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| Truck Reviews (15215 Posts)
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Kapu v. Seismic v. Randal
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On 4/15/1998 Dan
wrote in from
()
I Recently had the opportunity to compare the three newest designs
in longboard trucks at the Scott Creek ride Easter Sunday. I've had
a set of Seismic 157s and a set of Randals for a while and just got
some Kapus recently after reading the earlier review which said they
were the turniest things around. The Kapus were definitely the best
turning truck out there, no contest. With the standard black rubber
bushings they were almost too turny for downhill, but would have been
great for slalom. These trucks did not like going straight, they always
wanted to be turning. The folks at D'Adv tell me the harder, purple
bushing should help make the steering less squirelly. As an example
of their turning radius, I was able to do full uphill circles in one
lane of Scott Creek road and keep going whithout stopping. I could
never do this with the Seismics or the Randals. The design of the
Kapu is different from the other two, which are variations of the
standard truck design. The kingpin and the axle hanger are fixed
together and rotate within a cylinder protruding from the base plate
at 45'. There is a large single bushing that is twisted, rather
than being compressed. The bushing is attached with pins to the
end of the cylinder and the axle hanger. The Kapu is a very
tall truck; it is designed to work with 70mm wheels (orange Kryps
recommened by D'Adv) with no risers. With the 70mm wheels, though, there is no
chance of wheel bite since there is an internal, positive stop built
into the kingpin of the truck to prevent over-rotation.
The glory of the Seismic truck has been praised on this site many times,
so I will not go into too much more. The Seismic does not turn as sharply
as the Kapu, but it is more stable at speed. I think the spring design
returns to center better than bushings, in general. I ride the red springs,
tightened to a medium setting which seems to give pretty quick turning and
enough stability for all but the fastest runs. It is also a pretty good
setup for Coleman Slides, which were scary on the kapu which would rather
turn than slide.
The Randals, though nowhere near as quick as Kapus or Seismics are the hands
down winner for going fast. This is the most stable truck I have ridden, and
I've got mine set up for carving, not bombing. The Randal also works great for
slides. I also had the opportunity to try the new Randal trucks, the R2.
This is a smaller, quicker version of the originals and may come in
various widths and kingpin angles for a custom ride. I can't wait for them to
go into production. Word is it should be soon...
Note: I think it is a shame that there is currently a controversy/lawsuit involving
D'Adv and eXkate about the design of the Kapu trucks. I am not taking sides in this
matter, I am just reviewing a product. This sport does not need this sort of issue;
it just prevents innovation in the industry and hurts the image of skateboarding in
general. I hope the two parties involved can come to an amicable agreement.
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Gullwing Sidewinder 2's
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On 4/11/1998
tikiman
wrote in from
()
a day late & a dollar short....much of life has been that way, but better late than never!! OK, longboard fans, ....this is what you've been waiting for......(drum roll, please..) an approx. 20 year old truck??? YES! Virginia, there is a best, all around truck....the old GW Side 2...OK, tikiman, why are these so great? one thing, sports fans, the angle of pivot where the rubber meets the road....the 2's have approx. 5 degrees higher pivot. try this little test...place your hand on your desk in a plane perpendicular to the desk (fingers pointing into the top of the desk) . now, twist your hand in the vertical plane back & forth. note the distance of arc it takes to turn your hand 90 degrees......this time , place your hand , fingers down again, but with the heel about 45 degrees to the table. do the same rotation motion. the distance you must move your hand to get the outer edge of it to the same spot you did earlier has increased greatly.....this is the same on your skateboard! the higher the angle of pivot, the shorter the distance needed to achieve the same turning arc. TADA! ( oh, by the way, that's why everybody uses angled risers, duh!) there are many great trucks available (Seismic, Randall, Invader, etc.) but for a base point all-around truck, you can't beat these Gw's. Trouble is, they're out of production & very hard to get. LUCKILY, i have a bunch of them. this is the first & only place on the net i've offered them, so hurry while they last. They're $25. ea. ,ppd. email me if you want.
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Tracket 149mm
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On 3/18/1998
Nick
wrote in from
()
These trucks kick ass with a sector nine supercruiser deck!
They aren't prone to the daeth wobble at high speeds and Tony Hawk even has a pair! Their affordable and Kick ASS!!
