Why Loose Trucks Are Probably Ruining Your Skateboarding!

[@ZackDowdy]

I'm tightening my trucks and if my skating gets worse, I'm coming for you Ben!

[@bendegros]

😂

[@NioBanba]

So this was Bens last video😂

[@tankii44]

Jajajaja

[@rollypollyguy3976]

90's kids got decks with warnings, "Don't over tighten your nuts." You knew someone got a new deck because you'd see them at school with that sticker slapped onto their crotch.

[@ethanfulton9659]

@@rollypollyguy3976that’s hilarious!!!

[@Ray-qe1go]

I’ve watched this guy for a few years (helped me tremendously in renovating my home). My son has recently gotten into skateboarding and in looking for videos to help him out i ran into the same person to teach us how to skate! You have motivated me to pick up a skateboard for the first time and begin the learning journey (im in my mid-40s). So great to see you helping so many across disciplines! What else do you do?? Teach us!

[@hangedups2608]

38 YEARS HERE AND THREE WEEKS IN 🙏

[@rikardhaugstad8575]

37 here, beginning again this summer ;)

[@gromitmitten7803]

I'm with you on this. I just started going back to more of a medium tightness after riding on the more looser side for a couple of years. Feels so much better especially with manuals.

[@vyiz1004]

My ankle muscles laugh at yours

[@bendegros]

I can tell your like 15

[@vyiz1004]

@@bendegros Wut?

[@vyiz1004]

Thats the weirdest type of response even with sarcasm added bro, get outta here yiikes

[@ronniecreager2585]

@@vyiz1004 poor Fran

[@BitesTheDusto]

I rocked jiggle loose for about 2 months and then tightened up back to normal. Pop is better consistently on medium trucks like you said. But rocking them loose really helped me learn to stay centered the entire time during a trick, and it also strengthened my ankles. 360 flips on loose trucks is so difficult to pop, but when theyre tighter you can boost them hella high. Overall, medium trucks are the best, Loose enough to carve into 180 flip tricks, but tight enough that your pop is consistent

[@bendegros]

Exactly!

[@brucebruno842]

Agreed, I loosened my backup setup, so I can skate that some days as a leg strengthener and to keep myself centered better. I need stronger legs being 44 years old, so that my joints don't get abused. When I go back to my normal setup I skate better. I now see why Ishod has cyborg looking legs with muscles I've never seen in legs before. I want to see Dewon's legs. Probably straight terminator looking legs.

[@BitesTheDusto]

@@brucebruno842 thats a great idea, I think ill end up doing the same

[@Spurgte]

I only skated with loose trucks with a slight jiggle; that's all i know Everything is possible with loose trucks once you adjust to it

[@ejlopez6637]

I’ve been a loose truck guy for a long time, but I agree with you 100%. When you can see someone hop on their board and get that little initial wobble, their trucks are too loose. When they start getting any rattle I feel like they really hurt the pop. A lot of the energy that should be transferred into the tail gets dampened by the trucks. But too tight of trucks also suck. I used to crank them down when I was little. Then after learning how to snowboard, they felt gross and I started riding them looser and looser. Turning is way more fun than tic tacking haha. I really enjoy the extra margin of error you get with them. You can land with your board a little under or over rotated and still save the trick. There’s a happy medium. Gotta keep a nice balance of turn and pop. As for current skateboarding trends, I’d like to see one on shaped boards. Seeing you on a 10-9.5 inch heroin egg shaped board with ace 77s would be interesting haha. They have smaller sizes too that wouldn’t feel as weird (I’m on a 8.8 Avi egg that feels like a 8.5), but I feel like the biggest sizes are the most popular.

[@everybodycounts8193]

True there’s those tries where I land on the board maybe even bolts just not completely centered and I step off the board because of the tightness def a happy medium

[@whydubess]

"Daewon and Matt Rodriguez ride loose trucks" reminds me of "Hendrix and McCartney never learned to read music"

[@matth268]

Jerry had his finger cut off with an axe. Must work!

[@victorherrera6714]

Most guitarist don’t tbf

[@matroxman11]

I love that you spend the whole video trashing loose trucks and then we get to watch you fall in love with the loose trucks, and you’re right your style is way better. 😂 As a winter basement/garage skater I got really used to riding loose trucks because I had to be able to maneuver in my little 4m square and it made me fall in love with loose trucks. I think it teaches you really good fundamentals of board control and forces you to learn how to center your weight properly on the board before popping tricks.

[@pastaboinch]

*_Daewon has entered the chat_*

[@SlickRick4EVER]

You have never heard of Matt Rodriguez, haven’t ya…?

[@Zpoq]

@@SlickRick4EVER before 9club episode of Deawon? No

[@18JR78]

Daewon is loose front truck only. Different type of skating too....

[@61936]

Or at least his front truck

[@SlickRick4EVER]

@@Zpoq - wow… generational differences…

[@Lazy_Prophet]

I definitely agree on this one, never could stand loose trucks, not only does it make skating harder but it makes people look sloppy too.

