Independent VS Thunder(what's the difference)
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.พ. 2025
- This is a comparison between my two current favourite trucks. I discuss what I like best about each one. I also have some skating towards the end.
Disclaimer: As a Tactics Partner I will make a small commission from purchases made through these links. Thanks for the support!!!
Independent Trucks alnk.to/8EJ7pau
Thunder Trucks alnk.to/2Qw72ij
The only man whose reviews I trust
fr
For real, I had some bones 100s wheels which were shit. He made a review on spitfire f4s, got them and couldn't be happier
Same!
Same
@@zeddrotten6098bruh
I don’t think even the people who make these trucks have thought this much about them
Go check out radrats GrindKing episodes.The guy who started that company is doing some amazing new things with trucks
@Troy Patrick actually thunder and venture were originally started by independent to suck sales away from tracker!
This comment made me subscribe to this guy
english teachers overthinking a boring poem
Yeah that shit gets to me too?btw i got the Thunder titanium light 3's and Independent Forged Titanium's had to have both lol.
wow you applied both math and science into a legitimate every day situation it helped
I'm glad you found it useful:)
@@bendegros skating indys cuz of u Ben :3
It makes me so happy to see a skateboard informational video that is actually explained well with good reasoning. Generally all of the popular channels who make videos like this are so terrible at trying to explain what they actually mean, and they even say things that are completely wrong or contradict themselves. Well done.
Ben I love all your videos, truly. But they are overloading me with even more skateboard madness than I already go thru on a day to day or even when putting myself to sleep! Keep it up!
I like this channel a lot.
This dude actually talks about skateboarding
When I first started skating 15 years ago I was all about indy trucks then switched to venture lows and I loved em. Got out of skateboarding for a couple years then got back into riding and venture lows and indys weren't working for me. So I got some thunder 147s and never wanted to think about other truck companies. Great video i know it's been out for a while but but i appreciate your knowledge and take on the true physics of skatebaording.
I love how you're filming a review, and in the background is a kid finishing up skate lessons.
WIth his parents picking him up.I swear the teacher glanced at you killing it, and thought.
Oh shit this dude could take my job.
Cool vid , very informative 👍
I've been skating Indy's since 1979 , 159/69s rule☝️ and they ROCK 🤘 plus they have a lifetime warranty . 54 in January and still skating Vert 💥🤘😎👍
GENGHIS KHAN JR. III Indy for life
@@hosoiarchives4858 quite literally 😂🤟🤘👊
You ride Trackers with copers and a lapper
lifetime warranty? i doubt it. every pair of indy's i've owned have had the axles slip after 2-3 years. but i love them.
Not if you buy it in a French skateshop.
Watching this video after watching ur latest videos....Jesus u have gotten so much better and smoother in 3 years....it gives hope to me, a 42 year old man who only skated 4 times in the last 12 years!
It’s funny, my buddy hates Indy’s because he said they have soft pop. It’s awesome to see the physics behind his claim. Thanks for making videos that solve the true questions in skateboarding.
I just bought some Independent trucks for my first skateboard. Thanks for all your videos! I'm bingeing as much information as I can to get started right.
Ben,
because of your comparison video I ordered a set of Thunder Light Hi’s, 147’s. It will be the first time switching from Indy’s in about 14 years! Current set ups: Chocolate 8.1, 139’s, STF V3 52’s.(now I know why Ollie’s were crap on this setup lol) Creature 8.3, 149’s, SPF 58’s( big bowl setup) Bronson’s in both( like them). New setup will be: Shop deck 8”(first time, pressed in Montreal, we’ll see) the new Thunders, SPF V3 52’s(favourites) with Bones Super Swiss 6(had them before, awesome). Bones bushings in all.
Thanks for making these great vids, really enjoying them!
The shop deck is probably Control. Let me know if it keeps it's pop. I tried one from someone that was about a week old. Nice shape but already soggy. He is 210 pounds and skates pretty hard though so I couldn't give an accurate assessment.
Just found you today, I started skating almost 20 years ago. Decided to get back out there after a long hiatus. I have always wanted this explained. And you did that perfectly! Looking forward to checking out more of your vids! Thanks!
