10 of 10 Items
10 of 10 Items
Longboard trucks and wheels come in all shapes and sizes to fit whatever kind of riding you fancy. If you’re into cruising or carving you would want to go with the Paris V2 180mm Longboard Truck. But if you are more into downhill or sliding you would want to go with either a Caliber Truck or a Gunmetal Truck. There are several factors that effect the ride, but the most important is the bushing seat. The bushing seat restricts the flexibility of the bushings which affects stability. Longboarding trucks without, or with a shallow bushing seat like the Paris Truck will be a lot easier to turn where as one with a bushing seat like the Bear Truck will be slightly more restrictive. The most all around for cruising, carving, and downhill is the Bear Truck.
There are two main kinds of longboarding trucks, SKP (Standard King Pin) also known as skateboard trucks, or RKP (Reverse King Pin) also known as longboarding trucks. SKP / Skateboard trucks like those made by Independent Truck Co. or Thunder Trucks are designed to be restrictive and stable. These trucks for longboards are great for skaters who ride in the bowls, pools, skate parks. They are also good for grinding rails, ledges, so on and so forth. If tricks are your game, then SKP / skateboard trucks are the way to go. For maneuverability or stability at high speeds, RKP / longboard trucks and wheels are the more ideal fit. Longboarding trucks tend to be wider than skateboard trucks. They sit up higher granting more wheel clearance for the larger longboard wheels. The RKP longboarding trucks are designed to turn more than the SKP trucks. They also tend to be more stable at high speeds are less likely to get speed wobbles when going fast. Speed wobbles happen when the board moves so fast it starts to become unstable and shake under your feet.
Revers king pin longboarding trucks come in multiple base plate angles. A standard baseplate angle is 50 degrees. A 50 degree truck will be very maneuverable and, depending on the brand, stable. For added stability for downhill longboarding a lower angle is preferred. A 44 degree base plate provides for maximum stability at high speeds, but will reduce the amount of lean or maneuverability. So whatever your game, whether it be cruising, downhill, tricks, or sliding, be sure to grab longboard trucks and wheels that fit your riding needs.