TrAnCe
09-08-2008, 03:04 PM
This thread was created by the amazing TrAnCe and the Yoda_emo.
it's divided into five separate categories;
1. weight
2. geometry
3. strength and smoothness
4. height
5. turn
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1. Weight
Weight is a big factor to many skaters in truck selection. However the weight of a truck affects more than just the height of an ollie or airs, it also affect grinds.
Airs:
While it is true lighter trucks would make you go higher because of reduced weight, that is not the only factor involved in boosting big! Heavier trucks allow you to keep more speed through parks and pools and on ramps. Just like a heavier car rolling down a hill will gain more speed than a lighter one a heavier board will hold it's speed much better than a lighter one. The difference in trucks weight (a mere few grams per truck) is not enough to affect the height of ollies for 99% of all skaters. Unless you are very little (4-8 year olds) or very weak the weight should not bother you. If you skate street only then this part would not be helpful for you but keep reading!
Grinds:
Weight also contributes to how your trucks feel and react while grinding. Heavier trucks will feel more "locked in" while grinding. They also tend to feel more solid when land ollies into grinds on ledges and rails.
We are not just advocating heavier trucks, We are simply giving you the advantages of heavier trucks over lighter ones. There are many factors to consider in deciding how heavy of trucks you like. If you ride street only and like flip tricks and are doing shorter grinds then you will probably prefer lower, lighter trucks (ex. Venture, Thunder Lights, Krux) if you ride park and mini ramps then you might like mid trucks (Thunder Hi's are great mid height and weight trucks) and if you ride pools or large ramps then you will probably like the classic style height and weight (Independent need I say more!). Ask questions, look at different trucks and ask people who ride them what they think, then make your choice!
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2.(a) Geometry and how it affects turn; Geoetry means how a truck is designed to turn, and how much you're meant to lean to make it turn. it affects not only your ability to urn and stability of your board, but also your pop. http://www.tensortrucks.com/gfx/tech/angles1.jpg this picture shows good geometry http://www.tensortrucks.com/gfx/tech/angles2.jpg this one shows bad geometry. the difference is the turning ability of the truck. If you have a venture low, for example, the geometry is designed to keep it stable, even when you're manualling. If you've ever owned thunder high's however, you'll notice you can lean left and right waay too easily while manualling. this is called a "weak angles" by tensor trucks (who thankfully have alot explained on their site). These "weak angles" **** you up on 5.0's and manny's, and happen more with bad geometry in trucks.
as you can (kinda) see, the truck with orange bushings is a low; thunder and venture's lows are good and stable; however, their high model's have this bushing problem, causing prob's with your turning. this is due to the bushing not having complete leverage over the entire truck, so it cant keep stability over turning n shit.
you'll get a normal ride most of the time, but once you need to manual, damn. those trucks will tip like paul wall, which in term means less response in manny's and 5.0's. venture low's however have solved this problem, so you'll get better balance on 5.0's and manny's.
--------------------------------------------------------------
2.(b) Geometry and how it affects pop; as you've read before, geometry affects your ability to turn. when you've got bad geometry and you try leaning on one truck with the other one up in the air (5.0's, manuals), they'll wobble, right? but this also affects pop. as the tensor truck site says;
"Our most crucial moments are at the snap of the ollie.. Small twitches of the hangar at either end caused by "weak angles" get magnified, especially where speed is involved. Those twitches can ruin your snap or send you right to wheel bite. Tensors were designed for stability for these very reasons".
what it means is, when you go to ollie, the truck will turn and absorb your pop, because it think's your turning. therefore, you get less pop.
With venture lows, you dont get this problem, as it turns stable right throughout. thunder lows have also tryed to solve this problem, though they turn a bit more. its just a geometrical difference. thunder high's are the truck I've seen to suffer this problem the most, and the 147's take the prize home. since you're 5.0'ing right against the wheel, and the wheel is further from the bushing, it'll turn even more then a regular 145 thunder high.