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Kapu Trucks
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On 2/23/1998
Robert
wrote in from
()
Ok, some new information on Kapu trucks. For the kind of
downhill that I do -- surf style downhill slalom -- these
are VERY good trucks. Here's the comparison: My 54 inch
D'Adv longboard carves tighter, more fluid turns with Kapu
trucks than does my 28 inch shortboard with Seismic trucks!
Really fluid, really responsive. A better feel than Seismics
too.
They used to be sold only as completes, but they're now
available separately. Check out Daring Adventures
They are going to have online ordering soon too.
The design is fundamentally different than traditional
trucks. I hope they put up pictures of it. The bushing
rotates around the kingpin instead of being compressed like
it is in traditional designs. Very simple, clean design, but
hard to explain without seeing it. They sell three hardnesses
of bushings, and the softest ones are very responsive. I
don't do speed runs, but I'd imagine that they'd be too
sensitive at higher speeds. The harder ones might be ok.
For surf style downhill slalom they're fantastic.
The people at Daring Adventures are great too. I called
them for info, and they offered to send me a free upgrade
to their newest truck design for free. Came three days
later. Great attitude!
They also make completes and decks. See my post on the
completes.
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Tracker
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On 11/3/1997
Colin
wrote in from
()
Well, friends, I have a pair of Tracker B2 149 mm wide
and I wonder if I should find them in a more larger version like
for example 152mm
Let me know and keep up the good work!
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Kapu Trucks (again)
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On 10/17/1997
todcar
wrote in from
()
Looked at these things again...they have NO pivot for the axle housing - all of the weight/torgue is carried through the kingpin. Weird. Supposedly they can't be sold separately from the "Daring Adventures" board out of fear they will be installed incorrectly. I don't need a whole board/bearing/wheel thing...just the trucks. C'mon already and sell some to me eh?
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Kapu Trucks
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On 10/15/1997 Todcar
wrote in from
()
Saw some of these on a board made by "Daring Adventures" - they are a radical departure from standard trucks. They are based on a "randal/old gullwing" geometry where the axle is on the opposite side of the kingpin. They have a SINGLE bushing and are tall. Very cool looking.Keep your eyes open for them.
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Randals
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On 9/30/1997
Sim
wrote in from
()
Randals are the sickest trucks for longboarding. they rip for grassboarding with a set of XT's, and they look just plain fuckin' beefie on a normal pro deck (although they are impossibale to use!) Buy a set of the bastards now, or live to regret the day they sell out. red are the best (Fastest?. NOT)
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Seismic Trucks
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On 8/16/1997 Adam
wrote in from
()
 For everyone who has been asking about Seismic Trucks and what they look like, I finally found a picture. For more info contact SeismicSK8@aol.com
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Orion Shiny Blues
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On 8/5/1997
Nater
wrote in from
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Kickass, stylin things. They rip
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Seismic Silver Springs
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On 7/21/1997 Adam
wrote in from
()
I recently got my hands on Seismic's ultra-light (silver) springs to replace the stock red springs. The silvers are lightning quick and even more fun than the reds. As my riding style has improved/evolved I find myself going for looser and looser truck settings. Though the Seismics transitioned fast with the red springs, the silvers are a level faster and more responsive.
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Tracker B-2
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On 7/21/1997 Adam
wrote in from
()
Surprising performance for an old school truck. Mounted on angled rises (thick ends in) they carved and transitioned quite well. The king pin could be longer to allow for a looser setting and more turn angle, though.
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B-52
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On 6/13/1997 Bomber
wrote in from
()
These trucks are great they sale for a great price.
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RANDAL SPEED TRUCKS
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On 5/19/1997
mike b.
wrote in from
()
Randal speed trucks are the most stable trucks i have ever ridden. They give you so much added support due to a unique geometry. A+!!!!
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Indy 2-1-5mm
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On 4/19/1997
Steve
wrote in from
()
After years and years of study, I've got to put my money on the Independent 215mm truck for all around longboarding. I ride my 215's really loose for surf-style riding and tighten 'em up a bit for downhill.
They are stable, tough, and easy to maintain and sdjust...Say no more.
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randal
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On 4/4/1997 blaine
wrote in from
()
these trucks are incredible, fast, smooth, and no wobbles!!!
put indie's 215's to shame. anyone interested in going fast
downhill should check these out.
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Tracker B-52's
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On 3/25/1997
Jeb
wrote in from
()
These trucks are kind of halfway between l-board
and regular trucks. They aren't the best or stablest,
they are prone to death wobble at high speeds, They are
pretty cheap though, especially compared to Randals, etc.