[@SpaGearHardware]

I think the loose trucks enjoyers love it for the challenge. Not everyone has absolute performance as their goal. Also loose trucks and narrow boards is the worst combo. 8.5 and above with loose gives you a bigger platform with a lot of wiggle. Wax the wheel wells and youre slipping and sliding :)

[@donovanhays]

Skateboarding is already one of the most challenging things you can do. Most people probably just do it because they think they should. People actually say stuff about how loose or tight people's trucks it's so dumb unless you're actually giving someone helpful advice

[@eddym54]

Matt Rodriguez rides 7.5 wiggle loose. Not everyone is a matt rodriguez.

[@paunchcoorlightly4000]

@@donovanhays I agree. The looseness is just another aspect of difficulty. It's all about what you want your experience to be at the end of the day. Bang your head flipping in and out of a tech trick on a reliable board or lad a simple trick without wheelbiting on a unpredictable balance beam. It's a create your own adventure type deal.

[@johneapleseed6876]

This is true.

[@screwyouguysimgoinhome1043]

Ah so this is why everyone I see with loose trucks at the local can barely do a flat ground kick flip. For the challenge😂

[@gravelmonarch]

Been riding tighter trucks for a few weeks after watching this and my tricks, especially nollie, feel really stable. Good vid.

[@alpineg]

I used to ride aces really loose but recently switched to Indy’s with medium tightness and my skating has improved a lot

[@RollForever88]

Was always a mega tight truck kind of guy. Felt as though it provided me with predictability and a more centered pop off the tail. Nyjah skates pretty tight trucks like this, made me feel kind of validated since people always questioned that at the park. Not to say there is only one way either though…

[@caydespliff181]

my take is this: as a young kid who liked jumping down stairs and rails, tight trucks hurt my knees, and almost encouraged me to skate *slower. I gradually loosened over the years and my skating vastly improved. loose punishes you for skating slower, which pushed me to skate faster. I started having more fun, and learning to have control under speed is what skating was all about(for me). Additionaly, and this might trigger some people, loose trucks are more manageable(in my experience) for hill bombs. You shouldn’t trust your trucks to keep you from wabbling, you need to learn power slides, and carving, and tight trucks makes this difficult. Tight trucks are training wheels that stifle progression from what I’ve experienced *personally. If you skate really slow and like doing manuals and tech tricks, you might have different experience. *edit: I never have had “jiggly” loose trucks. my defenition of loose isn’t the extreme, more on the looser side if medium. my kingpin bolts aren’t falling off or anything like that.

[@morgnificent3rd]

Tip from a loose trucks enjoyer: Use the stock top bushing and a top third party soft bushing on the bottom. It gives you the nice feeling of loose trucks but it will still have some stiffness so you don't wobble all over the place. 👍🏼

[@cv6531]

Or just get medium hardness conical bushings....

[@morgnificent3rd]

@@cv6531 Top bushings are usually conical. I use 2 top bushings, the medium on top and a soft one at the bottom.

[@cv6531]

@@morgnificent3rd yeah but it fucks with the geometry and will have your kingpin sit higher up. It's easier to just get a single pair of conicals . Same results better kingpin clearance.

[@jamierussell6051]

Same trend run through Phx AZ back in the early 90s along with smaller and smaller wheels and super giant pants. Then I started writing "tagging" . Back pack was cumbersome. Great show by the way 🇺🇲

[@roastbeefy0weefy]

This trend is probably on its way out, but I never understood how anyone can skate in traditional Chuck Taylors without ripping them in the first 15 minutes

[@shaun8062]

You have to get the ones actually designed for skating dude. The normal canvas ones will get destroyed in like 6 tricks. The skating ones are fairly heavy duty leather.

[@idmhead0160]

I remember doing just that in the 80s. Got a new pair of them and had holes shredded in the sides within an hour or less

[@shaun8062]

@@idmhead0160 They must be way different now. I've skated most popular skate shoes since the 90s until now and only recently chucks. Modern skate chucks are quite durable in comparison to all the shoes I've had with the same thickness. Suede shoes made by brands like Emerica and etnies.

[@roastbeefy0weefy]

@@shaun8062 I love the Cons line and CTAS, etc, but I swear some of these dudes in Thrasher vids are wearing regular old outlet mall canvas chucks.

[@shaun8062]

@@roastbeefy0weefy well if it tells you anything, I have a pair of canvas ones for going out and a pair of skate ones I interchange them with and no one can tell the difference between the two until they touch them.

[@airiushunt]

I progressed the most and had the most consistent pop which led to the most consistent tricks, I had the deepest bag of flat ground when I skated medium trucks, and probably the only time in my life I was comfortable on handrails. That being said I'm 33 I could care less about "getting tricks" at this point. Once you are used to skating ridiculously loose it's the most fun thing ever and I can't go back. The act of just riding my board is so much fun even if it is at the cost of "skill". I will say I spend 80% of my time in bowls now, only flip trick I do is treflips, and don't skate ledges over 12 inches tall because my pop is shit because of the loose trucks lol. (Also side note Vert skaters typically ride super tight trucks because of high speeds but bowl skaters do not. You have way more flexibility in a bowl with loose trucks.)

