Recommendation: Lightweight trucks fully live up to their potential on smooth curbs i.e. marble curbs or those you’d find in a skate park. If you want to shred rough street curbs, we’d suggest traditional trucks, maybe some with hollow components.

Do you need a new kingpin? No problem! You can find replacement kingpins and kingpin nuts in the skatedeluxe skate shop.

Solution: Some skate tools have integrated re-threaders which you can use to re-thread the thread of your axle. This way you can place the nut on the axle again and attach your wheel to the truck.

If you have any further questions or suggestions, you can leave a comment under this post, send us an email through our contact form, or ask our customer service team for advice in choosing the optimal trucks.

Higher trucks can be practical for taller people because with sufficient power and long legs, the tail can be pushed to the ground pretty quickly. Small skaters might have a hard time with a high setup, which is why kids especially should stick with low trucks. Of course, tall skaters can ride low trucks as well. Then, pop-offs can happen pretty quickly, which is called “quick snaps”.

Skateboardsize chart cm

The axle extends through the hanger, which is cast around it. It is a continuous bar made of titanium or steel. Your wheels and bearings are mounted on the visible parts of the axle. If the thread of the axel is worn out, you can use a skate tool with an axle rethreader.

Ace Trucks was founded in 2007 by Joey Tershay. The truck’s unique maneuverability enables the tightest turns. Therefore, Ace trucks are very popular amongst pool skaters. However, they also perform very well in street skateboarding. The characteristic look of the trucks rests on the legendary Independent Stage 3 trucks. Due to a few optical and technical changes in comparison to the Indy model, Ace skateboard trucks convince with stability, durability, maneuverability and their all-around usability.

The base plate is the base layer, or foundation, of the truck. It’s mounted to the skateboard with 4 bolts. The kingpin and the pivot cup can be found in the base plate.

Problem: Your skateboard wobbles even when you’re on a flat surface because not all of your wheels touch the ground or your trucks are crooked?

Standardskateboardsize cm

Unfortunately, the sizes of skateboard trucks are not standardised. So you won’t get confused by the 129, 139 and 149 sizes from Independent Trucks or 147 and 149 sizes from Thunder Trucks, we’ve compiled an overview for you. You can use the size chart below to easily find the right size. The width measurements are usually rounded and, small variations can happen during the manufacturing process. Therefore, minor deviations are totally normal. You can also find more information about the top brands for skateboard trucks below.

The kingpin is a bolt that connects the hanger to the base plate. Typically, the kingpin nut is placed onto the upper end of the kingpin and is interchangeable. A hollow kingpin is a hollowed-out bolt, which reduces the weight of the truck.

The difference between high, mid /standard and low skateboard trucks is seemingly negligible. As it so often happens, however, the finer details are crucial. It all boils down to your body height and most importantly, the size of the wheels.

At first glance, skateboard trucks may look quite similar but there can be subtle yet critical differences. Over the last couple of years, different brands have not only improved the responsiveness of their trucks but have also experimented with new materials. Additionally, to improve the trucks’ grinding abilities, the main goal has often been to reduce the weight of the trucks. After all, weighing approximately 300-400 g each, the trucks are the skateboards heaviest components.

When we talk about maximum wheel size, we’re referring to the feasibility of mounting wheels that big on the respective truck. If you’re not planning on setting up a cruiser, your wheels shouldn’t have a diameter larger than 60 mm. The graphic in paragraph 2.2 should help you orient yourself.

Royal Trucks is an emerging skateboard truck company from California. Although a relatively young brand (first entering the world in 1997), you can rely on the vast experience of Guy Mariano, Rudy Johnson, Eric Koston and many more. The trucks are outfitted with excellent turning performance, high quality and plenty of style.

The bushings are the parts of the trucks that control the turning behavior. They are made of polyurethane and are placed on the kingpin between the base plate and hanger. They are available in varying degrees of firmness and can easily be replaced with the help of a skate tool.

