MidTrackers
Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2008 7:19 pm
Audun, the orange/white combo Khiro bushing is excellent for most any Slalom application, though it'd be wise to have on hand (in a Ziploc baggie) two of each color, and maybe a blue one for more open courses. Bushings are THE tuning device for turn feel and pumping resistance; Luckily, they're not very expensive! At the rear, for your weight, I'd be looking for the White (82A) Jim-Z bushings, maybe matched with a stiffer Khiro (Red,Yellow,Black) or Powell (Yellow,White) bushing on top. Upgrades on the Trackers themselves would be stiffer, lubed, pivot cups, then 8mm axles with trued hanger ends, then Kingpins IF you need the a little more room for bushing (stock Tracker kingpins are solid) height.
Wedging depends on deck flex, shape, etc., so I'll describe it in relation to the truck being set flat; Front, you want 5 up to 12 degrees of wedge that angle the pivot cup towards the deck; Rear, you want 10 to 15 degrees of angle that moves the pivot away from the deck. Personally, I look for that back truck kingpin to be almost perpendicular to the road surface. Try to keep the rear of the deck the same height or slightly lower than the front, as a 'nose down' attitude will decrease foot traction while pumping. One quick thought on wheel size: Don't go too big (over 72mm) with Midtrackers, as you can rub the wheels on the Baseplate (Especially if they're center-set wheels that're larger). This is a Bad Thing...
The 'next step' in wheels for that ride, for faster courses, would be one of the 66mm-70mm size-class wheels like Hotspots, Grippens, Manx or ZigZags.
Wedging depends on deck flex, shape, etc., so I'll describe it in relation to the truck being set flat; Front, you want 5 up to 12 degrees of wedge that angle the pivot cup towards the deck; Rear, you want 10 to 15 degrees of angle that moves the pivot away from the deck. Personally, I look for that back truck kingpin to be almost perpendicular to the road surface. Try to keep the rear of the deck the same height or slightly lower than the front, as a 'nose down' attitude will decrease foot traction while pumping. One quick thought on wheel size: Don't go too big (over 72mm) with Midtrackers, as you can rub the wheels on the Baseplate (Especially if they're center-set wheels that're larger). This is a Bad Thing...
The 'next step' in wheels for that ride, for faster courses, would be one of the 66mm-70mm size-class wheels like Hotspots, Grippens, Manx or ZigZags.