My comparison and review of Venture 5.6 vs Thunder 149 light trucks. I go over my personal pros and cons- all opinion based. If you have thoughts please comment below.
Grew up on ventures in the 90’s-early 2000’s. Just got a new set up last night and going to get back into skating in over 10 years. Looking forward to using these new ventures
@@Skatebetter what's your ideal board like for thunder trucks? Narrow wheelbase some fingers and a steep kick? Also have you tried Indy mid? They are super heavy. They have a hollow right now. Titanium would be perfect. I haven't skated in over a decade. I used to ride venture Lowe's and my decks were always soggy depending on what I had after wearing him in a little bit. But I want to try thunders. I just don't want to have a soggy pop if I get the wrong deck. I think my problem was low trucks to begin with The Thunder's sit at a nice mid spot, with those ventures, I always enjoyed the high ones. When I would ride my friend's boards They always pop and turn better and ground. Better less hang ups but with the ventures I think you can go for a deck with Les Pop and still be okay. I never realized ventures went that far out. I thought they went in because they have a lot of base plate to slide on, I was thinking a longer wheel base works with the ventures better and a shorter with the thunders. I don't know. I'd love to hear your thoughts and where you're at. Thanks bro
@@svnbit8408 That’s a great question- it’s def a struggle to an extent and there is def always a piece that will be preference based i think. For me what works on Thunders is a mellow concave, steep kick, less fingers of flat, and a wheelbase of no more than 14.25 or 14.5. I also notice i do better with decks shorter than 32. Basically offsetting the width of the trucks with a shorter feeling setup and the height of the truck with a steeper kick really helps me. I haven’t tried Indy mids but would def be curious. Also I ride the Thunder Hollows and I def prefer them over a heavier truck (personally) especially if the deck has a steep kick it just helps me get it off the ground higher. If the pop feels soggy it could be the setup but it could also be the wood- i find for whatever reason decks “made in Mexico” (Zero, April, etc) feel the snappiest for me. Polar and Deathwish felt the soggiest. Hope that helps! Let me know if you have anymore questions g. Best of luck
@@Skatebetter thanks for the input! I used to ride deluxe wood a lot, but I never paid too much attention to what worked and what didn't I back then I remember girl chocolate decks lasting a day and just being mush out of the gate, like standing on them in the shop was a guantlet to find one back then the way decks were so flat anyway. Last few years was habitat alien and city. I think I'm gonna go for some sort of gimmick deck like vx they seem to be mostly suited for Indys though with the possible exception of astas stuff. Or the impact stuff just to try isolate the pop variable lol. Titanium lights and some light snappy deck could be fun, I do like that fast easy flick though from a wider stance by the bolts. Im excited to get back into it I think the single press stuff is a lot more reliable these days I'd like to assume lol. Did you say softer bushings for thunders? You wanna remove some of the twitchiness but have the stiffness ramp up quick to avoid bite? That's definitely what I am looking for when I get a pair, want a good pinch, and be able to ride out of tricks but definitely not bite everything. I think the 8.25, 8.5 and 148 trucks will help too, a short wider deck with a short wheelbase sounds killer, with flat and steep kick, yeah that's the ticket.
Have you looked at pros decks that ride thunders and do they follow a reliable metric? I'm curious, sometimes they don't even ride their own stuff anyways it's all custom or they have a wide range of consumer sizes that may have no rhyme or reason but to fit the general base dimensions. Definitely starting where you've put me though, thanks again.
even off qp for hip transfers or bs airs they feel pretty TOP tier like more fun to skate than indys. I ride 159s and venture 6.1 so i bet they would really shine in the ditch or ditch bank/wall/ledge spots. The snappy/pop at almost any speed/wall/carve etc is pretty unmatched.
Thanks man! Great video! So, ordering them, they rank like this: *Lean needed to Turn:* (least to most) 1. Thunder (most responsive) 2. Indy 3. Venture (least responsive) *And over the Wheelbase:* (shortest to longest) 1. Indy 2. Thunder 3. Venture
I love ventures. The bushings are harder which makes the truck tighter without blowing out the bushings. They aren’t too heavy and I found that my pop has been the highest with them. They tend to be cheaper too. I got a set of venture polished for $15 at a zumiez.