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3. Strength and smoothness, and what it does to skating (you've already done the weight part!); an indy truck is longer lasting than a thunder truck when you're grinding krusty un-waxed ledges. Why? they use a harder, stronger metal to make their trucks.
much stronger metal = SLIGHTLY more weight.
An indy medium height 139 truck weighs 16 grams more than a thunder low 145. ask your local drug dealer how insignificant that is.
Stronger material = longer lasting trucks, but what about smoothness? What I've found is that thunders definately feel smoother than grinding indy's, probably because the material is softer, cushioning the ride, or wearing away in all the cracks. So, why exactly would you wanna cushion your ride? isnt the whole point of grinding to feel like a big man, smashing that concrete/metal ledge? I mean, if you want smoothness, go buy some ricta clouds and push mongo :-).
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4. Height
Tight trucks:
Pros[B]
Higher tricks: Because your pop is going straight down the amount of energy is going to be more directed, eg straight down.
No wheelbite: this will be handy for when your attempting your first stair sets and beyond includeing ledges. When landing down a stair set, its hard to keep your balance perfect, rspecially for beginners, having no wheelbite will increase your chance of rolling away from a high impact trick.
[B]Cons
Style, Steez, Cleaness etc: This is going to be affected, (may not matter for beginners when just trying to learn not perfect). When you land a trick, is your balance is to the side you are going to have to do a tic tac to stay on the board. Most people relate having to tic tac as a bad thing as it shoes your balnce isnt great.
Turning: trying to turn isnt affected badly until you are moving fast.
When going fast eg down a hill, tic tacing can sometimes turn to you wiping out as the wheels just ****up somehow.
Medium:
In the middle. basically is the stage where alot of people skate. Obviously has the goods of tight and loose trucks in one at a lesser effect.
I recommend for beginners.
Loose:
Pros
Rolling Up To Obstacle: Rolling up to obstacles is easier as after youve got speed, your feet can be placed perfectly without having to tic tac into the right direction.
Easy turning: Just lean to the side and turn become easy. Also you can turn as you push.
Style, Steez, Cleaness etc: When landing, if you land to the side, naturally the board will take the imact and the trucks will turn, covering up for a stetchy land without having to tic tac.
Cons
Wheelbite: This is the main con, it happened to me in the weekend. I was ollieing os a carpark kicker, got big air a few times. Then landed to the side and ate shit.
Basically, most landing that arent perfect, you are going to get a case of wheelbite causing pain.
Height: Your tricks are probably going to be lower, as getting an accurate pop off the tail is harder to hit.
Remember, all can be changed at the pull of a spanner.
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5.Turn The higher a truck is, the further it can turn without getting wheelbite. This is now the part where we bag on "bad" companies and hail on "good" truck companies, and include some pictures for good measure.
Venture; designed as a low street truck back in 1991, doesnt turn as much as some other trucks.
Independent; designed to turn well and not break from back in 1978, although Stage 9's break and turn less than any other Indy's
Tracker; "didnt turn" back in 1975 (they turned better than all trucks now, but it wasnt enough back then), today make the best turning trucks possible for street and ramps.
royal; trucks designed to look aesthetically pleasing, no performance value
krux; same as royal
destructo; same as above I think.
thunder; were originally indy's with punk graphics, but have since made themselves another company, with a worthy reputation. turn good for street, but not really enough for the ramps.
titan; silly trucks to make your board look good. period.
Bennett; best turning trucks from 1975, even before Tracker were around. they've reissued them, and they turn better than I thought trucks possibly could.
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc67/reorganism/jay_adams_lite.jpg
http://broadcatching.files.wordpress.com/2008/01/ledger_dogtown.jpg
http://www.azpx.com/uploaded_images/JoeDownHill2-794896.jpg
----------------------------------------------------------------------
In all, there's alot of skateboard trucks avaliable on the market today, and a set to suit everyones needs and wants. :)
it's divided into five separate categories;
1. weight
2. geometry
3. strength and smoothness
4. height
5. turn
--------------------------------------------------------
1. Weight
Weight is a big factor to many skaters in truck selection. However the weight of a truck affects more than just the height of an ollie or airs, it also affect grinds.
