Truck set-ups

[Mbrimson88]

I think a lot fewer people are actually swapping out the Indy bushings straight away now compared to how we all used to because the stage 11 have fairly decent bushings in them, that work moderately well right from go and wear in nicely after a couple of sessions.  That said, they are about 90 duro, so if you are more used to looser or tighter, you are probably going to want to change them out.

[palelight]

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on that note i never see anyone rocking aftermarket indy bushings in the wild. i've only seen bones.

[close]

Is that an easily discernible thing? Early 2010's everyone had Bones in their Indy's for sure, now I mostly see them on Ventures.

[close]

It is, since their color is different than stocks...I've never seen anyone anywhere (if I catch a glimpse of the board) with red/blue/white/yellow bushings in their indys. Hell, I've only ever seen one person riding bones softs in indys; it's either orange or bones meds.

Thunders, you can tell by drop/model which trucks they are based on bushing color...if you care about such things.

Fair enough. I figured on account of 90's being the same colour stock and aftermarket it might be a tough call. That and Indy always has trucks with different colour stocks in most drops, usually red or black, sometimes white. Obviously a conical bottom is dead giveaway. But, I'd probably agree, when I think about it, it's always pretty much stock oranges across the board when I see em.

[Diocletian]

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What's more concerning are the yellow Indy super hard bushings. Don't you like to turn?

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Ans this is how Diocletian found out he's colorblind

Lol, fuck man those aren't yellow?!

[Richard Skidder]

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Has anyone else noticed that Thunder baseplates have been retooled to accommodate an inverted kingpin or at least the old style kingpin if necessary?

[close]

I just checked the newest set of 149s I have in stock and although they have a rectangular area where the fixed kingpin is, I am not sure it would accommodate a hex head, but I will sit an old kingpin in the gap a bit later to see if it would work.

[close]

Sounds like the old plates, which do accommodate a bolt but won't hold it in place without a little help.

Sorry I’m a bit behind commenting back here but the shop I work at just got in a bunch of polished Thunders and on the base plate where the kingpin is it used to be more squared and now it’s kind of a “V” shape that’s the same size as the nut. With Thunder working on an inverted kingpin release soon it would make sense for them to have one baseplate to use for either.

[Xen]

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Has anyone else noticed that Thunder baseplates have been retooled to accommodate an inverted kingpin or at least the old style kingpin if necessary?

[close]

I just checked the newest set of 149s I have in stock and although they have a rectangular area where the fixed kingpin is, I am not sure it would accommodate a hex head, but I will sit an old kingpin in the gap a bit later to see if it would work.

[close]

Sounds like the old plates, which do accommodate a bolt but won't hold it in place without a little help.

[close]

Sorry I’m a bit behind commenting back here but the shop I work at just got in a bunch of polished Thunders and on the base plate where the kingpin is it used to be more squared and now it’s kind of a “V” shape that’s the same size as the nut. With Thunder working on an inverted kingpin release soon it would make sense for them to have one baseplate to use for either.

Snap some pics

[Richard Skidder]

Next time I’m in the shop I’ll get a photo. Can you only post photos from desktop or does it work with mobile?

[jay_nev]

Next time I’m in the shop I’ll get a photo. Can you only post photos from desktop or does it work with mobile?

mobile. There’s a link below the rely type box “add image to post” pretty straight forward to add from device

[Richard Skidder]

Awesome. Thanks!

[Krooked antihero]

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on that note i never see anyone rocking aftermarket indy bushings in the wild. i've only seen bones.

[close]

Is that an easily discernible thing? Early 2010's everyone had Bones in their Indy's for sure, now I mostly see them on Ventures.

[close]

It is, since their color is different than stocks...I've never seen anyone anywhere (if I catch a glimpse of the board) with red/blue/white/yellow bushings in their indys. Hell, I've only ever seen one person riding bones softs in indys; it's either orange or bones meds.

Thunders, you can tell by drop/model which trucks they are based on bushing color...if you care about such things.

[close]

Fair enough. I figured on account of 90's being the same colour stock and aftermarket it might be a tough call. That and Indy always has trucks with different colour stocks in most drops, usually red or black, sometimes white. Obviously a conical bottom is dead giveaway. But, I'd probably agree, when I think about it, it's always pretty much stock oranges across the board when I see em.

