I switch it up and use all of the "big four" (Indy, Thunder, Ace, and venture.) from time to time, they all have their benefits and disadvantages. Thunder and Ace are probably my favorites though (I'm skating thunder 148 team hollows on an 8.38 opera and Ace Af1 low 60s on an 8.5 Alien Workshop right now.) I personally think Indys are the most durable, (although I despise there whole "if you dont ride indys your wrong" millitant fanbase.) Aces have the craziest turns and i have the most fun on, although i don't do my best skating on. On thunders I skate the best and I find they have the most wicked pinch. And I like the stability of ventures from time to time.
i skated thunder lows in the mid/late '90s. i liked them, they were like a heavier venture low, but i had 2 sets in a row with slipped axles and i never bought them again. a few weeks ago, i bought a complete off fb marketplace with 148 thunder forged hollow lights to give them another try. first impression is that they are too light/dainty for my liking but i'm looking forward to giving them a fair shake anyway. i usually go for standard weight indys/ventures
I’ve skated the Thunder lows for 15 years, same bushings and all, and they’re easily the most durable trucks I’ve ever skated. But they are too low sometimes lol
@@jwalk2287 i loved them other than the axle slip. and it was something that affected most brands at the time, so just luck of the draw that i had 2 sets slip in a row. maybe could have been avoided if had used bearing/wheel core spacers. i still have them, been wondering if i could weld a raised bit on the exposed axle to keep it from slipping. or maybe put my modern thunder hangars on the old plates with inverted kingpin. the one set has inverted grind king kingpins. my venture lows from same time have held up fine and i still use them to this day, not stock bushings and i run 1/8 risers
Modus Blue are great bearings. They use a grease that takes a bit to break in. Once broken in they'll serve you well. You can add some thinner oil to break the grease down a little..
been going through a similar journey as you these past few months with trying to skate more street than transition and it has really upped my game in terms of being able to skate more obstacles at the park. my ego has been getting to me though since i want to push further. keep at it
Look at you Dowdy! Trying different things, I like it. I ride thunders, and they are pretty stable, but still have a good turn, I think you struggled a bit, because you’re coming from Aces which are the most squirly trucks on the market, just give it time. Also get a board that 8.38, but that has a short wheelbase, like 14”-14.25” because like you said, thunders lean out. After you break the bushing in, loosen them to your liking, just know that thunders are lower as they are tech, which will mean more wheel bite. Love the content dude, keep killing it.
@@ZackDowdy I forgot to mention that the reason you might be struggling with smiths, is because thunders have little clearance from the king pin to the hanger bottom, compared to Aces and Indys. Ventures suffer from the same issue, if you keep grinding them down by doing the trick, eventually it will slide.
After watching your skating with these Thunders, you should have went with Ventures. It would be a easier transition, as Ventures are more similar to Indy and Aces in turn geometry just that they are tighter and lighter with similar height and they grind about the same as Aces unlike Thunders which is lower and has it's own fast turning geometry which isn't great for transitions at all. Ventures are more stable for flip tech than Thunders also even if you skate both at the same tightness.
They are really fun trucks and lock into grinds very well, but I’m on the standard slappy with the inverted kingpin and they felt to loose at first until I got used to it. They stay pretty loose because there is a limit to how much you can tighten them and that was interesting. I blew out the original bushing pretty quickly but put blue Indy bushings and they feel just as good but with a bit more stability. They lock into curbs, ledges and flat bars amazingly and feel like your surfing sometimes.
The two complaints I have with thunder and what made me go back to my Ace's is when I do my nose slides your wheels slide against the side of the box and rail and I slam my nose slides. Also this has happened more than enough times to where I've ran and hopped on my board and got tripped up because they would not turn with me and I have my thunders as loose as you can get them. I'm riding an 8.75 habitat with a 14.25 WB.
I have three boards. One I keep in my vehicle. It's the one I take to skateparks, and is always available at home or on the road. My second board has softer wheels and I keep it handy by the garage door. I use it to skate around my block when I get that spontaneous feeling. My third board is like my second board, but on it, the wheels light up. I use it to cruise around my neighborhood for night skating.
