Grombiz Special Ops on GTCPLDP

samhell · Grombiz Special Ops on GTCPLDP

I just hooked up with Ben from Grombiz and got a set of his
new Special Ops trucks. I think these are going to hold
great possibilities for LDP. I will be doing a full test and review
very, very, soon.. These trucks are beautiful and I think
I'm really going to dig these, the adjustment possibilities
are about as wide as you could want.
I'm running my Big Zigs inverted for narrower track width,
the axles are 135mm by themselves. With the wheels inverted
it's closer to a 125mm truck. I'll be giving my full thoughts.

pavedwave

these look promising John, looking forward to hearing more!

there's supposed to be a couple of these floating around the NW with a couple of the NWLB crew, I'm trying to get my hands on 'em over this winter break.

they look totally different from their first versions. wicked.

Belegnole

Yes, I have been wondering with the adjustability of these, how well they would work for LDP. I had thought they might work well for a all around board if nothing else. Adjust for going down hills, then readjust for some pumping on the flats. No disassembly or shimming, just do it on the fly.

pavedwave

what i'm really curious about is the rebound-to-center mechanism... are there bushings in all durometers that are easy to swap out? i know the original ones seemed to rely more on a spring mechanism, these are quite different.

samhell

James,
I will be testing these out this weeekend.
I'm healing up from a nasty cold, I wanted to go ride them today, but I can barely even walk straight today. Wink

I'll be doing a full review here and on silverfish and on my tech page.
The return to center on these is better than you'd think.
Having them setup with the narrow width and inverted Zigs
is going to be very responsive.
They are very close in width to a Bennett 4.3 with non inverted Big Zigs.
From what Ben (Grombiz) was saying, you can still run the springs
on these, you can even run them without bushings and just springs
if you want them to be liquidy loose..

saturdaysfiesta · could it be?

could this really be just as good as a bennet tracker combo? I don't have my galac yet (still waiting patiently Smile

), but In the area I live, a quick customization could be great for some of the steeper grades. and jsut think of the garage sessions...

...drool

p.s. they look damn sexy

samhell

pavedwave

angelo_pb

I am eagerly awaiting the paved wave seal of approval on these as well. I have a Pulse 40 v2.0 on order. I have no clue how long it will take but I don't want to bug scott and it seems that the perfect trucks setup has yet to be invented. I was looking at the carver cx setup but then saw the pics of the destroyed bushings. Then these Grom Biz trucks hit. From what I am reading, LDP takes it toll on the components. If the grade 8 kings pins are failing on a regular basis with the wedged Bennetts, how will these hold up? What is their mechanically weakest part most prone to metal fatigue? How do they pump and feel? What is the return-center-mechanism? Thanks

pavedwave

it may be a while before i get out on these (foot of snow, and I'm fighting a cold as well) so I'm still eagerly awaiting John's review!!

in my experience personally, i've not yet had a standard Bennett kingpin break. the ones I busted were on the Randal-like trucks, Randals and Gullwing Cruisers. note that I weigh 165, and the guys who busted their Bennett pins weighed a bit more. but I was a bit perplexed on the reports of people breaking them after only a month or so of riding. the failure point in their cases, not surprisingly, appears to be where the bolt is splined just under the hex head, right where the bolt comes through the baseplate.

my as-yet untested theory on eliminating the breakage is to replace the standard Bennett kingpin with a Grade8, putting the bolt up through the baseplate and holding the hex-head in place with JB-weld. since I have never busted a Bennett pin, and have put literally thousands of miles on at least one of my front Bennetts, I'm really not going to bother with this test. I'd have to have busted a couple myself to be motivated to do so, or for the test to have any merit. my trust in the Bennetts really hasn't been shaken by the reports-- but I do think for heavier riders, who are putting in heavy miles, considering the grade8 modification could be worth it.

for a variety of reasons I'm really looking forward to how well the Grombiz work!

pavedwave

Ok, well first off-- Tony was awesome to meet up and hand off a set of these C2's over the winter break.

I'd be stoked to check these new bushings out that GromBiz Ben has talked about on Silverfish. Right now have the green+white ones, and thinking of something stiffer than these for the rear, and a slightly softer one for front.

Tried them on a couple decks so far. The 1st was really stiff, and the 2nd has flex, and they feel a bit better on this one. I'm going to try them on the Galac after tinkering with the bushings more.

A question for Ben... I'm wondering if a different bushing shape has been tried yet?

This is the idea I'd like to try, if I could get hold of a bushing about the diameter and thickness of a Radikal, and then bore-out the center hole big enough to fit over the thicker, innermost section of axle. Then put a big washer on the outside of it, which is what would create the return to center. Something like this:

Seems like some of the return would come from the axle actually putting stress against the inner hole of the bushings, but the washers would keep them from completely deforming. But I think maybe just leaving the inner piece of the "thumbnail" bushing in place, would also be needed.

In other words, this is like an extension of the thumbnail bushing that wraps all the way around the axle, with more "meat" and a oval-slotted washer to create more rebound. (theoretically...)

These things felt awesome just carving down the garage. Funniest thing was the first time I put them on, and pushed off... had one of those "oh crap I just mounted my Randals on backward" moments -- because my rear truck angle was set opposite. But instead of spending the next 15 minutes taking off, flipping around, and re-mounting a truck, all I had to do was pull the angle pin, set it right, and let it snap in again -- in just a matter of seconds everything was set right.

