pavedwave longboarding

Bullwings · Joined: 01 Aug 2008 Posts: 62

So what other trucks have you guys tried out for your front pumping trucks?

So far, i've tried out three trucks for my front (more if i include different hanger widths):
Bennett 6.0 (have a 4.3 haven't tried yet, on my slalom deck)
Randal 125
Seismic quick turn 130 and 155

They each have their advantages and disadvantages.

-I like the seismics (45 degree) because they feel super stable, but they don't have enough of that tic-tac motion and drain too much energy, even with the bone white springs. The range of motion seems kind of limited (They're great as a stable turn traction truck in the back though - 30 degree, not 45)

-The Randal 125 i'm still getting used to. It feels good so far, but it seems like it sits higher up than any of my other trucks. I'm not too sure about the stability, haven't taken it down any hills yet.

-Bennett 6.0 - this is still the king so far, i just don't like the stability/dive. I can go down hills, but only if they're really wide and allow me to make huge sweeping carves - the dive still scares me though.

I'm still searching for that perfect front truck that'll give me the stability that I liked from the Seismic, but give me the pumping versatility and strength of the Bennett. What other trucks have you guys tried and could possibly recommend giving a shot?

LD skater since 1971 · Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2008 12:14 am Post subject:

I am really starting to like my Tracker 106-mm RTX front truck basically I have all Tracker trucks on my board. They flow nicely and don't dip.
Their is a new truck company out called ACE with a old INDY design it seems all the old school skater and indy lover getting them.
They have a 11 size and 00 size that might suit are need.
http://www.acetruckmfg.com/
google link on ACE 11 http://www.google.com/search?hl=e...skateboard+trucks&btnG=Search
The Slalom! board is even talking about them how the 11 perform great like the old Indy 101's.
The only draw back their made in china.The only thing I did not like about Indys was the pivot would some times break right off the hanger in a freestyle set up with tracker clear bushings. I saw it happen in contest run it was the end of his day. But they did turn great as a front truck on a foam Ick stick and Turner summer ski slalom board I got to ride with a tracker rear truck.

Grindking also has a 4.5 truck that looks great if you ran smaller wheels. If I remember right the grind kings turn pretty good when the only had the big street truck width.

Then Bullet and Speed Demons and Krux all NHS trucks are very cheap except the Krux.

Destructo has small truck also.

But most of them mentioned except the Ace OO and 11 and the Tracker race trak are low riding trucks.
_________________
Terry

pavedwave · Joined: 22 Oct 2007 Posts: 1120 Location: seattle wa usa

funny, i missed this post altogether the first time, now we're talking about it on the other thread Wink

so you've already been playing with the R125 - thats cool. you might also consider trying a Tracker RTX. I don't really like them for long flat stretches, they seem to sap more energy, but they are kind of a good trade-off between pumpability and downhill stability.

also terry mentions the Indy. that's a lot like the Bennett, legend has it in fact that the Indy was an offshoot of the Bennett. some guys I know still ride an Indy front for slalom. they give me the same impression, you need to practice on them a lot to get comfortable with that 'dive' feeling at high speeds. i think you can make a Bennett or Indy work for you at speed, you just have to be more conscious of always "maintaining an edge", else they can go into speed-wobs easier than other trucks.

Bullwings · Joined: 01 Aug 2008 Posts: 62

Since i last posted on here, i managed to get a hold of a Bennett 5.0, and have really taken a liking to that. Again, the speed wobs and diving is sort of an issue. You really have to be on your game at higher speeds, but i don't like having to think about it since that kind of saps my confidence while riding (and that's like 60% of what speed wobs is).

I just got a century 38 in the mail, and i'll have some lower ride height now, so i'll try giving the Randal 125s a shot again. I'm debating between the 42 and 50 degree base plates.

I have a decent number of trucks that i've been playing around with, i just need to find the right balance of ride height, pumpability, and stability.

I had the ride height, pumpability, and half way decent stability dial in with my pulse setup, but i ended up selling it to my buddy. Hopefully the century 38 works out for me.

i wish seismic had some lighter springs. front trucks are nice, but the lightest springs are still too stiff for LDP flat land pumping.

rodgon · Joined: 16 Jul 2008 Posts: 88

so has anyone or will anyone try a set of the new grombiz trucks? they seem to be able to adjust on the fly and give you the necesary angles for any pumping needs. i know they just came out with them, but just throwing it out there. heres a pic of them so you can get an idea. i think the smallest you can run them is 139mm, and having rode them on a test cruising board i know they feel like a way smaller truck. ( i dont know why but they do...)

angelo_pb · Posted: Thu Jan 15, 2009 3:22 pm Post subject:

What are the other front trucks that people have tried?