[@small.dreams]

Try out dual durometer bushings. Ace bushings, both the Hards and the Stock/Medium are the best in everything. Their Stock tops (conical) are 91a, bottoms are 86a, the Hards are both 94a. They both come in a Low option also. I’m using the Hards in a set of Aces, and the Low Hards in some Ventures. They work great in Indys too. It doesn’t mess with the geometry too much, but if it does for you then you can always use a different combo to change it ; low tops+standard bottoms, hard low tops + standard bottoms, all lows, different washers, flat top washers, sleeved washers etc. A harder conical top bushing with a soft barrel bottom bushing is part of what makes Aces so fun to skate. Try a flat washer on the top bushing of your Ventures. The bones washers work good.

[@slapshakle]

Loose truck enjoyer for over 20 years here, I think the biggest problem here is that you're using Venture's for the test. I tried a set last year, even with bones soft bushing and the kingpin nut practically hanging off they don't offer the nice carve you'll get with Indys or Ace. They kind of just wiggle around without actually offering a proper turn.

[@jaredcornford7252]

Agree

[@yooomarie]

Either way he’d be getting wheelbite though and have the same opinion

[@handywithshovels]

“Loose trucks save lives” is a fallacy, imo. Moderately loose trucks save lives

[@bendegros]

Agreed 100% I used to ride medium loose but have gone to medium over the years

[@61936]

Loose front tighter back truck

[@TimMoolmanPhoto]

Not sure if anyone mentioned it, Chris Cole said on Nine Club that he rides his trucks tight, as it helps his pop and to focus on tricks. Because, like you mentioned too, you don't have to spend so much energy focusing on balancing. I've been skateboarding since the 80s and ride my trucks medium/tight. I find it funny how kids say it's too tight yet I can turn in a tighter radius than the loose truck brigade. Of course I weigh more, am old, and old school too, but I can go fast and still turn tight. 🙂 To each their own, we're all skateboarding, which is still the best thing ever! Appreciate your channel Ben.

[@Space.Pimpin]

Hey Ben, love your channel I've learned so much from it. Wheelbase for one is a big thing I didn't even consider until hearing your videos, so thank you for that. I am a big fan of the loose trucks, I tried it as a joke once and have just suck with it ever since. I didn't know it was a trend, I'd almost consider switching now that it is a trend but I love it so much I'll just bear with it until it goes out of trend and continue on with what I love. It is difficult! I lost a couple of standard go to tricks when I switched to loose trucks but I loved the challenge of it. Riding the board to me is much more enjoyable, flowy and responsive but I have definitely noticed a learning curve in flip tricks especially. Obviously it all comes down to preference as anything does in skateboarding but I am a big fan of of the jiggly trucks. I personally take both washers out and then shave the top bushing down so I don't fuck too much with the geometry and I am able to get the lock nut threaded without having the trucks too tight. SHAVE THE TOP BUSHING is my advice for anyone considering trying super loose trucks. It's not for everyone but don't worry if it's a trend. Take a page out of Big Daddy Ben's book and just try something new!!!! You may love it or hate it, but it's better to know for sure than to just speculate/hate without experiencing the other side. Go forth and experience! Good relatively unbias video as usual Ben, you give us all a baseline to begin our opinions from and that is always a blessing to us all, ty!

[@_skott.y255]

I feel like something else to take into consideration is the type of truck you're skating as well as the speed you skate. As someone who skates loose trucks I prefer to skate ace and I prefer to skate fast. I like trucks like ace because they are taller and harder to wheel bite on, and when I skate faster it feels almost like the trucks correct themselves and I feel like I have better control.

[@monsterandmaster]

Yes ! You have to skate them on a line or with decent speed. If not it's like doing a track stand on a bike. Speed increase the balance on loose truck.

[@booth403]

Leave it Ben to give us some much needed truth 😅 so many people getting speed wobbles all over the park these days, trying to match the loose truck trend, not realizing they're fighting the board ...

[@bendegros]

There are many of us sitting at the park just shaking our heads in silence these days🤦‍♂️

[@roccy5735]

I love the loose trucks. I’ve tried to tighten them up and my style just doesn’t feel right without them. It may make certain tricks harder but it just feels great. Whatever works for us individuals let’s do it

[@Sammybaked]

Great video, I agree with you tons! For years I rode really loose trucks, once I started skating medium tightness I felt a lot more control. At this point I just buy trucks and leave them stock, that small rebound/resistance is my favorite feeling.

[@TheDealer1228]

"Some people *can* ride very loose trucks, but you're probably not one of them!" lmao! This made me laugh way harder than it should have.

[@RoyChewbacca]

Tighten your trucks until the free play is gone. If you find they are too tight, get softer bushings. If they are too loose, get harder bushings.

[@matroxman11]

Or just buy trucks and never adjust them, the way god intended

[@a7xSkateboarding]

I used to ride loose Indy's for a while, but it got to the point where I asked myself "ok, wtf am I doing?" So I switched to medium loose Thunder's, which I learned the majority of tricks on back in the day. I also have friends on the other side of the spectrum, who ride trucks so tight you literally have to kickturn in order to turn lol

[@chuychubasquino2957]

Super loose is dumb for wheelbite, too tight is bad for what we all know it's bad for. Balance comes from balance.

[@drewking_13]

205lbs on 8.75 popsicle with Indy stage11 159's and 55mm wheels. Replaced bushings with Bones Hard. Just loose enough to jiggle a little. Doesn't feel too loose and definitely not "medium tight." Waxed wheel wells forsure. For me this is the funnest way to skate because it does make it more challenging and I believe it makes me stronger and have more balance after 3 years of riding like this.