Airs:
While it is true lighter trucks would make you go higher because of reduced weight, that is not the only factor involved in boosting big! Heavier trucks allow you to keep more speed through parks and pools and on ramps. Just like a heavier car rolling down a hill will gain more speed than a lighter one a heavier board will hold it's speed much better than a lighter one. The difference in trucks weight (a mere few grams per truck) is not enough to affect the height of ollies for 99% of all skaters. Unless you are very little (4-8 year olds) or very weak the weight should not bother you. If you skate street only then this part would not be helpful for you but keep reading!
Grinds:
Weight also contributes to how your trucks feel and react while grinding. Heavier trucks will feel more "locked in" while grinding. They also tend to feel more solid when land ollies into grinds on ledges and rails.
We are not just advocating heavier trucks, We are simply giving you the advantages of heavier trucks over lighter ones. There are many factors to consider in deciding how heavy of trucks you like. If you ride street only and like flip tricks and are doing shorter grinds then you will probably prefer lower, lighter trucks (ex. Venture, Thunder Lights, Krux) if you ride park and mini ramps then you might like mid trucks (Thunder Hi's are great mid height and weight trucks) and if you ride pools or large ramps then you will probably like the classic style height and weight (Independent need I say more!). Ask questions, look at different trucks and ask people who ride them what they think, then make your choice!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.(a) Geometry and how it affects turn; Geoetry means how a truck is designed to turn, and how much you're meant to lean to make it turn. it affects not only your ability to urn and stability of your board, but also your pop. http://www.tensortrucks.com/gfx/tech/angles1.jpg this picture shows good geometry http://www.tensortrucks.com/gfx/tech/angles2.jpg this one shows bad geometry. the difference is the turning ability of the truck. If you have a venture low, for example, the geometry is designed to keep it stable, even when you're manualling. If you've ever owned thunder high's however, you'll notice you can lean left and right waay too easily while manualling. this is called a "weak angles" by tensor trucks (who thankfully have alot explained on their site). These "weak angles" **** you up on 5.0's and manny's, and happen more with bad geometry in trucks.
as you can (kinda) see, the truck with orange bushings is a low; thunder and venture's lows are good and stable; however, their high model's have this bushing problem, causing prob's with your turning. this is due to the bushing not having complete leverage over the entire truck, so it cant keep stability over turning n shit.
you'll get a normal ride most of the time, but once you need to manual, damn. those trucks will tip like paul wall, which in term means less response in manny's and 5.0's. venture low's however have solved this problem, so you'll get better balance on 5.0's and manny's.
--------------------------------------------------------------
2.(b) Geometry and how it affects pop; as you've read before, geometry affects your ability to turn. when you've got bad geometry and you try leaning on one truck with the other one up in the air (5.0's, manuals), they'll wobble, right? but this also affects pop. as the tensor truck site says;
"Our most crucial moments are at the snap of the ollie.. Small twitches of the hangar at either end caused by "weak angles" get magnified, especially where speed is involved. Those twitches can ruin your snap or send you right to wheel bite. Tensors were designed for stability for these very reasons".
what it means is, when you go to ollie, the truck will turn and absorb your pop, because it think's your turning. therefore, you get less pop.
With venture lows, you dont get this problem, as it turns stable right throughout. thunder lows have also tryed to solve this problem, though they turn a bit more. its just a geometrical difference. thunder high's are the truck I've seen to suffer this problem the most, and the 147's take the prize home. since you're 5.0'ing right against the wheel, and the wheel is further from the bushing, it'll turn even more then a regular 145 thunder high.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Strength and smoothness, and what it does to skating (you've already done the weight part!); an indy truck is longer lasting than a thunder truck when you're grinding krusty un-waxed ledges. Why? they use a harder, stronger metal to make their trucks.
much stronger metal = SLIGHTLY more weight.
