Bushing deformation and truck topology

So the latest innovations in bushings from the Venom family (which I am already on record saying is hands down the best urethane formula available today, the Tracker Stim of the 21st century) are shape based – namely the “keg” and the “stepped cone” (the latter of which have 2 possible orientations, standard cone and inverted, which changes the response attributes of the bushing). Thus we have 5 main variables that determine truck performance and the nature of the ride:

  • Truck geometry – hanger angle, hangar width, etc.
  • Truck topology – how well different bushings fit in to a given seat
  • Bushing durometer
  • Bushing formula
  • Bushing shape

… to be continued …

New carver build: The Brazilian Mullet

I have some progress to report, Dear Reader. As you know I am always hunting for that perfect carve, and am endlessly fascinated with new bushing combinations. I may have discovered something exciting today: some old friends, some new shapes, and a couple surprises.

What is a Brazilian Mullet you ask? First, let me esplain the “Brazil” part of this: green+yellow. “Brazil” is my shorthand for the bushing combo of a yellow Venom Barrel (85a HPF) on bottom, and an olive green Venom cone (80a SHR) on top. For a “supercarve” setup, one could do worse that Brazil/Brazil, front and back.

Now the “Mullet” part: party in the front (truck), business in the back (truck). This config is inspired by slalom skate racing setups: front truck is extremely turny, and the rear truck is much more stable, which allows you to initiate a quick turn, but still get a lot of stability and power in the back half of the turn. This is also why I have Orange O’tang Kegels in front (grip+rollspeed), and Blue O’tangs in back (grip++)

OK, now to cover the “new shapes”: Venom Stepped Cone, inverted. OMFG! Amazing. You have to try this! <brushes away a tear>

THE BUILD

Front Truck: Classic Randal RII (180mm, 50degree)
bottom: Yellow Venom Barrel
top: Olive Green Venom Stepped Cone, flipped (narrow end facing the hanger, like the Riptide Fatboy)
wheels: Orangatang Kegels (Orange)

Rear Truck: Randall RII
bottom: Yellow Venom Keg (oh yes, I said KEG!)
top: Purple Khiro barrel (WTF?! Yes, trust me)
wheels: Orangatang Kegels (Blue)

Don’t argue, just build this and try it. It might be the best ever.

Oh, I forgot to specify deck: Loaded Vanguard, Flex 2.

Vanguard config option: Stanford/Brazil

Still chasing the perfect Dancer/Carver setup, my lab notebook compiling all the bushing combinations, led me to a new hypothesis: a high durometer, high rebound barrel bushing in the rear truck might provide the needed stability for dancing without sacrificing the snap needed for carving. The first test of this hypothesis is the Stanford/Brazil bushing combination (named for the colors):

Rear truck: white venom barrel on bottom, blood red venom cone on top (“Stanford”), both bushings are SHR
Front truck: yellow venom barrel on bottom, olive green cone on top, SHR (“Brazil”)

Findings:

Hypothesis not supported by evidence. Though an impressive carving setup, the above config does not improve rear truck stability.

Ideas:

2 SHR barrels – the cone shape might be the problem. Keep SHR .

Change out SHR for regular venoms

Experiment with new shapes: Stepped Barrel, Keg, or SHR Eliminator