Too-wide trucks are great for slappies too.

In the old days (early 90's) we didn't even care about width. We were constantly broke, and if the deck or even a truck broke too, we happily took everything we could get our hands on (legally and second hand, most of the time). golden memories :)

Thanks Ben, I don't think I'm ever going to ride trucks the same size as my deck again. I actually just purchased Mini Logo trucks and they are the weird size of 8.38 and I'm using them on an 8.25 deck (I love mini logo/bones/powell). It feels really nice, though the difference of only an extra .13 inches is not much. What I love about you specifically as a skate youtuber is that you go into such detail and show us the differences about equipment and how things seemingly unimportant can drastically change certain aspects of how we skate. No other youtuber that I know of does this and you've taught me to really pay attention to what I ride.

Definitely emphasises the fact that we should just skate and see what works as opposed to over analysing a set up whilst sitting on a phone. As an old guy skater, I definitely got set up madness when I wasn’t on my board as a kid. The less we do, the more we think. Not good.

I skate an 8.5, with 169’s. I feel it’s the perfect set up for stability! And as you say, it just feels good

You should do a whole video of bigger smaller and same size trucks compared to the deck size. Say you try 147,148 and a 149 on a 8.25 deck to compare what the truck actually does.😍

Thank you as always for your research results in details. Love this channel!!!

Built my first 8.5" set up after learning on 8" and didn't like the extra size. Now I just use the Indy 149's with an 8" deck and it honestly feels great. Thanks for this video!

Really appreciate the depth and effort you put into your videos. It’s hard this kind of coherent ethic and dedication in skateboarding tips, reviews, and evaluations. Keep up the good work sir. I’ll be watching.

159 Indy's are the best. I ride them with 8.38 to 8.5 board and I love it.

Thanks Ben! I've been waiting for this topic since the early days.

Thank you for mentioning the more realistic example because I just ordered 144mm indies and I have an 8.0 to put them on but I was worried about overhang on my deck but you sealed the deal on that one! Thanks brother.

The wider the truck the more stable your board will be. Flip tricks will get better as you get used to the set up. When you ride 5.0 trucks with 7.25-7.50 boards (reaching back a little) you’ll have to retrain yourself on some of your tricks if you “go big”! I have a big foot (US 12) and was pleased companies realized we all can’t ride tiny boards and trucks. Love a 8-8.25 board with some 149s, so stable! Great video!

Ive had this set up so many times as a teen cause my friends would hook me up with used decks that are smaller then what I would skate and it really is super good with a lot of control specially with flick

Dude ur the only one that even tries to go into these important details. Great vids

I’m a bigger guy, and will be looking at a wider board soon. I might give a setup like this a go. I actually filmed my skatepark session today, first time at a skatepark on a board!!!!! My board was a hand me down, hoping to use it till it dies and try to keep my progression videos on the regular to my channel. Pure motivation and inspiration from you sir. Keep up the good work

I 100% agree with everything said finally! Thanks for this one Ben

Been hooked on this channel , perfect balance of skate and talk with good info .subbed

You are always experimenting for us Ben, thank you for saving us time and cash. Though most of us can't skate as nearly well it's nice to see the pros and cons of so many aspects of skating. The first set up I got when I got back into skating was and 8.25 with 8.5 trucks it felt way to stiff but I might have had too tight of trucks . I got Some 139s and it felt a lot more carvy again I was probably riding looser too having got my sea legs back in the interim . Fast forward to now 4 years later the best skaters I know are skating the 8.25 with the 8.5 trucks and I'm riding a lot looser too. I'm thinking of pairing an 8.25 with some 8.35 Aces for the best of all worlds setup. We'''l see what happens.

i used to ride back when i was 16 (32 now) and my 10 year old just showed some interest in skateboarding. i am super stocked about it and toild him all about my skateboarding days here in PR. got him a set up and took him to a skate park for the first time today. thanks for the info and i am sure ill be back on a board too.

Yayyy this made me feel a lot better about making my dad order the wrong truck size with the 8.0 board I got so yeah I feel a lot better thank you !!

Great stuff, my new setup has slightly wider trucks too, first thing i noticed was the weight and quickly got over that fact.

I like width for stability. I ride a 7.875” girl with 8” ventures, and I love that the wheels line up with the deck. I can’t imagine riding a smaller axel.

I skate 169 Indy’s on an 8.75, and I love it. Like it a lot more than the 159s

This video made me feel better about sizing up my trucks. I normally skate 149 on an 8.5 I recently got indy 159, which i will probably skate on 8.5+ inch decks.

It’s all preference! I work at a shop and I tell new skaters the general rule of thumb is same width - but up to quarter inch in or out doesn’t matter too much and some people prefer one or the other - they’ll have to try different setups to find what they like

Yes Ben ! ive always loved 8.25 with 149 ...its a classic ...and for me dwindle boards i like the single press concave

Really good informative channel Ben! All your info is priceless. I've ridden my wheels as wide as possible (but not wider than the deck) for years. I use extra washers behind the wheels to custom space them out. This also means the wheel nut is right at the end, flush with the tip of the axle. So the nut takes all the abuse, saving the axle ends from getting chewed up.

