck and it being a little wider than the 8.25 I'm usually riding makes it feel super stable. My ideal setup is ML trucks, 54mm+ conicals, good bearings, and a nice thick hoody just in case. Definitely helps to bend your knees and keep your weight centered too, I think Gerwer or someone said that the best thing to do if you start to wobble is just go dead weight like a sandbag so I've always got that in the back of my head when I'm on a hill. Be mindful of things like the road surface transitioning since that can either speed you up or slow you down and throw your balance off, and obviously just pray you don't hit a rock or hit a loose piece of pavement. And when you inevitably do and get pitched, try to resist the urge to put your hands out to break the fall, take the impact on something with a lot of meat and surface area like the back of your shoulder or ass, and try to roll through it. Then limp the 100 yards down the road to where your board finally hit the curb, and either hike back up and conquer it or lick your wounds and head home if you've had enough.

[secondhandstoke]

Caliber 44's and Venom bushings all day

[munchbox]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Dork question here. I don’t bomb hills really but I been skating this incline and it’s 2 sections like incline flat incline. By the time I’m at the bottom speed wobbles start to get rough. 

Do you guys use harder bushings to be stable and prevent speed wobbles or would softer be better to absorb the vibrations?

Long story short how do I set a truck up to prevent speed wobbles.

[close]

If your trucks are tighter speed wobbles will be less likely, Guys who skate vert/mega ramp generally run super tight trucks I believe. I would try to learn to powerslide to control your speed if possible though

[close]

Mega ramp boards straight up don't turn, by design. They use 215s and the hardest bushings they can find, and then crank the fuckers down until they're rock hard. I forget where I heard it but someone compared it to being on a sled with runners more than a skateboard. Makes sense considering you're going more or less in a straight line and a wobble could literally kill you.

But yeah, for bombing hills I usually crank them down a little and I'm always a little more hesitant if I'm riding a higher truck. I looooove Mini Logos on hills, the combination of the low truck and it being a little wider than the 8.25 I'm usually riding makes it feel super stable. My ideal setup is ML trucks, 54mm+ conicals, good bearings, and a nice thick hoody just in case. Definitely helps to bend your knees and keep your weight centered too, I think Gerwer or someone said that the best thing to do if you start to wobble is just go dead weight like a sandbag so I've always got that in the back of my head when I'm on a hill. Be mindful of things like the road surface transitioning since that can either speed you up or slow you down and throw your balance off, and obviously just pray you don't hit a rock or hit a loose piece of pavement. And when you inevitably do and get pitched, try to resist the urge to put your hands out to break the fall, take the impact on something with a lot of meat and surface area like the back of your shoulder or ass, and try to roll through it. Then limp the 100 yards down the road to where your board finally hit the curb, and either hike back up and conquer it or lick your wounds and head home if you've had enough.

54s on that low of a truck? hope theres nothing in your way going down that hill

[cosmicgypsies]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Dork question here. I don’t bomb hills really but I been skating this incline and it’s 2 sections like incline flat incline. By the time I’m at the bottom speed wobbles start to get rough. 

Do you guys use harder bushings to be stable and prevent speed wobbles or would softer be better to absorb the vibrations?

Long story short how do I set a truck up to prevent speed wobbles.

[close]

If your trucks are tighter speed wobbles will be less likely, Guys who skate vert/mega ramp generally run super tight trucks I believe. I would try to learn to powerslide to control your speed if possible though

[close]

Mega ramp boards straight up don't turn, by design. They use 215s and the hardest bushings they can find, and then crank the fuckers down until they're rock hard. I forget where I heard it but someone compared it to being on a sled with runners more than a skateboard. Makes sense considering you're going more or less in a straight line and a wobble could literally kill you.

But yeah, for bombing hills I usually crank them down a little and I'm always a little more hesitant if I'm riding a higher truck. I looooove Mini Logos on hills, the combination of the low truck and it being a little wider than the 8.25 I'm usually riding makes it feel super stable. My ideal setup is ML trucks, 54mm+ conicals, good bearings, and a nice thick hoody just in case. Definitely helps to bend your knees and keep your weight centered too, I think Gerwer or someone said that the best thing to do if you start to wobble is just go dead weight like a sandbag so I've always got that in the back of my head when I'm on a hill. Be mindful of things like the road surface transitioning since that can either speed you up or slow you down and throw your balance off, and obviously just pray you don't hit a rock or hit a loose piece of pavement. And when you inevitably do and get pitched, try to resist the urge to put your hands out to break the fall, take the impact on something with a lot of meat and surface area like the back of your shoulder or ass, and try to roll through it. Then limp the 100 yards down the road to where your board finally hit the curb, and either hike back up and conquer it or lick your wounds and head home if you've had enough.