I used to love the highs they always seem to pop and grind well back in the day compared to my low 5.0s. i think the added heft meat and height all around were better but still light. I'm trying not to go back to those and try thunders since I haven't ridden in over 10 years, everything will feel awkward anyways so why not if im relearning stuff and balance is off.
I remember skating Ventures back when I was younger and I couldn't explain why I liked it. When you said Venture trucks provide stability, it just clicked in my head. Thank you thank thank you for bringing light to Ventures. I haven't skated them in a while, but next set of trucks I buy are for sure going to be Ventures. Instead sub from me. Great analysis!
Your filming and editing is evolving Johnny Bhoy! I have some Venture 5.8” Lights. Which are the ones with a solid axle but a hollowed out kingpin. Haven’t tried them that much. Didn’t think the turn was that bad and yeah they did make me feel pretty stable. But my Thunders already did that too. Weight at around 355g or so was pretty average. Not too much but still heavier than my Thunders. I really can’t decide which truck I like the most. I do like the Indy turn though for sure and that almost settles it more than anything for me.
Love this honest kick butt video comparison. For me I enjoy Venture 6.1 or 5.8s. Super stable and I was able to use the stock bushings. Thunders I had to use their harder bushings to make them bearable for me.
big thing that i just noticed today when i went back to thunder trucks for a bit: Ventures are WAY better for bombing hills/high speeds. My uni is on a big hill, and Thunders speed wobbled pretty much the whole way down, while my Ventures felt solid the whole way through. Don't think I'll ever go back to Thunder simply because of this.
Hey just found your channel and it's been very helpful. Im building a board and im going to get back into skating in my 30s. I had decided on the thunder lights 2 for the trucks and this cemented that for me for sure. Have you tried/reviewed the powell dragons, F4s or the andy Anderson nano cubics? Was thinking of trying the dragons. I subbed 🤙🏻
If you like street skating venture is where it’s at. Hitting cracks and rocks they have a great rebound in their bushings. Thunders are better for parks and transition like Indy. Indy and thunder on street feel uncontrollable. IMO
I find that with the added WB length 101a have been more "FUN" to skate when paired with ventures esp in the "park" vs indys with 99a spitfire classic blend per ex. You hit the limit of lean/turn with the 6.1s and bones hards vs 159 indys with 94a bottom/92a top conical bushing....and you initiate slide/slasher powerslide a lot more differently between both wheel/truck as far as conical full shape. Indy you get more truck angle/lean limit vs the plastic bones hard inner on the venture...but the wider wb/stance=more slide/control/initiation esp with 101a wheels Swapped them out from stock bushing 6.1s to indys the 101a. And 99a conical full shape wheel 53mm on venture 6.1 with hards...just slide a lot more and are easier to control when sliding than indys with 99a conical SFW wheels. Havent tried 101a wheels with the indys yet but theyre also bigger 56mm. Still gotta say 6.1 ventures are pretty fun to skate I used to just run 159 hangers on my 8.38x32 decks and 8.8-9.25 shapes...bc i bought mulitple liquidated stage X/10.5 indys as they were bringing in the stage XI. I never really liked how thunders turned other than their metal to metal grind/speed. But once i saw venture finally making 6.1s as i was already on the fence waiting for a 8.75" ace AF1 this last 2 years...i got to try some ventures out. Whats not to like you have that Added pinch to fs/bs crooks on any shaped setup...over indys. Softer metal so you can slappy/groove them out of the box quicker generally making them better for quiver setups other than the extra hole indy baseplates. Have pretty decent stock bushings had to buy hards bc i couldnt last a session with the stock 6.1 kader bushings w.o wheel biting my arm off on hip transfers. But the 56mm wheels with stock bushings= no bite or risers XD. As far as that goes my only pro/con vs indys 159/6.1 same wheels 54mm 99a SFW i got massive bite with stock venture bushings vs the indys bc the indys had harder bushings....added bones hards still had bite landing nose heavy on transfers...adds risers...problem solved...yet are higher than the stage 9/x indy 159 which is 53mm vs 53.5 with ventures. That kind of threw me off...already having a different WB now risers/timing for tricks. Overall the risers helped more for tail/nose slide lock ins. Its why im now swapping the 56mm 101a onto the indys to see if that