Thunder team hollows are my jam. I also have had a bad experience with quantum bearings and I bought their metallics. Never stray from bones ever again
Interesting I've had the opposite experience with bearings. I had two sets of Bones Swiss lock up after like a month of skating.. cleaning and lube didn't help. Bronson G3 lasted longer, but they slowed down a lot after a couple weeks. I've been running Quantum Atoms ($60 ish) for at least a year and even without regular maintenance they've held up and been fast af. I recommend those if you wanna give Quantum another try
We carry a six month warranty on factory defects for all of our bearing models. We apply a small amount of lube to our bearings before shipping. If the shields popped off before the lube had a chance to get “worked in” road dust likely gunked up in the bearing. We reached out to Zach but haven’t received a response.
@bradsasser8222 id happily send them to you guys to take a look at if you want. I don't feel the need to try to warranty them or anything but maybe it's a defect idk.
This small board logic didn't work for me. I went to an 8.25 from 8.5 just as I was slowly realizing I may just be better at flipping a bigger board... I have a Heroin 10" Curb Killer and a SC Winkowski shaped deck... both of which I KF consistently but this 8.25 doesn't flip for shit... go figure. As for trucks Indy Stage 4 for life 👌😘
Hey Zack, I‘d love your videos even more if you could implement time stamps 🙏🏻♥️ Edit: which camera/mic setup are you using btw? And do you have any budget recommendations aswell?
Indys. My 1st "real" trucks were Indys, back in 1985 and after that it was always ... something else, Inys, something else, Indys .... Last year was the 1st time I bought 2 Indys in a row
Bronson G2's are slightly cheaper than the reds, I felt they lasted better than them. They also got shields that seal completely, as opposed to those on the reds that have a gap around the inner ring. Maybe worth a try! I used to buy reds all the time, but I try to pop things high, and I would shatter the insides pretty quickly. Not the case for the G2's.
I love the quantum isotopes and whatever the next highest level are in their lineup. Isotopes are on my curb basher and the nicer set on my cruiser. They're super fast, everyone that rides the cruiser says something about it.. Maybe the bottom tier they just released are no bueno? Too bad, that's a bummer.
Love how the ride is on Thunders but always get ugly wheelbite that kills it for me. Ive been sticking with Venture lo, Ace classics, and mIndy frankensteins. I also use the same bushing setup in all to lessen the variables.
If im sizing down after riding wide boards for some time. I will usually have some chunkier wheels on that board for awhile while getting used to it. For instance inhave a BAKER 8.25 that i swear skates like an 8.5 due to the bones 99xf sidecut 58mm that are on it. And those wheels are light and thin for a.big wheel
I'm on slappy right now but I rode hollow light thunders for years and I love them. I couldn't really tell you why though without risk of BSing. My shins like how light they are compared to Indy
Similar for ollie but once you do 360 flips it's different, hard to explain but I think has to do with the tail contact to ground, having more tapper tail vs round tail reacts differently.
I had Thunder trucks for a decade or more and when I switch over to independent and then to ace trucks, I realized that I didn’t like thunder trucks anymore. I didn’t like the longer wheelbase and how the Thunders grinder down. Aces will be my go to truck from here on out.
I skate venture 5.6 v hollow, Indy 144 forged hollow, af1 hollow 55, and thunder lights 149. I switch them up depending on the wheelbase of my deck. If I got a shorter deck I like using thunder and venture to stretch it out a bit. If I get a longer wheelbase I use the indy or ace to shorten the wheelbase to my liking. With aftermarket bushings and tightening they are all about the same.
LMAO Zack finally trying to setup a street tech deck lol.. go with Ventures, F Thunders but then again a loose truck rider like you might not be able to handle the stability of Ventures lol 🎉🎉🎉🎉
Thunders suck. Needed to be ride loose, if you try to ride Thunders tight they feel dead. Light trucks good for tech and flips but least durable and not great for anything else other than tech and flips.
Yeah I felt thunders definitely had more traction on grinds, and they say trucks that do slide fast have softer metal. Probably means it lasts longer though haha By the way, the team hollows you got are a bit of a hot commodity... Everyone seems to want them (including me) for the higher ride height, and they are sold out so fast every season. I've even seen some skateshops selling them for more than the thunder lights with forged baseplates which is wild.
I’m having a bit of truck madness I have ace classics. Some days I feel like I’m ripping and other days I feel like they are way too squirly bc my wheelbase is just under 14. A lot of it is in my head but I truly believe the trucks are fucking up my skating
What trucks are you riding?
Grind King G7
Venture 5.6H Lights. Thank you for the content Dowdy🛹
VENTURE
Ace 55 hollow
Thunders 149, and after 26 years of skating and tons of truck madness, I think I'll stick to them.
