Bennett 6.0's

camel · Bennett 6.0's

Anyone gotten a hold of one of these sets yet? They look promising. I am picking up a set next week to load onto the Roe with BigZigs. Hopefully I can just run wedge rails with no risers.

C

pavedwave

not yet but i sure hope to soon!

seems like they'll be great for even bigger, sweeping arcs and powerful pumps on the high / fast end. pls report back if you get yours first!

camel

Ok, got mine first. Awesome set of polished silver 6.0's. Still getting used to them, this is my first set of Bennetts. It seems that you can get some good wide arcs out of them but I don't have my bushing setup correct yet. Just running the ruby red bushings right now. I have done a few miles while on vacation. It's funny though, the pump is more consistent rather than stylized like on the Paris trucks. I am running 10º in the rear and 15º in the front both stacked on 1/2 inch flat shock pads. No wheel bite so far. I will let you guys know once I start trying some new bushing combos.

stocago

Would the 6.0 offer any advantage over say the 5.0, perhaps a bit more stability? But is it helpful for LDP?

camel

I love my 6.0's. They accelerate like crazy once properly wedged. I am still not sure why they don't build a wedged baseplate. Alot of us would buy them. LDP on my 6.0's is not a problem. Longer strides are available. Short strokes are still there too. I am finding JP's utility pump useful. That's about it I guess.

C

dustm

I got a 6 the other day and tried it out in place of a Paris on my stiffish DH/carve board. The first thing I noticed is that it just looked BIGGER in general, and sitting side by side its the same height as a randal. A little further investigation showed that other than the width everything seems to be the same except for a ~1/4" taller baseplate! I did not know it came with a higher baseplate. Makes sense.

I took it back off and put the Paris on again. The Paris front/ flipped and de-wedged Randal back is a sweet setup and the trucks match each other in turn response. The Bennett front felt OK but I could not get the same sweeping high speed pumps like I could with the Paris. The feel was wrong with the Bennett for that kind of riding. However, with an indy or wide RTS back I think it would probably rock since the trucks geometry are similar. Will have to try that some day.

edp_swakakin

I just got mine in....Anymore info from anyone???

Batalero

Eric , I mounted my Vector 6.0 coupled with a RTS 149 rear on my "pumping - pushing " board ( Landy EVO) , it works great , I'm still amazed how it's easy to pump the Evo with it. I love this truck , it feels great ,real surfy feel .
It's a wider Bennett , but with all the qualities of a narrower Bennett ....
Set it up , I'm sure you'll like it .
Sylvain

edp_swakakin

polishdog90

If I were to use this as a front truck, what would you suggest as a back truck?

Batalero

You can use a Tracker RTS 149 mm, it works great , but an Indy 149mm will do the job as well .
Sylvain

gldsndz · Yeah Hah, Bennett!

Just got my first pair of bennett's. Actually, not a pair, just one 6.0 truck. Couldn't really pump before, after trying and trying and trying.

15 minutes on these suckers, and wouldn't you know... pumping is possible.

can't wait to skate now.

Tookie

What if I just ran bennetts front and back? Would that be bad vs having a different rear truck? Only deal I can really find is for a pair of Bennetts, or I could just get the pair and 2 trucks for the rear, and make 2 boards Laughing

gldsndz · Single Truck Retail

http://www.stokedskateboards.com/

http://tactissk8shop.com/trucks.aspx

Tookie

Whao!
Def some new allure in these trucks. Used Carver CX's before, and they can of course pump, but dang the Bennetts were beautiful.
Either that or putting new trucks on just makes it easier psychologically.

racer128 · wheelbite?

with a the 6.0s being wider, are risers still neccessary?

racer128 · Re: wheelbite?

edp_swakakin

I have rode these now for a bit - this is just my opinion. There nice on a pumper deck. I'm using a Roe Crossstep. The wider truck does give you a feeling a stability. Overall for me it's more of a cruiser-pumper. I find myself still leaning towards the 5.0. But there not bad at all. JP has even gotten me thinking about the smaller 4.3's. He had them on his current deck and they were I life saver for me for a good number of laps at the Ultra. JP has got some 6.0 now so I'm eager to see what he thinks.

racer128

so you think they are a little more "relaxed" and maybe create a less aggressive form of pumping?

edp_swakakin

gldsndz · 6.0's up front, what in the back?