[@idmhead0160]

8.75 and 159s are king

[@nenemydog]

I am with you ben. I like my trucks medium loose. perhaps a tad more on the looser side but there's a specific point of diminishing returns of loosening the trucks. I started with tight trucks and worked my way to the looser side after years of skating. I am at a point where i am really comfortable and confident with my board. Like you I would argue that for learning it would make more sense to start of with tight trucks. But going looser is a long process. So that's something where I think changing setup drastically to prove a point doesn't make that much sense. As you say you can't do certain things as easily because of a lack of experience. Something that I noticed with looser trucks is that wheel bite is not necessarily your enemy. the board tilts and tosses you which makes it a more controllable fall than if you land badly on your board and it rolls away. If you ride looser trucks you will develop a feeling for when to commit and when to drop and roll. But overall there comes the point where a board is so loose that it's just unnecessarily hard to skate. I Basically just leave thetrucks as it and shorten the top bushing a bit so i can get it loose enough while still getting the nut on flush.

[@easypeasy9165]

Ngl that flat ground sesh was so stylish and some of my favorite flat ground skating from you! I’ve been riding no washer trucks for like 4 or 5 years now and I don’t think I could ever go back. Sure it may be hard to balance and get good pop sometimes but I’d rather make it harder and look good rather than tight and too stiff. I am just so used to it I think I have a good approach and I’ve been progressing ever since I’ve loosened up. I even started skating transition so much easier since I got rid of my washers. Pumping felt so much more natural and fluid. I try other peoples boards now and it’s almost impossible for me to do tricks because as soon as I hop on I try to lean back and forth and can’t. It’s just muscle memory now how I balance on a loose board. Every trick just feels better and linear skating feels obsolete almost in some ways. I love to make sharp turns and utilized every inch of space I’m in. The speed wobbles don’t matter if you know powerslides both ways! And wall rides and wallies are because much more easier for me as well!

[@thisgoestoeleven]

I mostly skate transition and curbs, so I like my trucks loose-ish, but I can't do the "so loose they wobble when you shake the board."

[@iamlazyskater]

Great vid Ben! I've been trying looser trucks recently but this has cleared things up a bit in my head. I feel like I have made skateboarding harder for myself for no particular reason. Its all down to personal preference and I'll be going back to what feels 'right' for me after watching this

[@EliFleming]

2:13 IMHO proper slappies aren’t about leveraging your board to tilt up and pull the wheel up with it-proper slappies are about letting the wheel roll/bounce up and bring the truck with it. Shifting to the heel edge of the board with loose trucks makes this happen. That being said, do what feels good for you. Enjoyed this topic!

[@sebastienv7346]

The process of watching you try your easy tricks is exactly how it feels to try every trick even after 4 years of skating so I’m now going to buy harder bushings for my aces

[@idmhead0160]

Tight trucks seems like defeating the purpose of Ace

[@sebastienv7346]

@@z1DEv_ag yeah that’s what I’m hoping for to keep the turn of aces but a little bit slower

[@sebastienv7346]

@@idmhead0160 the cool part about aces is the maneuverability not the tightness so if I buy a medium bushing in I’ll have the same turn with less wheelbite and less ghost pop

[@mr.bouchard403]

I skate street and surf skate so it’s a love hate relationship. Surf skating trucks like Carver C5 and CX are incredibly loose but still stable. The moment I switch back to street on Indys or Thunders, everything feels so uncomfortable at first. Carver trucks in a bowl are so much fun because you can double pump up the curves for more speed. Definitely harder to do with traditional trucks. Great info in the video. Keep it up and stay safe.

[@richardthiele4206]

@mr.bouchard403 I can relate. Carver's are so much fun!!!!!😜👍👍 I'm 57 years old and I started skating again several years ago. I grew up skating in the 70s and 80's building 1/4 and 1/2 pipes and always rode my trucks pretty tight. I mainly surf and quit skating in my 20's. When I first started skating again, I started back on a Carver skateboard to enhance my surfing and keep my old body functioning. 🤣🤣🤣 I don't do all of the tricks and just love going fast and carving around. I went to a small local skatepark and hated it when I stepped back on a regular skateboard. I couldn't flow and had to tick tack around. It sucked!!! Well, you probably know where I'm going with this. I ride wider shaped boards with Indy 159' and 169's. I even have some 10 inch decks with Indy 215's.😜 And yes, I ride my trucks really loose now. I'm a smaller guy at 150 lbs, so I have been playing around with the medium and soft bones bushings in my Indy's. I guess it's my love of surfing and the carving feeling that makes me need to ride loose trucks. If I did all of the new street tricks maybe it would be different, but that's not going to happen for me.🤣🤣🤣 I'm too old!!!🤣🤣🤣 I'm sticking to the loose trucks for the small skateparks and bowls to keep my flow!!!!!!😜😜😜 I haven't tried the Carver at the park yet as I stick to my regular skateboard for the small bowls!!!! Just keeping the fun alive until it's too late!!!😜 Loose trucks???? Tight trucks???? I guess it just depends on what you are trying to do on the board and what you are comfortable with. Different strokes for different folks as long as we keep rolling!!!👍👍

[@Dutch0wnage99]

Im a 220 pound skater skating my trucks the way they come. I sometimes crank them a little bit on the back truck. But skating them to lose makes me not avoid wheelbite. If I had to choose between too lose or too tight id choose to tight. It just messes up my balance and I fall down way more.😂

[@LowEndMarauder]

I vary from like 210-220 and I'm really liking (On independents anyway) the conical black hard aftermarket bushings. In the winter they felt medium tight and now in the summer heat after breaking them in they feel kinda semi loose and perfect. I tighten them just enough for one thread barely poking through. Essentially just making sure the nut doesn't fall off.