overall ride height difference can kinda come into play and make the indys as slidey/slashy as the ventures feel. FUN them up a little bit....otherwise ill have to try mid/hollow's to see if i can lighten the indy standards to get the same pop/response mid carve/bank wall/qp wall that the ventures have opened up the table with. IDK you can slash or pop over lip and land back in coping etc..just with a lot more control and speed kept intact than indys. If youre just trying to blast around and flow the park and hit a couple specific tricks....idk ventures have really caught my attention esp with how they feel on regular boards and shaped decks. It could really be a weight issue thing vs indy standards. If you want to do some street/tricks with a shaped board ventures really bring that setup some life NGL. Try some 6.1s on a 8.8 shaped pool/slappy deck and it definitely made my setup more fun to skate than when it had the indys. A lot more pop shoves/shove its/nollie half cabs etc...bigspins etc..for me at least just bc of a truck swap. And like a net 100% gain on half cabs IDK if any half-cab flip variation FEELS better on any other truck either. They even lock into grinds for flip outs etc pop setup pretty well compared to other trucks. Just that added crook/nose grind lock in vs having to break in/down an indy mid hanger....really has ventures sitting pretty as a GO to shaped board truck. Im really considering a 6.1 hollow for a 9.25 setup just bc of the weight reduction vs how heavy indy mids are or the 10-15$ extra the indy mid pro hollows are. The way thunders lock into slides...you immediately know youll want 101a wheels...or some kind of Anti flatspot blend or wax...bc your wheels will stick....on the same ledges indys would lock into or ventures. It completely changes the flip out etc aspects of foot placement/board size. Which is a similar limiting aspect to wheel size/truck height etc when trying to find a more ideal all around truck/wheel etc setup. Thunder titanium lights definitely feel like your board doesnt exist when doing gaps or hip transfers in transition.....they definitely have their place in the streets/tech. Its like using a park noodle snowboard to blast big air....or a big hip transfer....with a shaved off edge....vs a good edge/camber snowboard.....both have their place and with them the speed/quality of ride per trick. Skateboards are just that in the same...light trucks/small wheels are hard to use to blast in transition/flow sections for keeping speed high and trying to skate a certain portion/park feature that requires a speed/transfer setup. Yet if youre talking a 3 ledge combo with some fliptricks in between in a line or getting line footage.....the lighter/lower street setup becomes the near 10x easier setup for that task. Pros get boxes/ride different sizes/shapes some just for kickflipping gaps etc...if youre GROWN and work enough to invest into youre skating...a quiver doesnt hurt to build riding different shapes/sizes concaves while keeping a "MAIN" setup that you know you like doesnt hurt. IMO its better than only riding a single setup and switching up all the time. I always wanted to try ACES...only until recently did they make my size...but got to try and now have a new respect for venture just bc i wanted to go the "MADE IN USA" route and follow skaters like worrest and manderson into venture if they could skate non indys i figured i had no excuse but to try venture. I only really skate mandersons wheel/shape so why not run his trucks too. IDK across the board doing a high fs nose slide or fs crook only feels SOO Good on so many trucks. So i just let the skate test decide. As it stand i believe the venture 6.1 is probably the best in slot CROOK feel on any 8.8-9.25 shaped setup. To half cab pop ratio...I honestly recommend anyone not miss the chance to try 6.1s with a shaped board setup hybrid street board with 54-56mm wheels. I didnt need risers with 56mm wheels on a shaped board and that was a hoot in itself riding into curbs. Something about a riserless setup on a shaped board really up the foolishness of the max youre trying to do with a would be limiting setup. The general/overall fun trying to skate the shit out of it becomes.
Ventures are my favorite but Thunder are so respectable. Venture works best for my boardfeel and grinding feel more centered, the thunders are so much lighter and angled with an even pop for flickability. I used Bones Medium Bushing on Ventures for great handling compared to Indy's butI also got the newer Venture bushings which work just as well. I bought the blue rebuild kit for the Thunder and have worked fairly well for manuvarbility. To each is own since both work so well. Thanks for the compare-to Bro!