So... I bought the 6.0's. They are my first Bennett's and I'm a big fan.

Question, What trucks to run in the back?

I suppose I should run with my Randall 150's? What about running them with 180's? too wide?

racer128

I think reverse kingpin trucks are a pain in the ass to pump, imo. Just do some research... if you have 2 bennetts, you could just run the rear with an extra washer on top and some harder duro bushings... I haven't really tried anything else so I don't really know what to do. That was my piece of advice, hopefully someone more knowledgeable can take over...

ps- seems like a lot of people run six tracks in back...

gldsndz · bennett 6.0

Thanks Racer,

Currently I only bought one Bennett 6.0, wishing I bought the pair... but oh well. The only other trucks I have a Randall 150's and 180's.

racer128

oh, I don't know what to do. Your local skate shop probably has some trackers in stock...

gldsndz · reverse kingpins

what is the difference between running a traditional truck to a reverse kingpin truck in the rear for pumping? either would be run with harder bushings, right?

jat.

Well if you have the bennett and the randal 150 why not try it out? Just because it's not ideal doesn't mean it won't work out Wink

I've read that plenty of people use randal 150's with their hanger flipped.

Try it out and let us know.

gldsndz · i have

yes, that is currently what I'm running, I was just curious because I haven't tried anything different. Running 180's with the 6.0's was a little weird, but I think it was the board. Pumping a Landy Conthug just didn't go very well.

pavedwave

your dewedged R150 is the best match to the 6.0. you can theoretically give yourself more rear stability with a wider rear truck, but I find that's mainly advantageous when you have more gravity in your favor -- i.e, HILLS.

as far as pumping flats, i think as close to the same width truck in back is best.

more importantly, what bushing combination? you def want harder bushings in back, but also ones that respond. the ultimate combo i've found are Stims, though they are hard to come by, and short of that, yellow-red Khiro combinations.

i think the main difference you'll feel between rev kingpin and traditional rear trucks is the rev kingpin gives you a surfier, carvier line, and you might try a stiffer bushing to "tame" that type of truck. whereas traditional trucks are a little stiffer by their nature/architecture.

racer128

150mm is a pretty wide truck anyway... stay under 35 and you are probably fine on that width. The "turniness" of an LDP front truck would star to scare you before the rear truck's stability comes in, right.

That is all imo....

pavedwave

looking back on this thread I really think Eric said it best, these trucks feel great on a "cruiser-pumper". that's the overall impression (and what I had imagined from the start) that these would have a similar surfing/pumping feel but mainly up on the higher-end speeds. i tend to stick with the 4.3's on the boards that get most mileage, mainly because my commute has a really long, gradual uphill.

and I want to extend Thanks to Eric again for gifting me his 6.0 truk!!!

edp_swakakin

egret

Am I crazy for loving my 6.0's?

Compared to the 5.0 I feel like the 6.0's are like a higher gear on a bike. I haven't tried them uphill but on the flats I get a nice groove going.

Parson Adams

Nope. I just opted to keep running my 5.0s over the 4.3s. I was lifting the wheels off of the pavement with the 4.3s. With the 5.0s, I haul ass too. Haven't tried the 6.0s yet. I wish that Bennett would just sell hangers so that I could simply swap out the truck sizes for various terrains.

gldsndz · swappable hangers

SWAPPABLE HANGERS, BRILLIANT!
Love the idea... lets make that happen. Brilliant!

Tookie

We could make it happen easy...if you all move to Hawaii so I could try all your beautiful boards...in a beautiful place Wink

Then we go pump on some water waves, instead of paved ones Very Happy

camel

I have been running the 6.0's for a while now and I love the grooves i can get into. I started LDP on a set of Paris 180's with randal yellow bushings in them. So it had a wide carvy feel to the pump, almost like being on a dance floor. Techno beats went really well with the gearing of the board. I use the long wb, so it's really groovy. I have tamed the back truk down with 10 degrees or so of dewedge. Overall, I am very happy.

