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| Q&A: McKendry on Speed (1810 Posts)
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Spherical bearing?
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On 9/23/2005 tom t
wrote in from
Canada
(66.241.nnn.nnn)
"I almost never break a Grade 8 kingpin, in part because I don't trap it with a spherical bearing in the hanger's cushion seats. There are better ways to remove slop..."
Chris...not sure what you mean, but I'm intrigued...can you elaborate?
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trucks
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On 9/23/2005
Bob
wrote in from
United States
(198.77.nnn.nnn)
I hear you Chris, and I pretty much agree with you.
I was out longboarding last night with 3 guys, all using Seismics. By the way, I love Seismics -- Dan is a genius. But...they are complicated to tune. I have never felt like I had mine totally dialed in. I attribute this to laziness on my part. I like to get a board set up, adjust it with my standard skate tool, and ride. Hell, I'm so lazy I just finally changed out the stock yellow bushings in my R-II's that are 5 years old.
Anyway, I'm going to give my Seismics some attention and see if I can get 'em just right. But if I could get another truck, simpler to adjust, with the engineering and quality of Seismics, that would be very good.
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Adjusting Trucks
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On 9/23/2005
Chris Chaput
wrote in from
United States
(66.116.nnn.nnn)
I like the theory of what you're saying, but I've never been a big fan of trucks that you can't adjust. And I want to adjust them in ONE place, with a 9/16" wrench. I don't want to adjust them in two places, where I can possibly preload it into turning crooked before I step on it. I don't want to have to carry around an allen wrench. I don't want to change the whole bushing to loosen or stiffen the ride. And I certainly don't want to have to change the whole truck to find one more suited to my weight in a given application.
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kingpins
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On 9/22/2005 herbn
wrote in from
United States
(152.163.nnn.nnn)
i've bought the long one and cut them into shorter ones. If you take that thred on bigger bushings as better bushings to one logical conclusion, you may come up with sort of a fusion of those urithane trucks(up trucks) but include a metal or carbon skeleton(hanger/framework)to keep a consistant turning geometry, with a large bushing molded into it.
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Kingpins
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On 9/22/2005
Chris Chaput
wrote in from
United States
(66.116.nnn.nnn)
I just posted this in the trucks forum:
Randal uses TWO DIFFERENT length kingpins for his longboard trucks (and more for streetluge) The R-II series (150mm & 180mm) uses 2 1/2" dome-topped kingpins, and the Downhill truck uses a 2 3/4" dome-topped kingpin. The Dome top is "grind friendly" but is harder to wrench. You can use Grade-8 2 3/4" kingpins in the R-II's and 3" kingpins in the Downhill trucks and put taller cushions on the top. The Grade 8 color is kind of brassy looking. The fine thread of a 3/8" hex headed cap screw for this has 24 threads per inch.
I almost never break a Grade 8 kingpin, in part because I don't trap it with a spherical bearing in the hanger's cushion seats. There are better ways to remove slop...
Above: 2 1/2" Grade 5 dome top, 2 1/2" Grade 8, 2 3/4" Grade 5 dome top, 3" Grade 8
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randal kinpins
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On 9/22/2005 tom t
wrote in from
Canada
(66.241.nnn.nnn)
hey guys...I recently snapped the rear kingpin on my RII 180s. Is there a tougher replacement you could recommend? I like hard carving and pumping, so I guess it fatigued.
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Still Skatin' After All These Years
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On 9/19/2005
Chris Chaput
wrote in from
United States
(66.116.nnn.nnn)
Hey Tim, I totally remember that session. And I remember with regard to the girl, that it seemed a bit strange to me that of all of the things in the world a young girl could wish for, spending a day with a pro skateboarder topped her list!
I'm glad that you were able to keep from soiling your trousers, and I'm glad that you got a kick out of seeing the Concrete Wave. Lots of great skate related things are brewing in the longboard and racing world. It's a great time to be a skateboarder.
If you have any old pictures from that event, I'd love to see them. The seventies were interesting times. I remember thinking how cool it was to have the whole park to ourselves. I loved skating. I loved putting on a show. So getting to do gigs like that were just as much fun for me as it was for you. I have a wife and a 6 year old daughter and skateboarding is once again a full time gig. Life is sweet, although my body does ache more at 44.
Keep in touch Tim, and thanks for the kind words!