I had Trackers with the plastic baseplate in 85' and they broke. Then I got my first Independents and skated them down to the axle. My third trucks were the very first edition Thunder trucks in 1986. They had these evil skulls cast into the kinda thin baseplate. Cool looking but they broke. My friend Sterling told me Indy and Thunder were interchangeable. I tried it and it worked. I had Independent baseplates with Thunder hangers and they ruled! These trucks were on my street board for probably 2 years. They are super ground down and I still have them. Cool channel by the way!
Take a picture and put it on instagram if your on it or send it to me DM. I want to see those things. @ben degros
So glad I found this channel, literally so many explanations for things I had no idea mattered but it’s good to know
Nice video, really in depth talk, never heard this on youtube!
Thanks Pando😀
I only ride Indy’s and if you want a great board for it with a steep tail and nose, go for a deluxe full board, like antihero, Krooked, or Real
I thought this too, I got an Real 8,06 board, i like the board, but i skated it with 139mm indys and it feels unbalanced like shit! I cant skate it even doe i love indys, so put my thunders on and its good again. I think indy 139mm is to small and hi, the 144mm indys are perfect doe. But i skate 8 boards now so im sad i cant skate indys anymore cuz 139mm indys feels so off balance. I will try my 139mm indys again on a different board.
Now i have analyzed this The Ben Dragos way. And the indy 139 works perfect, switched back to the indys from the thunders and my tricks feels better. It was the board who are a bit to long wheelbase for me for flip tricks.
@@lurda8826 you still riding indys?
Unless you're riding 149-169's AKA wider boards, don't ride Indy's.
But they're the fucking best on bigger decks IMO!
Bonilla7 what about fucking awesome?
After countless hours of reading reviews and watching videos I finally decided to get independents as an upgrade for a wider board. The old trucks I had were made by an european company "Iron" and the moment I stepped on the boars with indies I felt so much more control over my board! I am not sure if it was the correct width for my deck, softer bushings or the height, but something made me feel more comfortable overall. Anyway, thanks for the review!
Happy that I found out your channel, you surely deserves some recognition
ive been skating for 28 years and ive never taken into consideration the distance between the bolts and the concave! this just blew my mind!! also, in my many years of skating Ive never skated indys. lol. stated with Gullwing, then Krux, tracker, Mercury and now Thunder. Im gonna check out my current setup and make some adjustments to fit my needs. its funny how i remember skating better with certain boards more than others. maybe this is the reason why. thanks for the video!
The Scotty Kilmer of skateboarding lol awesome
Kalvin Reese Rev your Indy’s!
Mac Dubh
Lol!
I'm 89 years of age and working on tre flipping a 12 stair. I think that thunders just feel good under my feet. Might try indys just because I've heard such good things about them. Thanks for the video!
You’re 91 now, did you tre flip the 12 stair on Indys yet or what?
@@guyfromthatthing1017 nah bruh.
Wow i just found your channel, watched a few of your videos and you definitely earned a subscriber.
Just bought thunders today with bones bushings in them and i love them already.
Cool video man and you got yourself a new sub! I'm a beginner at 50 but have been experimenting a lot with different decks and trucks. Even though I am new to skating I still know what I like...first I bought a complete from a friend and it was a shop deck with Thunder 149's-8.25-hated the feel of the deck but liked the trucks. Then I got a Baker 8- O.G. Mellow concave and it is too flat! Finally I found some Thunder Titaniums dirt cheap and put them on a Deathwish 8.38 and I love this set up! I did get some Indy's too-147's-changed the bushings and just couldn't get into them-even for the simple shit I am doing! I am practicing my ollies while holding onto these rails for stability and I got the board about 14 inches off the ground the other day! Cheers man!
That's awesome Scott. Both the ollie and the support for my new little channel. Thank you. Even at 50 I'm sure you have some years in you. I got fussier about my skateboards as I got older. We just start to notice more.