[@brentvinson2307]

Agreed

[@Dutch0wnage99]

To be fair I don't have long hot summers. We have a short very hot summer and then it just turns cold all year😂

[@azazelreficulmefistofelicu7158]

For starters, I see a new Ben upload and I watch and enjoy everytime. I started buying hard bushings because they lasted longer and when they exploded it was manageable. Then I've been riding mediums for ages. But as trucks turn got worst (I hated the 90's, skinny boards, bearings condoms and Venture style trucks)... Now after many years of testing I have my favourite. Won't go into details as its my own personal madness. You ride what you like, what you enjoy and ignore silly trends. But I would do whatever is needed for my trucks to turn.😂😂

[@averageskater900]

If your trucks turn you can carve bowls fine. It’s more to do with the turning radius of the truck than how loose it is. For example you can loosen a krux k4 as much as you like and you’ll still need to lift your front wheels in a bowl

[@ConnorMcSkaten]

Love that you made this video! I always skated tighter trucks and typically skate similar stuff to you, lots of flatground and ledges and a couple years ago I got a new pair of trucks and decided to try skating them looser. Since then I've felt like my tricks haven't been working as well but I always attributed it to just getting older and not skating so much! Going to tighten my trucks a bit and see how it goes!

[@PandaJackk]

Trend idea: 8.5 board or wider, independent standard trucks, conical full wheels (at least 55mm)

[@shanewilliams6077]

i ride med loose... im having trouble kickfliping, so i was like let me try tightening my trucks. i never ate crap so hard just pushing. board went one way i went the other, right on my a**. when loosening or tightening trucks i think a gradual build up either way is better than going all out one way or another.

[@DonnieEls]

im just now realizing Ben Degros has secured the silver KZbin play button! Im not crying you are!!! Congrats Ben!

[@bendegros]

😂 thanks!

[@pekitas]

I honestly think people who swear by this are extremely insecure. i picture them saying “ thats how i learn how to skate “ or some hyper cliche thats 100% wrong

[@TheReal_DeanD]

I like stability so I ride my trucks medium to tight. Thanks for doing this Ben. It is appreciated.

[@williamjoansington2491]

You can have all the advantages of both tight and loose trucks if you loosen them properly by getting the proper duro of bushings. I have "loose" trucks that have just as much stability and rebound as them being tight. Like, Ben said towards the beginning, Just loosening them changes the height and angle but if you buy the correct bushings your turning angle will remain the same. You also won't suffer the rattle.

[@Jaeeedon]

I know this was 7 months ago, but how do i know what bushings to get?

[@Nobodyimportant696]

It comes from pool skaters.. I don’t get the Daewon angle with how tech he is.

[@codeblue2112]

i started skateboarding after years of snowboarding, and its been about 5 years of riding wiggle loose, anything tighter and it feels like im fighting with the board. i prefer it especially when skating my crusty local. the trucks eat up the uneven ground and crust. might have to try tightening up my trucks one of these days and see if i can magically sw tre..

[@paunchcoorlightly4000]

I know youre taking the piss out of us saying your style is better cause of the loose but it actually is. Unlocks a feeling spontaneity and unpredictability that is exciting at least to me.

[@cidraking]

as an older head (35y/o typing here) i got on the loose truck wagon back in the day because of Matt Rodriguez hehe. since then i've been going back and forth from loose to medium to medium loose... and yes: the looser you get the hardest it is for some flatground and setting up comfortably for some stuff but here's "my hack" (or what i used to do while on the loose side): loose trucks + wider wheel (bones v5/spits classic og-conical) improved quite a bit the stability while setting up for tricks on loos trucks. (classic spits and loose trucks are a nightmare imo. at least on 52-53mm) all in all since i don't like to play a lot with my kingping nut or bushings i'm a medium-loose guy mostly depending on the weather since it gets super hot on the summer where i live :). Un saludo!

[@ToniLovesSkateboarding]

in the 90's my trucks were rock solid and you can tell in my clips. I feel it made my skating more sketchy, specially my landings. more tic tacking back then. Nowadays, I ride medium tightness trucks and I feel like it has improved my landing 100%. No tic tac and also not much wheel bite. Super loose trucks would drive me insane! PS: the youths at the park still think my trucks are too stiff, hahaha! damn trends!

