Geezer X modified Bennetts

[Jonathan Harms]

Today I mounted up a 10 degree wedge and ran 5.5' cones. No problem. Only hit a couple cones. I think 10 degrees is the sweetspot.

Spot on. That's what I ride on my front Bennett.

There IS indeed such a thing as "too much wedge." I found that out the hard way in the TS at Longmont last year on my Pavel Rocka. I was running a cutdown Radikal, but the effect was the same. I was running some steep Khiro rail risers (either 10 or 15 degrees), and the upturned nose of the board added maybe ANOTHER 10 degrees of wedge. Either the wedges or the upturned nose by itself would have been plenty, but combined, they made the board ridiculously unstable. It "folded" on me and tipped up on the edge of the wheels on the first few cones as I tried to pump up to speed. The harder I pumped, the worse it got. It felt like someone had a little "voodoo board" and was throwing it around randomly as I tried to ride it. I learned my lesson, but at a price: Match the amount of wedge to the board and the truck. There IS a sweet spot.

[Gary Saenz]

Today I mounted up a 10 degree wedge and ran 5.5' cones. No problem. Only hit a couple cones. I think 10 degrees is the sweetspot.

[Gary Saenz]

Sam,

I backed off to a 15 degree wedge this weekend and they turn much better. More linear and I don't feel like I am pushing it through the corner as much. I'm going to try a 10 degree wedge in a couple of days and see what it is like. Thanks for the advice.

[Sam Gordon]

Hi Gary.

As you've probably found, the Bennetts steer pretty sharply compared to a Tracker RTX for example, more like one of the old slalom Lazers. It could be worth experimenting with greatly reduced wedge (although those you have are a work of craftsmenship); maybe 5-8 degrees. At the same time run the Khiro whites. This might give the rapid response but with a more predictible and progressive turn. These are surprisingly fluid and fast trucks, despite the bulky appearance.

Let's hear how the 5' goes!


Sam

[Gary Saenz]

I got my Geezer X Bennett the other day from Joe I. Really nice work by Geezer. It looked to be everything as advertised. Mounted it on my hybrid board last night. Wheelbase of 21", wedged 20 degrees. Got to give it a bit of a shakedown today after work. Messed around with the bushing set up and settled on two orange Khiro barrels for right now with flat washers. Set up cones at 6' centers and a second lane at 5' centers. 6 footers was no problem. Didn't hit a single cone after getting the bushings right. Tried out the 5' course and could make it through 7 or 8 cones before I started plowing cones. I'm going to try some white bushings next time to see if that would allow me to make the 5' course. I'm very happy with this truck.

[Blair Watson]

Couldn't answer a single question, huh? I'm not surprised at all. You're not going to argue with me because you can't.

And I don't need to pretend to say anything, Don, I stand by statements—unlike yourself, as you've proved on this very thread.

Criticism based on absolutely nothing but emotion is just about the most pathetic kind of criticisms there is. School girl stuff.

[Donald Campbell]

i'm not gonna argue with you blair.
i've had my share in the past.

you can pretend to say whatever you want but you should also be able to live with critcism.

if that criticism is funded or not remains to be proven.

i gave my impression here and i'll leave it at that.
just continue doding your stuff and believe in it,that's ok,no worries.

[Blair Watson]

i want to point out that i absolutely favor this version over the canadian version.
incredibly detailed work,very nice finished truck,unbeatable in quality.

That says nothing. Completely empty statement. Please explain, in detail.

i must honestly admit that i hate bennetts and i am absolutely against that truck.

So, what you're saying is you have absolutely no credibility on the subject and anything you say with regard to Bennett trucks is based on some ridiculous emotion rather than real experience and knowledge, yes?

bennetts are likely to suck at high speed situations and are more a relic of the past in my eyes.it doesn't matter how much you try to "enhance" the trucks,they remain a relic.

You really don't have a clue what you're talking about, do you? What an amazingly foolish statement based on absolutely no knowledge at all. Amazing!

i don't see the bennetts there,what's wrong?

All in good time. Bennett proved themselves decades ago—as Steve Olson puts it, Bennetts turn on a dime. You might recall he won a number of epic races on Bennetts. The last being La Costa Open 2001.

