Today I found out just how annoying the kingpin in this stereo is. Couldn't even fit a Bones Hardcore bushing on due to the plastic topper on each hardcore bushing. The kingpin is just barely too wide, and it would be way to much trouble to screw the bushing on and off each time. Crap. Looks like I'll be buyin' some more bushings...
You are right. Right now I have some Khiro yellows on my stock Stereo trucks and they fit fine. But when I saw your post I tried a Bones soft I had laying around and it was crazy tight. If you like the feel of the Bones you could run to Home Depot and get some 3/8" bolts and swap the kingpins. The Stereo baseplate is made so you would have to JB Weld them in like when you swap an Indy kingpin for a standard kingpin so the don't spin when you tighten them. Otherwise you could take that big 17mm wrench you need to move those huge kingpin nuts and pound them on. Or if you are feeling brave you could drill out the plastic insert on the Bones just a tiny bit. ML5, you have been playing with these boards for a while, don't give up yet, I know you can make it work.
Well, the reason I wanted the Bones to work is because I had 'em layin' around. Unfortunately, I'm back at my university out of state now, and I don't have any drills or special tools with me. Still got a ratchet and a few ratchet bits to work with so we'll see. I'll look into the JB Weld idea with a 3/8" bolt as a new kingpin. How long do you think I would need it? I don't really feel like poundin' the Bones on in fear that it's gonna take FOREVER to get 'em off when I want 'em off. I actually ordered some red Khiros last night (barrel, short cone). You think they'll feel smooth? I want just a tad bit of snap so I can pump a lil bit.
Your comment made me decide it was time to fix up my Stereo trucks, especially since I had everything to do it in my box of parts and things. I will put up some pics of the whole process itomorrow when the JB Weld is fully cured. Those red Khiros are some of my favorite bushings. They will fit the trucks well and feel pretty good to me. Even though the Khiros will fit you might want to change the kingpins anyway so you can use a normal skate tool to adjust them while out riding. If you do get a 2" long, 3/8", 24 threads per inch and matching nuts.
Btw, what kind of pivot cups fit the stereo trucks? I looked at mine the other day and they've already got slices in them from the trucks cuttin' right through 'em. I'm thinkin' this is creatin' some slop in how my board handles, so I'm probably gonna upgrade these too. What do you think? I'm also havin' some difficulty with figurin' out how I want my trucks tuned. If I have 'em too tight, then it feels like I don't have a small enough turning radius. If I loosen 'em too much, then I feel like they're unresponsive and sloppy and that I'm gettin' too much lean without enough actual turn. Will this change once I get my new Khiros in there? lol. Maybe some new pivot cups? I'm kinda worried about how they'll turn out since the Khiro short cone is so...well...short. Let me know what you think. You've fooled around with these much more than I have.
If you or anyone figures out a source for them let me know too. I have not looked into it as I do not even have those trucks mounted on anything. When I had them apart I tried the smallest I had, the smaller of the 2 Khiro sizes and they were still quite a bit too big. The Khiros should feel better, I tighten the nut just enough so the washers dont rattle going down the road and adjust the loose/tight with different bushings. The short cone is only a little shorter than the stock cone, I bet will feel better.
So you say the smallest Khiro pivot cups are still to big for the socket, huh? Hmmm...I'll have to look into it. And I was just wondering about the short Khiro cones as far as snapback and lean are concerned. I've got some Khiro reds in the mail (barrel, short cone combo) and I'm very anxious to see how it will handle. Have you tried a barrel/tall cone combo? I'm wonderin' if I would get more lean and carve out of that combo. Let me know what you think. Btw, busted it pretty hard gettin' some speed on my Stereo the other day. Got goin' fast around a turn and hit some uneven pavement...yeah, it felt great. That won't keep me off this puppy though. I love it too much.
With such narrow trucks and short wheelbase you will still turn like crazy no matter if you have short or tall cones. But tall cones on top would give you more material to compress so more lean if they are the right hardness. I would not worry too much about it though, I think they will feel pretty good. In my Penny trucks lately I have run Khiro barrels boardside and tall inserts roadside. I like the inserts for the simplicity of no top washer needed, but I have had them separate in the softer durometers after a while. So that is something to try later down the road if you do not stick with the red short cones on top. There is no hard fast rule, you just have to learn what you like by trying things over time. Yeah, it sucks getting hurt, but thats part of the deal. Just keep having fun and its worth it.
