Equipment Thread

100% classic line

Ok! I didn’t remember that but saw this quote on somebody’s story on Insta this morning and it was doing my head in. Ta!

1 Like

I want this one:

Bang on some rails, big Indies or Aces, some tiny wheels and happy days. Plus another for a wall hang haha

1 Like

I’m so used to 8.25” now I think I’d struggle on something so big, But maybe you just get used to the size you ride. Everyone was on 10” decks back in the 80s

You can totally get used to anything you ride. Certsin sizes or whatever certain tricis easier.

I randomly found a Magenta Ben Gore 14 inch wheelbase 8.125 for 35 quid plus postage which im super tempted by, which will bump me up from an 8.

Love those magenta Ben Gore decks. Good wood, good shape

1 Like

I ended up ordering some of those GK trucks in raw silver, just to see what they’re like. II got them at a discount because it was an early pre-order - worked out at around £50 the pair.
In the past year or two I’ve tried Ace, Slappy hollows, Slappy inverted kingpin, Lurpiv and now Grind King. I’m planning to keep my favourites (currently Lurpiv) and then sell the rest on eBay some time in January.
My summary so far:

  • Ace. Most responsive turns, but can be a little twitchy/squirrelly.
  • Slappy. Great grind clearance. Turns somewhere between Ace and Indy.
  • Slappy inverted. Even better grind clearance, but the kingpins work loose on every ride.
  • Lurpiv. Turn like Slappy, but have a distinctive love-it-or-hate-it industrial look. They also have an anti-wheelbite feature that actually works.
  • Grind King Locker. Lots of interesting new features, on paper, but I need to ride them to know whether they’re gimmicks or genuine evolution.


Looks alone it’s a no from me. They already look half thrashed! I’ll pay for the metal and grind the notches out myself thank you very much!

2 Likes

That’s one of the interesting things about them. It looks like they’ve removed metal over the axle to mimic worn-in trucks. In fact they use a curved axle.

Im sure the old grind king trucks had this axel. It doesnt look like they have changed much, appart from the wiggly hanger and potential weak point bolt holes.

1 Like

It may be they’re just a gimmick, in which case I’ll sell them. I just like to try new stuff out.

ugly as fuck but they have thought of everything. Old Grindkings just didn’t turn though, they failed at the number 1 objective. So can’t imagine these new fangled ideas work.

I agree - they really are ugly. First reviews suggest these new ones turn pretty well, though. I just feel - well, I’m old for a skater: I see too many fat old men my age riding what they used to ride 20 - 30 years ago. I think sometimes we need to try something different, and if it turns out to be a pile of crap, we can still learn from it. I feel like I want to keep moving forwards rather than looking back.

Wanted to try smaller decks again. Usually skate 8" with 147s. Gonna try a 7.875" with the 147s. Hopefully that size mismatch will be unnoticeable

steady on lad, sounds like someone wants to do a kickflip

3 Likes

flip tricks are the best. moving up to 8" a few years back definitely made things feel more stable but i also feel like its harder work

Yes they are!

1 Like

Beginning to see the first reviews of the new Grind Kings coming out

I found this with standard weight Independent trucks when I moved up to 8" and 139 from 7.6" with 129 around 2012 and put it down to my weak legs. I bought some Independent 139 ti with the forged baseplate maybe 5 years ago now, went up to 8.125" about 4 or 5 years ago. In reality only 50g lighter at each end but it does make a difference in practice.

Still not axled them. Haven’t even earnt decent grooves yet :smile:

1 Like

I’ll get away with this as it is the equipment thread as it is bushing waffle…

I’d been using Indy aftermarket 90a bushings for years and my second set got to a point where they felt like I was always standing/balancing on my kingpins and they felt off when tightened down so I swopped them for the 92a Indy bushings and also stuck in a pair of Riptide pivot cups (they were a little loose). They broke in within a couple of hours and offer nice resistance and return to the point I can set up for flip tricks (go me) without having to focus on balancing. I just level the nut with the top of the kingpin on all trucks.

I also think my Swiss are on their way out as one wheel seized a little after a little bit of axle slip. I swopped it around and it did free up but it might be time for a new set, they’ve certainly been the best value for money hardware I’ve bought at 12 years old. I’ve only just chucked a set of Diamond 7/8 bolts into the skate box which were from the same Xmas complete in Dec 2012 :slight_smile:

1 Like