Reddit mentions: The best skateboard trucks

Deck: Any of the big brands, kinda personal preference based on pop / board shape / graphics [Baker, Element (not featherlights, they tend to snap.), Flip, Zero, MiniLogo, etc.] You can also usually get a blank deck from one of those companies for a cheaper price.

Trucks: Independent trucks are what I've always used. Thunder trucks are good quality too. Indys are just kinda classic and very popular. Dad used em back in the 80s. (of the appropriate size, usually 139s, depends on deck width)

Wheels: Totally personal opinion, but I like Bones 100s or Spitfire Formula 4s

Bearings: Bones Reds. Classic. My dad skated on these too. I have skated on them ever since I started at 8 years old. Tried, true, affordable.

Here's my most recently purchased full, complete deck, parted out, for you to look at:

Deck: (not the exact same as mine, got it at a local shop. Deathwish decks are manufactured by Baker.) http://www.amazon.com/Deathwish-Deathspray-Black-Skateboard-Decks/dp/B0086Q7B2A/ref=sr_1_5?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1453949834&sr=1-5&keywords=deathwish+skateboard

Trucks: http://www.amazon.com/Independent-Stage-Standard-Truck-Silver/dp/B00APL6OY0/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1453949901&sr=1-1&keywords=Independent+139

Wheels: http://www.amazon.com/Bones-Wheels-100s-52mm-White/dp/B00CLCLRZW/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1453949927&sr=1-1&keywords=Bones+100s

Bearings: http://www.amazon.com/Bones-Reds-Precision-Skate-Bearings/dp/B000FDRQ1S/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1453949941&sr=1-1&keywords=Bones+reds


Good Luck! If you want to get into skateboarding, I highly recommend going into a local shop. A big part of skate culture is supporting your local stores, which are usually filled with some pretty cool people.

I'm about to buy a Bustin Shrike. It's an inch shorter then your max. It looks absolutely sick. You can never go wrong with Bustin.

However, since I have never actually rode the board, I can't really tell you how it feels, or how light it is.

But along with the deck, try some Paris 180s. They're good quality and pretty well priced. The 43 degree baseplate is obviously going to be a bit more stable at higher speeds, but the 50 degree baseplate will be super carvy and awesome freeride. I use them and they're pretty noice.

And For wheels, I personally like the Butterballs, just cuz theyre amazing. But just about any wheel with a round edge, and a hard duro will be good.

However, if you are going to be doing higher speeds, I would invest in some soft wheels with squared edges. They'll have a lot more grip, and are still possible to slide (but a little more difficult than hard/rounds)

I know this has been said already but $400-$500 is the lowest I’ve seen for a e-board build that works

DIY E-board parts

Recommend their parts: specifically the motor, gear kit and vesc

You can get trucks to work with single belt motor on amazon

Caliber 2

They’re smaller than what is recommended but worked on my build (plus they’re great quality)

These wheels are pretty good and have okay bearings

wheels + bearings

Everything else including remote is up to you I personally bought the one from Diy so that I knew everything would work together when assembled (no hassle) plus great customer service

Edit:

Link to my old build if curious

If you follow this build I recommend a deck with less concavity

Oh gosh. I built this several months ago so this list is mostly from memory, but I’ll do my best. Also bear in mind that my experience with DIYeBoard has been a good one. I haven't had any issues with my ESC or battery. Zero issues with voltage sag or the controller cutting out. I have seen a few reports that these are common issues, but I haven't experienced them. I'm also listing the prices I paid for these items. I don't know if these prices have changed recently so take that into consideration.

Deck – Rimmable 42in top mount complete board (for replacement wheels and bearings) - $35

Battery and ESC – 10s5p kit from DIYeBoard - $220

Motors – 170kv N5055’s from DIYeBoard – 2x $40

Gearing – Gears and Pulley kit from DIYeBoard - $25

Trucks – Caliber 2 (black) - $30 free ship

Wheels – Cal 7 97mm 78A (flywheel hub) - $26 free ship (yes this pricing is correct and yes these wheels are amazing)

Mounts – Boardnamics – approx. $50 shipping included

Grip –Camo Black Diamond griptape – $9.95

​

Speed – 32mph on flat ground with 210lb rider. Could go faster but I wasn't willing to push it without a helmet or other protection.