When I still skated indys I always changed my stock orange bushings to orange aftermarket bushings, they might look the same but performance was like night and day, only thing you can spot them is that they are (were?) a little bit darker orange than stock ones. Dunno how is these day tho...

[chris.]

I have pushed back against riding Indy's for 20 years because I've been a contrarian fucktard my whole life but I'll be damned if these cast hollow 144 aren't amazing. I haven't lost anything and I'm unlocking new tricks like nose manuals that have just never worked.

[anon]

has anyone tried thunder hangers + venture baseplates?
if they fit, it may solve the nose/tailslide issue

[sketchyrider]

That's a shame because the Indy aftermarket bushings are great. The blue 92 barrel bushings are perfect.

I have a feeling you're right on the money, the 90s are nice enough but a little bit prone to wheelbite if you like bigger wheels.

[Uncle Flea]

Winter wars are beginning.

Going to switch up to aces soon so I can turn.

[Ok]

Winter wars are beginning.

Going to switch up to aces soon so I can turn.

Fuckin so true. Been thinking about buying some 33s

[Mbrimson88]

I might have more access to everything, so I can pretty much build what I like with whatever product I get my hands on, but I have never had a set of pro / good brand trucks that I could not make turn as I wanted them to, usually by swapping out or changing up bushings or sometimes even using minimal risers on lower trucks.

When some people say they cannot turn on brand X so they switch to brand Y or Z, how is it that you cannot turn, eg are the bushings in the trucks making them too tight, or you go to turn and get wheelbite, or what?

Indy, Thunder, Venture, Ace, and many others I really don't need to name can all still work just as well if you have the power and access to make them work, with minimal tweaks or changes.

I get the other things like people not happy with Thunder baseplates not being long enough in the nose / tail slide area or other things like the height of the truck / height of the kingpin clearance, etc.

I am curious as to exactly how things do not work for you.

[Krooked antihero]

I think it’s more preferences, if you’ve been skating indys hella loose for past 10years I guarantee when you switch to ventures they feel like train on tracks. Ofc you can adjust on those by changing bushings and most important just ride them until you get comfy on ’em but...most guys here works full-time jobs, like myself I don’t have time to re-learn how to fucking turn on my board, as I’ve been doing that for the past 20 years with great success already😁 

[Mcidraque]

on that note i never see anyone rocking aftermarket indy bushings in the wild. i've only seen bones.

their conical aftermarkets work great for me (specially the soft red ones) definitely more durable than bones (mediums at least) in my experience

[Big Baby Jesus]

I'm on a pair of thunder 149 team hollows right now and while I like them a lot I am starting to feel like they are not the ideal truck for the decks I skate. I am usually on 8.38 or 8.5 Polar's with 14.5 WB. Has any one tried the Indy Titanium? Think I need something to shorten the WB. Ventures and thunders are pushing the WB too far out for me... I think...

[Mbrimson88]

I don’t have time to re-learn how to fucking turn on my board, as I’ve been doing that for the past 20 years with great success already

Ha yes, I totally understand that.

The number of near dead bushings I have seen that people are riding which makes the trucks have "that perfect worn in turn" which you can never replicate on brand new bushings.  I know quite a few people will get rid of trucks but never get rid of their well used bushings.

[Mbrimson88]

I'm on a pair of thunder 149 team hollows right now and while I like them a lot I am starting to feel like they are not the ideal truck for the decks I skate. I am usually on 8.38 or 8.5 Polar's with 14.5 WB. Has any one tried the Indy Titanium? Think I need something to shorten the WB. Ventures and thunders are pushing the WB too far out for me... I think...

The titanium axle does make it lighter, the Indy geometry makes them turn easily enough and the meat of the hanger means they stay solid for grinds and last longer than some other trucks, but it is all down to personal preference.  The difference in wheelbase between Indy and Thunder on two identical setups is a couple of mm, so whether that is going to give you more what you want, or not, I couldn't say.

I feel more stable on Indy, but that is just me.

[Ok]

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I'm on a pair of thunder 149 team hollows right now and while I like them a lot I am starting to feel like they are not the ideal truck for the decks I skate. I am usually on 8.38 or 8.5 Polar's with 14.5 WB. Has any one tried the Indy Titanium? Think I need something to shorten the WB. Ventures and thunders are pushing the WB too far out for me... I think...