@@Skatebetter I've been on my Almost 8.5 deck with some Ace 44 classics. Really mellow concave with the Impact Light makes me feel confident at the park. I have 8.25 Ventures on my 8.38 Anti Hero which is my favorite cause I still like 8.25 sized decks and axel trucks.
Hey man can you please do a video of only titanium trucks thunders vs indys vs ventures vs the new ace hollows? I love both indy and thunder trucks, i use to ride ventures back in the day the bumble bee 🐝 ones, i’ve tried ace trucks too there not bad
I have never skated Krux k5, I would suggest standard Venture High. They have good lean and pretty good turning. I have wanted to like Thunders, but they are much more unforgiving. Wheel Bite!
@@XXPLUTONIXX never tired Krux- my wife has Krux on her deck and they seem to be fine but I’ve heard they’re not very responsive. I think a Thunder wheelbase might be closer to Krux but not sure about the truck height. Wish i had more to share- perhaps I’ll give ‘em a shot one day!
Try thunders with blue medium bushings from their rebuild kit, to me it made a huge difference, from the responsiveness and stability to the amount of wheelbite, made these trucks way more fun to ride. I also find that ventures turn kinda like a longboard. What skatepark is that at the beginning of the video?
Haha no worries I would have appreciated the advice either way. The 2 skateparks at the beginning are the Heath Eiland skatepark in Austin TX and my hometown park Lot 11 in Miami.
@@Skatebetter did you get your 94 bushings online or locally? I will need a new set soon. The last ones I ordered online, I was wondering if maybe some local shop has them now. I’m from Miami as well, we skated a couple times together at the park in 82nd street. :)
@@kirillkolesnikov566 oh HEY lol! What’s up man? Unfortunately i had to get these from thedrop.com. It was the only place i could find them- can’t wait to try em. Hope to see you at the park again for another game of skate! 💪🏻🙌🏻
@@Skatebetter Yoo, I'm alright bro, trying to skate as often as possible, although after recent covid I have kinda low energy. I got my bushings from thedrop too, I guess I'm gonna order a new set from there. Are you still skating mostly lot11? I just can't get myself to drive there lol. I've been skating mostly 82nd, haulover, basketball courts. Just made a website where I post measurements of the decks that I have, wanna turn it into a deck shape library eventually (youtube not allowing to post the link).
Niiiice I decided to go with Thunders (lights but not hollow lights) too, gonna skate them as is but I do wanna switch the bushings eventually just to see what a difference it can make. I want to try all the truck brands eventually as well. I'm an EDC gear nerd coming back to skating and my gear madness is unstoppable. Lmao@@Skatebetter
Thunders are spread farther apart than ventures, but main thing I notice over all is the difference in my flick, I’m a thunder guy through and through but I have a few different sets of venture and thunder… the way the board looks feels while ur doing flip tricks is way diff to me,, my flateground is better wit ventures but over all skating obstacles is better for me with thunders… either way it’s all preferences….
Interesting about Thunders being a wider wheelbase. Are you talking specifically about the Venture 5.2 vs the Thunder 149? There might be some Ventures that have a tighter wb but I’m almost certain based on the forums I found for these specific trucks that the Ventures are wider (slightly) when comparing these two exact trucks (it feels this way skating them as well). I agree it’s all preference for sure!
If I could do it all over again i would probably do them all separate or one big video (which I might still do). Basically I already did a Indy vs Thunder video- and I thought if I was gonna talk about the Ventures it would be easier for me personally to compare them with another truck (for reference). At the time I’d only been skating Thunders before mostly so hence “Venture vs Thunder.”
Ventures are my favorite 😩🤌🏼 They pinch and skate way better than any trucks. You should try Venture V-Hollows they are easier to skate 🤌🏼 I skate Venture V-Hollow 5.2 high/5.6 but I wanna try lows one day 😳
For sure i feel like they really stay “locked” in the pinch. I will def try hollows next time and probably the 5.8’s. Always been curious about the lows- i bet them feel amazing on the right setup.