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Chris Chaput
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On 9/18/2005
Tim Hatch
wrote in from
United States
(69.72.nnn.nnn)
Chris,im sure you dont remember me but ill try to refresh your memory.i met you while i was in 6th grade(75-76?),at a skatepark in Baltimore ,Md.the reason we met,was because i won a contest on a tv station called sports fantasy. i wanted to go to socal and meet a pro to ride with,well they wouldnt fly me out there from delaware,but i got to meet you and skate with you.the next day there was a chapstick board with lipbalm wheels waiting for me when i got home from school.that was the highlite of elementary school years.i rode that board into the ground,wish i kept it,but it received its intended use.it was you,me and a girl at the park,that was it,we had you and the park to ourselves.i remember you pulling countless 360s in the freestyle area.fast forward many years,the wifes buying whatever we need at wallyworld,im wastin time in mag isle,and see concrete wave magazine,there you are in an ad,almost crapped my pants(that would have added to the shopping list)anyway,thanks for the great memories,i still talk about that day,and still skate.
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Chris C.
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On 9/17/2005 d
wrote in from
United States
(216.9.nnn.nnn)
you are like yoda, wise words from a jedi trainer, always something more to think about.
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Big Green Cusion
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On 9/17/2005
Ric
wrote in from
United States
(68.7.nnn.nnn)
Chris, Would like to ask your opinion on a "strong, straight truck with an intelligent cushion seat." What are some good options that turn well? Would also like to know if you ever mix different hangers (front short back longer) to make the board steer more from the front?
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crails
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On 9/16/2005
panda
wrote in from
France
(82.225.nnn.nnn)
I julien.
I'm a truck freak and actually i do own a pair of crails.
My girlfriend is using them most often, i used them for downhill fun runs
on my sector 9 raceboard, she uses 'em for competition.
Basically for cheap trucks they're perfect, the best of both worlds between the randal DH and randal II.
They got 180mm hangers, 45 degrees angle, a really stable center position (which can handle lots of speed without wobbling).
I've heard some complaints about the bushings, if find 'em to be working great for DH.
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double wides
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On 9/15/2005 herbn
wrote in from
United States
(64.12.nnn.nnn)
very cool,i don't know if it would be faster, but if you made a sleeve to link the wheels and had pair of micro bearings in the sleeve OR a pair of 6008's as inside bearings with a 10mm o.d.sleeve as a spacer between the outer bearings. Either way you'd have to run non Biltin bearings (they would be hidden) the lower rotating weight might be worth it.
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randal substitutes
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On 9/15/2005
Julien
wrote in from
United States
(129.133.nnn.nnn)
Hey panda,
have you checked out the Crail downhill trucks?
They're from Brazil and can be a bit difficult to find but have a 45 deg angle and seem to be less inconsistent in their drillings than the randals
-julien
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fine by me
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On 9/12/2005
panda
wrote in from
France
(82.225.nnn.nnn)
fine by me.
the i-get-to-play-with-it-first attitude seems legit to me.
my insights having tried the jimz on both RI and magun baseplates as well as the complete maguns.
-- 45 degrees is a nice angle
-- Centered axles (aligned with the kingpin, like in geezerx's picture in the trucks forum on maguns) are great (kind of like slalom offset trucks, they stick to the road).
-- the spherical bearing might not be that good, it feels weird on the jimz's
-- not standard drilling pattern makes no sense (and is a big pain)
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Trucks, Kickflips
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On 9/10/2005
Chris Chaput
wrote in from
United States
(66.116.nnn.nnn)
I can't give any specifics about trucks, because I'm only doing one-offs and testing at the moment. What I can say is, that I have a laundry list of very specific features that I want in a truck, and if I can't get what I want, I don't want to play. Kind of childish, isn't it? Some of you know how I operate. I make something new, I'm the only kid who gets to play with it at the next race, and then I open up the floodgates and share with everyone.
Bob, I did kind of a kick flip in Montreal - on my streetluge. I was doing about 55mph in the straights and went to hit the brakes before a left hander. My brakes (the rubber I had glued too recently onto the bottom of my shoes) slid off and got sucked into my double-front, double-wide wheels, causing me to cartwheel down the track. It was quite a sight for riders behind me that included winner David Dean and runner up Yvon Labarthe. Whenever the sole of your shoe causes your board to flip, isn't that a kickflip?
Danny, hopefully we'll have you out of dorkdom and into kingdom soon. In the mean time, it's time to heal shoulders and backs, eh?
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Trucks
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On 9/10/2005 Danny Connor
wrote in from
United States
(152.163.nnn.nnn)
Chris,
So I guess that means you're gonna give me trucks too? Ha Ha I hope Randal doesn't get pissed if I give em a try! I'm on a total downhill dork fest right now. Montreal was too much. DC
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double wides
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On 9/9/2005
Bob
wrote in from
United States
(198.77.nnn.nnn)
Chris, those double wides look like they'd be good for doing ollie kickflips. How 'bout some video of you throwing down a kickflip or two. tee-hee.
