At the moment i have a radikal front truck and soon am getting a back. im running it on my skurf skates board 19" wheel base. when i get the back rad.
should i put it on my ts hybrid or my gs?
i read in another thread here that wedging an offset truck can be counter productive. why is this?
Radikal setup
Moderator: Karl Floitgraf
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Eric Brammer
- Posts: 324
- Joined: Sat Sep 25, 2004 4:48 am
Offsets and wedges
Justin, no need to worry about wedges with offsets. Steering is steering, wedges affect steering at it's most basic element, the Geometry. Thus, all trucks react to wedges, all do so more-or-less in the same way (exceptions possibly being Gullwing's Splitaxle/Phoenix[70's version]/SL 2000, which seem to abide by their own rules when wedged). G.O.G.'s and PVD 1's are The Exceptions, but only because they can adjust in angle without wedges.
The Radikal Dragon's Tail is no different than any other truck in whether it'll react to wedges. It will. Do you need wedges with it? If you run a Kicktail or S-Camber Slalom deck, then, yeah, you'll want a negative wedge to at least flatten things out.
However, the D.T. is 'Turny' by rear truck standards, and so you may want to take 5-10 degrees out of the steering, but on a stiff, flat deck, -15 degrees would likely feel too 'dead', or at least slow-to-respond.
With Radikals, bushing choice becomes THE factor in fine tuning how these trucks turn and respond. Pay attention to your ride-heights front and rear, and stack your risers with wheel clearance in mind. Get some thin risers to 'shim' in the right height[s], be aware that wheel size, both width and roll height, may change your needs with riser/wedge choices.
At first, and especially for TS/Hybrid, keep the Dragon's Tail axle arms set on the 'high', as to get better steering leverage. [Tighten the axle arm bolts!! That's probably the one 'weak spot' on that truck now, so don't take it for granted, check those bolts.] As a G.S. truck, I think you'll find the D.T. to be really good at keeping traction even during 'mini pump' turns within a sweeper turn, with decent stability. Again, bushing choice is the key once you've got the steering input angle figured. You'll likely end up wanting another D.T., but an Airflow/Splitfire will do fine in G.S.. If you've only one high-end rear truck, get used to wrenching and swapping from deck-to-deck.
The Radikal Dragon's Tail is no different than any other truck in whether it'll react to wedges. It will. Do you need wedges with it? If you run a Kicktail or S-Camber Slalom deck, then, yeah, you'll want a negative wedge to at least flatten things out.
However, the D.T. is 'Turny' by rear truck standards, and so you may want to take 5-10 degrees out of the steering, but on a stiff, flat deck, -15 degrees would likely feel too 'dead', or at least slow-to-respond.
With Radikals, bushing choice becomes THE factor in fine tuning how these trucks turn and respond. Pay attention to your ride-heights front and rear, and stack your risers with wheel clearance in mind. Get some thin risers to 'shim' in the right height[s], be aware that wheel size, both width and roll height, may change your needs with riser/wedge choices.
At first, and especially for TS/Hybrid, keep the Dragon's Tail axle arms set on the 'high', as to get better steering leverage. [Tighten the axle arm bolts!! That's probably the one 'weak spot' on that truck now, so don't take it for granted, check those bolts.] As a G.S. truck, I think you'll find the D.T. to be really good at keeping traction even during 'mini pump' turns within a sweeper turn, with decent stability. Again, bushing choice is the key once you've got the steering input angle figured. You'll likely end up wanting another D.T., but an Airflow/Splitfire will do fine in G.S.. If you've only one high-end rear truck, get used to wrenching and swapping from deck-to-deck.
"Surfin' these Old Hills since back in The Day"
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Justin Readings
- Posts: 33
- Joined: Fri Oct 27, 2006 3:36 am
so your saying ill be switching my truck from board to board? i was thinking because of the offset i would put it on gs where i need the grip. and the tight is more technical and well tight so i put the front on thier.
some nights when i slalom i run 2 coarses in one night. i only have about 2 hours when i can get out, switching would be a problem.
some nights when i slalom i run 2 coarses in one night. i only have about 2 hours when i can get out, switching would be a problem.