And thnaks to James for finding the scratch and dent Roe in the Garage for me! You rock man. Everyday, hitting the track on the Roe.

C

gldsndz · Click Click Click...

So, I got this click click click thing going on with my Bennett's.... every time I turn, click click....

any thoughts on what's causing this? I tried tightening the Kingpin, tried tightening the hardware... can't figure it out.

Tookie

Might be the nut at the end of the king pin hitting the washer holding the bushings. Either that or the washer hitting the truck. I've noticed some signs of wear on my Bennetts as if that was happening. Easier to notice since I got them in black, but thats what it looks like is happening.

camel

Have you changed the washers or kingpins? Flat washers that are just offsize can do that.

gldsndz

no... haven't changed the kingpin or the washers, just the bushings. Using Khiro Orange barrel, White barrel, Orange cone. I think the top washer is hitting the truck, just noticed a little silver mark in the black paint.

Maybe I should get some flat washers.

geolemon

I just bought my first Bennett, seeking better pumping capabilities - and I bought an RT-S 149 for the back.

I wanted to comment on the use of reverse kingpin trucks for pumping:
I had a pair of Randal R11 150's on my board prior to this, and I had a pair of Khiro shock wedges (I think they are about 8 degrees each).
I wedged the front, and dewedged the rear... bought stiffer rear bushings (black/yellow Khiro combo).
With that setup I was able to keep my speed fast enough to keep pace with my girlfriend on her rollerblades.

Really, the only big downside I saw was that it REALLY limited me to a forward-stance... having the reverse kingpin in the rear made the truck REALLY unstable - floppy. Forget about putting your rear foot on the tail, if you have one!

If you think about it, it makes sense, because a reverse kingpin truck already has a kingpin at more of an angle than a standard truck - and when you dewedge it that throws the kingpin all that much more closer to an actual horizontal angle.. and at that point it would be behaving more like a hinge-pin than a king-pin. Laughing

So far, I've ridden a grand total of 3 minutes on my new setup - just arrived last night... it definitely feels different, and I see I accidentally wedged, rather than dewedged, my rear Tracker... so round II this evening after work. Cool

geolemon

Did someone on page 1 mention that the Bennett 6.0 baseplates are higher than the 5.0's? Confused

The reason I ask is because I've got two Khiro soft wedges stacked under my truck, and I definitely don't appreciate the extra amount of lift that's inherent in that...

I'd replace it with a 5.0 baseplate if I could do so, even if it just lost me 1/8" or so!

I took my board out with my new Bennett yesterday for a quick test - pumped up my block, turned around stepped down to push and the ground was so far I nearly threw my hip out of socket! Man...

camel

It's more than 1/4 inch difference. But with the longer hanger, it is sorta needed. My setup is pretty tall too. That's why I don't push.

Chadd

LDPanda

It's snowing, I cant go to work and I cant skate, so I figured I'd put in my two cents on the Bennett 6.0's. I have them paired with the RT-S 149 on my superglider with BigZig lemons. I love 'em! They provide a very stable, smooth pump, and I havent had any problems with hill climbs ( as some people have mentioned). I can do a full range of pumping styles on them, from a wide surfy pump to a tight minimalist wiggle. For those times when i have to push or footbrake, they provide an incredibly stable platform. I have inverted my Zigs in the front and I really like it, all the stability of the 6.0 with a slightly tighter feel.

camel

stocago

I've been riding the 6.0 for the past few months and I prefer it to the 5.0 for my relatively flat paths. I can't make it up the steepest inclines, but having the higher gear is more important to me. The 5.0 requires less effort, but most of my rides are no longer than an hour, so I don't mind if I'm working harder. With the ability to flip offset wheels, if desired, the 6.0 is very versatile. If anyone is not happy with their 6.0, I've got an extra 5.0 hanger to trade.

bluebugbuster

Alright. I've got a little project going now.