Well crap, I thought I was gettin' Khiro short cone sets, but instead I ordered the standard barrel/cone set. There's a difference between the two as I found out on the website. The standard cones are much shorter.
Well, what do you have? Short cone or standard cone/barrel sets? And how tall are the inserts compared to the short cones? Are they like the standard cones, or are they short cones?
I'm not so positive about the inserts. I've heard people say they don't like the aluminum inserts because of the fact that they aluminum takes up valuable volume inside the bushing, takin' away from the rebound and cushion. What's your opinion?
Well, depending on how these feel once I get them in my trucks, I might have to get a couple tall or short cones to make it feel better. We'll see. I might be doin' that JB Weld kingpin mod this weekend too. I'm wonderin' if it's worth it to do this or if it would just be better to get new trucks. I really need some new pivot cups. The ones I have don't completely fit in the hole...and the part that protrude are sliced from the trucks turning. I'm thinkin' that will create slop...
I have a couple of everything. There are tall and short inserts, the talls are the same height as a barrel, the short are as tall as the short cone that cones in the standard set. The insert does take up some room but in a tight spot not needing a washer helps. I use them sometimes, depends on the situation. Sometime you want to limit lean, sometimes a cone and a washer just wont fit. It will definitely be better to get new trucks. The kingpin mod would just eliminate that issue you had before of some bushings like Bones not fitting on the bigger kingpin. Those pivot cups suck. You might be able to find some thin tubing and make some makeshift ones if you take the trucks to home depot or lowes.
Well, I'll see what I can rustle up. Shucks, I was really hopin' I wouldn't have to resort to new trucks. We'll see. Also, I would like to mention that my Stereo brings out the dark side of me. It's as if it tells me to go fast and to go downhill with it. Every time I start out on a hill I wonder, "Why am I doing this to myself?", and then I get to the bottom after carvin' it out real nice and all I can think is "Now I know why". Such a fun, dark-side-inducing lil thing.
Yeah, it sucks but thats how it goes with those stock trucks. I think I am going to go ahead and get a set of the Ace 00 to put on one of those Fish decks. I rode a buddies 55s at the park last weekend and they turn pretty well even that wide. They might feel good on these decks. Thats a good thing. If you can handle speed on a board this small it will help your balance and the rest of your skating.
Yeeeah, I know. Well, we'll see what happens in the future. MHS has some of those Ace 00 I believe. And I'm assuming your Tracker RTS trucks are pretty turny? I'm lookin' into those. Btw, I feel like maybe the really short Khiro standard cones I'm runnin' in my trucks are limiting turn radius and lean just because of how short and stiff they are at 90a. I'm thinkin' about gettin' a couple more sets of Khiro and Venom bushings that include some taller cones so I can get more dive and lean. We'll see. Just a heads up, PhatDeanz.com is having a pretty darn good sale on bushings. And shipping is free once you clear $10 I believe.
Yes the Trackers feel good and the rts is a little turnier than the dart. And its cool that they have been around forever. I like Khiro reds, but you will never know what works best for you until you try a bunch. If you want to try more material to see how it feels use your old bushings in one truck and try your 2 Khiro Barrels in the other. Or to try it a little less restrictive run them with a cone and barrel on each truck but use flat washers instead of the stock cupped washers.
Way ahead of ya. I've been tinkerin' around with the feeling, and I think I've started to get a happy medium between stability on hills and carvy-ness. I was runnin' the trucks a lil too tight with the super short Khiro cone and barrel, so I loosened 'em and then tuned 'em some more and I found a pretty good feelin' without much slop at all. I also just ordered two Venom 85a standard (Barrel/tall cone) sets, as well as one Venom 83a SHR supercarve set (two cones). I'm excited to fool around and get a feel for some setups, on my longboard as well as my Stereo. Also, I'm gettin' some flat washers so we'll see how it all turns out.
I have a feelin' that with my weight (155), I should be good with the 90a Khiro barrel and 85a Venom cone. We'll see how it works though. It will be a totally different feelin' because of the difference in height between the Khiro and Venom cones. I also bought them for my longboard as well, so if anything, an 87a barrel boardside and 85a barrel roadside should feel pretty darn good for my weight. I'll have to see how the SHR cones work out too. Experimentation, here I come...that is, when the school assignments finally let up...