You'll see more Bennetts on the courses soon enough. They've already infiltrated the US and Brit races.

claiming that this and that material is involved and that the trucks are tested at 500 pounds and and and makes the product itself not really trustworthy in my eyes.

I make no claims, I state facts. My customers have a right to know what they're riding.

It was 8,300 lbs with a hydraulic ram on the offset and 5,000 lbs at centre of the bearing seat, actually—lab tested at an independent facility.

That's what real companies do to ensure their product exceeds expectations. Foolish irresponsible companies flog them out onto market untested so racers can reap the pain of incurring failures on untested devices.

And at this juncture, there's not been single failure or complaint from any of my customers. In fact, I've had several repeat customers. Hmmmm... I wonder why?

[Donald Campbell]

ok we just exchanged pms and all is well.
i must honestly admit that i hate bennetts and i am absolutely against that truck.
this,please read carefully now,is my oppinion and i don't want to inflict this on other skaters.
to each his own.
something else i want to share with you,chris,is that a machinist can be as good as he can be but that doesn't imply necessarily that he knows what he's actually producing,or how good this is or will perform.
ramon königshausen got tight champion last year with a modified tracker rtx.costs involved in that modifcation are zero.he posted that on several forums already and there's no need to go into detail now.
bennetts are likely to suck at high speed situations and are more a relic of the past in my eyes.it doesn't matter how much you try to "enhance" the trucks,they remain a relic.

i think that to each item there is a progress.things can evolve and should do so,otherwise skateboarding comes to a standstill.
another good indicator to the quality of a product is the presence of the aforementioned at races.which pro or high ranked am relies on what.
these "real" racers are out there to make a podium.
most,if not all,are unpaid individuals and can,almost in all cases,decide what they want to ride and what not.
i don't see the bennetts there,what's wrong?

claiming that this and that material is involved and that the trucks are tested at 500 pounds and and and makes the product itself not really trustworthy in my eyes.
i don't give a)(//& on telling people what kind of axle material is used for gog trucks or what kind of aluminium is used either for baseplate or hanger.
the performance of the trucks speaks for itself and that's it.
i know what we use and there's only skaters involved in the whole process of development and fabrication.
but this is my oppinion please make your own decisions and buy whatever you like.
as long as you are happy
and i think that's the most important aspect to it.

[Chris Iversen]

Wasn't a threat Donald. I said "be careful" the same way a university professor would when marking a paper that makes a claim without evidence. That could be dangerous on many levels, not just for the person making the statement, but for everyone involved: In this case, the modifiers, or even the manufacturers of the trucks as well. Someone else could read the statement and draw an unfounded conclusion, thereby missing out on trying an excellent product.

Pictures are a good reference, but there are many things you can't see, such as the grade of stainles stell used in the axles, etc. Yes, Geezer is the "guru" of modified trucks, because he has been doing it a long time, and has established a well-deserved reputation around the slalom scene. But the guy that mods "not just Blair, he's not a machinist" the Speed-dealer trucks, is also a very talented machinist who has manufactured and modded many quality trucks for speedboarding, so he knows what he is doing. He was a natural choice as someone local to branch his skills into the growing slalom scene we are experiencing here in Western Canada, and to collaborate with Blair to design a high qualilty truck for slalom.

On a side note Donald, I had the opportunity to try one of your G.O.G trucks yesterday, I must say they ride very nice. I have no personal beef with you Donald, and I've never met you other than online. Blair is a friend of mine, but what went on between you and him is not my concern. I just needed to chime in because I knew you couldn't have seen the speed-dealer trucks in person, and seeing as this is a public forum I wanted to point that out. You are an established and experienced person within our community and many will take your advice. I just wanted to play Devil's Advocate to help those making decisions.

[Donald Campbell]

hey chris
that statement was NOT aimed at blair.in fact i don't really care what he's doing and what not.
i don't know at what level he is involved in the bennett trucks


back to the subject:since i'm involved in a lot of design stuff,be it boards or trucks,i feel qualified enough to give my judgement towards products i see.
22 years of skate biz add to that factor too!
i was in this certain case able to compare and my impression on the american vs. canadian
version is final.
sam gordons pictures,even though they are only pictures,tell the whole story,don't you think so too?
geezer x has THE reputation among the truck gurus,we all know that and nobody can take that away from him.

on a side note:

could you please explain to me why i should be careful?