Good luck
Dude, turning 43 in may and have been casually crusing the streets on/off for the past couple of years (dropped by a skate shop and built a board + lots of talk about stair skating in the 90s). I'm thinking about getting more into skateboarding again this summer, re-learning the basic tricks like kick flips, varials, manuals etc. for some good times in the skate parks. Somehow this feels like the road to broken legs and arms :)
Bit of a necro post but check out skate trainers if you're trying to get into some tricks for confidence building, just throw em over your wheels and you can practice without rolling until you get comfortable.
JackTheRippin carpet or grass also has the same effect... evenn just tightening your bolts a litle too much lol skate trainers are soooo unnescesary
11:00 Jon West did a front feeble in Foundations Artbars...
But I guess I'll get nothing and like it!
Thank's man!) I skating 17 year's and only now think about the different space between base and ''begin of concave''(sorry for my English))). Look's like the big space is very good for the nose slide's and tail slide's and I newer pay attention to this moment when I by a new deck.
I’ve been riding Indy’s since 1984 still riding them .. just can’t change now
I have Louie Lopez indi trucks and I love them! I can’t imagine using another type of truck.
Love your channel, best unbiased, in depth reviews. Ive been skating 10+ years and have never even considered most the stuff you talk about, very helpful.
I have gone back to skating thunders because I feel like there are more boards that thunders work well on and I enjoy how light they are. Heel flips are so much easier for me with thunder trucks and I don't care what people say about how well indys grind...I always have noticed I can grind faster and further on thunders, it's like the metal is a little softer. The downside to that is that they do get worn down more easily. So you will have to replace your trucks more often if you skate thunders. However, Thunder's motto is "more control" and after riding indys for a year+ and now having switched back to thunder 147 polished trucks, I can confidently say they are going to be my main trucks from here on out. I don't think you really need the hollow thunders or the titanium thunders, that's just kind of getting to be excessively light and unnecessary. I also notice I can tweak my ollie based tricks more more easily so my ollies and 180s tend to be very "snappy" (as in they have a very exaggerated teeter totter motion when you do the trick which I think looks awesome). Also I can launch my pop shuvits super high and with a great amount of power, and my front shoves, which I have always struggled with, feel a little easier with thunders. So for me, I'm going to be skating thunders from here on out. Thunder 147 Polished trucks with 52mm Spitfire Tablet wheels. That's my perfect setup at least for right now. It just works and feels comfortable...More control, as to go along with Thunder's slogan.
That skatestop on the inside corner at UBC cracked me up... I loved the physics lesson. Great review. I will forever view trucks as paired with boards from now on.
this is probably one of the most informative and factual skateboard videos i've ever seen. well done.
man this explained so much. i just got a quasi board and put my thunders on it and for some reason i just could not get the board to pop like i was used to with my previous board and many boards before that. then after watching this i looked at the space between the bolts and the start of the slope of the tail and noticed that there was hardly any flat before the tail started going up. so i looked at my older boards, which were mostly all shop boards from the same skate shop, and they all had at least a finger with or two of flat before the tail started sloping up. and that’s when i realized that this had to be the problem i was having with my new quasi board, there just wasn’t enough flat space before the tail started. maybe if i had indys it wouldn’t be so bad but like you said with thunders you get a much longer wheelbase.
before watching this and seeing everything explained about all the different variables i realized that it was just the way my board was shaped and the position of the drilled holes that was making it so awkward feeling to pop. at one point skating i almost lost my mind wondering why i had so much trouble popping ollie’s and popping flip tricks. it felt like i had to learn them all over again which just made no sense, i was always able to pop my kickflip really good and catch them. so when i wasn’t able to with this new deck, it was driving me crazy! you know the feeling i’m sure. another thing with the quasi board i got is that the flat space from the front bolts to the start of the nose is a good two, probably a two and a half fingers wide! which is a huge difference from the tail, which almost has no flat before the nose starts at all. making the front of the board also feel very awkward. and like you said having almost no flat from the bolts to the tail makes it very hard to stomp that pop down.
thanks so much for bringing all this up and explaining it so thoroughly. i honestly never thought about the bolt to nose/tail space before i saw this and it really does matter and makes a difference in how your board feels. back when i first started skating none of this mattered, if i couldn’t pop or flip something it was because i still sucked at skating and just hadn’t perfected it yet. but after so many years, and thousands of kickflip, when your starts not doing what you want it to do, you know for sure somethings off. and knowing those kinds of small differences in feel is only something you learn to notice and understand after years of skating.
keep up the good work, i really enjoy your videos and you always kill it with your bag of flat ground regular and switch tricks! you’re so consistent i love watching you go through all your tricks when trying out a new board or new trucks or wheels. keep up the good content and i apologize for the super long comment. i know i’ve just kept rambling on and on but i just wanted to get everything in i wanted to say!! haha sorry!
