Best Longboard Trucks Review 2017

Selecting the best longboard trucks is a crucial decision when it comes to building your perfect board. They are the element of the board that allow you to turn while keeping the wheels properly anchored to the board.

There are lots of things to think about and these start with what type of longboarding you will be doing.

Cruising

For starters at longboard, the simplest way to pick them is to be guided by the width of your deck. Getting trucks which are close to the width of the deck will allow the right wheels to be added and give you a consistent ride.

There are generally two widths to choose from; 150mm and 180mm.  the guideline is that for decks less than 8.5inches in width, choose the 150mm, while for 8.5 – 10.5inch decks, stick with the 180mm ones.

The other decision to make is standard or reverse kingpin slides.  Majority of longboard truck are reverse kingpin, especially for cruising.

These are designed to be more maneuverable, for better carving.  Standard kingpin slides tend to be used more on street skateboards or ones you might see being used in a half-pipe at the park.

They are sometimes used for cruising boards with kicktails, as this gives them a sharper response to use of the tail.

Bear Grizzly 852 181mm Skateboard Trucks (Set Of 2)

This set of two slides from Bear Grizzly are 181mm so suitable for 8.5 – 10.5inch decks and are a great all-rounder.

They are cast using a special formula which means they have the maximum strength as well as being straightened after production.

If you want to use for freeriding and cruising then they are fine standard but if you want a downhill set up, you can flip the rear hanger.  This provides better stability while still having the same turn from the front truck.

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Freeriding

When it comes to freeriding trucks, then regardless of whether you have a drop through or drop platform deck, reverse kingpin slides are the best choice. There are a number of brands who have perfected these, such as Randal, Paris and Bear.

Another option often considered for freeriding it a lower base plate angle for better stability, usually around 40-45 degrees.

Other like an aggressive turn from a high angle such as 50-52 degrees and these are considered the best option for breaking traction and starting a slide.

However, as with cruising, it is always best to choose trucks which are as near as possible to the width of your deck for the best set up.

Downhill

When it comes to experienced downhill longboarders, there is a general consensus about trucks.  For predictable results and smooth turns, reverse kingpin slides are recommended and can be used with drop-through and top-mount decks.

There are some professionals who use precision slides, which are very expensive and are made using different techniques to the normal cast trucks so maybe work up to that level through the more every-day versions.

Baseplate angle is the factor which determines how your board will turn depending on how much lean there is.

High degree trucks, 50 degrees, give you a quicker response while lower degrees, 40 degrees, will give you a sense of stability, even at high speeds.

Most downhill boards go with the 50 degree setup to avoid complications with wheel bite. As with other setups mentioned, even for downhill the best system are those which match the deck width of your board.

What is wheel bite?

We mentioned there about complications from wheel bite, so for those just starting out at longboarding, what is wheel bite?

Basically, it is when the wheels scrape against the underside of the board, usually during a hard turn or hard landing. The side of the board is pushed towards the ground, and this brings the deck closer to the wheels.

So how do you avoid this?  There are a few simple pieces of advice which can help you avoid wheel bite and also make decisions about components to make up your board, if you haven’t already.

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• User stiffer bushings – this stops the board shifting under the weight of the rider
• Consider smaller wheels – if the wheels are knocking against the deck a lot, they may be too big for the set up so by changing to smaller ones, this leaves more room for the wheels to move
• Tighten trucks – if your slides are loose then this makes for great carving but can also mean you get a lot of wheel bite.  Tightening them up limits the board’s rotation and stops the wheels getting so close to the deck
• Add risers – another simple solution is to add risers, which literally rise the board up higher and means the deck is further away from the wheels.  Shock pads offer the same benefits but are made of different stuff and can alter the feel of the ride.

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