Skateboardsize chart for adults

Low trucks are, as the name implies, “low.” Because of this, the deck is closer to the ground, making the handling of your deck more stable. In addition to that, low trucks are lighter. However, the risk of wheel bites is relatively high, especially on softer surfaces and unclean landings. Therefore, you should use small wheels (50 mm or 51 mm) on low trucks or use shock or riser pads to largely avoid wheel bites.

You can find other interesting information on skateboard decks, wheels, bearings, bolts and more in the skatedeluxe Skateboard Wiki. To ensure that the deck, trucks, and wheels, as well as the bearings and bolts, fit together, we have created the skatedeluxe Skateboard Configurator. This allows you to easily display your individual selections and create a completely customized skateboard in six simple steps.

P.S. Should you want to try larger wheels, you can do so without having to directly buy new trucks as well. Simply mount shock or riser pads to your board. Keep in mind though, that you’ll probably need a new bolt pack as well.

For quite some time now, Thunder Trucks have worked their way out of the “underdog” roll they had back in the 80’s and are now considered one of the big dogs in the skateboard truck business. In addition to their eye-catching designs, Thunder Trucks shine with a wide range of products and extremely lightweight trucks that the legendary Jamie Thomas swears by. Similar to Independent, Thunder offers trucks with forged and hollow parts as well as titanium axles.

Next to the base plate, the hanger is the main component of your trucks. The bottom part of the hanger is called the pivot and sits in the pivot cup of the base plate. On the other side, the hanger is connected to the base plate with the kingpin and bushings. The hanger is the area of the trucks on which you grind.

The higher the truck, the more the tail has to be pushed down when popping. Your deck acts as a lever in this scenario and because of the long way the deck’s tail has to go until it hits the ground, the angle of the board will be much steeper. Consequently, higher pop-offs are possible (theoretically).

Skateboardsize

Of course, you could rummage through your parents’ tool chest in search of suitable tools to adjust your trucks, but why the stress, when you can have everything you need in a single skate tool?

A skate tool is part of the standard equipment every skater should have. It has everything you need, from the key for your kingpin nut to a Phillips head screwdriver and Allen wrench for the bolts of your hardware.

Washers are metal discs that are placed above and below the bushings in order to bring the board back to the starting position after turning. They also ensure that the forces acting on the board are evenly distributed. Some bushings are equipped with a reinforced hard plastic layer and don’t require washers.

You can also experiment with bushings to alter the turning behaviour. Bushings are available in three different degrees of hardness, which can be categorized as hard, medium, and soft. Tapered or conical bushings (so-called Cone Bushings) make the trucks more responsive, where as flat bushings (so-called Barrel Bushings) make the trucks less responsive.

In paragraph 2.2 we’ve given you a few suggestions about the correct wheel sizes for the respective truck heights. If you’re still not sure how big the wheels for your trucks can really be, we’ve assembled a detailed table that contains the recommended maximum wheel size for high, medium and low trucks. As always, these recommendations are guidelines that should only give you a rough idea.

Solution: With high impacts, it can happen that the kingpin of a skateboard truck breaks. This isn’t as dramatic as it sounds, because a kingpin can be replaced. You can find out how to do this here. When replacing a kingpin, make sure that your replacement kingpin fits your truck: low trucks may have slightly shorter kingpins than high trucks! Information about the length can be found in the product description.

Solution: Yes, the squeaking is annoying, but it’s in no way serious. Nevertheless, you can fix it. Normally it has nothing to do with the bushings, but rather the pivot cup bushings. This small piece of rubber sits in the pivot cups of some trucks, i.e. where the hanger sits in the base plate. You can simply lubricate the pivot cup bushings, which should eliminate the squeak. And just to be certain, you can go ahead and grease the regular bushings as well.