I think that will feel really good. I think the Venoms feel soft but you are a little lighter than me so it might be just right.Let me know how it goes. and good luck with the schooling
So I feel like the stock yellow bushings that come with the Stereo have little to no return to center. I feel like the super short standard Khiro cones have better return than they do. I also tried to put some Venom cones with a Khiro barrel...it was a no go. The tall Venoms were too tall to pair with a Khiro or Venom barrel on the stock kingpin. These trucks are depressing. I'm not quite sure if it's worth the trouble to get a longer kingpin that I would have to JB Weld, the pivot cups are garbage and non-standard, and I would have to shell out money and some work to get better trucks to work. Well...we'll see. This board is just so annoying when it comes to tweaking :(
Yeah, but once you get it dialed in it is worth it. Keep playing with it, maybe you will find a magic bushing combo for those trucks. If not at least youll build up a selection to try in other trucks when you get around to swapping them out.
I tinkered around with it some and I found a really cushy setup for my weight. I have the red Khiro barrel boardside with a cupped washer and the stock Stereo yellow short cone roadside with a flat washer. At first it was really unresponsive and dead, but when I tightened up the nut some I got a deep carvy rebound and when I tightened it up even more I got a more solid carvy feel. I was honestly surprised. I'm gonna get some more ride time to feel it out.
Well, I've been ridin it around and I really like that setup. Once I get a good little push, I can pump and carve really smoothly. I'm thinkin about gettin some softer Khiros or maybe even some Venoms. I have Venoms already but I use them mostly in my longboards. How're your Riptides feelin? A lot of the longboarding community loves them.
Btw, since you're all into skateboards and stuff, I thought I'd let you know I'm gettin a 44" double kicktail longboard from Earthwing. It's called a Hightailer and it's essentially a huge old school deck. Gonna be fun.
I like the riptides so far. I have them set up barrels on top and chubbies on bottom. I tried 85a all around on some Bennetts and it felt too stiff. I changed to 80a chubbies and it feels really good. I can't get into long longboards. My first two longboards probably 10 or 12 years ago were sector 9s, a 42" flexy cosmic2 and a 46" something with a nose and tail if I remember right. since those two I havent bought anything over 31 or 32" but if that is your thing, rip it up.
Do you have the APS or WFB formula Riptides? The APS is a more rebound style urethane while WFB is geared more towards cruise/carve. Not to mention it might feel too stiff because of the chubby/barrel combo...pretty restrictive combo. But hey, to each his own. You might know all of this already. Well, longboards are kinda how I got into all of this. I enjoy more than just the casual cruise and carve down a sidewalk. I love being able to freeride down a long twisty road or race down a long steep hill. That's why I got into skateboarding to start with. However, I love my Stereo and I plan on getting another mini deck around 31-33" in the future. I love carving and pumping all the same.
They are APS. I wanted the more restrictive chubbies to try out with bigger wheels without adding riser. Mostly for longer rides without pushing getting too tiring and still no bite. We are trying to get a ride maybe every other week going in downtown St. Pete. Youll have to try to make it out to one.
Ah, so you wanted bigger wheels for easier pushing, but in order to do so you needed more restrictive bushings that would restrict the amount of board lean. Correct? Maybe it's just me, but I would love the WFB on these boards. Maybe an APS bottom with a WFB top. Then again, I'm not tryin to run bigger wheels right now. Are you experimenting using wheels on your Stereo and Penny or somethin else?
You got it. We are taking some longer rides around town so I am playing with 70mm wheels on the Nickel. I am using Bennetts that are pretty tall anyway so I do not want to add riser. So far I have tried some thin Sector 9s and some Zig Zags. The Zig Zags feel way better but I don't really like either. I might move down to 65s.
Tracker Mid-Tracks, Tracker RT-S (85mm or 106mm), or Ace 00 - which do you prefer for mini decks? I'm havin a hard time deciding which I want. All of them are at least a tad wider than the stock Stereo trucks, but all seem to fit the bill. I just wanted to know which of them you find to be your favorite. I'm lookin to cruise and carve/pump with some stability for moderate hills. The RT-S sounds like a good fit, but I know you have all these trucks and you seem to be pretty objective in your reviews.