I can’t seem to find any sub 50mm wheels but I’d be up for trying some 48mm wheels to go with a Venture Low. I’ve already got some 50mm wheels and 50mm high Thunders though so not that much of a difference. It would take some getting used to though. That low set up really messes with my pop when I try it out.
really considering the 6.1 hollows as my MAINSTAY shaped board truck for 8.8-9.25" boards. After swapping 6.1s from 159 indy standards the pop on command mid bank wall/qp or for gaps with seemingly no effort just really has them locked in as that "SHAPED BOARD" setup thats "BUILT" for slappys and transition...that really becomes the MAIN setup....or the board for ALL terrain/street too...over the main "QUIVER" shape/truck setup... I started doing a lot more 180/shove it half cabs in lines at the park just bc of how much better those trucks felt to do how natrual and just overall better they were with ventures. Big spins etc. Even shove outs etc from slides. They also slappy much easier than the 159 indys....maybe bc of harder bushings with the indys vs the stock ventures. Either way im just glad to be skating something other than 159 standards for the last 8+ years. Might try ace60 AF1, or indy mid 159 hollows before i give the 6.1 hollows a try...but it sure makes riding that de-lammed shaped deck a hoot and got it off the shelf. The 6.1s have me ready to buy another shaped board to have one with fresh pop in the quiver. The trucks are that good....watching indy riders jump ship helped me get a couple pairs of ventures over the years...ppl like kader, worrest, manderson. Even yutos part was a great Venture ad. The only other trucks i was willing to try other than indy 159s were aces and for a long period of time i never saw a 8.75" axle in the mix for the AF1 so i finally jumped on the ventures the sec they were HOT out with the 6.1....and around a year later got the second set..At first the WB geometry change was a learning curve for tricks....but once i got used to them and swapped out the indys on the shaped board kept the bushings stock vs the first go with the 6.1s...wow they are pretty GOOD on a shaped board for mainly normal stance riding and your usual 180/big spin variations. Good stock bushings good all around trucks. Great grind lock in....and crook pinch out of the box for a shaped board with big/contact patch wheels like some conical full shapes or radial 57mm+ wheels. You really cant ask for more from a truck out of the box slapped onto a shaped board or something with a chopped nose.
@@anhiirr I wish they had a 9" version. Would be cool if they still made the 80s version for old school decks. They looked way different back then. Basically, an entirely different truck.
Dude. I've never heard anyone articulate the turn difference between Venture/Thunder like you did, and god damn, it is SO spot on. Well done.
Grew up on ventures in the 90’s-early 2000’s. Just got a new set up last night and going to get back into skating in over 10 years. Looking forward to using these new ventures
I really appreciate your in depth review and analysis. Well articulated reviews such as this are very hard to come by.
Appreciate that my g 🤙🏻
@@Skatebetter what's your ideal board like for thunder trucks? Narrow wheelbase some fingers and a steep kick? Also have you tried Indy mid? They are super heavy. They have a hollow right now. Titanium would be perfect. I haven't skated in over a decade. I used to ride venture Lowe's and my decks were always soggy depending on what I had after wearing him in a little bit. But I want to try thunders. I just don't want to have a soggy pop if I get the wrong deck. I think my problem was low trucks to begin with The Thunder's sit at a nice mid spot, with those ventures, I always enjoyed the high ones. When I would ride my friend's boards They always pop and turn better and ground. Better less hang ups but with the ventures I think you can go for a deck with Les Pop and still be okay. I never realized ventures went that far out. I thought they went in because they have a lot of base plate to slide on, I was thinking a longer wheel base works with the ventures better and a shorter with the thunders. I don't know. I'd love to hear your thoughts and where you're at. Thanks bro
@@svnbit8408 That’s a great question- it’s def a struggle to an extent and there is def always a piece that will be preference based i think. For me what works on Thunders is a mellow concave, steep kick, less fingers of flat, and a wheelbase of no more than 14.25 or 14.5. I also notice i do better with decks shorter than 32. Basically offsetting the width of the trucks with a shorter feeling setup and the height of the truck with a steeper kick really helps me. I haven’t tried Indy mids but would def be curious. Also I ride the Thunder Hollows and I def prefer them over a heavier truck (personally) especially if the deck has a steep kick it just helps me get it off the ground higher. If the pop feels soggy it could be the setup but it could also be the wood- i find for whatever reason decks “made in Mexico” (Zero, April, etc) feel the snappiest for me. Polar and Deathwish felt the soggiest. Hope that helps! Let me know if you have anymore questions g. Best of luck
@@Skatebetter thanks for the input!