Range – Unknown I normally get tired before it dies. My estimate is around 15-20miles on speed mode 2 full throttle

Approximate total = $500 USD (NOT including shipping costs for DIYeBoard items all Amazon items were shipped for free)

What color of the caliber v2 trucks do y'all think would go well with the 77a blue Caguamas? I'm gonna be putting it on a deck that is just wood colored on the bottom. I'll change the griptape in the future, but for now it's just black. I like the lavender, sea foam, and coral colors, but part of me wants to play it safe and just go with the Smoke color or the white/gold. There will be bones reds in the blue/green caguamas too, but they won't be too noticeable. I like the bright colors. Thanks for the help.

What I did right

• Bought high-quality parts (mostly)
  
• Laser-cut center logo
  
  • I originally tried cutting this out of grip tape. The results were... suboptimal. The laser-cut plastic looks amazing and was only ~$10 after free credits. I ordered it through Ponoko. New accounts get a $20 credit towards making stuff, and they have a huge range of materials to choose from. I used this material, which comes with adhesive pre-applied as well as being quite flexible.
    
• Custom fiberglass enclosure
  
  • This was probably the part of the build that took the longest. Due to me not sizing the enclosure correctly (see below), I decided it would be easier to make an enclosure rather than scouring the internet for one that fit. This was my first time working with fiberglass, so it turned out a little rough. But it does the job and conforms to my deck way better than any pre-bought enclosure ever would. It’s currently secured to my deck with screws threaded directly into the wood. The holes are strengthen with superglue. So far this has worked well (5+ screw in/outs), we’ll see if it holds up. If the holes start stripping I’ll just put some threaded inserts in.
    
• Installed a Bluetooth module
  
  • Although I haven’t gotten wireless configuration working yet, it’s really nice being able to see stats on your phone. I’m on iOS and use the Xmatic app which is very-well designed. It even comes with a companion Apple Watch app so you can easily check your speed and battery life while riding.
    
    

    Mistakes I made
    

    
    

1. I didn’t add extra clearance to the battery size when shopping for an enclosure. I originally bought this enclosure from MBoards. But either the enclosure or the battery was slightly bigger/smaller than the advertised dimensions and the entire enclosure bowed out when I tried shoving the battery in. Cables never had a chance of fitting. This turned out to be a bit of a moot point anyways, because...
   
2. I choose a deck with too much flex/bow. Even if the enclosure did fit the battery, attaching it to the underside of my deck would have severely warped it.
   
3. I destroyed two $10 42V chargers. The first was destroyed by plugging it in backwards to the battery (i.e. red -> black and black -> red on the battery connector). We don’t talk about the second one. ^(Ok maybe I plugged it in the exact same way expecting something else yes I’m an idiot)
   
4. I didn’t cut the grip tape very cleanly. Lots of rough edges, grip tape is harder to apply properly than it looks.
   
5. My paint job on the enclosure turned out a little sloppy because I didn’t properly secure the stencil.
   
   

   Potential upgrades
   

   
   

• New paint job on bottom (I might just go all-black and remove the design)
  
• New grip tape (with more consistent edges)
  
• Reverse-mounted motor (so I can use my dropdown like it was intended)
  
• Sleeker fiberglass enclosure
  
• Handle (I have no idea how to do this, any suggestions are welcome)
  
  

  Parts
  

  
  

• Motor Mount
  
• Pulley System
  
• 3250W 180KV Motor
  
  • This thing has an insane amount of torque, it chews up hills without slowing down at all. Very happy with this motor.
    
• Remote
  
• Caliber II Trucks
  
• Power Switch
  
• Longboard Deck
  
  • It’s cheap. Didn’t expect much, but it’s actually fairly nice (at least for a traditional longboard; as noted elsewhere there’s a bit too much flex for it to be a good electric board).
    
• Orangatang Kegel Wheels
  
• VESC
  
• BLE Module
  
• Charger
  
• 10S3P Battery Pack
  
  • This battery with its integrated BMS was plugged in to charge with its polarity accidentally reversed twice (see above), and it still works great.
    
    I spent a total of ~$770 on this board (including wasted parts). It's more than I wanted to spend but I expect it'll last a long time.
    
    Specs:
    
    
• Top speed: 28 MPH (in theory, I've only actually gone up to 16 MPH because of safety concerns :P)
  
• Range: 25-30 miles (extrapolated from the voltage drop on a ~2 mile ride, haven't had time to go on a ride that fully drains the battery)

I'm new and need help putting to get a board.