On my Stereo I have a RT-s in front and a Dart in the back, both midtrack size. I would go with either that or both darts or both RT-s. Since you like playing with bushings, maybe the RT-s because the stock kingpin is a little longer. I hesitate to suggest the Ace 00s because their baseplates are only drilled for new school mounting. So to use them you would have to drill the baseplates. I have some Indy and Core hangers on the way from Mile High Skates, I want to try the ace hangers on them both. THe Cores are drilled for oldschool mounting so that might be the easiest way to get ace hangers on a stereo or penny but I have no idea how it will feel yet. The Trackers feel awesome so there probably isnt a reason to go through making the aces fit one way or another unless your crazy like me and just want to try everything.
Sounds good. I really like the sound of the RT-S. The Tracker company said the RT trucks were their updates to the old midtrack and fultrack models. I thought about getting the RT-X but they described it as more tippy while the RT-S is a more quick and stable truck. Do you have the Dart base plate on the back because it's more stable?
Well, for what it's worth, it sounds like I'll be gettin some RT-S trucks once summer rolls around.
Those will really improve the ride. I went with the s front and dart back just to try because some slalom guys use that setup. Yes, the dart is supposed to be more stable. I like it this way. Also those baseplates came in the mail today so it might take me a while to form an opinion but i am playing with the ace hangers on different things.
Hmmm...I have seen that option before. The Dart baseplate and the S front. In fact, for more slalom oriented stuff, a lot of people recommend the RT-S in back and RT-X for front. I feel like that would be super twitchy though. I'm leanin towards S front and rear, or the S front Dart rear. I want too much friggin board stuff. I can't justify gettin all of it because of money and the fact that I just got into boarding early last fall. I just found a sweet mini deck too. It's called the Tutone Pigpen. You should check it out. Thanks for the truck advice.
Today I found out just how annoying the kingpin in this stereo is. Couldn't even fit a Bones Hardcore bushing on due to the plastic topper on each hardcore bushing. The kingpin is just barely too wide, and it would be way to much trouble to screw the bushing on and off each time. Crap. Looks like I'll be buyin' some more bushings...
ReplyDeleteYou are right. Right now I have some Khiro yellows on my stock Stereo trucks and they fit fine. But when I saw your post I tried a Bones soft I had laying around and it was crazy tight. If you like the feel of the Bones you could run to Home Depot and get some 3/8" bolts and swap the kingpins. The Stereo baseplate is made so you would have to JB Weld them in like when you swap an Indy kingpin for a standard kingpin so the don't spin when you tighten them.
ReplyDeleteOtherwise you could take that big 17mm wrench you need to move those huge kingpin nuts and pound them on.
Or if you are feeling brave you could drill out the plastic insert on the Bones just a tiny bit.
ML5, you have been playing with these boards for a while, don't give up yet, I know you can make it work.
Well, the reason I wanted the Bones to work is because I had 'em layin' around. Unfortunately, I'm back at my university out of state now, and I don't have any drills or special tools with me. Still got a ratchet and a few ratchet bits to work with so we'll see.
ReplyDeleteI'll look into the JB Weld idea with a 3/8" bolt as a new kingpin. How long do you think I would need it?
I don't really feel like poundin' the Bones on in fear that it's gonna take FOREVER to get 'em off when I want 'em off.
I actually ordered some red Khiros last night (barrel, short cone). You think they'll feel smooth? I want just a tad bit of snap so I can pump a lil bit.
Your comment made me decide it was time to fix up my Stereo trucks, especially since I had everything to do it in my box of parts and things. I will put up some pics of the whole process itomorrow when the JB Weld is fully cured.
ReplyDeleteThose red Khiros are some of my favorite bushings. They will fit the trucks well and feel pretty good to me.
Even though the Khiros will fit you might want to change the kingpins anyway so you can use a normal skate tool to adjust them while out riding. If you do get a 2" long, 3/8", 24 threads per inch and matching nuts.
Btw, what kind of pivot cups fit the stereo trucks? I looked at mine the other day and they've already got slices in them from the trucks cuttin' right through 'em. I'm thinkin' this is creatin' some slop in how my board handles, so I'm probably gonna upgrade these too. What do you think?