[@GZAndrew]

Since I’m more of an intermediate skater, I tightened them up and my Ollie’s are better

[@Eve.with.a.Y]

I’ve honestly moved to looser trucks (as a beginner) for a combination of reasons. first and foremost is just that I weigh like 115lbs and have had trouble leveraging my weight well when I need to carve more sharply, but secondly, as I’ve seen other people mention, getting used to a smaller margin of error for stability has really helped me with my balance overall. I may work my way tighter again when the time comes to start really working on flip tricks, but for now I kinda look at it like I’m replaying the tutorial level on harder difficulty so I can be more confident when I move on to the next level haha

[@idmhead0160]

If you are only 115 lbs. I would think you would need loose trucks. I'm 170 lbs and skate Indys with the kingpin nut at the end and stock bushings. On 169s with super soft Indy bushings, they seemed maybe not even as loose as I wanted them. Not sure why, but, 159s with stock bushings seem way looser to me. I have several sets and have found that to be the case.

[@lo0ser555]

@@idmhead0160 i found this out recently but newer (last year or so) indies bushings and pivots seem to be harder making them less turny.. really struggled to get my new set to turn the way i wanted. tought it was a me problem, but the forums are full of it.

[@alinterinte]

Dude, I'm always open to changing things for my skateboard, but loosing up my trucks really made me feel more comfortable on my board. A very big issue with loose trucks is that you were not trying with the Thunders. I would recommend thunder trucks for loose skating. Anyway, loved this video and really hyped to see you trying to pop with your board flat.

[@alinterinte]

I commented before the end, and I could also say that you getting used to loose trucks made me stick with it. I bet if you spend a week or two with normal bushings just removing the bottom washer and choosing a thunder pair of trucks you will like it even better. The fact that I'm the one that calibrates the board before popping, helped me to understand how so many tricks work.(been skating for 12years, but with loose truck for 3/4 years.. definitely gonna stick with it for a while longer)

[@idmhead0160]

I'm assuming you are not using stock bushings? I have some Thunders, but, don't like them because they aren't loose enough, even with the nut at the end. I prefer Indy, which turn better and are possible to loosen up enough with stock bushings.

[@jebgordon6608]

Wheel bite and speed wobbles are why I started tightening up my trucks in the 90s. I cannot imagine some of the fastest hill bombs I've done on loose trucks. I think the fastest I was ever clocked was by Doug at just over 65km/h and no I didn't know he was in the car behind me, and yes I was pulling away and breaking the speed limit.

[@satanlaffing]

30 + years ago we used to bomb this little bridge by my house & clocked 40 mph. I always rode super tight Trucks....Not Able To Actually Turn Tight. Speed Wobbles Are A Bitch.

[@whitbyparkshark]

Recently switched to hard bushings with some looseness, which was a tighter truck experience but can still give if I come down with enough weight. Was really weird at first but it has made my pop more consistently reliable. That alone is worth tighten it up a bit. I will admit I miss the ability to correct tricks with no tic tac but the tighter tricks help you avoid having to correct that anyway. So yeah worth it for me.

[@davidoliva1036]

Ive always ride loose while a friend of mine was totally the opposite. Remember once we were riding down a downhill avenue. I suddendly hear a loud "bang" like a medium firework or something line that. When i looked back i saw him spinning over one truck untill he fell and smacked his face on the ground. The kingping bolt got a super clean cut by the extreme pressure it had.

[@jakepartridge8773]

I'm all for loose teucks but the washer thing is just mad to me. I know someone who does this and they go through bushings faster than any other component on his board. Crazy

[@jasonlu9253]

I have extremely loose front trucks with washers removed but medium in the back for my pop. Works extremely well

[@Slabz_sb]

I find tight is easier to do tricks but you have to land them perfect or you tic tac, loose it harder to learn tricks but gives you good balance and can make a sloppy trick look nice😅

[@zbignoz.tunnlerwitz_109]

I learned kickflips on floppy trucks in 1988 and was also skating lots of vert and the og combi pool with 66mm wheels. Ever noticed how thunders and ventures have the same kingpin to pivot angle as indys but are canted at a different pitch in relation to the deck? Short lived 80s trend was canted riser pads which pitched either or both of the trucks changing the rate they responded to lean angle. Another was when Natas started running a squatted board with the back truck lower then the front. Much like the act of skateboarding, trends keep trying til they make it and get better through learning what doesnt work.

[@demon_3x]

I’ve always just put on my Indy’s and never done anything to them. I leave them at factory tightness and they work fine for me. Wheelbite sometimes but I contribute that to my 56mm wheels on Indy mids. I may tighten them a little just to be a bit more stable and use less energy balancing and more for skating. Thanks Ben!

[@bendegros]

Dang! 56 on mids. I’m falling down just thinking about that.

[@demon_3x]

@@bendegros I’m from Newfoundland, our streets and spots can get pretty jacked so I got used to bigger wheels

[@idmhead0160]

@@demon_3x I have 56mm Dragon Wide Cuts on mids and it didn't seem too bad to me. I was afraid it would be worse. Normally, I skate 56mm on Indy 159 forged hollows

[@idmhead0160]

Factory tightness to me seems sketchy though. The nylock isn't normally all the way on the kingpin by default. I normally tighten them down so they are flush and the nylock is all the way on

[@demon_3x]

@@idmhead0160 that’s strange, because whenever I buy them it sits flush with the top of the kingpin with each thread in. And no you’re right it isn’t bad having 56mm on Indy mids, people just think you’re a mad man when you say that’s what you ride and I love it 😂 but then again I am on mids. So there is no kingpin nut for me to go off, but they’re doing good since last year. I do a lot of hill bombing so I’m on full conical spits as well, I like how they slide

[@goldleader6169]

I know this really wouldnt be your cup of tea... but id like to see what you think of one of those Heroine Egg boards that are super trendy at the moment

[@bendegros]

Yet another way people are ruining their skateboarding.