last time i got pitched on a hill bomb was exactly that, wasn't a huge hill by any means maybe enough to get you to 20/25mph or something. very shitty floor slabs that were uneven, went into it way too quick beyond the point of no return and started seeing every crack on the floor and thinking "if i hit one of these im getting fucking dusted" - somehow made it through the bullshit labyrinth of awful floor and made it out thinking "wow how the fuck did i make it through that". not two seconds later i make the transition from shitty slabs to rough asphalt, the slight shift nudged me forwards a little and the weight of all the shit in my bag (water/camera gear/old deck strapped on) shifted forwards too and got dusted. my main concern was the brand new National board that just shot into the road so i ran after it, picked it up and got off the road and then realized i was bleeding out of my knee, elbow, shoulder and hip.

good times.

[dakara]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Dork question here. I don’t bomb hills really but I been skating this incline and it’s 2 sections like incline flat incline. By the time I’m at the bottom speed wobbles start to get rough. 

Do you guys use harder bushings to be stable and prevent speed wobbles or would softer be better to absorb the vibrations?

Long story short how do I set a truck up to prevent speed wobbles.

[close]

If your trucks are tighter speed wobbles will be less likely, Guys who skate vert/mega ramp generally run super tight trucks I believe. I would try to learn to powerslide to control your speed if possible though

[close]

Mega ramp boards straight up don't turn, by design. They use 215s and the hardest bushings they can find, and then crank the fuckers down until they're rock hard. I forget where I heard it but someone compared it to being on a sled with runners more than a skateboard. Makes sense considering you're going more or less in a straight line and a wobble could literally kill you.

But yeah, for bombing hills I usually crank them down a little and I'm always a little more hesitant if I'm riding a higher truck. I looooove Mini Logos on hills, the combination of the low truck and it being a little wider than the 8.25 I'm usually riding makes it feel super stable. My ideal setup is ML trucks, 54mm+ conicals, good bearings, and a nice thick hoody just in case. Definitely helps to bend your knees and keep your weight centered too, I think Gerwer or someone said that the best thing to do if you start to wobble is just go dead weight like a sandbag so I've always got that in the back of my head when I'm on a hill. Be mindful of things like the road surface transitioning since that can either speed you up or slow you down and throw your balance off, and obviously just pray you don't hit a rock or hit a loose piece of pavement. And when you inevitably do and get pitched, try to resist the urge to put your hands out to break the fall, take the impact on something with a lot of meat and surface area like the back of your shoulder or ass, and try to roll through it. Then limp the 100 yards down the road to where your board finally hit the curb, and either hike back up and conquer it or lick your wounds and head home if you've had enough.

[close]

last time i got pitched on a hill bomb was exactly that, wasn't a huge hill by any means maybe enough to get you to 20/25mph or something. very shitty floor slabs that were uneven, went into it way too quick beyond the point of no return and started seeing every crack on the floor and thinking "if i hit one of these im getting fucking dusted" - somehow made it through the bullshit labyrinth of awful floor and made it out thinking "wow how the fuck did i make it through that". not two seconds later i make the transition from shitty slabs to rough asphalt, the slight shift nudged me forwards a little and the weight of all the shit in my bag (water/camera gear/old deck strapped on) shifted forwards too and got dusted. my main concern was the brand new National board that just shot into the road so i ran after it, picked it up and got off the road and then realized i was bleeding out of my knee, elbow, shoulder and hip.

good times.

One hasn’t truly lived till they experience the “point of no return” feeling when bombing a hill.

Ideal bombing setup is wider trucks than board. Too much leverage if you’re square or under, slightest twitch and you’re in fucksville

[Uncle Flea]

Dork question here. I don’t bomb hills really but I been skating this incline and it’s 2 sections like incline flat incline. By the time I’m at the bottom speed wobbles start to get rough. 

Do you guys use harder bushings to be stable and prevent speed wobbles or would softer be better to absorb the vibrations?

Long story short how do I set a truck up to prevent speed wobbles.

get heavy low and have a wide stance.

My board is loose and I prefer magic carpet than wide and tight.
A tight truck wobble is harder to get out of I feel.

The tighter your trucks the harder you got to press down to stop wobble patterns from taking you out.

Low heavy wide.

Hills are my shit for since the 1880s.