I used to ride deluxe wood a lot, but I never paid too much attention to what worked and what didn't I back then I remember girl chocolate decks lasting a day and just being mush out of the gate, like standing on them in the shop was a guantlet to find one back then the way decks were so flat anyway. Last few years was habitat alien and city. I think I'm gonna go for some sort of gimmick deck like vx they seem to be mostly suited for Indys though with the possible exception of astas stuff. Or the impact stuff just to try isolate the pop variable lol. Titanium lights and some light snappy deck could be fun, I do like that fast easy flick though from a wider stance by the bolts. Im excited to get back into it I think the single press stuff is a lot more reliable these days I'd like to assume lol.
Did you say softer bushings for thunders? You wanna remove some of the twitchiness but have the stiffness ramp up quick to avoid bite? That's definitely what I am looking for when I get a pair, want a good pinch, and be able to ride out of tricks but definitely not bite everything. I think the 8.25, 8.5 and 148 trucks will help too, a short wider deck with a short wheelbase sounds killer, with flat and steep kick, yeah that's the ticket.
Have you looked at pros decks that ride thunders and do they follow a reliable metric? I'm curious, sometimes they don't even ride their own stuff anyways it's all custom or they have a wide range of consumer sizes that may have no rhyme or reason but to fit the general base dimensions. Definitely starting where you've put me though, thanks again.
Solid Review....thank you for taking the time to put this together. Going with the Ventures as a 40yo beginner. Thanks again!
Venture is pretty much my go to truck now. makes every flat ground trick I do feel amazing
Totally agree
even off qp for hip transfers or bs airs they feel pretty TOP tier like more fun to skate than indys. I ride 159s and venture 6.1 so i bet they would really shine in the ditch or ditch bank/wall/ledge spots. The snappy/pop at almost any speed/wall/carve etc is pretty unmatched.
Sewa skated these a lot and still does I think , he mentioned they give him good pop too
Thanks man! Great video! So, ordering them, they rank like this:
*Lean needed to Turn:*
(least to most)
1. Thunder (most responsive)
2. Indy
3. Venture (least responsive)
*And over the Wheelbase:*
(shortest to longest)
1. Indy
2. Thunder
3. Venture
Correct!
@@Skatebetter Have you tried Destructo D1's? I think they turn a lot with nice lean, deeper than Thunders. Would be nice to compare wheelbite marks
I love ventures. The bushings are harder which makes the truck tighter without blowing out the bushings. They aren’t too heavy and I found that my pop has been the highest with them. They tend to be cheaper too. I got a set of venture polished for $15 at a zumiez.
Exactly- got mine for $15 at Zumiez also lol
I used to love the highs they always seem to pop and grind well back in the day compared to my low 5.0s. i think the added heft meat and height all around were better but still light. I'm trying not to go back to those and try thunders since I haven't ridden in over 10 years, everything will feel awkward anyways so why not if im relearning stuff and balance is off.
I really want to try the new titanium ventures HI’S
I remember skating Ventures back when I was younger and I couldn't explain why I liked it. When you said Venture trucks provide stability, it just clicked in my head. Thank you thank thank you for bringing light to Ventures. I haven't skated them in a while, but next set of trucks I buy are for sure going to be Ventures.
Instead sub from me. Great analysis!
Thank you g. I hope you enjoy the Ventures!
Your filming and editing is evolving Johnny Bhoy!