[@lo0ser555]

@@bendegros damn man. first you going after my trucks.. now my decks.. whats next? tiny wheels?

[@K_spawn]

7:23 you're right! I've just got to experience that and I couldn't 180 when as before I could, the I switched to the krux K5 and was able to do higher and better Ollie's and 180 , I thought it was the trucks , but no! It was the tightness! I went back to my loose Indy's and tightened them up, and it worked!

[@gobeats333]

I don’t ride em super loose, but you do gotta pair the loose ones with a wider deck, and preferably a shorter wheelbase to make it fun. 8.75 at least

[@sidwellsk8er]

When I rode super loose trucks I did it with hard bushings. I had a zippy turn but very little wheelbite. I could jiggle my trucks but they had a stopping point.

[@Jiggityjake]

Put a flat washer under your top bushing, the professor hack, you won’t be able to wheel bite without running the top washer. Game changer

[@cruz36]

I remember riding loose trucks back in high school and when I started skating again a few years back I setup my trucks the same way and I was having a hard time doing tricks because of them. So I tightened them and became WAY more consistent after that!! I'm not fighting that instability anymore. It's hard on an old guy like me. I've noticed alot of kids struggle with the basics because of loose trucks and they don't even realize it.

[@_freedumb]

Absolutely agree. Medium is the way to go, being able to carve + still have decent pop = winning

[@galvanizedgnome]

Ben has inspired me to ride rock hard GrindKings and throw varial flips in my jean shorts.

[@bendegros]

Do it!

[@monsterandmaster]

So true what you said at 6:13. I used to skate super loose trucks and I would be able to push or ride any of my friends board without loosing my balance cause it was sooo straight for me. I was not to much of a tech guy with flip tricks but as always looked very comfy on my board. I have to say that I didn't look to skate that way, it's just that when I was a begginer I just been used to totally destroy bushing. Anyway I try to tighten them a little bit more now but when I think my truck are tight people still tell me i'm super loose. As for wheelbite, I really think you have to skate hard wheels tho. 103a at least is the way. Honestly wheelbite is not a problem for me. My board as the inset of the wheels in the wood but I just don't feel wheelbiting.

[@pilotvisionmedia]

Jeff speaks facts, tighten up them trucks, less wheel bite, better pop, stability & less wobbles. I can actually hurricane again lol

[@mateusds909]

Loads of comments! You really poked the bear Ben! Rookie here learning and trying to figure out the right tightness. Not going with jiggle loose to start lol

[@AgusGonzalez1998]

Definitely a trend you should check out is egg boards! We need it!

[@pressureflipwillygrind]

Worst trend ever

[@premonemo]

Truck tightness is mainly a preferance thing if we are talking what most of us skate (micro/mini ramp, ledge, flatbars 3-7 stairs) Its big gaps, vert and hillbombing where I find siffer is better. Personally I enjoy looser trucks (“3/10 stiffness”) because they’re more playful and fluid, I often have to skate on/through busy city streets and the sharper turning comes in handy.

[@waxstunt]

I was running hard bushings for whole of my life. Super tight truck for ledges and rails or flatland kickflips and on. After years of break, I moved to bow skatebording. All my pool friends recommend me get a new setup like 8.5 with loose trucks. After I get one I found myself unable to ride straight in kickflip foot position. I was alway turning to the sides. Otherwise, I got much better at pool. After a couple of months I used to It. Nowadays I'm absolutely fine with it. I can pop. I can ride staight in any foot possition. I can handle my board and I can turn. If I landed a trick sketchy I can make a steep turn and save it not tick taking or falling down.(I mean I prefer stay on board than lie on the ground) Also the board locks much better on rails on 50-50s, smiths or crookeds but every time I do 5-0 on rail I wish I had tight truck instead. Also where are downsides like wheel bite. Some times doint 50-50 on rails and my shoulders going too much over front foot I could get wheel bite on a rail. Thats terrible scenery. So imo loose trucks will not ruin your stateboarding. You brain will adopt in 2-3 painful months and everything will be fine after. Also its just fun to ride a loose board. So Just take a try! May be loose trucks work perfectly for you.

[@panictryouts]

you cant expect to loosen your truck and feel good right away. it takes weeks before you get used to it fully. I rode jiggly trucks for a while, but doing any kind of flip trick was definitely harder. I tighten them to about medium-loose.

[@bendegros]

Medium loose is where it's at. Also, I didn't expect to be used to it nor would I ever suffer through those weeks to get used to it.

[@clarence5354]

As an ace truck wobbly loose ass lookin truck user, i slowly loosened my trucks gradually over a period of years and now my ankles have been strengthened and I have more control than ever so it can be good but just gotta work into it!

[@bendegros]

I dunno, might have to see some clips to verify

[@pressureflipwillygrind]

With the wider board trend currently happening, it would only make sense to see TIGHTER trucks, not looser. Basic physics says the further you are from the pivot point, the more leverage you'll produce = more instability. People who use turning as an excuse obviously do not understand the geometry of different truck brands.. eg wheelbiting on a set of tensors still won't turn as hard as 3/4 lock on some aces.