Hi Saban. :) Welcome. My series on wheelbase gets into this topic much better. You should check it out if you have time. Right now I have a Solace of Mind Deck that has the same problem but reversed. No flat on the nose and too much on the tail. This off center wheelbase trend in decks is driving me crazy. I want the pop to feel consistent from nose to tail.
Ben Degros yup i’ve watched that one a few times already. i come back to these videos every once in a while. usually when i’m just playing around with my board, staring at it wishing i could go skate when i’m not able, and that’s usually when i start measuring things and comparing my new board to my older ones. i find old board that i know i used to love skating, but when i look at the shape of them now it makes me wonder how i was even able to ride these board 5 or 6 years ago. and yeah you’re right, there are so many different shapes and wheelbases and nose and tail sizes, it’s crazy. i usually have to step on at least 10 to 15 different boards at the shop before i find the right shape... and then after that’s figured out i have to make sure the wheelbase and the nose and tail aren’t all weirdly spaced from the bolts. sometimes it’s such a headache to find a new board.
should’ve done what a lot of people do and just keep buying the same old baker shape they swear by or whatever company they’re used to, so that i don’t have to deal with trying out all these new things and feeling like i’m having to relearn simple kickflip all over again
It's called measurebating for the record and once you start its hard to stop:) Sometimes I wish I just had a stack of the perfect deck and shoes and just focus on skating without all the distractions.
Ben Degros i feel ya on that Ben! i think that’s part of the fun of skateboarding though, always learning new things whether it’s tricks or just the proportions and measurements of the piece of wood you’re standing on.
that’s why we love to skate. we love every single aspect of it.
keep shreddin and keep bustin out those switch fs flips, nollie heels and those buttery switch back tails! can’t wait to see more of your content which i know will be coming our way steadily!
I think examining your favorite setup for these factors can help you pin-point your preferences. All of these impact your boards pop pretty dramatically:
- Tail length (from the end bolts to the tip of the tail)
- Tail height in relation to the top of the bolts
- Tail shape and angle
- Truck axel position forward or backwards in relation to the bolts
- Truck axel height
- Wheel diameter
These are just the most impactful in my opinion. There are other factors as well.
it took me a while to realise that you were skating UBC. i used to love skating that park. so fun. Vancouver has rad skateparks.
This channel deserve more recognition
I've just found this vid and ur channel and I love the way u're explaining everything, I'll stay here long for sure!
Really enjoyed the video. Also, the amount of wax you put on that coping was terrifying.
Great videos Ben ! I’m turning 44 soon and haven’t skated in 30 years . I’ve been experimenting also and your videos have really helped me out . Keep up the good work ! 👍👍
We must be twins. 44 I'm a couple of months and haven't skated in 30yrs. I miss my Hosoi deck....
@@What-zb9ju im 21 but i also havnt skated since 14 like you guys. Getting back on the board :)
@@Dan-eq8nn keep at it my young brother 🤘
@@What-zb9ju I will! Thanks. Hope you keep at it too 🤘
.25 inch truck diff wow, that really is alot of space when it comes to skateboards ,you can still buy any deck you want and drill new holes 1/2in for regular trucks and 1/4in for 6 hole baseplates🤙✌️
This is the first time I've ever watched a "review"/tutorial video where I didn't have to correct the person or ask them about the many factors/features they've missed/didn't mention. Awesome job Ben.
Thank you! I try my best but I will probably make another one someday, a 2.0.
I am always learning new things the more products I try.