I was thinking of trying a newer Paris with very little wedging, say 5 degrees. The stock KP angle is 50 degrees. But I wanted to see what others thought. (I can borrow from my Vanguard.) I really like the quality, fit, finish and feel of Paris. In many ways, they are quite opposite of the Bennett. The Bennett trucks just seem so cheaply made and require a complete overhaul the moment you take them out of the box. I realize that the most important thing is efficient pumps and all. But I am curious as to what others' experience has been with front trucks not yet discussed here and in the Setups article.

Trial and error is part of the fun, right? But I value others' opinions.

How about an Indy 169 and what wedging/bushings? (i can take this off a pool board).

Has anyone tried a single Revenge Alpha II? They seem to have a strange geometry. I'm not sure what a "torsion" truck is. Is it like a carver CX ride-wise? Or more like an Original? I like how it has a lock to prevent bite. Not sure if a set of new holes would be required so that wheels line up where they are suppossed to.

Any others?

I don't have to deal with any real hills, other than causeways and bridges, and i could never pump up those anyway.

pavedwave · Joined: 22 Oct 2007 Posts: 1120 Location: seattle wa usa

Ones i've tried the most over the last 10 years:

randal 150s front and rear
gullwing cruiser 60s front and rear (identical to randal 150s)
paris front and rear (identical to randal 150s)
seismics (bone white up front)
originals (6" for pumping)
uptrucks
tracker RTX-RTS combo
indy slalom-type truck front (bennett knock-off) , indy traditional rear
carver c7
carver cx
revenge (torsion)
exkate (torsion)
splitfires front and rear
bennett front, something stable rear
grombiz, most recent

Torsions use a big fat single bushing, and the bushing is "torqued", usually twisted, so it wants to snap back to its original shape, which creates the rebound. The problem I found with Exkates were: 1. bushings blew out and were $20 each to replace and 2. kingpins were skinny and broke too soon. With Revenges, I simply felt limited, the bushing was singular, and you can't really snug them down or loosen them up, what you see is what you get. So just not tweakable enough.

Obviously I like the feel of a front Bennett and it came after trying all these trucks out, some for considerable length of time and through lots of breakage and experimentation. And its inevitable that the longer something stays popular, the more people want to look for something else, something they have not yet unexplored --- that's great, awesome and absolutely expected!!! I would love to hear more experiences on the Randal 125's for example, since I only tried Sheldon's out a few times. I'd like to see more people try Splitfires and Airflows, because I still think they're awesome LDP trucks front and rear. I would still actually like Splitfires on distance trips over Bennetts because of the kingpin clearance alone!

Grombiz, can't really give them a fair shake until I can try out their other sets of bushings and set up the rear differently than the front. I'd like to try them out as a "system" front and back, since they're so phenomenally adjustable.

There are still lots of options out there. The new Octane Virages are out. Functionally, they look a LOT like Splitfires -- but I'm not sure I like the way they put the kingpin down through the plate, so that the threading is where the highest stress point is. From my experience, this is where I've broken every pin or axle, when the threads were positioned at a point of entry. But I'm not trying to throw cold water on this...they do look like awesome trucks, personally I'd just set them up with the pin through the baseplate the opposite direction.

And hopefully this weekend I'll be testing my buddy's chopped down Radikal Talons!

angelo_pb · Posted: Thu Jan 15, 2009 10:57 pm Post subject:

I'm wondering if you could use your clout and influence a truck manufacturer the way you have with board builders. I realize production biz makes that an expensive proposition. But it seems that there is a demand that is growing.

I read that article about the tracker guy acquiring ownership shares of Bennett. Maybe you/us/we could have them design an LDP set thats read roll out of the box. For example, i baseplate that wedges 15 deg and beefed up OEM KP would be a start. But with Tracker and Bennett DNA and a new CEO, maybe they would be receptive. (though i really like the Paris fit and finish).

pavedwave · Joined: 22 Oct 2007 Posts: 1120 Location: seattle wa usa

LDPanda · Joined: 21 Nov 2008 Posts: 418 Location: Seattle, WA

http://www.viragetrucks.com/

02/08/09

My only questions are where and how much!?!?!?