Finding the best skateboard trucks for your board is essential. Trucks allow you to turn, grind and jump down the largest gaps without any mishaps.
Well, that is of course if you have good quality trucks. Bad trucks won’t turn as well as their higher quality brothers and won’t be able to take as much impact or grinding.
So, you need to find some good quality trucks for your next set up. Thankfully, there are plenty of good quality trucks to choose from.
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Our favorite Skateboard Trucks
Before we look at the truck brands you should be riding in detail, let’s find out more about trucks and what you should think about when buying your next set.
The anatomy of a Skateboard Truck
While Skateboard Trucks might just like a plain slab of metal, they actually consist of numerous different parts, which all play an important role in how the Truck operates.
Baseplate
The baseplate is the part of the truck that attaches to your board. It has four holes that correspond to the four holes on your deck. It is also home to the pivot cup. This simple little device helps the board to turn and gets your hanger in the right position.
Kingpin
The kingpin is the biggest bolt on your board. It has the job of hold your truck together while allowing you to turn. The kingpin attaches through the baseplate and holds the hanger in place, with help from the pivot cup. Because of the tension placed on kingpins, they can be prone to snapping which can really put a downer on your day!
Hanger
The hanger is where your wheels attach to. This is the part of the truck that you grind and the part of the truck that the size measurement is taken from. The hanger needs to be about the same size as your board. Your hanger should come out to the edges of your board and allow the board to stand up straight when in primo.
Bushings and washers
To hold the tuck together, you have washers and bushings. They sit on the kingpin and help your trucks to turn smoothly. You have a large bottom bushing and a slightly smaller top bushing with washers between the bushings and the baseplate and nut. These washers help to lessen the friction on the bushings. Without bushings, everything on a skateboard would be extremely difficult, unless you are Daewon Song! Now, new bushings can be a little sticky to start with, but we have a solution for that below.
Wearing in New Trucks
Wearing-in new trucks can take a few sessions. The first session on new trucks can be particularly strange as you have lost all of your grinding marks and lock-in points.
These are places on the trucks that you have ground away and they form grooves that help you lock into your grinds easier. Without these, grinding can feel very slippery.
Unfortunately, there is no viable way of overcoming the lack of grooves. You may be able to take an angle grinder to your new trucks, but we would just keep grinding, it doesn’t take too long to form new grooves!
One place where you can cheat a little bit is the bushings. Brand new bushings are very sticky and leave your new board feeling very alien. However, you can buy better quality bushings that help your trucks feel perfect from the get-go.
Take these Bones Bushing as an example, these replace the bushings that come with your trucks and make your new trucks feel like your old trucks. They take no wearing in, you can simply get your new board and ride.
After you’ve used these once, you’ll probably never go back to sticky new bushings again!
Should you keep the washers on?
Every new set of trucks is supplied with washers on the hanger. There are two on each corner of the truck.
They are supplied with the intention of fitting between your truck and your wheel and the wheel and the nut to help with friction and allow the wheel to spin better, but do you have to use them? The short answer is, no.
When you get a brand new set of trucks, it is worth setting up your wheel with the washers/spacers, but nine times out of ten, you will lose one of these washers when cleaning or swapping your wheels.
So, by all means, set up your new trucks and wheels with the washers in place, but if you happen to lose a washer, it isn’t the end of the world.
Is the weight of a truck important?
Yes and no. Take Independent Trucks as an example. Independents have always been known as the heaviest trucks in the skate world, but millions of people ride them, including Luan Oliveria so you can hardly say the weight effects your pop!
However, Independent trucks can be a little too heavy for smaller people. If you are just starting out, perhaps lighter trucks are the way to go, but if you are an experienced skateboarder or have strong legs, you probably won’t notice the added weight from trucks like Independents.
How loose should you have your tucks?
How tight or loose to have your trucks is totally personal opinion. We ride our trucks fairly loose because it allows us to have slightly more balance and control. However, other people find that they have more control with tighter trucks.
Of course, the looser you have your trucks, the more chance you have of wheel-bite which can become a problem when you are trying tricks. Also, as trucks wear in, they loosen up.