I'm looking to modify a Bennett 6.0, with a 3 inch Ti kingpin cut to reduce bushing shredding, pressed into a 5.0 baseplate. I've got a ball head stud in the relative size for a pivot replacement. I'm going to grind down the cast pivot on the hanger, and install a threaded time sert, to hold the ball head stud, with a thin jam nut or two, for adjustability. I'm going to leave the axle alone, prefering the bearing slop on the stock axle to the bearing destroying "snugness" of a precision.

I will document my progress in picture format...

Anyone have any ideas or reccomendations on any other improvements to the bennett 6.0?

Or am I nuts for doing this? Has the lack of skating thrown me into some sort of wierd mad scientist mode?

Do I need help?

Batalero

Beware of your kingpin touching the ground , a 3" kingpin seems a bit long for a Bennett , the stock kingpin is only 1/2 inch above the ground .
If the path is not perfectly flat it could be dangerous , high centering is not a legend. Wink

My 2 cents

Sylvain

bluebugbuster

i'm going to atempt to cut down a three inch ti kp. the three incher has an inch of thread at the end of the shaft. the stock bennett kp is 2.5 inches. When i cut 1/2 an inch of thread off, it will be like a 2.5 non ti randal kp. which is damn near perfect for minimal bushing contact, imho.

pavedwave · Optimal Arc -- Wheelbase + Hangar Width

I recently posted on the Fish my current thinking about pumping with wide vs. narrow hangars, and now that winter is finally giving us a few breaks, I'm hoping to take up some Cyber Miles in earnest, comparing specifically a narrow vs. wide hangar.

There was some theory tossed about that overall the bigger hangars provide more leverage and thus better speeds (kind of a basic point) but my take on it relies more on what your intentions are and possibly, what your physical makeup is, that also determines what size setup we each consider "optimal" for ourselves.

Basically:
1. For shorter, faster rides, the wider hangar will result in an overall higher top speed.
2. A guy with a bigger frame all around will benefit more from the wider hangar (and longer wheelbase.)

The potential for speed is higher on wider hangars but sustaining that speed is a whole 'nother matter, and it all has to factor in not only wheelbase and hangar width (like the arc diagram below) but the physical makeup of the rider.

Just as bikes have bigger frames built for bigger riders, over time and experimentation we're finding the sweet spots in distance skateboards -- hangar size, wheelbase, wheel size, and everything else -- to either go faster or further (or both) with less effort.

So, a guy who's 5'-6" and 140lbs might optimize with a 5.0" hangar and 28" wheelbase, whereas a 6'-6", 230lbs guy might find his best setup is the 6.0" hangar and 31" wheelbase.

LDP isn't confined by distance between slalom cones, so maybe the best way to gauge where optimal speeds are hit (at least on the "short" course) would be the Cyber Mile.

LDPanda

Im 5'10" and 200 lbs and i ride on the bennett 6.0. I really like the stability but im changing over to the 5.0 on my next board for a few reasons. After more extensive testing, i must say that hill climbs are a little tougher on the 6's than i expected. Also, it seems to "take longer" for the hangar to swivel from fully left to fully right (which makes sense as it covers more distance than the 5's). I think this results in a more surfy feel and less technical feel. Lastly, the height difference, which can be made up for with homebrew mods, but is a little anoying right out of the box. Anyhoo, id love to see more objective testing, but my personal opinion is that the 6's are great fun for short distances or surfing a parking lot, but the 5's are better for distance.

samhell

That's why I run 4.3/106mm combo.
I like having low end torque.
For me, having the right bushings makes all the difference.
I run my front bushings a little firmer than most.
The seem a little harder to pump off the line, but things
come alive once I'm moving 12-15 mph.
I'm completely sold on narrow trucks, I probobly
won't even be bothering with 6.0's for pumping.
But I would like to have them on a dedicated garage carver.
5.0's are good for a middle compromise.

Bennett 6.0's

Yeah Hah, Bennett!

Single Truck Retail

wheelbite?

Re: wheelbite?

6.0's up front, what in the back?

bennett 6.0

reverse kingpins

i have

swappable hangers

Click Click Click...

Optimal Arc -- Wheelbase + Hangar Width