Copy paste of my post that got removed:
So a couple days ago I rode longboards with friends around the city and realized that skateboards are actually really fun and are a great form of transportation. I recently have been looking into parts for a board but I'm on a budget ($150ish usd). I've picked out a rough list of parts but i have no idea if they are necessarily "good", right for my intentions, or if I'm buying more/less than need, etc. Again, I honestly have no idea what I'm doing. The kind of board I'm looking for is affordable with decent quality. I intend to use the board to ride around town (my town is really flat) for transportation or just ride for fun. I also prefer to have controlled/somewhat sharp turning ability. (It'd also be nice to have one that looks nice, though not completely necessary). I say again, new to this, don't know anything. noflame

Deck:
http://longboardsusa.com/maple-pintail-longboard-skateboard-39-x-9-deck/
I chose this deck because I plan to add my own design.

Grip Tape:
https://www.amazon.com/Mob-Super-Coarse-Longboard-Grip/dp/B00G9EA4I4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1500455178&sr=8-1&keywords=mob+grip+tape+longboard

Trucks:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00QHC1Z2M/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=A3CDEUCT9UACPY&psc=1

Wheels:
https://www.amazon.com/83mm-Longboard-Cruiser-Wheels-Flywheels/dp/B00I1WFKKE/ref=sr_1_3?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1500454619&sr=1-3&keywords=longboard%2Bwheels&th=1

Bearings:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01GBJC0CY/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?smid=A3CDEUCT9UACPY&psc=1

Hardware:
https://www.amazon.com/Bones-1-Inch-Skateboard-Mounting-Hardware/dp/B000GA6440/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1500455038&sr=8-1&keywords=skateboard+hardware+1+inch

Unless you are looking to bomb some hard hills or do a lot of rough tricks or carve on a nickle (literally) so basically if you are just wanting a cruising board I would suggest just buying a blank deck off of amazon.

Get something along the lines of THIS or THIS

Then for everything else THESE should do fine. I wouldn't suggest getting more than 70mm wheels and even that is pushing it. You really want something (for a cruising deck) around 57mm. Also don't try to get super hard or super soft wheels (normally referred to as fat or fat free wheels).

Longboards can be expensive and I know a several people and have heard of even more people who save up and buy a roughly $300 dollar board but then only use it for cruising or never ride it really and what I have listed (or thing similar to it) should do just fine for a trial board and keep the cost relatively low. I actually built a bored with similar items from amazon for my friends who do not have a deck and it has held up pretty well for the past few years.


EDIT: Depending on if the board comes with grip tape or not you may need to buy some. THIS is more along the lines of the expensive stuff of the cheap stuff so I think it is worth it personally.

Hey guys. I'm wondering what kind of deck i should get for my electric longboard project. Something under 50 or 75 bucks. I also ordered this set of trucks and wheels as they came bundled together for a pretty good price and come with a set of flywheels which are required for this project. Can you guys let me know if they will get the job done? I can still cancel my order. Just want to make sure I'm heading in the right direction

Trucks + Wheels: Longboard 180mm Trucks Combo w/ 83mm Flywheels + Owlsome ABEC 7 Bearings (Pink) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01B08HCJW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_xcK9wbKQX5H9F

If you beed further clarification or info, let me know! Thanks in advanced!

EDIT: i need a deck that has good clearance to fit all my electronics under the board. It should also be noted that I am 6 foot 4 so take that into consideration as well.

Personally I really enjoy it. The bamboo stout deck is the cheapest of the 3 at nordboards.com, that's where I got mine from.

http://www.nordboards.com/landyachtz2.html

And I got a truck/wheel/bearings package on amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/LONGBOARD-Skateboard-TRUCKS-Polished-Package/dp/B007MSFHF6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1368322669&sr=8-1&keywords=longboard+trucks+and+wheels+package

I can't say I know much about bearings - the ones in the package are advertised Abec 5's, but I ended up getting Abec 7's. Woohoo.

The wheels are fine for my situation - roads in my town are rough and bumpy, and the wheels are big enough to get over them without any discomfort in the ride.

Since your limit is like 200 you might be able to get the parts individually and put it together for under that, but I'm not sure on how prices might be for where you are. Bottom line it's fun to ride and it works for me even though the trucks are awkward. (until I replace them)

Check out torsion trucks if you like really easy carving and tight turns but you don't want wheel bite. They basically have a way bigger bushing and feel really squishy at first but I love them. These are sweet, but I have these and they're awesome for the price.

Could anybody shed some light on good parts that are available on Amazon? I have a gift card and wanna pick up some stuff. I have a deck with new griptape - so I guess I need trucks/wheels/bearings?

If there is a complete set that is pretty good for beginners I would probably go with that. For instance, I was thinking about something like this

People are going to lynch me for saying this, but if you really are just cruising on this board and not wanting to freeride/do any kind of tricks, Gullwing Sidewinders are so much smooth delightful fun to ride and carve on. They're the double kingpins, as observed here: http://www.amazon.com/Gullwing-Sidewinder-Truck-Silver-10-Inch/dp/B009ZC92L2

Seriously man, they offer a beautiful ride.