The street dowdy progression 🛹🛹💯💯
Thanks for the support dawg!
I really like to see it. im 35 and I feel like im progressing so its good to see others my age also progressing.
@@ZackDowdy I like seeing ur street setup evolve too!!
Y’all rip and we all love it
Also love to see them doggers in the BG
I switch it up and use all of the "big four" (Indy, Thunder, Ace, and venture.) from time to time, they all have their benefits and disadvantages. Thunder and Ace are probably my favorites though (I'm skating thunder 148 team hollows on an 8.38 opera and Ace Af1 low 60s on an 8.5 Alien Workshop right now.) I personally think Indys are the most durable, (although I despise there whole "if you dont ride indys your wrong" millitant fanbase.) Aces have the craziest turns and i have the most fun on, although i don't do my best skating on. On thunders I skate the best and I find they have the most wicked pinch. And I like the stability of ventures from time to time.
It all depends on the shape of the board.
i skated thunder lows in the mid/late '90s. i liked them, they were like a heavier venture low, but i had 2 sets in a row with slipped axles and i never bought them again. a few weeks ago, i bought a complete off fb marketplace with 148 thunder forged hollow lights to give them another try. first impression is that they are too light/dainty for my liking but i'm looking forward to giving them a fair shake anyway. i usually go for standard weight indys/ventures
Same
I’ve skated the Thunder lows for 15 years, same bushings and all, and they’re easily the most durable trucks I’ve ever skated. But they are too low sometimes lol
@@jwalk2287 i loved them other than the axle slip. and it was something that affected most brands at the time, so just luck of the draw that i had 2 sets slip in a row. maybe could have been avoided if had used bearing/wheel core spacers. i still have them, been wondering if i could weld a raised bit on the exposed axle to keep it from slipping. or maybe put my modern thunder hangars on the old plates with inverted kingpin. the one set has inverted grind king kingpins. my venture lows from same time have held up fine and i still use them to this day, not stock bushings and i run 1/8 risers
Modus Blue are great bearings. They use a grease that takes a bit to break in. Once broken in they'll serve you well. You can add some thinner oil to break the grease down a little..
Thunder lights with Indy bushings great combo, my sweet spot
been going through a similar journey as you these past few months with trying to skate more street than transition and it has really upped my game in terms of being able to skate more obstacles at the park. my ego has been getting to me though since i want to push further. keep at it
Look at you Dowdy! Trying different things, I like it. I ride thunders, and they are pretty stable, but still have a good turn, I think you struggled a bit, because you’re coming from Aces which are the most squirly trucks on the market, just give it time. Also get a board that 8.38, but that has a short wheelbase, like 14”-14.25” because like you said, thunders lean out. After you break the bushing in, loosen them to your liking, just know that thunders are lower as they are tech, which will mean more wheel bite. Love the content dude, keep killing it.
Great advice thank you!
@@ZackDowdy I forgot to mention that the reason you might be struggling with smiths, is because thunders have little clearance from the king pin to the hanger bottom, compared to Aces and Indys. Ventures suffer from the same issue, if you keep grinding them down by doing the trick, eventually it will slide.
Objectively thunders are ass
I like dowdy but the green rails yellow board pink top ply ent the combo
After watching your skating with these Thunders, you should have went with Ventures. It would be a easier transition, as Ventures are more similar to Indy and Aces in turn geometry just that they are tighter and lighter with similar height and they grind about the same as Aces unlike Thunders which is lower and has it's own fast turning geometry which isn't great for transitions at all. Ventures are more stable for flip tech than Thunders also even if you skate both at the same tightness.
Thanks for the super great comparison. Very very helpful and thanks for not saying it is personal preference
I wanna try the Slappy lights next. Hollow axle, hollow inverted kingpin, and forged base plate that are same height as original base plate.
They are really fun trucks and lock into grinds very well, but I’m on the standard slappy with the inverted kingpin and they felt to loose at first until I got used to it. They stay pretty loose because there is a limit to how much you can tighten them and that was interesting. I blew out the original bushing pretty quickly but put blue Indy bushings and they feel just as good but with a bit more stability. They lock into curbs, ledges and flat bars amazingly and feel like your surfing sometimes.
bla bla bla 😵💫😜 R O Y A L
The new Royals are amazing!