My first setup getting back into skating I went with the trends and went 8.5 and Indy 149s, I don’t have the strength to even flip it yet so I picked up an 8.0 and matched with an olllld set of royals I had sitting around from when I quit 15 years ago and they measured 7.75. I threw the 149s on the 8.0 after watching this today and it grinds and slides like a DREAM! Still have to spend more to to see if there’s too much meat to flip it though. Great video idea!

This reminds me, I was half way through setting up some 9.75s when I had to go to a bbq and drink beer. Should probably go and finish.

Hey Ben, We lived through the 7.5 129 setup years!!! When I slowed down on skating a bit, I would jump on my board and it felt awful! I couldn’t understand it. I bought an 80’s reissue cruiser set up and would skate super far distances and bomb hills and I couldn’t believe how good it felt! That’s when I realized the whole idea of trying out different size boards and trucks, a little bigger softer wheels. It’s funny that it took me so long to question what I was riding. Great vid!

Trucks thinner than your deck! Next video! Go Go Go! Thanks bro! (I need to know about avenue trucks and speed wobble, I like to ride really tight trucks on a typical Street board, because, at 43 I am stopping less at the spots I find whilst I literally live with my board, riding it everywhere, all day, every day, and I am often hill bombing, and riding seriously fast on major roads and streets)

Awesome Content your putting out

Funny that you did this , I had recently been skating 148 thunders on 8.06 dgks

Wider trucks are definitely where it’s at. However, I keep the axle even with the board. Ace 55’s and 9” popsicles are the ultimate combo for me.

I am riding a 7.75 deck (I’m a light and small guy) with an Indy 139 forged hollow. That tip for having a quarter inch greater axle to deck width is great advice so long as you have narrower wheels. I’m rocking spitfire F4 classics, so I barely see the axle nuts hang past the deck. 😂 The hollow truck might have solved the issue with height on tricks, at least for me. Thanks for sharing this Ben! I think you solved my constant setup irritation.

I always go with the size up on the truck. Was 8.25 on 149’s for a decade, now I’m 8.0/8.1 with a 8.25 truck.

Bens videos are so good I watched it twice. I rarely watch anything twice. (I have a week to watch it again and again 🐵) I liked the weird setup

Been skating thunder 147's on my 8.4 deck now I'm definitely going to try some 151's

did well on a set up like this, its more like you’re riding the trucks and the boards just there to hold it together , super stable

Hell yeah ben! Totally rad sent you a deck! Good old Saskie homeboys! Keep reping us! I haven’t finished the video at the time of this post. I just get excited when I see Saskatoon companies on the internet!

Pls do another review of the opposite. Wide boards with narrow trucks

Awesome vid.

Weird timing, i just set up an 8.25 with my 149’s last night. Took it out for a quick spin around the neighborhood, felt great!

Feels good ! I accidentally bought Indy’s 159s on 8.5 and it’s something to get used to but geez ledges can’t get any easier to hop on

Not sure if you'll see this but I just bought my first new deck and then panicked since its smaller than my current one and didn't know if my trucks would be too big. No where online did I find anything saying wider trucks would be fine but this video helped haha.

I’ve been riding an 8.5 Slave (pretty flat) with 151 Thunders (8.75 wide) and it’s actually really nice. Hefty enough but still fun

I actually am skating the 159 Forged Titaniums on an 8.25 right now! The only reason I went up to 159’s was a couple years back I went to a 8.75 welcome and needed bigger trucks, but went back down slowly to 8.5, 8.38, and now 8.25. I just liked the lock in for crooks and stability feel a lot, but I am going to try the 144 Forged Titaniums soon!

I’ve learned more tricks after having trucks wider than my deck. Been skating an 8 with 149 thunders. Much more control

Thanks to this man my 144s on a 8in doesn’t make me feel weird

159s on 8.38 going on 8+ years now from 8.13 and 149 thunders as a starting point for bigger axle/hanger than deck. Indys are great plus i ride 159 from 8.38 all the way to 8.8-9.25 shapes. Youd think weight would be an issue but once you get used to the weight, the way conical full wheels ride and pop bigspins and spins in general with the shape of the conical fulls and the weight of indy standards its a really nice time.

hell yeah. I love having a wide board with wide trucks. I'm currently skating an 8.75 with 151's, but I wanna move up to a 9 inch deck soon

😒🤔😒😮😁😃😆🤣😂🤣👍😎 The progression of my emotional states throughout the duration of this video.

my first board were these mission 1 gullwing trucks which were 8.25 axle. they were high, heavy, raw, and classic. i had them on a 7.75. i thought it'd be too wide but so long as the riding surface/treading of the wheel doesn't surpass the width of the deck, its fine.