I have some Venture 5.8” Lights. Which are the ones with a solid axle but a hollowed out kingpin. Haven’t tried them that much. Didn’t think the turn was that bad and yeah they did make me feel pretty stable. But my Thunders already did that too. Weight at around 355g or so was pretty average. Not too much but still heavier than my Thunders. I really can’t decide which truck I like the most. I do like the Indy turn though for sure and that almost settles it more than anything for me.
Thanks my g! And the Indy turn is incredible. It’s the best for carving imo hands down and they grind well.
Love this honest kick butt video comparison. For me I enjoy Venture 6.1 or 5.8s. Super stable and I was able to use the stock bushings. Thunders I had to use their harder bushings to make them bearable for me.
Just switched to a harder duro bushing on the Thunders (the blue bushings) and my experience has been amazing.
big thing that i just noticed today when i went back to thunder trucks for a bit: Ventures are WAY better for bombing hills/high speeds. My uni is on a big hill, and Thunders speed wobbled pretty much the whole way down, while my Ventures felt solid the whole way through. Don't think I'll ever go back to Thunder simply because of this.
Totally makes sense. I bet the weight of the truck helps with this as well. I’m not a hill bomber but I’ll totally take your word for it. 👌🏻
You could just tighten the other trucks hahahaha
Hey just found your channel and it's been very helpful. Im building a board and im going to get back into skating in my 30s. I had decided on the thunder lights 2 for the trucks and this cemented that for me for sure. Have you tried/reviewed the powell dragons, F4s or the andy Anderson nano cubics? Was thinking of trying the dragons. I subbed 🤙🏻
If you like street skating venture is where it’s at. Hitting cracks and rocks they have a great rebound in their bushings. Thunders are better for parks and transition like Indy. Indy and thunder on street feel uncontrollable. IMO
Im a Indy fan but after watching this video I would probably try out some ventures.
Sometimes I miss Indys- I’ll def throw them back on eventually.
I wonder if you had the Venture V-Hollows if your experience would be different for the kick flips?
I find that with the added WB length 101a have been more "FUN" to skate when paired with ventures esp in the "park" vs indys with 99a spitfire classic blend per ex. You hit the limit of lean/turn with the 6.1s and bones hards vs 159 indys with 94a bottom/92a top conical bushing....and you initiate slide/slasher powerslide a lot more differently between both wheel/truck as far as conical full shape. Indy you get more truck angle/lean limit vs the plastic bones hard inner on the venture...but the wider wb/stance=more slide/control/initiation esp with 101a wheels Swapped them out from stock bushing 6.1s to indys the 101a. And 99a conical full shape wheel 53mm on venture 6.1 with hards...just slide a lot more and are easier to control when sliding than indys with 99a conical SFW wheels. Havent tried 101a wheels with the indys yet but theyre also bigger 56mm. Still gotta say 6.1 ventures are pretty fun to skate I used to just run 159 hangers on my 8.38x32 decks and 8.8-9.25 shapes...bc i bought mulitple liquidated stage X/10.5 indys as they were bringing in the stage XI. I never really liked how thunders turned other than their metal to metal grind/speed. But once i saw venture finally making 6.1s as i was already on the fence waiting for a 8.75" ace AF1 this last 2 years...i got to try some ventures out. Whats not to like you have that Added pinch to fs/bs crooks on any shaped setup...over indys. Softer metal so you can slappy/groove them out of the box quicker generally making them better for quiver setups other than the extra hole indy baseplates. Have pretty decent stock bushings had to buy hards bc i couldnt last a session with the stock 6.1 kader bushings w.o wheel biting my arm off on hip transfers. But the 56mm wheels with stock bushings= no bite or risers XD. As far as that goes my only pro/con vs indys 159/6.1 same wheels 54mm 99a SFW i got massive bite with stock venture bushings vs the indys bc the indys had harder bushings....added bones hards still had bite landing nose heavy on transfers...adds risers...problem solved...yet are higher than the stage 9/x indy 159 which is 53mm vs 53.5 with ventures. That kind of threw me off...already having a different WB now risers/timing for tricks. Overall the risers helped more for tail/nose slide lock ins. Its why im now swapping the 56mm 101a onto the indys to see if that overall ride height difference can kinda come into play and make the indys as slidey/slashy as the ventures feel. FUN them up a little bit....otherwise