[j....soy.....]

Man up and buy a drop board.....

[Xen]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Dork question here. I don’t bomb hills really but I been skating this incline and it’s 2 sections like incline flat incline. By the time I’m at the bottom speed wobbles start to get rough. 

Do you guys use harder bushings to be stable and prevent speed wobbles or would softer be better to absorb the vibrations?

[close]

Harder bushings for sure. You can crank down all you want, and it will work, but this is why harder duro bushings exist. I always keep my nuts flush with the kingpin, if I want it looser or tighter, I swap bushings.

[close]

Secret to a happy life.

This.

Still boggles my mind people that crank down soft bushings.

[whatsreallygood]

Do you guys know any way to tell the difference between V2 and V3 theeves? My buddy has a set he's been skating for a while and now he's curious which version it is since I brought it up. I assumed they were V2s since they're pretty old but he realized he bought them right around when V3's dropped so I dunno myself. So anything visually distinct between the revisions?

Also swapping bushings is key, keeps you from cranking them down and blowing them out unnecessarily.

[tuesday]

If your buddy has the TiKing one (the?) difference between V2 and V3 is that the hollow kingping in the V3 TiKings is no longer Titanium, but steel.

[whatsreallygood]

If your buddy has the TiKing one (the?) difference between V2 and V3 is that the hollow kingping in the V3 TiKings is no longer Titanium, but steel.

Damn, they're Tiax, that would've made things easy. Thanks for the info regardless though

[Ol Nick]

Can painted trucks/flaws in the paint be a significant cause of pivot issues? I’ve got a pair of Thunder 151 Teams with black powder coated hangers. Last pair of non-raw trucks I owned were Trackers on my first board about thirty years ago so I have pretty limited experience with how they may break-in differently than raw/polished.

When I first set these up, the hangers were super stiff in the pivots. Ridiculously creaky, occasionally with a pronounced “click” when tilting past center-point. First, just to make sure it was the pivot, I swapped out the stock glow-in-the-dark bushings (I know. I got these bad boys on clearance) for some stock thunders off a pair of 149s, then Bones mediums, and then, most recently, some Thunder blue 95 bushings from a truck rebuild kit. The issues persist regardless of the bushings. Wax shavings or speed cream in the pivot cups helps for about ten min but they still feel a little jittery as they lean and then the squawk comes back fully.

I swapped the stock pivot cups with Thunder replacements from one of the truck rebuild kits and there is no difference ultimately. Before I get into non-Thunder pivot cup replacements, I’m curious if anyone has thoughts on what’s going on with the powder coating on the pivots and if they’re just going to perpetuate the issue regardless of what pivot cup bushing is in there: (These are two sides of one hanger pivot)




The wear on the end of the pivot began first, the stuff on the sides has developed more recently. It’s apparent to me that the cups are being compressed enough to allow metal to metal contact on hard turns; the lip of the pivot cup bushings are flush with the baseplate.

Should I try to strip the paint from the pivot of the hanger to see if just smoothing out that surface helps? Will a harder pivot cup bushing solve some of this perhaps? (I’m like 210ish lbs so I know I’m part of the problem.)

For reference, my best-feeling truck setup right now is a pair of polished Thunder 149s with stock pivot cups, Thunder 100a hard black bushings w/ stock washers. Kingpin nuts are usually flush on back and a little looser than flush on fronts.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Firebert]

Can painted trucks/flaws in the paint be a significant cause of pivot issues?

I would think it could. I have some pairs of 144 Indy's that have slimmer pivots, almost like there wasn't enough metal to fill the cast, so the pivot rattles inside the cup - either that or the baseplate pivot hole was too big.

[sadnocomply]

I think that’s just a normal flaw on mass production of trucks^ I also have some venture trucks that squawk on the lean and I switched baseplates with another venture and immediate fix, turns out upon inspection, one of my baseplate pivot holes was way bigger than the other causing it to slip & not hold a pivot cup properly & fucking my turn and lean.

[pizzafliptofakie]

I started skating a new set of Thunder 149s yesterday. I've always skated stock Thunder bushings and generally got used to them pretty quick but yesterday was pretty miserable. I had my nut on barely tighter than a finger twist  but they were still too tight. I swapped the bushings with some of the soft Bones bushings I had in my cruiser and the result was a little more squirrelly than I'm used to but I kinda liked it.

[rocklobster]

Anyone tried making frankenstein Venture trucks?

I have a pair of Venture 5.6 V-Hollow but would like to shift the WB by only 3.25" instead of the usual 3.4-3.5". Been eyeing a pair of Venture 5.0 Lo to swap out the baseplate.