[close]

The titanium axle does make it lighter, the Indy geometry makes them turn easily enough and the meat of the hanger means they stay solid for grinds and last longer than some other trucks, but it is all down to personal preference.  The difference in wheelbase between Indy and Thunder on two identical setups is a couple of mm, so whether that is going to give you more what you want, or not, I couldn't say.

I feel more stable on Indy, but that is just me.

I think the difference between forged indys (titanium) and cast thunders is quite small.

Those polar boards have long wb, I can’t fuck with em (this is because these days I almost exclusively skate flat parking lots, and just want to try flip tricks).

Ace would bring the wb in the most, but are squirrelly and can be difficult to get adjusted correctly, for some, in the beginning.

I am way more obsessed with the particulars of a setup when it’s outside of my comfort zone, meaning: I need everything to be just so, and that just so is very much a moving target, when I’m trying to skate a board that is bigger or smaller than what I probably should be skating. It’s annoying, because I want to have different setups, or more often ride larger wheels, and if so proportionally larger setups, but....it becomes too difficult for me to bring it all together. Usually.

[Lou Strux]

Sooo... My only gripe w/ Thunders is the massive wheel bite I get when I ride them at my preferred level of adjust.
Currently running Thunder 90du bushings with only about a thread of kingpin showing (basically: factory stock)
Question: would I reasonably be able to expect a substantial/noticeable difference in how much wheel bite I'm experiencing if I ran a barrel bushing of appropriate size, or am I a fool for expecting no wheel bite while running 54-56mm wheels on Thunders w/ the Team (cast) base plates?
I've tried slightly harder Thunder bushings, but they fucked up the turn too much.
At one point I was trying to run Bones Medium (yellow) in them, but those fucks blow out. The best solution I've tried so far is just keeping them standard.
Love my Thunders, but I am super over the wheel bite factor.
Any body tried a barrel on the bottom with good results? If so, which sort?
Other info: I'm approx. 170 lbs.
Thanks in advance.
Shalom.

[Big Baby Jesus]

Sooo... My only gripe w/ Thunders is the massive wheel bite I get when I ride them at my preferred level of adjust.
Currently running Thunder 90du bushings with only about a thread of kingpin showing (basically: factory stock)
Question: would I reasonably be able to expect a substantial/noticeable difference in how much wheel bite I'm experiencing if I ran a barrel bushing of appropriate size, or am I a fool for expecting no wheel bite while running 54-56mm wheels on Thunders w/ the Team (cast) base plates?
I've tried slightly harder Thunder bushings, but they fucked up the turn too much.
At one point I was trying to run Bones Medium (yellow) in them, but those fucks blow out. The best solution I've tried so far is just keeping them standard.
Love my Thunders, but I am super over the wheel bite factor.
Any body tried a barrel on the bottom with good results? If so, which sort?
Other info: I'm approx. 170 lbs.
Thanks in advance.
Shalom.

I'm on my first set of thunders ever. I have a ton of WB too on mine and 54mm wheels. I'm 155 lbs. I'm using the 97du thunder aftermarkets. I tried to put supercush 97du in but the barrel was too big for the washer and I didn't want to take parts off my ventures.

[Mbrimson88]

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Sooo... My only gripe w/ Thunders is the massive wheel bite I get when I ride them at my preferred level of adjust.
Currently running Thunder 90du bushings with only about a thread of kingpin showing (basically: factory stock)
Question: would I reasonably be able to expect a substantial/noticeable difference in how much wheel bite I'm experiencing if I ran a barrel bushing of appropriate size, or am I a fool for expecting no wheel bite while running 54-56mm wheels on Thunders w/ the Team (cast) base plates?
I've tried slightly harder Thunder bushings, but they fucked up the turn too much.
At one point I was trying to run Bones Medium (yellow) in them, but those fucks blow out. The best solution I've tried so far is just keeping them standard.
Love my Thunders, but I am super over the wheel bite factor.
Any body tried a barrel on the bottom with good results? If so, which sort?
Other info: I'm approx. 170 lbs.
Thanks in advance.
Shalom.

[close]

I'm on my first set of thunders ever. I have a ton of WB too on mine and 54mm wheels. I'm 155 lbs. I'm using the 97du thunder aftermarkets. I tried to put supercush 97du in but the barrel was too big for the washer and I didn't want to take parts off my ventures.