Destructo Trucks is now one of the top truck brands in the world. For the production of their trucks, this company from Costa Mesa, California, uses a special type of aluminium, which is also utilised in the arms industry. This makes the trucks lighter, more stable and more durable in comparison to other brands. Almost all Destructo trucks have a downwardly offset kingpin, which prevents the hanger from wearing away when grinding. Newer Destructo models are also equipped with a hollow kingpin, further reducing the weight of the trucks.

Independent Trucks (commonly referred to as Indys) from Santa Cruz, California are the epitome of skateboard trucks. Since the release of the Stage 1 model in 1978 when they bumped Bennett Trucks and Tracker Trucks from their ranks, the guys at Independent have been at the top of their game, and won’t easily give up that spot. Their trucks are all true classics and are characterised by their great turning response and extremely long shelf life. Destroying a truck from Independent is no easy feat, but if you somehow manage to do so, they offer a lifetime warranty against defects in materials and the manufacturing process. Since the standard Indys are quite heavy, Independent uses forged baseplates and titanium axles as well as hollow parts.

The great thing about skate wax is that with the right amount of wax, you can grind just about anything! Even the roughest street spots will be available for your grinding enjoyment! Skate wax is slightly oilier than conventional candle wax and is ideal for grinding because it makes surfaces perfectly slippery.

High trucks are -you guessed it!- “high.” Meaning you stand slightly higher above the ground. The board has a steeper incline when popping, allowing you to (theoretically) ollie higher. The risk of wheel bites is also minimised. On the other hand, high trucks are heavier and the board can be somewhat unstable due to the steeper angle of the trucks when turning. High trucks are suitable for all wheels. Although to be safe, you should install shock or riser pads for larger wheels (57mm – 59mm).

Axle nuts are the nuts on the axle with which the wheels are mounted. If you’ve lost your axle nuts, you can find replacement axle nuts in the skatedeluxe Skate Shop!

Skateboardsize chart

Silicon-based lubricants are best suited for plastics, but you can also try a chemical-free soap or Vaseline. Moistening the bushings with water is not particularly effective, and only lasts a short while. You should stay away from other things like normal lubricating oil or grease, and WD 40, because at some point, they can be damaging to plastic.

Typically, skateboard trucks consist of a base plate, hanger (the movable and grindable part of the truck to which your wheels are attached), the kingpin and kingpin nut which hold these two pieces together, as well as the bushings and the washers.

8.5Skateboard dimensions

A common way to make a skateboard truck less heavy is to use hollow kingpins and axles. Those trucks are often called “Hollow” or “Lights”. In addition to the weighing less, the hollow components are also a little bit stronger. At some point, you will encounter the term “Forged” for some trucks. This usually means that the baseplates of those trucks have been forged instead of cast. This process makes the baseplates stronger and a little bit lighter.

Next to Independent, Venture Trucks are the most beloved skateboard trucks in the world, and dominate a large share of the European market. Particularly remarkable about Venture Trucks is the high level of workmanship that goes into crafting trucks that are extremely robust with a comparatively low weight. Besides that, Venture stands out with their wide variety of different colours. To reduce weight, Venture keeps it real with hollow kingpins and axles.

Usually, skateboard trucks are described by their inner width (hanger width). Since the manufacturer’s information about truck sizes can be quite confusing, it might be best to focus on the axle width.

Truck height is measured from the baseplate to the middle of the axle. This measurement equals the distance between the truck and your deck and tells you how high above the ground your board will be. In addition to the width of all trucks, the table in paragraph 2.1 also contains the height of the trucks you’ll find in our shop.

Next to choosing the right deck, selecting the right trucks is one of the most important decisions a skater has to make. It’s not always easy, especially for beginners, to sort through all the different sizes and descriptions to find what you’re looking for.

Skateboardsize calculator

The size of trucks is almost always measured in the American unit of inches. One inch corresponds to the European unit of measurement of 1 Zoll, which is 2.54 cm. Some manufacturers also use millimetres (mm) to indicate the width of the trucks.