Is truck height determined by baseplate or hanger height? Seems like all baseplates from that brand are universal.

[dakara]

I’m trying to improve stability on my extremely squirrelly setup without losing too much turn. As it stands it feels like I’m standing on a tightrope when setting up for tricks.  I have an 8 inch deck on Indy stage 9 129samd keep them loose enough to were I can make a fairly tight 90degree turn Around a corner when skating in the city. Normally I would just buy 8.25 trucks, but I cant afford that at the moment. I was thinking about going with some Indy hard bushings or medium hards. How much of a difference are the medium hards than stock? I only weigh 110lbs so am hesitant to go with hards. Any other setup tricks to get more stability without compromising turn too much like with washers and hard/soft bushing combos etc?

[moonordie]

I’m trying to improve stability on my extremely squirrelly setup without losing too much turn. As it stands it feels like I’m standing on a tightrope when setting up for tricks.  I have an 8 inch deck on Indy stage 9 129samd keep them loose enough to were I can make a fairly tight 90degree turn Around a corner when skating in the city. Normally I would just buy 8.25 trucks, but I cant afford that at the moment. I was thinking about going with some Indy hard bushings or medium hards. How much of a difference are the medium hards than stock? I only weigh 110lbs so am hesitant to go with hards. Any other setup tricks to get more stability without compromising turn too much like with washers and hard/soft bushing combos etc?

For how long you've been skating?

[dakara]

Expand Quote

I’m trying to improve stability on my extremely squirrelly setup without losing too much turn. As it stands it feels like I’m standing on a tightrope when setting up for tricks.  I have an 8 inch deck on Indy stage 9 129samd keep them loose enough to were I can make a fairly tight 90degree turn Around a corner when skating in the city. Normally I would just buy 8.25 trucks, but I cant afford that at the moment. I was thinking about going with some Indy hard bushings or medium hards. How much of a difference are the medium hards than stock? I only weigh 110lbs so am hesitant to go with hards. Any other setup tricks to get more stability without compromising turn too much like with washers and hard/soft bushing combos etc?

[close]

For how long you've been skating?

I skated quite heavily from 12-17, then less till I was 20. Started back up about 8 months ago at 27. I have all the basics back down, up to sketchy tre flips.

[ClownOfTheDay]

Indy black bushings without top washer in my venture 5.8's feel so good. Before with stock venture bushings I hated the way it turned an constantly had to keep battling with the turn.

[rocklobster]

I’m trying to improve stability on my extremely squirrelly setup without losing too much turn. As it stands it feels like I’m standing on a tightrope when setting up for tricks.  I have an 8 inch deck on Indy stage 9 129samd keep them loose enough to were I can make a fairly tight 90degree turn Around a corner when skating in the city. Normally I would just buy 8.25 trucks, but I cant afford that at the moment. I was thinking about going with some Indy hard bushings or medium hards. How much of a difference are the medium hards than stock? I only weigh 110lbs so am hesitant to go with hards. Any other setup tricks to get more stability without compromising turn too much like with washers and hard/soft bushing combos etc?

What are the dimensions on the board you are riding? I find Indys on a shorter deck can make the board turn very sharply and be too light on the pop. Going the other extreme with Venture Hollow Light trucks will make the board turn more gradually but you will struggle to get pop on a shorter board since the tail gets shortened.

[satan]

I’m trying to improve stability on my extremely squirrelly setup without losing too much turn. As it stands it feels like I’m standing on a tightrope when setting up for tricks.  I have an 8 inch deck on Indy stage 9 129samd keep them loose enough to were I can make a fairly tight 90degree turn Around a corner when skating in the city. Normally I would just buy 8.25 trucks, but I cant afford that at the moment. I was thinking about going with some Indy hard bushings or medium hards. How much of a difference are the medium hards than stock? I only weigh 110lbs so am hesitant to go with hards. Any other setup tricks to get more stability without compromising turn too much like with washers and hard/soft bushing combos etc?

Stage 9 duralites have conical bottom bushings, right?
A cylinder/barrel bushing should be a lil more stable on center, but not dive into turns as quickly.
I'd suggest trying orange (90a?) Indy or Thunder/Deluxe cylinders.
I feel like trucks even with board width is more stable if you're talking about actually lifting wheels off the ground.
Trucks wider than my board bugs me tho.
You link up with any other jdm guys? With the way some ppl here change up their gear you guys might be able to just trade stuff.