ReplyDeleteI'm also havin' some difficulty with figurin' out how I want my trucks tuned. If I have 'em too tight, then it feels like I don't have a small enough turning radius. If I loosen 'em too much, then I feel like they're unresponsive and sloppy and that I'm gettin' too much lean without enough actual turn. Will this change once I get my new Khiros in there? lol. Maybe some new pivot cups? I'm kinda worried about how they'll turn out since the Khiro short cone is so...well...short. Let me know what you think. You've fooled around with these much more than I have.
If you or anyone figures out a source for them let me know too. I have not looked into it as I do not even have those trucks mounted on anything. When I had them apart I tried the smallest I had, the smaller of the 2 Khiro sizes and they were still quite a bit too big.
ReplyDeleteThe Khiros should feel better, I tighten the nut just enough so the washers dont rattle going down the road and adjust the loose/tight with different bushings. The short cone is only a little shorter than the stock cone, I bet will feel better.
So you say the smallest Khiro pivot cups are still to big for the socket, huh? Hmmm...I'll have to look into it.
ReplyDeleteAnd I was just wondering about the short Khiro cones as far as snapback and lean are concerned. I've got some Khiro reds in the mail (barrel, short cone combo) and I'm very anxious to see how it will handle. Have you tried a barrel/tall cone combo? I'm wonderin' if I would get more lean and carve out of that combo. Let me know what you think.
Btw, busted it pretty hard gettin' some speed on my Stereo the other day. Got goin' fast around a turn and hit some uneven pavement...yeah, it felt great. That won't keep me off this puppy though. I love it too much.
With such narrow trucks and short wheelbase you will still turn like crazy no matter if you have short or tall cones. But tall cones on top would give you more material to compress so more lean if they are the right hardness. I would not worry too much about it though, I think they will feel pretty good. In my Penny trucks lately I have run Khiro barrels boardside and tall inserts roadside. I like the inserts for the simplicity of no top washer needed, but I have had them separate in the softer durometers after a while. So that is something to try later down the road if you do not stick with the red short cones on top. There is no hard fast rule, you just have to learn what you like by trying things over time.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it sucks getting hurt, but thats part of the deal. Just keep having fun and its worth it.
Well crap, I thought I was gettin' Khiro short cone sets, but instead I ordered the standard barrel/cone set. There's a difference between the two as I found out on the website. The standard cones are much shorter.
ReplyDeleteWell, what do you have? Short cone or standard cone/barrel sets?
And how tall are the inserts compared to the short cones? Are they like the standard cones, or are they short cones?
I'm not so positive about the inserts. I've heard people say they don't like the aluminum inserts because of the fact that they aluminum takes up valuable volume inside the bushing, takin' away from the rebound and cushion. What's your opinion?
Well, depending on how these feel once I get them in my trucks, I might have to get a couple tall or short cones to make it feel better. We'll see. I might be doin' that JB Weld kingpin mod this weekend too. I'm wonderin' if it's worth it to do this or if it would just be better to get new trucks. I really need some new pivot cups. The ones I have don't completely fit in the hole...and the part that protrude are sliced from the trucks turning. I'm thinkin' that will create slop...
I have a couple of everything. There are tall and short inserts, the talls are the same height as a barrel, the short are as tall as the short cone that cones in the standard set.
ReplyDeleteThe insert does take up some room but in a tight spot not needing a washer helps. I use them sometimes, depends on the situation. Sometime you want to limit lean, sometimes a cone and a washer just wont fit.
It will definitely be better to get new trucks. The kingpin mod would just eliminate that issue you had before of some bushings like Bones not fitting on the bigger kingpin.
Those pivot cups suck. You might be able to find some thin tubing and make some makeshift ones if you take the trucks to home depot or lowes.
Well, I'll see what I can rustle up. Shucks, I was really hopin' I wouldn't have to resort to new trucks. We'll see.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I would like to mention that my Stereo brings out the dark side of me. It's as if it tells me to go fast and to go downhill with it. Every time I start out on a hill I wonder, "Why am I doing this to myself?", and then I get to the bottom after carvin' it out real nice and all I can think is "Now I know why". Such a fun, dark-side-inducing lil thing.
Yeah, it sucks but thats how it goes with those stock trucks. I think I am going to go ahead and get a set of the Ace 00 to put on one of those Fish decks. I rode a buddies 55s at the park last weekend and they turn pretty well even that wide. They might feel good on these decks.
ReplyDeleteThats a good thing. If you can handle speed on a board this small it will help your balance and the rest of your skating.