Thanks! Would end up costing over 130 USD. Being a bit short on cash (Grad-college), what do you think about this package with Real? http://www.amazon.com/Real-Team-Renewal-Skateboard-Complete/dp/B00BIHCDMW/ref=pd_sim_sbs_sg_1


So something like this?
This is what I sourced from what you recommended.
Venture Salt 'N' Pepper 5.0 Low Skateboard Truck (Black/White, Set of 2)
39 USD
http://www.amazon.com/Venture-Pepper-Skateboard-Truck-Black/dp/B005QZ1XC8/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1371988471&sr=8-3&keywords=Venture+truck

Bones STF Street Tech Formula Skateboard Wheels (Standard, Set of 4) size 52
34 USD
http://www.amazon.com/Bones-Formula-Skateboard-Wheels-Standard/dp/B001H55SP4/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1371988582&sr=8-2-fkmr1&keywords=bones+STFs+size+51

Bones Super Reds Bearings, 8 Pack set
USD 19
http://www.amazon.com/Bones-Super-Reds-Bearings-Pack/dp/B002E2MYSI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1371988684&sr=8-2&keywords=ones+Reds+bearings

Real Skateboard MVP 3-D 8
35 USD
http://www.amazon.com/Real-Team-Logo-Renewal-Skateboard/dp/B00BIHCE7Q/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1371989286&sr=8-11&keywords=Reals+skateboard

keep in mind the amazon price is from TGM skateboards.. which is a shop in michigan

so they are paying the equivalent of around $36 US here is a pair indy 139s on amazon from TGM for $35 with free shipping in the US now keep in mind the UK amazon listing is not free shipping it's £12... this brings the price above $52US and then chances are they may need to pay import tax after that

so for OP... since the amazon item would be shipping from a US based seller in Michigan it would be a good idea to find out if there will be any additional taxes added to the £38.87

Specs:

• 2x 6374 180kv motors
  
  
• MBS all-terrain wheels
  
  
• 2x pulley kit (36:13)
  
  
• 2x motor mounts
  
  
• Caliber II Trucks (I have wider Torqueboard 218 trucks coming so I can mount both motors inside)
  
  
• Antispark switch
  
  
• FSESC 200A
  
  
• 2x 6s 6000mAh Lipos
  
  
• Deck from a longboard I bought like 4 years ago
  
  
• Both enclosures were 3d printed with ProtoPasta carbon fiber and TPU washers that vary in thickness to compensate for the contours of the board (my own design).
  
  
• bearings
  
  
• Dual charger
  
  
• other various screws, nuts, wires, connectors, solder, etc
  
  
  Total Cost: Approx. $1200
  
  
  Additional notes:
  
  
• This was my first time using this brand of carbon fiber filament and I have to say its insanely strong, knocking on the back of the case, which is only 5mm thick, feels like knocking on a brick wall, its nothing like any filament i've ever used before and prints surprisingly well but will destroy brass nozzles (which cost pennies anyways).
  
  
• I've gotten it up to 26mph so far, with plenty of throttle left to go (I'd honestly say I didn't hit over 50% throttle). It's been about 2 years since I've rode my longboard, and I've only tried a friends boosted board once about a year ago, so I still need to build up to going fast. A more experienced rider got it up to 29mph and said he still had throttle to spare. So so far no one has been willing to top it off, I'll report back once I get some numbers. I will say that it accelerates faster than most if not all brand name boards.
  
  
• Yes I am aware that I fucked up my rear motor, I have since fixed the issue... Whoops.

If you want a proper long longboard here is a really cheap rayne rival on amazon, it has kicks for tricks, and is decently stiff for downhill, good construction by a good company, bamboo and fiberglass. You can find new gold colored caliber trucks for like $35 on amazon too, pretty cheap. As for wheels theses are good downhill wheels, and 50% off, but they will be pretty heavy for tricks. That same site also has a few smaller wheels, but I'm not sure if they are durable enough to hold up to repeated tricks. Then you just need bearings (zealous obviously, try muirskate.com) and hardware.

here's a quick list I put together for a solid custom setup.

Deck: Enjoi 8.0 (you could swap this for another deck of any quality brand.

Trucks: independent stage 11's. (note this is in a set of one, so you'll have to buy two trucks)

Wheels: Spitfire formula four's

bearings: bones reds

grip tape: mob grip

Hardware: 7/8". (personally I go to a hardware store and get them a bit cheaper)

Definitely do your research and decide what would be best for you though.

