Tightening your trucks requires rotating the kingpin nuts in a clockwise direction. You will learn about the step-by-step process in the article
Skateboarding is a game of balancing and stability. All professional skaters excel at one thing and that is balancing their act. It is impossible to perform any skating trick without a balanced skateboard. So the question arises, what provides the skateboard its stability? The answer is the skateboard trucks.
Yes, you heard it right, it is neither the deck nor the wheels but trucks that ensure a skateboard’s stability. The looseness or tightness of trucks determines their stability, performance, and the type of tricks that can be performed.
It is not like one size fits all. Every rider has their comfort level with the truck’s tightness and it affects their performance too. Therefore, when riding a board, you should also know how to tighten them. It might sound challenging to tighten skate trucks but it is not. It just involves a set of steps. Luckily, we have compiled these to help you with the process of tightening your skateboard trucks.
How To Tighten The Trucks On A Skateboard?
Tightening the trucks on skateboards is not mandatory. If you can easily balance your ride with loose trucks, then you may go with those. However, in certain instances, you will have to tighten your skateboard trucks. Below is a series of steps explaining how to tighten trucks.
Step 1
Lay the skateboard upside down on a smooth surface. Make sure that the surface is not uneven and the skateboard does not tilt to one side, otherwise, it will be hard to gauge the exact tightness of trucks.
Step 2
Observe the wobbling motion by twisting and turning the wheels. Excess wobble indicates that wheel trucks are quite loose. On the contrary, if they are hard to turn, this shows that trucks are tight.
Step 3
Kingpin is the hardware that controls a truck’s tightness. To tighten the trucks, the kingpin is to be screwed clockwise with the wrench. In case you are wondering how to loosen trucks on a skateboard all you need to do is turn the kingpin anticlockwise. Once done, check the tilting of the trucks again.
Step 4
When you are done tightening the skateboard trucks, take a test ride. Make sure you ride your skateboard normally to check the perfect truck tightness to suit you. It is not advisable to perform any skating tricks unless you are completely comfortable with the truck’s tightness.
Parts Of Skateboard Truck
A skateboard truck is the soul of the skateboard. Apart from helping in balancing a skateboard, it also plays the crucial role of acting as a bond between the wheels and the deck. The trucks are made of several parts below is the list of these parts.
1. Baseplate
2. Kingpin
3. Axle
4. Axle Nuts
5. Washer
6. Speedrings
7. Bushings
Check Out in detail: Parts Of A Skateboard Truck
Conclusion
Skating is an art, you can try various tricks or simply cruise the skateboard. However, problems arise when you are unable to balance your skateboard, or turning it becomes a difficult one. This part of skateboarding is controlled by its trucks. Therefore, make sure your skateboard trucks are neither very tight nor very loose but enough to provide you with a good riding experience.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can I tighten my skateboard trucks without using a skate tool?
Yes, you can tighten your skateboard trucks without using a skate tool. For this, you will need wrenches of several sizes, screwdrivers, and an Allen key. All you need to do is turn the bolts clockwise or anticlockwise for tightening or loosening respectively. However, the skate tool makes the task a bit easier.
Are over-tightened trucks bad?
Too tight trucks become a skating hindrance. Apart from causing difficulty in turning the skateboard, they also make maneuvering around an obstacle difficult. Therefore, it is recommended to tighten them to only a specific range.
Are tight trucks good for beginners?
If you are a beginner, the first thing you need to focus on is your skateboard’s stability. Loose trucks make the skateboard a bit wobbly making balancing hard. Therefore, it is advisable to have a bit of tightened trucks in the beginning.