Yeeeah, I know. Well, we'll see what happens in the future. MHS has some of those Ace 00 I believe. And I'm assuming your Tracker RTS trucks are pretty turny? I'm lookin' into those.
ReplyDeleteBtw, I feel like maybe the really short Khiro standard cones I'm runnin' in my trucks are limiting turn radius and lean just because of how short and stiff they are at 90a. I'm thinkin' about gettin' a couple more sets of Khiro and Venom bushings that include some taller cones so I can get more dive and lean. We'll see.
Just a heads up, PhatDeanz.com is having a pretty darn good sale on bushings. And shipping is free once you clear $10 I believe.
Yes the Trackers feel good and the rts is a little turnier than the dart. And its cool that they have been around forever. I like Khiro reds, but you will never know what works best for you until you try a bunch. If you want to try more material to see how it feels use your old bushings in one truck and try your 2 Khiro Barrels in the other. Or to try it a little less restrictive run them with a cone and barrel on each truck but use flat washers instead of the stock cupped washers.
ReplyDeleteWay ahead of ya. I've been tinkerin' around with the feeling, and I think I've started to get a happy medium between stability on hills and carvy-ness. I was runnin' the trucks a lil too tight with the super short Khiro cone and barrel, so I loosened 'em and then tuned 'em some more and I found a pretty good feelin' without much slop at all. I also just ordered two Venom 85a standard (Barrel/tall cone) sets, as well as one Venom 83a SHR supercarve set (two cones). I'm excited to fool around and get a feel for some setups, on my longboard as well as my Stereo. Also, I'm gettin' some flat washers so we'll see how it all turns out.
ReplyDeleteGlad it's feeling better. And let me know how the Venoms work out. To me they always feel a little softer than they say.
ReplyDeleteI have a feelin' that with my weight (155), I should be good with the 90a Khiro barrel and 85a Venom cone. We'll see how it works though. It will be a totally different feelin' because of the difference in height between the Khiro and Venom cones. I also bought them for my longboard as well, so if anything, an 87a barrel boardside and 85a barrel roadside should feel pretty darn good for my weight. I'll have to see how the SHR cones work out too. Experimentation, here I come...that is, when the school assignments finally let up...
ReplyDeleteI think that will feel really good. I think the Venoms feel soft but you are a little lighter than me so it might be just right.Let me know how it goes.
ReplyDeleteand good luck with the schooling
So I feel like the stock yellow bushings that come with the Stereo have little to no return to center. I feel like the super short standard Khiro cones have better return than they do.
ReplyDeleteI also tried to put some Venom cones with a Khiro barrel...it was a no go. The tall Venoms were too tall to pair with a Khiro or Venom barrel on the stock kingpin.
These trucks are depressing. I'm not quite sure if it's worth the trouble to get a longer kingpin that I would have to JB Weld, the pivot cups are garbage and non-standard, and I would have to shell out money and some work to get better trucks to work. Well...we'll see. This board is just so annoying when it comes to tweaking :(
Yeah, but once you get it dialed in it is worth it. Keep playing with it, maybe you will find a magic bushing combo for those trucks. If not at least youll build up a selection to try in other trucks when you get around to swapping them out.
ReplyDeleteI tinkered around with it some and I found a really cushy setup for my weight. I have the red Khiro barrel boardside with a cupped washer and the stock Stereo yellow short cone roadside with a flat washer. At first it was really unresponsive and dead, but when I tightened up the nut some I got a deep carvy rebound and when I tightened it up even more I got a more solid carvy feel. I was honestly surprised. I'm gonna get some more ride time to feel it out.
ReplyDeleteThats awesome, I like those reds on a lot of different setups.
ReplyDeleteWell, I've been ridin it around and I really like that setup. Once I get a good little push, I can pump and carve really smoothly. I'm thinkin about gettin some softer Khiros or maybe even some Venoms. I have Venoms already but I use them mostly in my longboards. How're your Riptides feelin? A lot of the longboarding community loves them.
ReplyDeleteBtw, since you're all into skateboards and stuff, I thought I'd let you know I'm gettin a 44" double kicktail longboard from Earthwing. It's called a Hightailer and it's essentially a huge old school deck. Gonna be fun.