[@tracphonevirtualmagazine]

Wider boards really came back around in 2015. Like Welcome skateboards really helped kick that off.

[@TheDealer1228]

As someone who rides their trucks just south of tight (I used to crank mine down for *years*) I'm with you 100%. Unless you grew up in the 70s and 80s when skating was looked at as street surfing, it just doesn't make sense in most context. As you said, all of the energy that should be spent on the trick is instead spent on maintaining control and it showed in how exhausted and out of breathe you seemed in the second half of the video just doing flat ground for a bit. Having said that, I also see the appeal of having them super loose with a couple riser pads just for a relaxing cruise down the street/around the neighborhood.

[@_....J........................]

Ben, egg board trend. New Brad Cromer shape on Krooked for example. Looks nice though. I want to try it.

[@tanner2x439]

I dont mess with my bushings but i ride my indes as loose they can get. If you lean far on a trick it works with your body. Really compliments the lean. there is more deviation and in my opinion has more flow to it style wise.

[@dougmolnar5827]

I like mine in the middle if that makes sense lol

[@legalizethegreen]

I have venture high trucks complete with 1/8" riser pads and super soft bushings and 54mm OG spitfires for cruising down steep but shorter pitches. Love them for spinning the board around and deep cuts to slow me down while hitting the hills. Overall, much harder to do flip tricks with and I leave it at home when I am doing any other kind of skating. Wouldn't even recommend it for seriously killer hills because the looseness will wobble you right off the board.

[@brucebruno842]

Those insoles for the MC Raps from Amazon are actually RIEMOT. I am 150 to 160 lbs. and loosened my trucks 3 days ago because I stepped on a friend at the parks board, same trucks and bushings, and I liked how it felt riding around. Especially with the dragon wheels, since it made me feel like I was surfing, little sound and turny. I had to tighten them again to do tricks, and do the one's I could better. I'm 150 to 160 lbs. and I use Bones hard bushings with 1½ threads showing on the front and 2½ threads on the back. 12:00 I just realized you are skating the MC Raps (the colorway I went with). I might try the black ones. I would like to see colorways white etc... with darker but bright royal blue instead of green and white, grey, and black. Again thanks for your videos, and the ETNIES video, because I would have never realized the Raps were still around under the MC Rap title. P.S. the riemot insoles are $2 or $3 and are thinner memory foam that your foot sinks into. You can press your thumb down on them, they will indent, and slowly but visibly rebound. Goes well with the cupsole of the MC Raps. They also have a spandex top coating, so your feet slide in and out nicely, and it feels good, too. Long comment, ha!

[@dneck]

12:58 thanks for skating so hard for us, Ben. Also sick visible etnies logo, I know you love that one!!

[@ThePlugCoMedia]

I ride medium back truck and loose front truck. Gives me stability but im still comfortable on my board. The tighter my trucks are the less comfortable i feel on my board and the worse my style gets but it does add stability.

[@diplenski]

thanks ben, glad i was able to catch it live for chat

[@bendegros]

Hope you enjoyed it!

[@jcsk8]

Truck tightness is totally a personal thing. What is loose for me is super tight for others and vice-versa.

[@darkwingduck7212]

Started skating in 1989 when I was 9, never had tools, always skated loose trucks, never had a problem! Hate tight trucks!

[@xitsox]

medium trucks are the best. As for other trend that i find crazy is the big decks and to some extend the very big wheels, it is like everyone is going to the mega ramp... it is ok for a cruiser but sucks for flip tricks

[@okosakaroklenni]

I'm only 1 month into skateboarding (at the age of 39), and both my globes I bought (a cruiser and this week a normal popsicle), and I prefer loose trucks. Yeah, when tightening them a quarter of a turn, its more stable, no wheelbite, but doesn't feel that good. One thing is probably the more effortless turning, but I also enjoy it more when practicing manuals, or body varials. And I found it to be more forgiving, when I don't land on the board perfectly, since it doesn't "fight" against my feet, so the board is less of an obstacle. I think I'm going to switch back and forth between loose and medium. Medium for new tricks, and loose for practicing. Oh one more benefit: it forces me to have a better body alignment. When the trucks are tighter, I tend to slouch more.

[@Kultactivities]

Yeah I agree, I ride med tight trucks with soft bushings. I don’t get wheel bite, unless I try like super hard. I do a lot of slappys and having medium tight trucks works perfectly for all my slappies, nooooo wheel bite at all.

[@Mrgrapeberries]

The main problem I have is my trucks end up leaning heaps to the left or right which is super annoying. If I have loose trucks, I don't feel that lean.

[@doctorworm3735]

Used to ride grind kings religiously, and Daewon is 100 about them loosening over time. I have ridden visibly loose trucks since grind king stopped making trucks. It just takes time to get used to. I will not change back anytime soon.

[@ryanrowe1975]

Changing the geographic of cemetery to turning the wheel on the rail and other spots.

[@kellysunseri-adams8550]

I like really loose trucks for transition riding. My street setup is medium and much more consistent for locking in grinds and popping/flipping