They are way better than any conventional truck (gullwing
Micro G's, Venture Featherlight I's or II's, Indy regulars,
Standards, etc.)
that I have ever ridden for hill bombing and can be crossed
over to a freestyle/old-school board
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cutters
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On 3/17/1997
scooter
wrote in from
()
Cutter was a small truck company in the bay area around '89-92'
As far as I know they went out of business, but if you can find a pair,
they're the tightest turning trucks I've ever ridden.
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Seismics
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On 3/15/1997
Richard
wrote in from
()
I have just had a weekend riding Seismic 157mm trucks. I mounted them on my 50” Powell Pele board with about 3/4” of riser..... I started with no riser but my 70mm kryps rubbed when I had them loose. I rode them in 3 different terrain, downhill straight, downhill / flat street cruising, concrete park (snake run, banks and capsule bowl).
Downhill ..... I started with the trucks as loose as possible, no speed wobble but their extreme sensitivity made it a bit hairy when the speed built up, you would get used to it but I tightened them 2 turns and it was awesome. With stiffer springs they would work as well as Randals in downhill I am sure.
Cruising .... This is where the trucks come into their own ! Nothing compares to them at all, Randals are the closest but still a way behind due to the response. My longboard turned like a DREAM ....... and they always spring back so you can crank from one turn to the other. My turning circle when pulling a drop knee G turn was around 6’ which is awesome and that is without sliding out although I was travelling pretty fast. I can’t describe the turns you can make with these trucks, I surf and snowboard and suddenly my longskate was feeling very close to the sensations of those. You can have the trucks so loose for turning and crank one turn after the other YET they are so stable when you want them to be. Another thing is that turning to your (what I call backside, ie with your back to the uphill section) is as easy as frontside turning which with normal trucks isn’t so for me .... can’t explain that one though. Anyway suddenly the whole world is my playground, hills that before I had to power slide my way down because of the speed I now carve down as you can carve the turns right round ! Driveways that were to acute to attack now get slashed etc. Grinding the beauties is a dream to as they don’t hang up or catch and are way smooth. All in all while I may keep my Randals on my downhill setup I will never be able to ride anything else on my cruising set up. Adjusting them is SO easy and precise to although you don’t really need to adjust for different situations as they are so stable when you want them to be. Pumping on the flat is So easy with them and actually had to stop pumping as I was gaining speed so quick, my younger fitter friend pumped them up quite a steep road which surprised the motorists ! Got used to them real quick as well which is good. All my cruising buddies went wild over them.
So next stop the park, while I usually ride a shorter board on the steep banks and tight snake run I kept the trucks on my longboard, again they performed like a dream, I was pumping the walls on the snake run into the bowl and the walls are steep, yet when I needed stability on the last very tight vert corner I got it and was “shot” out into the bowl to carve around the lip and pumped back up the snake. Grinding etc the smaller banks was great, I have trouble grinding on the longer boards on bigger walls but suspect the trucks would still give the impeccable performance.
All in all I can’t say enough about them !
Don’t let the price put you off they are way above other trucks, slalom racers would freak over them I reckon.
Get a set today or else stay unenlightened and not enjoying this pastime to the full, my normal set up trucks feels like dinosaurs now and even my Randals have been surpassed!
Richard Jones
Australia
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Z-Roller Truck
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On 3/14/1997
Bryan Heath
wrote in from
()
What's up guys and gals?Let me turn everyone on to a couple of things.First of all, it's the "Z-Roller" 149mm truck.This truck rips on any terrain with either a conventional or longboard deck.The axle spins inside of the truck,which in turn,will give you a lesser amount of rolling resistance,which will result in more SPEED!This company has been around since the stoneage and makes high quality wheels,and decks also.They also have a new downhill truck out that has bearings in the axle,WOW !! They're expensive,but I'm sure they're worth it.The axles in these trucks are the same as the bearing "hole",so there will be no speed wobbles either.Z-Products have they're act together.The second and most important thing I'll tell you about is that Jesus Christ saves.Follow him and all your troubles will fall behind. JOHN 3:15
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Seismic 146
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On 2/11/1997
Adam
wrote in from
()
Hoo hooo! I have finally found the holy grail of skateboard turning. Seismic trucks are so superior to every other truck I’ve ever ridden that it’s difficult to convey unless you've tried them yourself. I mounted my new Seismics on a Powerhouse 48" PX-1 slalom board with red Kryptonic C70’s. The trucks were fitted with Seismic’s light (red) springs and were initially adjusted to the loosest setting. FYI, each Seismic truck has two inter-changeable, color-coded coil springs. The springs are available in four spring rates: extra light, light, medium, and heavy.