I like the riptides so far. I have them set up barrels on top and chubbies on bottom. I tried 85a all around on some Bennetts and it felt too stiff. I changed to 80a chubbies and it feels really good.
ReplyDeleteI can't get into long longboards. My first two longboards probably 10 or 12 years ago were sector 9s, a 42" flexy cosmic2 and a 46" something with a nose and tail if I remember right. since those two I havent bought anything over 31 or 32" but if that is your thing, rip it up.
Do you have the APS or WFB formula Riptides? The APS is a more rebound style urethane while WFB is geared more towards cruise/carve. Not to mention it might feel too stiff because of the chubby/barrel combo...pretty restrictive combo. But hey, to each his own. You might know all of this already.
ReplyDeleteWell, longboards are kinda how I got into all of this. I enjoy more than just the casual cruise and carve down a sidewalk. I love being able to freeride down a long twisty road or race down a long steep hill. That's why I got into skateboarding to start with. However, I love my Stereo and I plan on getting another mini deck around 31-33" in the future. I love carving and pumping all the same.
They are APS. I wanted the more restrictive chubbies to try out with bigger wheels without adding riser. Mostly for longer rides without pushing getting too tiring and still no bite. We are trying to get a ride maybe every other week going in downtown St. Pete. Youll have to try to make it out to one.
ReplyDeleteAh, so you wanted bigger wheels for easier pushing, but in order to do so you needed more restrictive bushings that would restrict the amount of board lean. Correct?
ReplyDeleteMaybe it's just me, but I would love the WFB on these boards. Maybe an APS bottom with a WFB top. Then again, I'm not tryin to run bigger wheels right now. Are you experimenting using wheels on your Stereo and Penny or somethin else?
You got it. We are taking some longer rides around town so I am playing with 70mm wheels on the Nickel. I am using Bennetts that are pretty tall anyway so I do not want to add riser. So far I have tried some thin Sector 9s and some Zig Zags. The Zig Zags feel way better but I don't really like either. I might move down to 65s.
ReplyDeleteTracker Mid-Tracks, Tracker RT-S (85mm or 106mm), or Ace 00 - which do you prefer for mini decks? I'm havin a hard time deciding which I want. All of them are at least a tad wider than the stock Stereo trucks, but all seem to fit the bill. I just wanted to know which of them you find to be your favorite. I'm lookin to cruise and carve/pump with some stability for moderate hills. The RT-S sounds like a good fit, but I know you have all these trucks and you seem to be pretty objective in your reviews.
ReplyDeleteOn my Stereo I have a RT-s in front and a Dart in the back, both midtrack size. I would go with either that or both darts or both RT-s. Since you like playing with bushings, maybe the RT-s because the stock kingpin is a little longer.
ReplyDeleteI hesitate to suggest the Ace 00s because their baseplates are only drilled for new school mounting. So to use them you would have to drill the baseplates.
I have some Indy and Core hangers on the way from Mile High Skates, I want to try the ace hangers on them both. THe Cores are drilled for oldschool mounting so that might be the easiest way to get ace hangers on a stereo or penny but I have no idea how it will feel yet.
The Trackers feel awesome so there probably isnt a reason to go through making the aces fit one way or another unless your crazy like me and just want to try everything.
Sounds good. I really like the sound of the RT-S. The Tracker company said the RT trucks were their updates to the old midtrack and fultrack models. I thought about getting the RT-X but they described it as more tippy while the RT-S is a more quick and stable truck. Do you have the Dart base plate on the back because it's more stable?
ReplyDeleteWell, for what it's worth, it sounds like I'll be gettin some RT-S trucks once summer rolls around.
Those will really improve the ride.
ReplyDeleteI went with the s front and dart back just to try because some slalom guys use that setup. Yes, the dart is supposed to be more stable. I like it this way.
Also those baseplates came in the mail today so it might take me a while to form an opinion but i am playing with the ace hangers on different things.
Hmmm...I have seen that option before. The Dart baseplate and the S front. In fact, for more slalom oriented stuff, a lot of people recommend the RT-S in back and RT-X for front. I feel like that would be super twitchy though. I'm leanin towards S front and rear, or the S front Dart rear. I want too much friggin board stuff. I can't justify gettin all of it because of money and the fact that I just got into boarding early last fall. I just found a sweet mini deck too. It's called the Tutone Pigpen. You should check it out. Thanks for the truck advice.
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