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Skate Trucks

Within the diverse world of skateboarding the skateboard is the key and logo of the sport. There are many different accessories which also help to identify the sport and its athletes form afar, like the skinny jeans, hats, and generally the persona of the skateboarder, but the board has always been the key identifying feature for its proponents. One of the most critical parts of the board itself is the skate trucks. These simple aluminum allow components provide the versatility and mobility that empowers the rider to do the complex tricks and trigger the muscle memory responses that can wow even the casual observer.

Skate trucks are typically comprised of four independent pieces that are affixed together. The first is the baseplate which serves as the mounting mechanism for the rest of the hanger, brushing, and kingpin to the rest of the deck. For this reason, it is mounted to the underside of the deck prior to the upturning of the board near the front and rear of the deck. Typically it is attached with some metallic bolt of screw based system in even integers of 2. Then, the brushing connects the baseplate to the hanger which houses the axel and consequently the wheels. The brushing is a rubber composite that is used to cushion the impact from the baseplate to the wheels which provides the only, and minimalistic, form of suspension to the skateboarder.

Skate trucks have one final adjustment mechanism, and that is the kingpin. The kingpin is used to adjust the tension between the hanger and the baseplate and provides mobility and rigidity depending on how it is tuned. A tightly wound kingpin will prevent movement of the hanger and provide a highly rigid suspension that is immobile to the allures of turning. The converse option holds true for a flexible suspension found in skate trucks.

 

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