Let’s get to the point: The following summary has all the information about the skateboard truck technologies in the skatedeluxe skate shop.

Without trucks, your deck won’t get you very far. Making sure your trucks fit your deck is step one. Here you can find everything you should think about when buying trucks for your board. In this case, size really does matter, as well as the differences between low, high, and mid trucks. We’ll also give you tips on how to choose the right trucks.

Tensor Trucks is indisputably the most innovative company in the world of skateboard trucks, which is not surprising considering that the company was founded in 2000 by Rodney Mullen. Some Tensor trucks are made from magnesium, which makes them 25% lighter compared to other trucks. Hollow kingpins and axles are also part of the deal. The terms Flick & Mini Flick simply refer to the logos on the truck’s hanger.

To determine the width of a skateboard truck, you measure the width of the axle (outer width) and the width of the hanger (inner width). The trucks should always fit the width of your Skateboard. It’s important that they’re not much wider than the deck because otherwise, the centre of gravity will shift to the side of the deck. This may have an effect on flip tricks and can affect the general boardfeel. If your deck is slightly wider than your trucks, it’s no problem.

Speed rings are small washers, the same size as the core of your bearings. They are situated between the bearings and hangers as well as between the bearings and axle nuts. They prevent the bearings from rubbing against the other components.

Polster is a young, aspiring company, specialising entirely in producing skateboard trucks. Since Polster Trucks first hit the market in 2007, founders Michael Neuss and Christian Roth of Mob Skateboards (et al) have been on the pursuit of creating the perfect trucks. True to their motto “trucks by skaters for skaters” Polster offers the best quality and features at a reasonable price. As a German company, Polster especially supports the German scene and backs local skateboarders. Polster Standard Trucks are available in various models and sizes, allowing them to deliver a high quality product to the skating community, scoring points in performance, durability and strength.

Standardskateboardsize inches

Unfortunately, there is no industry standard for the exact height of the various size labels that truck manufacturers use. That means trucks from different manufacturers that are labelled as “high” aren’t necessarily the same height. Therefore, we at skatedeluxe have made our own categories, so you can stay on top of things.

Note: Our recommendations for the maximum wheel sizes and truck heights are based on tight trucks. Keep in mind that the risk of wheelbites gets higher when you ride your trucks loose.

To make your board turn easier or harder, you can tighten or loosen the kingpin. The best way to do this is by using a skate tool. Make sure not to over-tighten the kingpin, otherwise you’ll destroy the bushings. You also shouldn’t skate with your trucks too loose, because the board will become unstable and increase your risk of wheel bites.

In the event that the thread on your axles is worn down, you can find skateboard tools with an axle rethreader in the skatedeluxe online skate shop.

Don’t panic though! Here you can learn what the difference is between low, mid / standard, and high trucks (for which Independent Trucks uses the cryptic abbreviations 129, 139 and 149), and how to find the best trucks for your setup.

Solution: There’s a good chance that the bushings are just not broken in. Adjust your steering so that it’s a little looser, cruise through your hood for a while and the problem should solve itself. Try to do as many turns as possible, so that the bushings get some pressure and settle properly into the trucks. Also, make sure to check whether the bushings are in constant contact with the base plate and washers. It’s also possible that the pivot cup is the problem. When you ride very hard trucks it can happen that the pivot cup gets damaged. As a result the pivot of the truck’s hanger rubs on the baseplate and the hanger of the truck stays crooked. As a solution you should loose your trucks and in same cases get a new set of pivot cups.

The protruding part on which your wheels are attached is the axle. The washers on the axle are called speed rings. They protect your bearings from rubbing against the hanger or the axle nut and also help keep them clean.

Mid or standard trucks are basically a compromise between low and high trucks and are therefore ideally suited for all-around skateboarding and for anyone who cannot decide. Skateboard wheels between 52 mm and 56 mm are a good fit for mid/standard trucks.