The Calibers look slightly different than the Randals . Do you think that difference is noticeable when riding?
Huh, the Calibers show up at $53 and The Randals at $48 to me in Muirskate... Anyway, I was looking at the Calibers in Amazon for $40 and the Randals in the Randal page itself for $53. It doesn't matter though, I liked the Randal suggestion because that company seems to have a better reputation than Caliber, and if you also say that the bushings are better and that they will feel better in a drop deck, it's a no brainer!

 

Haha I've never ridden before but I confidence in handling hills falls before even pushing for the first time

To me, this is the dream set up for getting around IV:

Bone Swiss Bearings

Bear trucks

Gumball wheels

And any deck you want. As another poster said, I'd recommend a shorter deck because it's easier to manage while on campus.

I used this deck for awhile, and it was awesome

If you want to skate, do get a set up that will make you love it. If you skimp out on parts, especially wheels/bearings, you're going to have a bad time.

Its cool how retro boards are coming back.

The fact that you can get a brand new deck and trucks that are basically the same as the retro ones is awesome. You could probably find some wheels that are similar too.

You should hang that one up as decoration, you wouldn't want anything to happen to a genuine vintage deck like that.

EDIT: bruce logan talking about being an OG skater

> skatehut.co.uk

Looking through the site, wow... I didn't realize how hard VAT hit you for those US brand trucks. I need to do more research on trucks available in the UK. The prices for the brands I mentioned are totally unreasonable over there. Reading reviews about Enuff doesn't build my confidence in them, though, so I'd still steer clear if you can swing the cash.

Edit: maybe check Amazon? I found some reasonably priced 8" Independent trucks with free delivery on the UK Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Independent-Stage-11-Standard-Truck/dp/B00APL6OY0

Paris V2 50 Degree or Atlas 48 Degree


These?

The atlas ones look pretty sweet

Four month ago I bought a $25 kryptonics longboard from Walmart, my first skateboard, and now I need an upgrade. What do you think of this purchase?

Board:
http://www.amazon.com/Blank-Decks-Warning-Skateboard-Natural/dp/B002GIEAN2/ref=pd_sim_sg_8?ie=UTF8&refRID=086FC09SRT7RDVAM5THF

Trucks:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00123YRG2/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=YI9FBBOH7K08&coliid=IGYQQ845RM81K

Wheels:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009ZC8AHE/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=YI9FBBOH7K08&coliid=IQNGHRR1ELLNZ


The reason I chose a short board is because I'd like to learn how to skateboard and do tricks so having the option of putting on small wheels to take it to a park AND the option of putting on big wheels and cruise around town is important to me because I'll be using it to get to work.

Am I missing anything? Any advice welcome

https://www.amazon.com/Caliber-Trucks-Cal-50%C2%B0-Longboard/dp/B00NY3Q5NQ are these the trucks you mean?

And i meant wider and taller. Im assuming id want narrower wheels for sliding and stuff, but assuming i dont actually have traction needs/problems i wont need some wideass wheels, right?

And taller wheels would handle pebbles/cracks better, right?

I'm not 100% sure but I've been told it's a Reverse Kingpin Truck (One massive bolt going in through the top with a nut at the bottom)

I've added some pictures of what I've got to work with, as you can see the motor's bolt onto the axel.
http://imgur.com/a/kgA9j

And I'm thinking of maybe transferring it to a Gullwing Sidewinder, like this https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gullwing-Sidewinder-Truck-Silver-10-Inch/dp/B009ZC92L2

Would it be possible at all?

https://www.amazon.com/Caliber-Trucks-Cal-50°-Longboard/dp/B00NY3Q5NQ
https://www.amazon.com/Premium-Electric-Skateboard-Caliber-Compatible/dp/B079561FWV
I haven't found a video but if I ever get the money I would post one regardless at how garage I am at editing lol

http://www.randal.com/trucks_180.html

http://www.amazon.com/Randall-R-11-180mm-Longboard-Trucks/dp/B00123YRG2

I don't see a model number, but it was stock trucks that came with the complete build. Looking around, it seems to match these: http://www.amazon.com/Bear-Grizzly-181mm-Skateboard-Trucks/dp/B002UZOV5I

Just found out there are real longboarding stuff on Amazon. I found paris v2s and calibers 2s (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NY3Q5P4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_ajYkxbRPX9SJK)

You'll get them delivered faster but you're not supporting shops like Daddies or Muir.