[Sam Gordon]

Here are a few shots of the Geezerised Bennett that was kindly donated as a prize by Joe I at the GOG Outlaw GS in Dusseldorf.

Precision machinework:







MMW always produces covetable items of extreme high quality.

[Chris Iversen]

Careful Donald.
Have you had the "Canadian version" (speed-dealer) in your hands and checked it against the Geezer version? Or do you prefer the Geezer one because Blair Watson is behind the "canadian version" and you two have a history of ill will toward one another? I'm sure Geezer's Bennett is killer too, though I'm not sure which is better: Geezer's or Speed-dealer's, as I have not compared them side by side either. The spherical pivot does intrigue me though. Speed-dealer's quality is top notch... I ride them. Just make sure your statement on a public forum is based in research, not in personal feelings toward someone.

[Donald Campbell]

i saw the geezerized version this weekend,had it in my hands and checked it.
i want to point out that i absolutely favor this version over the canadian version.
incredibly detailed work,very nice finished truck,unbeatable in quality.
hats off to geezer and joe.

[Claude Regnier]

Any way you work it out. It's a deal. Bennetts have always been a talked about truck for Slalom. Geexer knows what he is talking about. The gear that he modifies is excellent.

The trucks I have around on my loaner boards all work great for newbies and I like to take them out for a spin as well. Trackers, Seismics mods.

If you want something that works better then a bare bones truck but can't afford the high end gear this is the way to go.

Geexer thanks for doing it. Joe I is always looking out for everyone plain and simple.

Got to love it.

[Dave Gale]

They'd be sweet on a Bozi !! Hook us up Jeff!

[Jeff Boswell]

Joe, any left?

[Jim Weatherwax]

SICK....
nice work boys

[Joe Iacovelli]

*PICS*

Oh God Lord, check out the pics



http://www.silverfishlongboarding.com/f ... hp?t=42649

[Gary Saenz]

Joe,

I'll email you from work about some.

Gary in VA

[Adam Daniels]

you are killing my wallet joe.......very tempting. if i don't win an auction tonight i'll let you know

[Joe Iacovelli]

Terry,

No, sorry. Geezer's stance is that spaceability introduces oportunity for lost traction.

Joe

[T Whalen]

Joe,

Will the axles on the 90mm's have room for spacers/washers for a larger effective hanger width?

Terry

[Joe Iacovelli]

At the start of May I will have a limited number of Bennetts modified by the original mad scientist, Geezer X. You can have an 8mm axle job or axle job and spherical pivot. The combination of spherical pivot on these tall trucks makes for a tight turning, TS/Hybrid cone KILLER. I don't suggest 90 or 100mm for any real GS or hill bombing. These babies are built to T_U_R_N.

Here are the specs-

*Hanger bored to 8mm and faced to 90-100-or 130mm length with raised bearing seats

*Grade 8 heat treated 8640 CrMo axles w/ 7.95mm centerless ground bearing area and 11mm of rolled 5/16-24 threads installed with high strength retaining compound and aligned.

*Spherical pivot conversion with steel ball pivot and machined Delrin pivot cup for very low friction and very little play.

*Machined Al lower bushing cup washer spacer to allow use of commercially available urethane bushings.

*MMW signature media blast finish, unassailably cool "X" imprint signifying that your trucks have been massaged by the defacto god of slalom trucks, Geezer-X.

The 8mm Axle only is $65 shipped. 8mm plus spherical pivot is $95 shipped. Stimulators are available for an additional $12, lathed or not, your choice.

If you've ever tried to get Geezer to mod trucks for you, you know it's not an easy task. So get them while you can. If you've ever gotten trucks from him, you know he stands behind his work and his work is done right.

send paypal to iaco@comcast.net with your size choice and 8mm or 8mm+spherical pivot. Order more than one, get a deal on shipping. Shipping outside 48 states=actual cost.

Thanks, Joe