You will became my father? Ahahahah you're son will be proud of you you're a cool man! Shout out..
i just bought myself a pair of thunder 149s after your pinchy video. so hyped to try them out this season
Para Helio how are they
Die u Buy hi or lo?
hi sonoras with a 14.25 wheel base deck. - i had a chance to carve them up a bit and i'd have to say they ride excellent on banks and feel responsive- felt really connected to the ground.
for the pop, the board is getting away on me a bit even just on ollies but this ends up making it super easy to have boned tricks. i don't have to try to pull the board up, just need to learn how high to jump now - i ride kayo mellow concave so i'm not sure how much is the truck and how much is the board
I switched from thunder to independent and when I took the thunders off there was a huge difference between the two base plates. It was strange
noooo one does reviews as good detailed as YOU. GREAT
I never gave the space between bolt and curve of nose a single thought. I only tgought about liking size and shape of truck. I loved thunders in my hey day. Great video!!!
Thanks Gabriel.
My 9inch board setup with 149 Thunder hollow lights is lighter than my 8inch set up with 139 Indy hollows. Both setups have 52mm wheels too.Now I realize just how heavy Indy trucks are.
I have ridden Indys since 84, I tried other trucks but always came back to Indys. Recently my friend gave me a board with Thunders on it and I rode around on it for a day to see what it was like. I ride loose trucks so turning felt the same but the main thing I noticed was the kingpin on the Thunders seemed to stick out more, I felt I was grinding on it more than the axle hanger, which annoyed me. So I'm going to assume there is a bit of difference geometry-wise between the 2. I think the Thunders were lower as well but it may have been the board, the tail seemed to hit faster when doing pop tricks. But whatever. Both are great trucks and it might just be personal preference at some point. Keep it up with the videos, Ben. They're phenomenal and you provide such a wealth of information.
Thanks Encourage:) The kingpin does stick out more on thunders I think because they are lower. I usually find a chunky ledge and push it across in smith grind position to wear down the nut and the kingpin. Its hard to do smith grinds until it gets worn down.
Never new that great example how new there was so much in a skateboard
Omg i had the wrong combination and I couldn’t skate any more, I was so frustrated, thank you so much
Finally a smart guy doing a good
trucks review !
What a great informative video. really solidified you as my favourite skateboarding youtuber. cheers
Good video. I've been going back and forth on Indys and Thunders for the last few months, too. I noticed one other difference that you didn't mention in the video; The amount of effective nose/tail space is BIGGER on Thunders because of the hole pattern on their baseplates. In addition to this, because Thunders have the axle "further out", there can often be less wheel clearance when doing nose/tails slides on Thunders (e.g. wheels hit side of ledge, because end of baseplate does not stick out AS FAR as Indys do).
I will have to get the measuring tape out and check this one. I could definitely see a indy's vs thunders 2.0 video someday. I'm still learning all the time.
The plot thickens. Some friends I were talking about this (baseplate length) at a local skate shop the other day. We put a new set of 54mm spitfire wheels on a Thunder, and also on an Indys. When then pushed them up against a wall (as if doing a noseslide/tailslide) to compare them. What we saw shocked us. On the Thunders, the WHEELS hit the wall, but NOT the baseplate. On Indys, the BASEPLATE hits, but NOT the wheels. This means that if you really lock into a tail/noseslide on Thunders, your WHEELS are sliding against the curb/ledge. On Indys, you can "lock-in" against the baseplate, and not have to worry about getting "wheelbite" against the vertical edge (hope I am explaining this so it makes sense w/o the visual to demonstrate it). This would explain why I have an easier time doing nose/tail slides on Indys than on Thunders. And in an unrelated point, I 100% agree that Thunders feel better on transition lip tricks. They just lock-in/feel better being a tid-bit lower.
Thats exactly what I would have predicted to be the case for slides, especially with a 54 mm wheel. If the vertical edge of the ledge is properly waxed thunders would theoretically provide a more stable slide. If you are skating a nice concrete or granite ledge it should work out well with thunders. If it is a metal ledge or polished marble it will often stick unpleasantly and an indy would be preferable in that case so there is less contact with the wheels. Wheels seem to slide well on a well waxed more porous surface. Glassy surfaces like metal and marble can grab or be too slick.
Great topic Chris.