I know everyone would have different experiences, but when I try to turn as per normal on Thunders with no risers, I get wheelbite 100% of the time.  With the most minimal risers (thin rubber 1mm) or something equally minimal in height, you can still feel the normal ride, with it not being too high off the ground, but it is a world of difference in the turn, as that simple and minimal 1mm brings the trucks up ever so slightly but allows the true turn of Thunders to work for me.

The only time I could turn without issue is when I had put old very small wheels on an old setup with Thunders and there was enough clearance to turn, but it still felt just that little bit weird.  With minimal risers and stock bushings, it had enough stability but enough turnability to feel comfortable on normal sized wheels.

If nothing else, just a couple of squares of cardboard, cut out bike tube rubber or similar substance, or whatever that fits under it, which will also still fit with normal deck bolts will do it.  Even though you might think or feel that it is a ghetto way of doing it, just try it first and see if it makes a difference.

There are thin rubber risers out there from half a dozen companies, but they might be few and far between to find, whereas something simple to cut out, which brings the trucks off the deck will work.

[palelight]

Sooo... My only gripe w/ Thunders is the massive wheel bite I get when I ride them at my preferred level of adjust.
Currently running Thunder 90du bushings with only about a thread of kingpin showing (basically: factory stock)
Question: would I reasonably be able to expect a substantial/noticeable difference in how much wheel bite I'm experiencing if I ran a barrel bushing of appropriate size, or am I a fool for expecting no wheel bite while running 54-56mm wheels on Thunders w/ the Team (cast) base plates?
I've tried slightly harder Thunder bushings, but they fucked up the turn too much.
At one point I was trying to run Bones Medium (yellow) in them, but those fucks blow out. The best solution I've tried so far is just keeping them standard.
Love my Thunders, but I am super over the wheel bite factor.
Any body tried a barrel on the bottom with good results? If so, which sort?
Other info: I'm approx. 170 lbs.
Thanks in advance.
Shalom.

Caveat, I didn't stick with Thunders, had em for one set. The only thing that reduced (but still didn't eliminate) the wheelbite was using a standard Ace bushing on the bottom, and keeping the stock Thunder top. The dimensions were a little skewed, but nothing too insane. Still had the Thunder turn. Mind you I was on 52mm's getting wheelbite and was over it all pretty quick. 56's might be a hard ask.

[Level 60 Dwarf Rogue]

Without risers, I wouldn’t go larger than 54 on cast thunders.

[ballintoohard]

I had Thunder Ti Lite 148 with the forged plates. Thought I'd see if I liked extra height so I put on 1/8" risers. Loved it. So I buy Thunder Team 149 and swap my old bushings and hangers. But I don't love it. Feels weird. Turn feels stiff. Is there any dimension difference between the 2 hangers or bushings?

[baustin]

I had Thunder Ti Lite 148 with the forged plates. Thought I'd see if I liked extra height so I put on 1/8" risers. Loved it. So I buy Thunder Team 149 and swap my old bushings and hangers. But I don't love it. Feels weird. Turn feels stiff. Is there any dimension difference between the 2 hangers or bushings?

No, you just need to break in your pivot cups or put your old ones in (recommend just breaking them in). Throw some wax shavings in the cups to loosen up the feel while they’re breaking in.

[Ok]

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I had Thunder Ti Lite 148 with the forged plates. Thought I'd see if I liked extra height so I put on 1/8" risers. Loved it. So I buy Thunder Team 149 and swap my old bushings and hangers. But I don't love it. Feels weird. Turn feels stiff. Is there any dimension difference between the 2 hangers or bushings?

[close]

No, you just need to break in your pivot cups or put your old ones in (recommend just breaking them in). Throw some wax shavings in the cups to loosen up the feel while they’re breaking in.

I hate forged plates maybe, or maybe I only like them on 14 wb. Anyways, didn’t want to buy completely new 147s, so I swapped the cast plate from some 149s....147s and down are different from 148s and up, geometry wise (I’m pretty sure). So far it works ok. No kp clearance.

[Frank and Fred]

So I typically ride Ace or Thunder and occasionally Indy (stage 11) but recently I have been on some stage 8s and quality of the grind cannot be overstated. The aluminum feels way harder and it just smashes through grinds in such a satisfactory way. What went wrong? Can we get back to this quality again please?

Will the new Aces have harder aluminum? Please!