Also because of this feature, it's great to be able to just mount the trucks with flat risers, and use all bolts of equal length -- no tinkering with angled risers and bent bolts or angled drilling. Then just do all the angle adjusting with the pin. Diggin that!

samhell

Well, I got to ride them on my GTCPLDP.
First impressions, they are very fun trucks...
But.. Until I get some of the softer bushings for the front
truck, I can't say they make a great LDP front truck.
But... I think they might be the ultimate rear truck for LDP.
I'm going to be slapping my trusty wedged bennett on the front.
and leaving the Grombiz on the back. I have a feeling that is going
to be absilutely incredible. For a rear, the geometry of the truck
lends itself perfectly, with the axle axis going straight through.
The front felt wierd to me when trying to pump with my normal
LDP styles.. It was quite hard to pump at low speeds, even
with the angle set to the turniest setting...
Once I was moving 10-12 mph, it did pump nicely though,
but it took a different approach, and felt completely different
than a wedged Bennett, not nearly twitchy, almost hard to initiate.
I did get up to the 20 mph range, and I will say this, these things
are basically speed wobble resistant, so to speak...
Maybe the softer bushings will change this..
But I think I'll be using them for a rear now, I really think
they could be the best thing around for an LDP rear,
they seemed to have extreme traction, and excellent
rebound.. I will be setting it up with the Bennett front this week
and doing further testing this weekend...
I'll post my results..
Very Happy

angelo_pb

So it sounds like we have to wait for the new bushings before you have a final verdict? I noticed the other grom biz trucks had tension springs flanking the sides. I wonder what those are for.

pavedwave

samhell

I mounted a Bennett 4.3 on the front with Lemon Big Zigs (non inverted),
and the Grombiz rear with Lime Big Zigs (inverted), it gives an equal width.
The Bennett front, Grombiz rear is amazing.. Flat out amazing.
It pumps like mad, the Grombiz feels like a Radikal offset or an Airflow rear, extreme traction, just the right amount of deadness, with plenty of rebound. Even if we never get the Grombiz front to feel right for LDP, it
has earned a place for me a great, make that incredible rear truck for LDP. Once I get ahold of some of the softer bushings I will try the Grombiz
again as a front for LDP, but until then, rear only.
But I have to say, the Bennett front, Grombiz rear is a simply sublime
setup, I like the Grombiz rear more than a Tracker RTS, which is a great rear for very little cash.. And now, I can setup 2 LDP's with Grombiz rears.
Bennetts are cheap, and $150 for 2 Grombiz' is expensive, but in the long run, it's really not that bad, considering I get 2 decks worth out of it...
More testing to come...
I'd like to see what happens if you set it up like mentioned James with 2 Radikal bushings.. Maybe some Venoms would work instead since the clears are hard to come by.... Idea

samhell

Yeah, The Bennett/Grombiz combo is it...
When I get the softer bushings for the Grombiz,
I will be really testing it for a front.
But I have to say, I'm pretty much diehard sold
on Bennett fornts for LDP..
I'd be using my Radikal for a fornt if it wasn't so damn delicate..

rip · Details Grombiz Specials Opps

Hi,
though a few days ago, I just want to know some details of the Grombiz Special Opps:

What's the height and the weight?

Did anyone ride them over a longer time? Were there problems?
Could I use them both for front and rear?

Did I understand it right, that I only can adjust the softness / hardness via changing the elastomeres? So this would be a bit of a disadvantage, cos I cannot change immediately.

Thanks a lot in advance fot sharing your experience and opinions!

Sorry, may English is not the best, I am German.

Cheers RIP

rip · Grom Biz Special Opps

Hi,

I plan to buy the Grom Biz Special Opps for use on my LD pumper.
Does anybody knows something about the weigh?
What are the drill patterns (new school / old school)?
How is the combo working, when both front and rear are mounted?

Do you suggest it as a pair?
Thanks for response!

samhell

rip, the stock bushings (green) will work fine.
They are a little heavier than say a Tracker RTS,
btu they aren't so heavy that it matters much.
They aren't really that tall, I have 3/4" of riser on mine in the rear,
and it matches up perfectly with the Bennett setup (wedged)
on the front. At this point, i swear by it for a rear LDP truck, it's
a perfect match to the Bennett front.
I don't like it at all for both front and rear for LDP. for a carving setup
it's great, but it just doesn't work for a front for LDP, no matter how
I adjust it or what bushings I use.
But the combo of Bennett/Grombiz is simply amazing, I really
don't plan on using anything else onthis particular board.
I still love Tracker RTS for cheaper alternative rear as well, it's hard to beat
for the money.
If you can just buy one, or go in on a set with friend do it, or if you have
2 LDP's to set up grab a set.
Once you find the right angle adjustment for you on it, it will
be sheer bliss... I run my rear 5 degrees forward of 0 setting,
I hope this helped.

rip

Hi Samhell,

ok, thanks so far! Yes, it helped Smile

Grombiz Special Ops on GTCPLDP

could it be?

Details Grombiz Specials Opps

Grom Biz Special Opps