Ben Degros I ride 53mm, and replace them when get to about 51mm-50mm in size. I’d be real curious to see how small you’d have to go on Thunders before the baseplate hit and wheels didn’t. Basic take-away I learned from all this: Thunders require more wax to nose/tail slide a ledge.
You’re just like me when it comes to what you like about both trucks. I found out that I have to bring my front foot back a little bit for 360 flips on thunders, and they feel soooo good.
I'm so gutted I discovered you the day after I finally chose indies and ordered 2 sets, one for 7.75" and one for 8.5" I'm trying to find my perfect set up. and from what you said about thunders I think I'd be very comfortable on them
Yo! I literally just did the exact same thing. Ordered Indy’s yesterday, watching this video now… haha I don’t think I will notice a big difference either way. Ben is very experienced rider who seems VERY in tune with the fine details of a setup.
thanks dude. bought some thunders cause of the help in the video!!
Your very welcome. I hope you enjoy them. What kind did you get?
Ben Degros i bought plain silver 147 highs. very excited to try them coming from indys
That sounds exactly the same as the ones I have. I love indy's too but it has to be the right deck. Thunders work well on more boards in my opinion.
the jake how was it
great informative review! ty!
Dude You smart af got me some thundys and my pop crazy
were u skating independants before?
Yea I realize thunders you bend down lower but you catch more air when you pop. Indy’s are a more straight forward truck that wobbles but I skate ACE trucks now because I like lose trucks
@@dekline15 so on zumiez, the only thunder for my size 145 is black or gold or white, im going with black but im kinda new to skateboarding, is black ugly, should i get silver/gray?
@@dekline15 do you like real skateboard?
Everyone gets silver colored trucks but I think you should get gold trucks that would be sick!!
Also I ride hopps boards they only sell at skateshops which are pretty good! But real boards are good any deluxe wood companies (real, krooked, antihero) are going to last you l.
Awesome video man,
Gave me a lot of insight in getting the right truck and the science.
I don't want to be a equipment rider haha but at the same time i know how important all that stuff is to suit your style of riding.
Thunders are my go to trucks. I have been skating them for as long as I can remember. I have tried Indy’s for about a year and there is something about them that doesn’t fit my skating for some reason. I will always like them, but just not for skating. Great video! Keep it up man.
Any time I have a skate related question it takes me right to your channel thank you Ben!
The drywall guy skates too? So detailed on trucks, never noticed these things and thought the trucks were always mounted in same place. Good to know. Drywall vids helped me before too, thx!
Wow you almost nailed it. Also look at the angle of the “ V” on the baseplates, the hanger angles and the way the both sit different. Indy’s kingpin also sits straight up and down, Thunders kingpin are angled
I'd like to hear more on this
Moar too plz
Been on Indy's for life man, I don't ride hard anymore though at age 45 now I just cruise on my retro's these days...
43, just got back into it. Glad to know I'm not the only one....
Finally some practical technical talk very helpful thank you
pretty sure Koston did a frontside nose grind
Nailed it!!
looks more like an overcrooks
@@GFEBMX
Its the same shit
@@GFEBMX no such thing as a fs overcrook lol only bs
@@Busentizshreds yes there is 😂 check out Corey glicks souvenir part and he does nollie fs overcrook and nollie bs overcrook on hand rails
Incredible video. Your videos are very informative
Lmao my dad says the caddy shack line to me and my siblings. Never thought I’d hear someone else say it. Also thanks for the video! I liked the physics lesson
Very good explaining the difference between trucks even i didn't know that
Man I’ve been an Indy man my whole life never skated any other truck. Looks like I’ve got some me experimenting to do lol
tell me how it goes
Did you try thunders?
@@jouhajohnny no but I tried Tensors. I thought they were too light.
@@snuff411 wtf I came from tensor and indy was way too heavy and high for me
Good point about the force required. Most people have more than enough power to jump higher then they would ever be able to ollie, so angle seems to the be limiting factor. Everything else constant, the moment arm between the axle centerline and the tail point of contact dictates the maximum angle, and thus height, your board can achieve. I never really paid attention to trucks until I went from skating ventures for years to skating thunders. Immediately I felt like I had lost pop. This drove me nuts. After directly comparing the two trucks (like I said, I never previously paid attention to any of this stuff), I figured out ventures actually have a longer wheelbase thus effectively shortening that moment arm
nan3r moment arm. Now I have a new term to look up 😀 Where you on venture highs or lows before you switched.
nan3r also what thunders did you switch to?