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panda
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On 9/9/2005 panda@epita.fr
wrote in from
France
(82.225.nnn.nnn)
I kind of asked the same thing in the trucks forum,
but can you give us more hints (making us drool on 3d representations would be a good start) on what you're planning on for the liquid trucks (baseplate angle, axle width, hanger width...)
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What Next?
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On 9/8/2005
Chris Chaput
wrote in from
United States
(66.116.nnn.nnn)
Danny, It was great to see you back out there again. I may be hosed for the World Slalom Championships but I'm optimistic that my shoulder may not be a reoccuring thing. So far, it's stayed in place. I'm getting footage of that and the crash that took me out in the right hander. Should be good video.
MG's right about the Strikers, in that they are made for smooth and predictable sliding at speed, there are a few different forms of sliding.
1. Sliding through turns at speed, and
2. Sliding as an artform in itself, and
3. Sliding as a tool in carving hills
Unfortunately, there really isn't one wheel size/shape/hub/duro that can do it all. Sliding in racing will require taller wheels in softer compounds. Sliding as an artform requires smaller wheels in a harder compound. Sliding as a carve-tool requires something in between.
Sideset wheels slide more but cone more. Centerset wheels grip more, but cone less. Many sliders like flush mounted trucks, and can't use too big of a wheel. Many of my wheels top out at 88a, when 92a, 94a, or 96a may be a better choice for sliding. For now, some of my favorites include:
All Flywheels and 77mm Strikers in 81a (or softer) for speed sliding
62mm Pink Polka Dots in the hard compound (are you "man" enough?)
65mm Retro VertZ in 96a
70mm Flashbacks in 92a with the edges rounded
66mm Strikers in 88a with the inner edge rounded
65mm NO Skools in 94a
As time goes by, I'll have a better idea of what most people are looking for, and see if I can make a nice offering without breaking the bank.
Big Green Cushion WILL be made, but you're going to want a strong, straight truck with an intelligent cushion seat to best utilize them. Hmmm...
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You know you want me on green somehow....
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On 9/8/2005 Danny Connor
wrote in from
United States
(152.163.nnn.nnn)
Hello Chris,
Eventhough getting lost with you and Jimmy was fun, I'd have to say I had a blast at Top Challenge. Thanks for always making us guess what you're going to do next. Hope the shoulder is ok, I pop mine out on a regular and it's no joke. You were basically head-to-toe on the hay for a few. Anyway....those bushing sound really cool. Stock Randals are a bit "floppy" for me. Do you have any details yet? When they come out? Price? Duros? I'd like to give em a go. Get better...DC
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Slide Wheel
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On 9/8/2005
MG
wrote in from
United States
(216.52.nnn.nnn)
I thought the Strikers were a purpose built slide wheel, downhill speed sliding anyway. The 77s are sweet.
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Giving away the store?
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On 9/7/2005 EBasil
wrote in from
United States
(63.206.nnn.nnn)
You've "open sourced" the construction of a new wheel design, and now you tell your competitors how to make the truck setups? Dude! It's like you're in this to make us faster or something.
While you're at it, can you tell me how much green jello to use for those big cushions you have there?
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Slide Wheels
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On 9/7/2005
K-Rimes
wrote in from
Canada
(24.87.nnn.nnn)
Have you ever considered making a purpose built slide wheel?
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Helpful Hints
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On 9/7/2005
Chris Chaput
wrote in from
United States
(66.116.nnn.nnn)
Here are some tips and tools. From top to bottom:
Hammer
Punch
5/16" long drill bit
.3135" reamer
Big Green Cushions
6.25" Downhill hanger with 11.3125" Luge axle
Downhill axle
Luge axle alone (bent)
1/2" Chromoly axle stepped down to .314"
Hammer the end of axle closest to the "R" in Randal on the Downhill hanger (the knurling comes out easier). I do this with a disposable locknut on the end, so as not to ruin the threads.
Use the punch to keep hammering it out of the hanger.
Drill out the hanger with a long 5/16" (.3125") drill bit and ream it from both sides if necessary. The Luge axles have a .313" OD so I got a .3135" reamer.
Tap the Luge axle in place. Voila! I don't bother pin the axle in place because with 4 Biltin Bearings tightened by a locknut on each side, there's no place for it to go. The ends of the Luge axles are slotted for a screwdriver, in case the axles spin inside the hanger.
In the future I will take my axle concept (the bottom one) and extend the axle another 1" on each side.
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DBL WIDE
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On 9/7/2005
sean
wrote in from
United States
(63.105.nnn.nnn)
Chris, am I understanding this- The hanger is a randal 160mm and you smack the axle out and replace it with the 205 mm luge axle? I clearly understand everything you did except that. I am ready to make a set and try them out.
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