If you’re wondering how loose to have your trucks, there is no perfect formula. Our advice to you is start with your trucks in a comfortable position, not too tight and not too loose, have a play around on your first session with them to dial them in.
As trucks wear in, they will get looser, but you won’t really notice this. So, the right tightness for your trucks is whatever you are most comfortable with.
The Best Skateboard Trucks Reviewed
Well, now you know a little more about trucks, it’s time to take a look at some of the best skateboard trucks on the market.
Every truck below offers the rider a lot of control and balance and can help you take your skating to the next level, but which ones are best for you? Let’s find out!
Slant
Slant are a great truck for the beginner.
They provide you with some great quality without the hefty price tag of other professional trucks.
The bushings you get with Slant trucks are fairly responsive and they aren’t too heavy that a beginner can’t get off the ground.
These are perfect for anyone finding their feet in the skate world, but you may outgrow them before you wear them out.
Click here for our full in depth review of Slant Trucks.
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Tensor
Tensor seemed to have their glory day back in the early 2000s, everyone seemed to ride Tensor back then, but then started to explore other trucks.
This is a shame because Tensor still makes amazing trucks with loads of handy features.
Tensor now have a series of trucks called the “Mag Light” series. These are made of magnesium and are incredibly light, but cheaper than titanium trucks.
Of course, Tensor has made some gimmicky trucks in the past, but that shouldn’t put you off of their new designs, they work great and offer the same great control that Tensors of old did.
Click here for our full in depth review of Tensor Trucks.
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Venture
Venture was formed in 1991 and created one of the first lightweight, but strong skateboard trucks.
Venture Trucks came in at a time when street skating was really popping, and their new trucks took this new type of skating by storm.
They quickly became the first choice for street skating and are still one of the most popular choices for street skaters around the world.
These trucks are lighter than most and offer some of the best control in the business.
Click here for our full in depth review of Venture Trucks.
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Royal
Royals are a truck made for the street, and they belong in the street.
Royals have a strong skate team full of street skaters that destroy any spot around town.
They provide all of the control and balance you need to jump down a stair set or grind the nastiest street ledge.
If you are a street skater that wants the best trucks for the task at hand, get Royals, they won’t let you down.
Click here for our full in depth review of Royal Trucks.
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Thunder
Thunder has a team littered with legends, including Chris Cole.
If Chris Cole reps a company then you know that company offers some quality gear.
Thunder are often overlooked, but they offer some extremely good trucks.
Thunder trucks are lightweight, very durable and provide all of the control you could possibly want!
They also have a bunch of styles to choose from so you can get some awesome trucks to match your next deck.
Click here for our full in depth review of Thunder Trucks.
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Krux
Kruxs have an iconic design that hasn’t really changed since the beginning.
However, Krux has changed a few things on their trucks.
For example, they have changed the way the kingpin works.
Before, you had an Allen key headed bolt where the kingpin bolt was, and the nut was in the bottom of the hanger.
This meant that you could easily change out the kingpin if it snapped, but it never got a chance to because your bolt was always falling off because it would loosen itself.
Thankfully, those days are now gone, and you can enjoy everything great about Krux without fearing for your life!
Click here for our full in depth review of Krux Trucks.
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Our Top Pick
While all of the above Trucks make great choices, we had to make a decision as to what we thought were the best skateboard trucks. The clear winner and our favorite Skateboard Trucks are ‘Indy’s’.
Independent
The reason Independent trucks are our top pick is that they are a top pick for millions of skateboarders around the world.
Their iconic design and insane durability have breached the gap between bowl and street skating forever.
Independent trucks are a true park skaters perfect truck because they provide all the control you need in a bowl and all the grinding you need on the ledges.
Click here for our full in depth review of Independent Trucks.
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If you buy Independent trucks we strongly recommend buying the Bones Bushings above too. Fresh out of the box, Independent bushings aren’t great at all. They stick in one position until you get on your board and are thrown off it. Buy the Bones Bushings and Independent Trucks and you will see what the perfect truck is!
