so Ive been meaning to do this for a few days...Ive had them setup on my main for like 2 weeks now, and i feel Ive given them a thorough workout....so here goes.
first impressions.
actually i was impressed by the look of them. the casting wasn't as great as the pictures you see from tech deck, but i expected this, after all they are mass produced trucks, so quality is not a strong point. one thing i noticed was that the room on the axle for each wheel was huge. really huge. i guess this way when they are made the wheels are guaranteed to fit onto the axles and spin with no problems....but maybe an extra millimeter each axle taken away would be nice.
the trucks seemed sturdy and strong.looking at them i didn't think i was going to have any of the problems faced with older gen tech deck trucks.
the indy logo on the hangar is a nice touch, and the shape of the hangars are really nice. also the baseplates are a redesigned shape too, with a white pivot cup.
performance
OK here's where things get interesting. i will say that i got these trucks from a trade, so i received the bare trucks, no extras like bushings/screws. other than that they were new.
before setting them up i felt they needed tuning. i put teflon bushings on each plate, an inverted kingpin (got rid of the original one). also i filed quite a bit of extra thread off the end of each axle with a dremmel type tool. the reason for this was the bare axle was too long, and it was quite sharp, and would dent most wooden surfaces no problems....(not good if your seshing your parents dining table....unless your pro and no primo)
also as the trucks didn't come with screws, i had to find my own. judging by the size of the holes on the plates, tech deck trucks still come with their own thin screws. i had a set of these, so i used them and they worked fine. i wouldn't recommended trying to wedge BRT sized screw in the plates, or the black screws that come with all the mass produced trucks on the market.
now they are pretty much ready to roll.
i use oak wheels, and because of the huge space on each axle for the wheels i decided to use 2 micro washers with each wheel. (so 8 in total) this made the trucks that much more solid with less wheel wobble).
i did try the trucks with other wheels, i would say dual type wheels would work the best. (as the bearing touches the hangar). if used with single bearing wheels, i could see the hangar chewing the backs of the wheels up a bit.....a small file sorts this, or the micro washers.
setup was easy, tuning etc. all good.
performance (really)
Ive used them like i would use any other truck, so here's my opinion.
i actually like them. I'm quite content with them.....the metal is the same cheap rubbish that all the cheap trucks use, so grinding metal/concrete will really eat away at them, also the grinding sensation is not the best...compared to grinding BRT's say. i think the new pivot cup really helps. it makes them turn more solidly, and i think the actual truck design is alright. (they turn well etc etc).
so far the hangar has not bent from hardcore use....i will say that the axles are now starting to move around, meaning they are falling away from the hangar (these trucks are not single axle...probably the biggest disappointment in cheap trucks). also after changing my wheels a few times (different oaks of course) i noticed i stripped the thread on one of the axles...Ive left it alone since, and have not tightened it no more. i can see the start of a dip showing on the hangars from grinding. this is due to the cheap alloy. luckily none of the axles have popped from the hangar just yet, but i feel its only a matter of time.
overall
they are what they are. cheap trucks, but cheap trucks with a nice pleasing design aspect. my major problem with them is the axles. firstly they are too long. so much so that they stick out too far on your setup, and that the axles just fall out after use. other than that they are quite good.
i will say that these are really light, ALOT lighter than any other extra wide truck. for me this is a plus. i can really notice the weight difference compared to say wide BRT's. but this is mainly due to the poor material they are made with and the lack of single axles.
they would be easy to shape (with a file/dremmel) so in the future i can see some cool looking ones pop up on FBHQ/FFI etc. they would look nice painted also.
generally i think tech deck has done a good job with these. its a step in the right direction...OK, they are not pro trucks, but you can see tech deck has obviously listened to feedback, and had an ear to the ground with the scene. anyone who cannot afford wide BRTs would be happy with a set of these. they suffice......just dont expect them to last long with constant fingerboarding.
at the end of the day these trucks are not 'pro' trucks. i think they could be a real good quality alternative, but they need single axles and a better alloy.....if that ever happened and they were inexpensive i could see them doing well as a fingerboarders truck.
if i have missed anything or run on like a drug induced fool or you have any questions, be my guest.