Ben Degros Thunders are hollow light high 147s. I quickly got used to them, and I like them a lot, but did initially feel/pop different
Ben Degros lol so I just measured it. The venture baseplate is shifted roughly 7mm toward the kick (increasing the wheelbase) relative to the thunders.
Thanks for the videos!
nan3r the baseplate is not relative to the wheelbase. Indy baseplate are super far forward but they have a smaller wheelbase than thunders. Thunders just have a super short baseplate.
What I measure is the distance from the bolt holes to the axle, which is tricky to measure.
Nice review! I have been riding Indy hollows but just got the new thunder marianos. It will be interesting when I change the setup!!
Thank you for taking the time to make this!
Ben,
I recall that infamous, Chocolate board. Way back in the day, my buddy had that 1 - he didn't like it, lol!
Started skating again a few weeks ago. I picked up Venture High 5.2's for the first time. I'm enjoying them with a 8.25 og mellow baker.. I was tempted to try thunders but wasn't feeling it in the shop.
You should buy 5.6 Ventures
Been skating 12 years, had a good amount of both and they both work great. For whatever reason, if I have the choice, I'll always go thunders......maybe because they tend to be lighter. Anyway, great video
The only person to explain what to look for in trucks. Love this vid man. Easily earnt a sub and like from me
Hello Ben. Enjoying your videos. I believe the eric koston board from numbers series 1 is a great pairing for indy's. Have a good evening
Thanks Cliff. I actually really want to try one of those. I haven't seen any yet.
Just started on a set of thunders after skating venture and indy for a while, and nollie heels, and most flip tricks for that matter, all of a sudden became a piece of cake.
I stopped riding Indy about 25 years ago. The axle starts slipping after awhile. After it hangs you up a few times you’ll switch. I was talking to a kid a couple weeks ago. I didn’t talk bad about his Indys but started talking about the axle slipping. He said Ya they start slipping after a few months. I told him he should try something better. At this time I am riding Venture low hangers with a Grind King base. I’ve always loved the flipped king pin.
You got a great point on the combination of a short wheelbase on the deck, low tail and nose, with Indys, giving you less pop.
But! Just my one cent, Thunders turn quicker for the same amount of lean you do (in comparison to doing the same lean on Indies) and compensate their steep pop angle with their lighter weight material, which is less durable too.
Indies turn surfy and trade off their less steep angle and faster pop (shorter wheelbase), with a meaty weight material for durability.
But a deck's and trucks' long wheelbase, do not kill your pop, that combo emphasizes pop even more. Making you have to effort more on making the board's tail or nose, travel a longer distance towards the ground to pop. And popping even higher. Making the board harder to control.
As you say, it's about a happy medium or a point somewhere you feel comfortable!
Your right about the thunders turning quicker. I noticed that recently when trying them both one after the other in a bowl. I didn't like the way thunders turn when directly compared to indy's. I have found a great deck for indy's and will be talking about it in my next board review. It has a 14.75 wheelbase on a 32.125 deck.
Ben Degros definitely! I felt the same about thunders after doing the same 😭 but I just frigging love how they look and how light they are. I am looking forward to try destructo d2 lites. They seem to be a cool middlepoint turning wise. Check them out, maybe you could be liking them! Props for skating again and the inspiration you share with us
Thank you Jorge. You guys motivate me too. If it wasn't for viewers like yourself I would be talking into the air.
Ben Degros you got a loyal follower here, keep them great skating and great videos coming!
I feel like you’d like expedition one. They’re light and have great pop.
If I ever see one on sale I will pick one up.
I have been riding for years and have always thought about these things but never put them into practice...THANKS for this very informative video!!
Never considered this. Great lesson man!