An indy medium height 139 truck weighs 16 grams more than a thunder low 145. ask your local drug dealer how insignificant that is.
Stronger material = longer lasting trucks, but what about smoothness? What I've found is that thunders definately feel smoother than grinding indy's, probably because the material is softer, cushioning the ride, or wearing away in all the cracks. So, why exactly would you wanna cushion your ride? isnt the whole point of grinding to feel like a big man, smashing that concrete/metal ledge? I mean, if you want smoothness, go buy some ricta clouds and push mongo :-).
-----------------------------------------------------------
4. Height
Tight trucks:
Pros[B]
Higher tricks: Because your pop is going straight down the amount of energy is going to be more directed, eg straight down.
No wheelbite: this will be handy for when your attempting your first stair sets and beyond includeing ledges. When landing down a stair set, its hard to keep your balance perfect, rspecially for beginners, having no wheelbite will increase your chance of rolling away from a high impact trick.
[B]Cons
Style, Steez, Cleaness etc: This is going to be affected, (may not matter for beginners when just trying to learn not perfect). When you land a trick, is your balance is to the side you are going to have to do a tic tac to stay on the board. Most people relate having to tic tac as a bad thing as it shoes your balnce isnt great.
Turning: trying to turn isnt affected badly until you are moving fast.
When going fast eg down a hill, tic tacing can sometimes turn to you wiping out as the wheels just ****up somehow.
Medium:
In the middle. basically is the stage where alot of people skate. Obviously has the goods of tight and loose trucks in one at a lesser effect.
I recommend for beginners.
Loose:
Pros
Rolling Up To Obstacle: Rolling up to obstacles is easier as after youve got speed, your feet can be placed perfectly without having to tic tac into the right direction.
Easy turning: Just lean to the side and turn become easy. Also you can turn as you push.
Style, Steez, Cleaness etc: When landing, if you land to the side, naturally the board will take the imact and the trucks will turn, covering up for a stetchy land without having to tic tac.
Cons
Wheelbite: This is the main con, it happened to me in the weekend. I was ollieing os a carpark kicker, got big air a few times. Then landed to the side and ate shit.
Basically, most landing that arent perfect, you are going to get a case of wheelbite causing pain.
Height: Your tricks are probably going to be lower, as getting an accurate pop off the tail is harder to hit.
Remember, all can be changed at the pull of a spanner.
----------------------------------------------------------------
5.Turn The higher a truck is, the further it can turn without getting wheelbite. This is now the part where we bag on "bad" companies and hail on "good" truck companies, and include some pictures for good measure.
Venture; designed as a low street truck back in 1991, doesnt turn as much as some other trucks.
Independent; designed to turn well and not break from back in 1978, although Stage 9's break and turn less than any other Indy's
Tracker; "didnt turn" back in 1975 (they turned better than all trucks now, but it wasnt enough back then), today make the best turning trucks possible for street and ramps.
royal; trucks designed to look aesthetically pleasing, no performance value
krux; same as royal
destructo; same as above I think.
thunder; were originally indy's with punk graphics, but have since made themselves another company, with a worthy reputation. turn good for street, but not really enough for the ramps.
titan; silly trucks to make your board look good. period.
Bennett; best turning trucks from 1975, even before Tracker were around. they've reissued them, and they turn better than I thought trucks possibly could.
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc67/reorganism/jay_adams_lite.jpg
http://broadcatching.files.wordpress.com/2008/01/ledger_dogtown.jpg
http://www.azpx.com/uploaded_images/JoeDownHill2-794896.jpg
----------------------------------------------------------------------
In all, there's alot of skateboard trucks avaliable on the market today, and a set to suit everyones needs and wants. :)