I’ve been enjoying all this stuff you been posting love keep it up 👍 ❤
Zack, in between Jessup and Mob? Sounds great. Would love to know how you like the Destructo D1's.
I’ve been in love with the new Stage 4 independents ❤️🔥
Which hilariously enough are closest in design to Ace, although Ace was mainly based off the stage 3.
The two complaints I have with thunder and what made me go back to my Ace's is when I do my nose slides your wheels slide against the side of the box and rail and I slam my nose slides. Also this has happened more than enough times to where I've ran and hopped on my board and got tripped up because they would not turn with me and I have my thunders as loose as you can get them. I'm riding an 8.75 habitat with a 14.25 WB.
I noseslide better on ace than thunder because the baseplate sticks out more so it’s like a grind.
That makes sense
holy shit you just mentioned destructos and i flashed back to high school. i fucking loved those trucks.
I have three boards. One I keep in my vehicle. It's the one I take to skateparks, and is always available at home or on the road. My second board has softer wheels and I keep it handy by the garage door. I use it to skate around my block when I get that spontaneous feeling. My third board is like my second board, but on it, the wheels light up. I use it to cruise around my neighborhood for night skating.
few extra washers to widen the trucks to fit the board thats what ishod wair does, or just get the 149
Ace
Zack! Enjoying your flat ground skate park runs - you're pretty good you know, you been holding back on us! Cool.
Fa!! Yeeee still got a few old fa decks
Is every video a setup video?
Ajatelin Tänään Mennä Lautailemaan Olarin parkiin Thunder Trukeila.
Thunder team hollows are my jam. I also have had a bad experience with quantum bearings and I bought their metallics. Never stray from bones ever again
Can't go wrong with bones bearings!
Interesting I've had the opposite experience with bearings. I had two sets of Bones Swiss lock up after like a month of skating.. cleaning and lube didn't help. Bronson G3 lasted longer, but they slowed down a lot after a couple weeks. I've been running Quantum Atoms ($60 ish) for at least a year and even without regular maintenance they've held up and been fast af. I recommend those if you wanna give Quantum another try
We carry a six month warranty on factory defects for all of our bearing models.
We apply a small amount of lube to our bearings before shipping.
If the shields popped off before the lube had a chance to get “worked in” road dust likely gunked up in the bearing.
We reached out to Zach but haven’t received a response.
@bradsasser8222 id happily send them to you guys to take a look at if you want. I don't feel the need to try to warranty them or anything but maybe it's a defect idk.
Sick
Minusta Huippu Hyvät Trukit ovat Thunderit.
Try a 8.25 deck with 149 indy hollow trucks, best combo IMO 👌
I love my Indy 149 forged hollows
Especially 14.38 wheelbase like Deathwish offers, kinda full shaped too
Appreciate the knowledge 🙏
I love thunders but I’ve broken two kingpins within six months. About try some Ace’s for the first time
ACE classics are my favorite
@@ZackDowdy Have you tried the AF1's yet?
@@Jaeboushla AF1 for the past couples years. But, I still love the classics!
Thunders trash... waste of money lol.
This small board logic didn't work for me. I went to an 8.25 from 8.5 just as I was slowly realizing I may just be better at flipping a bigger board... I have a Heroin 10" Curb Killer and a SC Winkowski shaped deck... both of which I KF consistently but this 8.25 doesn't flip for shit... go figure. As for trucks Indy Stage 4 for life 👌😘
Hey Zack, I‘d love your videos even more if you could implement time stamps 🙏🏻♥️
Edit: which camera/mic setup are you using btw? And do you have any budget recommendations aswell?
Sliding on baseplates ( indy ,ace, venture) VS Sliding on wheels (thunder trucks) whats your experience with slide tricks ?
MOW-dus...as in Modus Operandi...way of operating. It's Latin. 🌠
Indys.
My 1st "real" trucks were Indys, back in 1985 and after that it was always ... something else, Inys, something else, Indys ....
Last year was the 1st time I bought 2 Indys in a row
I dont like Thunder's.
Indys or slappy are my favorites.
I do need to purchase some of the new ACE trucks tho.
Love ya Dowdy keep it up brother😊
Yes
Bronson G2's are slightly cheaper than the reds, I felt they lasted better than them. They also got shields that seal completely, as opposed to those on the reds that have a gap around the inner ring.
