Urethane discussion: Bushings and Wheels

One of the least understood topics within the realm of skateboarding, or the longboard movement specifically, is the bushings that control the turning motion of a truck. Bushings are a laboratory formulated urethane product, just like modern wheels. This post will hit on some of the meaning behind the specs of these two urethane products; what numbers are going to affect your ride and how.

The kingpin is the point of pivot and the bushings are the urethane nubs that slide onto this kingpin and restrict/control the amount of turn. The compression and expansion characteristics of the urethane material are such that the rider will get maximum energy return out of softer bushings and more restrictive vibration and wobble dampening effects from harder bushings. What this translates to is softer bushings being a prime choice for carving or commuting on a longboard, while hard bushings excel for downhill. And then bushings in the middle are usually reserved for downhill freerideing/ sliding and freestyle.

The fact is that every truck is constructed using different geometry, which means they will feel, or ride slightly differently. And then in turn, that the switching out of your bushings will affect your ride differently on different trucks. But there are some trends to follow: of the two main shapes of bushings, cone and barrel, barrels are more restrictive and cones are looser feeling. And then when it comes to the hardness or durometer of the bushings, harder obviously restricts more and softer restricts less. Keep these characteristics in mind when selecting your bushings, and always check the specifications before you buy them. They have some decent visuals of bushing guides at http://www.longboard-guide.com/materiel.

On the other side of the urethane story, wheels also have different characteristics when they are formulated for different hardness’. The similarities continue in that shape an

d size of a wheel you ride will vastly affect the function of setup as a whole.

There are a few things to keep in mind when picking out a set of wheels. When it comes to hardness, the harder the wheel the more the wheel will want to slide and break traction when acted upon buy a side-load. And then with the size, larger wheels will automatically roll faster, grip more, and out preform smaller wheels at higher speeds. While smaller wheels are better for sliding normally, and are lighter for any freestyle tricks one might try!

Comment with any further questions on the topic, I’ve love to help get you informed before you go buy your next wheel or bushing setup!