Rode indies in my teens then switched to thunders before I quit. 10 years later started off with thunders and I’ll never skate another truck again, as long as I put bones hards in them that’s the best combo for me
These concepts will always melt your mind, I've always rode Indys if I even try anything else all my flips tricks are gone. Indy 144 hollows. Nothing else turns the same.
hey man, can you please do a video of which trucks have the most grind clearance as there are many trucks on the market now with inverted king pins etc etc, love your vids how you break everything down
Glad to see the wrist guard..im trying to get back into skating but cant afford to destroy my hands and wrists like i use to lmao
Not sure if you're aware Ben but if you use Bones bushings in Indys without the lower washer that the truck comes with it changes the geometry of the truck quite a lot. (lower/shorter wheelbase).
Great video and very interesting. The leverage part is definitely worth considering.
My friend and I spotted something important relating to how trucks turn.
Look at the base plate from the side and the angle between where the pivot cup sits and the king pin goes through. The relationship of these two surfaces is really important to how the truck turns. He had just bought some re issue Gullwings and they turned really strangely. We noticed that this angle didn't line up, it didn't really make a V shape. I guess there is some basic geometry rules in effect here. It's a shame because they are such cool looking trucks, but he had to go back to his old trucks. I wonder if he could switch out the base plates and keep the Gullwing hangers?🤔 Sounds like an interesting experiment.
food for though.. I'll be playing with tweaking my set ups later lol thanks
There's a shortage of trucks and decks lately, I wanted to get the thunder lights 147, but there's only titanium indys available locally right now... I'm still debating if I should get both to see which set I like the most...
I havent owned a skateboard in 15 years, and I just ordered the only steep concave deck i could find, and now you've just made me realized that i might get less or more pop depending on which trucks i run...
Thanks, great info! And great channel!
Cheers from Ottawa...
Very informative. Excellent job.
Hey Ben,
Not sure if you still look or respond to these comments. I'm sitting here bored in quarantine, trying to figure out what's wrong with my flat ground game. Been skating 15 years and have JUST learned to kickflip earlier today. I got bowl, park, & vert down no problem, but anything street is my kryptonite. I can even ollie down stuff no problem! But when it comes to most street/flat tricks, I can pop as hard as possible but not make it up or over things, and it takes literally everything I got to get the board to do the full kickflip rotation!
Today, well 13m ago, you answered my question. I raced over to my flight deck, and indy trucks, with a ruler in hand and measured that space at a whopping 1.6in! Now, I've been on Bones all my life and have a real good thing going since I primarily ride transition.... but I want to try a new board!
Since every shop is closed around me, I'm trying to do some research on board brands online... however, this new measurement isn't mentioned on sites and in specs. What would you call that space between the holes and the start of the incline? And, aside from Primitive or Friendship, have you found any other boards that work with Indy's?
Thanks for your insight! Super helpful!
this shit blew my mind. i switched to thunder after years of riding indys and set up a new board and sucked so much for the past 2 weeks. applied the learnings from this vid onto a new setup and got my pop back.
Ben - you are awesome, keep up the good work!!
8:20 ... The Classic blame your age and gear because we can't land a trick lol we all do it at least once a day 🤟☠. Appreciate the content dude.
Oh hell yeah
Been really appreciating your vids the last couple weeks, hope you continue for a long time and i wish more skaters had this kind of analytical mind... but i gotta take issue with just one thing (and i hope you've learnt the error of your ways in the time since this video + I'm almost entirely a street guy too, but) have you never rock to fakie'd on coping you didnt know someone just waxed? I've folded my knee doing it, there's strong cause for not waxing coping like, ever - not just to preserve the ideals of bowl skaters. Coping is for both grinding and stalling, ledges and rails are generally for grinding. Hence, danger skyrockets on coping stalls, certainly when you're not expecting it. In fact, PSA to anyone reading this, please dont wax coping. Otherwise, keep it up and by all other data you're a legendary human and thank you and well wishes 😊🙏
Indy highs and a real low pro2 if you like steep concave and lots of pop 👍
It was TOO much for me.
th-cam.com/video/nHFDHXZ1oB8/w-d-xo.html
Wow, awesome vid! I'm in my workshop and can't hear really, but your hand gestures taught me all I need to know...
Lol, jk...subscribed, gonna watch it later.