It took just one run to realize that these trucks were a quantum leap over my Independent 215s. The first thing I noticed was that the trucks turned incredibly smoothly, precisely, and *very* quickly. Linking a couple of quick turns was even more revealing because the Seismic’s can go from full-left to full-right so fast it almost threw me off the board.
Another Seismic trait is their ability to hold sharp turns, which can result in a g-pulling U-turn if you care to (or even can) hold a fast turn that long. My turning circle on the 48" deck was something like five feet. Amazing. Moving to a steeper hill the red springs proved to be a bit too responsive (but no wobbles!) so I decided to go straight to the next-heavier springs, mistakenly thinking the adjusters on the trucks wouldn’t do much. The medium (gold) springs firmed up the truck’s response and provided excellent stability but killed the lightning-quick reflexes that the red springs had. Though the gold’s turning action was still good, I switched back to the reds and broke out the 1/8" Allen wrench to try my hand at tuning the springs. After some experimentation I found out that the adjusters do provide ample range. I settled on two turns in on the adjuster screws.
These trucks are not cheap but their performance is in a class by itself and they’re built more like a BMW than a kid’s toy. If you’re serious about carving turns they’re a must-have addition to your skateboard quiver. Contact SeismicSK8@aol.com for info.
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Randel
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On 1/23/1997
Richard
wrote in from
()
In my opinion a god send for the longboarder. A very very responsive truck which is so stabel and has no speed wobble that I can feel, so fast runs and tight carves are available ! Suit any deck up to about 10-11" wide although they do a wider more expensive competition truck. Don't think i 'll ride anything else now!
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Seismics
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On 12/30/1996
Chris Yandall
wrote in from
()
Someone say smooth turns? You simply cannot compare Seismics
to conventional rollerskate prehistoric technology. I'm not
saying that the genius of Dan Gessmer is the final solution,
but it represents a T E C H N O facelift to programmed
turning trucks.
You don't need Seismics to ollie over a Porsche. You don't need
them to catch neuro-strato air either although they are well
capable of hanging with the old technology. When it comes to cruising
and highspeed controlled turns, you can't beat 'em !!! The smooth
consistent 45 degree turning action speaks for itself. Any
turning specialist could tell you that rollerskate turning
action is not only sloppy but is simply not conducive to low
friction drag on each and every turn. Seismics have not yet
proven themselves in high tech slalom racing because not
many of the top riders have found them resourceful(pricey and
relatively a new turning ideal). The only drawback
to Seismics are the rigidity of the turning axis action which some
folk using hardwood boards with no progammed flex could complain
about the shock absorption. This will be addressed perhaps in the future
upgrades of the truck.
Seismic Trucks work incredibly well with ultra progammed flex decks like
Turners. As more and more technology is introduced to programmed flex decks,
the more and more Seismics will be found as a techno breakthrough. My quiver of
decks include a Hickey 40", Turner Blackbird and my new deck soon to be
released,
Angel Dust(42" Concave Cambered Maple Lam). I'm quite disenchanted with the
"ironing" board techlnololgy used with current long board craze. Graphics on
the deck and sagging
flex is not my cup of tea. When are longboarders going to wake up and smell the
fragrance of PROGRAMMED FLEX DEX ????
Anyways, my diatribe on downhill slalom decks only touches the tip of the
iceberg of
longboard techology. Think CAMBERED CONCAVE decks my friends and you'll be
seeing
the craze of the future for high-tech turning boards. Or you can order one
of my decks (-; .
p.s. These trucks are the ultimate PUMPING trucks even on with the "ironing"
boards that
most of the longboard companies are selling.
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Invader 153
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On 12/20/1996 adam
wrote in from
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Tall truck with really good turning radius and good stability. Seems well made. Not carried by many shops.
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Independent 215
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On 12/7/1996 adam
wrote in from
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Wide and really stable. Originally equipped with low orange bushings. I modified mine to increase their turning ability by replacing the kingpin with one 1/4" longer, and changing the upper bushings with taller, softer Cloud bushings (and larger retainers). I then moved the original top bushings and retainers to the bottom.
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