Maybe worth a try! I used to buy reds all the time, but I try to pop things high, and I would shatter the insides pretty quickly. Not the case for the G2's.
I love the quantum isotopes and whatever the next highest level are in their lineup. Isotopes are on my curb basher and the nicer set on my cruiser. They're super fast, everyone that rides the cruiser says something about it.. Maybe the bottom tier they just released are no bueno? Too bad, that's a bummer.
Love how the ride is on Thunders but always get ugly wheelbite that kills it for me. Ive been sticking with Venture lo, Ace classics, and mIndy frankensteins. I also use the same bushing setup in all to lessen the variables.
If im sizing down after riding wide boards for some time.
I will usually have some chunkier wheels on that board for awhile while getting used to it.
For instance inhave a BAKER 8.25 that i swear skates like an 8.5 due to the bones 99xf sidecut 58mm that are on it. And those wheels are light and thin for a.big wheel
I'm on slappy right now but I rode hollow light thunders for years and I love them. I couldn't really tell you why though without risk of BSing. My shins like how light they are compared to Indy
I've always wanted to try out thunders, might be my next trucks after my current
To me, it seems like thunders have softer bushings than aces. Thunder bushings blow out if you tighten them a little.
Yes🙌
A 7.5 with low ventures and 50mm wheels would flip easy lol And also blow away in the wind.
Oh this should be an Indy Stage 4 Vs Ace Af1!
Bit off topic.....does a 8.5 pop board feel smaller than the polar 8.75 shaped deck??? How do they compare...?
Similar for ollie but once you do 360 flips it's different, hard to explain but I think has to do with the tail contact to ground, having more tapper tail vs round tail reacts differently.
I sell Modus at our shop, they are legit!!
Just when I thought the madness was over...
I had Thunder trucks for a decade or more and when I switch over to independent and then to ace trucks, I realized that I didn’t like thunder trucks anymore. I didn’t like the longer wheelbase and how the Thunders grinder down. Aces will be my go to truck from here on out.
Can't go wrong with ACE!
Lols you guys say 3 flips. I say , Three Hundred Sixty Degree Kick Flip! Ha
Wtf
Ace AF1’s are there to be loved.. try ‘em.
You should have got 149
149s on a 8.25 🔥
I skate venture 5.6 v hollow, Indy 144 forged hollow, af1 hollow 55, and thunder lights 149. I switch them up depending on the wheelbase of my deck. If I got a shorter deck I like using thunder and venture to stretch it out a bit. If I get a longer wheelbase I use the indy or ace to shorten the wheelbase to my liking. With aftermarket bushings and tightening they are all about the same.
Yes, yes they are
Complete opposites.
Venture.
Slappys
I have three pairs of Indys. Would like to test Ace trucks sometime.
They have a better turn IMO
Stick with Indys, ACES are over priced and less durable.
🛹🛹🛹
LMAO Zack finally trying to setup a street tech deck lol.. go with Ventures, F Thunders but then again a loose truck rider like you might not be able to handle the stability of Ventures lol 🎉🎉🎉🎉
Indy and venture
Thunders suck. Needed to be ride loose, if you try to ride Thunders tight they feel dead. Light trucks good for tech and flips but least durable and not great for anything else other than tech and flips.
Shake junt bearings are underrated. They've been solid for me every time. The modus hardware and diamond are my fav. Def wanna try that Pepper grip.
Yeah I felt thunders definitely had more traction on grinds, and they say trucks that do slide fast have softer metal. Probably means it lasts longer though haha
By the way, the team hollows you got are a bit of a hot commodity... Everyone seems to want them (including me) for the higher ride height, and they are sold out so fast every season. I've even seen some skateshops selling them for more than the thunder lights with forged baseplates which is wild.
I thought they're all the same cast in the same chinese factory
yes thunder are better for manual
Ventures are better.
Just say no to Nor Cal Trucks. Gullwing and Tracker all day son!
ACE are nothing but hype. Lol.
I love thunder
I’m having a bit of truck madness I have ace classics. Some days I feel like I’m ripping and other days I feel like they are way too squirly bc my wheelbase is just under 14. A lot of it is in my head but I truly believe the trucks are fucking up my skating
My 1st ever trucks were B-52's 😂 hence THUNDER..
Im riding 144 Indy MiDs love 'em!
_TYSHAWN_ forged hallow's are *So good!* (with the orange clear bushings)
tracker axis 161🥸danforth/losi💥