Been riding 8.5 on 149s but now I'm thinking dropping down to 8.375. Deck. Thanks Ben you da man.

Concerning myself with how a particular trick performs doing flip-out trips is the functional equivalent of worrying about whether they are right for the megaramp - neither are ever going to happen

Been waiting! I skate 149s on a 8.1 and I love it!

This was so helpful thanks

8.25 on 149 is perfect

Thanks for making this video

I just got thunder 148s I think I’m gonna try them on my 8.o deck after watching your video. Thanks for the tips your awesome.

Very cool!

yo the best ben. keep on grindin wide trucks, u silly u

I swear i did the same thing the day before i saw your video! Same result!

I remember as a kid buying a new deck and only having trucks that were a good quarter inch wider. It always drove me nuts 😅 not because it messed me up (I was never that good then) but because I thought it looked funny. Now I'm all about checking out the little nuances a little change in your setup can do... It's like fine tuning a recipe

this dude totally put me in my place.... SUBSCRIBED :U

This is just great

your a beast G!

great video thanks guy

I ride a 8.18 fa with venture 5.8(8.5” axle) grinds feel so stable

I love my thunder lights 151 on a 8.6 deck, mostly skate transitions

I've had a 1/4 in longer axles .. it's stable!

Just yesterday I switched out my hangars after hearing you and Sewa say flip tricks felt weird with wider trucks🤣I guess I'll see how that goes, can always switch back

I like your videos.

Been riding 8.375 with 5.5's for a year now and its great no complaints. with 54mm wheels

I've always like my trucks to be the same width or a 1/4 wider than the deck. Always felt like 1/4 wider than the deck was the sweet spot because the wheels line up directly with the edge of the deck.

Great video. I´m on a 8,25 board and 142 trucks, thinking about get a 149 but worring about being to wide, but I´ll give it a try.

I set up and rode that 8.5” hot chocolate cinema series deck with 169’s a year or so ago. I really liked it despite the extra weight. I prefer to see some wheel or at minimum, the axle nuts sticking out when I look down.

personally i skate an 8.375 deck witth indy 159s. feels so good and stable while riding around. sure a little heavy but nothing terrible.

Really appreciate you making this vid, dude. Really well put together. Cheers!

I've had 215's on a 9.25 Baker impact stripe deck. Super fun

Awesome man

After watching you,and a few others on KZfaq(Braille,etc), I decided to get into skateboarding, again. I'm a beginner at the age of 31. I've been riding a Santa Cruz 8.0 everslick with 149 trucks for a couple months. Honestly, I just cruise except for a few freestyle tricks that I know. I tried, but I can't ollie, yet. My board rides fine, but the only problem that I noticed is with rail stands. They can be done, but that little bit of axle sticking out makes it a tad difficult to keep my balance in the rail stands position.

best youtuber 💪

truth, but missed one key point - easier to skate in straight lines too, as there's less carve. yet, if your indy's are slightly smaller than the board width they carve more and turn faster. watch some slalom - tiny hangers with wider wheels!

I’ve got a 11” wide pig with Indy 215’s........doubles as a road side stretcher.

Well it's time for me to change up my setup again, so I changed from 9.5 to 8.25. Not the first and won't be the last I change drastic sizes, it's fun to me. Couple months I'll be switching back but I typically go with a smaller truck. I like how it feels. Grinds though when going to a smaller setup is something that feels really different and flipping is way easier. my 8.25 I ride indy 139s, when I go to a deck that is 9 to 10 inches I go with ACE 55s instead of the 66s. I like how it feels.

i ride tunder 151 on 8.5 decks. works like a charm

Hahaha thanks for the tips... I'll try it out

Damn I was worries after getting a second hand board with 8,25 and 149s but good to know its not a problem

I love 8.25 with 149s it’s my go to. I really want this deck that’s an 8.12 tho which is when it angers me because there’s no way I can take it down anymore.

Hey Ben. Could you do a video on trucks that are .25” smaller than your deck width? That’s how I like my setup and I’d like to know what you think about how it skates. Thanks man!

A video idea might be wheelbase and transition skating. I've gone around in circles on this. More wheelbase seems more calm and relaxed but I think you can't pump as hard.

Hi Ben, can you make a video explaining how one grabber works, and which is the "best" place to put on board. thanks

I was just thinking about this. I just ordered the parts for my second board and didn’t even think about truck width. Coincidentally I also have an 8.25 deck and 159 independents. I feel a lot pert worried now. Thank you.

DANG!! The Vancouver carpenter!! LOL I sub to that one also...lol

I think it's only a big issue if you do a lot of primo tricks. Great video, Ben.

yeahh! i ride indys 149 and 8,1 inch deck, it was fun, and great control

Great subject this morning . I am still trying to find the happy medium with deck to truck ratio it can get expensive. With all the information now days it is easy to get fixated on the subject (over thinking when I should just be skating ) of high v low weight ,etc . Thanks

i ride a 8.38 uma with 149s thunder and thats good! the bushings are little hard for me but some control on that