ill have to try mid/hollow's to see if i can lighten the indy standards to get the same pop/response mid carve/bank wall/qp wall that the ventures have opened up the table with. IDK you can slash or pop over lip and land back in coping etc..just with a lot more control and speed kept intact than indys. If youre just trying to blast around and flow the park and hit a couple specific tricks....idk ventures have really caught my attention esp with how they feel on regular boards and shaped decks. It could really be a weight issue thing vs indy standards. If you want to do some street/tricks with a shaped board ventures really bring that setup some life NGL. Try some 6.1s on a 8.8 shaped pool/slappy deck and it definitely made my setup more fun to skate than when it had the indys. A lot more pop shoves/shove its/nollie half cabs etc...bigspins etc..for me at least just bc of a truck swap. And like a net 100% gain on half cabs IDK if any half-cab flip variation FEELS better on any other truck either. They even lock into grinds for flip outs etc pop setup pretty well compared to other trucks. Just that added crook/nose grind lock in vs having to break in/down an indy mid hanger....really has ventures sitting pretty as a GO to shaped board truck. Im really considering a 6.1 hollow for a 9.25 setup just bc of the weight reduction vs how heavy indy mids are or the 10-15$ extra the indy mid pro hollows are. The way thunders lock into slides...you immediately know youll want 101a wheels...or some kind of Anti flatspot blend or wax...bc your wheels will stick....on the same ledges indys would lock into or ventures. It completely changes the flip out etc aspects of foot placement/board size. Which is a similar limiting aspect to wheel size/truck height etc when trying to find a more ideal all around truck/wheel etc setup. Thunder titanium lights definitely feel like your board doesnt exist when doing gaps or hip transfers in transition.....they definitely have their place in the streets/tech. Its like using a park noodle snowboard to blast big air....or a big hip transfer....with a shaved off edge....vs a good edge/camber snowboard.....both have their place and with them the speed/quality of ride per trick. Skateboards are just that in the same...light trucks/small wheels are hard to use to blast in transition/flow sections for keeping speed high and trying to skate a certain portion/park feature that requires a speed/transfer setup. Yet if youre talking a 3 ledge combo with some fliptricks in between in a line or getting line footage.....the lighter/lower street setup becomes the near 10x easier setup for that task. Pros get boxes/ride different sizes/shapes some just for kickflipping gaps etc...if youre GROWN and work enough to invest into youre skating...a quiver doesnt hurt to build riding different shapes/sizes concaves while keeping a "MAIN" setup that you know you like doesnt hurt. IMO its better than only riding a single setup and switching up all the time. I always wanted to try ACES...only until recently did they make my size...but got to try and now have a new respect for venture just bc i wanted to go the "MADE IN USA" route and follow skaters like worrest and manderson into venture if they could skate non indys i figured i had no excuse but to try venture. I only really skate mandersons wheel/shape so why not run his trucks too. IDK across the board doing a high fs nose slide or fs crook only feels SOO Good on so many trucks. So i just let the skate test decide. As it stand i believe the venture 6.1 is probably the best in slot CROOK feel on any 8.8-9.25 shaped setup. To half cab pop ratio...I honestly recommend anyone not miss the chance to try 6.1s with a shaped board setup hybrid street board with 54-56mm wheels. I didnt need risers with 56mm wheels on a shaped board and that was a hoot in itself riding into curbs. Something about a riserless setup on a shaped board really up the foolishness of the max youre trying to do with a would be limiting setup. The general/overall fun trying to skate the shit out of it becomes.
God damn bro this shit is an essay
i ain’t reading allat
Any update on the Ventures after skating the 8.25 with them?
Always rode Thunder , gonna try both now tho
Great video, stage 4 indys for the win
Ventures are my favorite but Thunder are so respectable. Venture works best for my boardfeel and grinding feel more centered, the thunders are so much lighter and angled with an even pop for flickability. I used Bones Medium Bushing on Ventures for great handling compared to Indy's butI also got the newer Venture bushings which work just as well. I bought the blue rebuild kit for the Thunder and have worked fairly well for manuvarbility. To each is own since both work so well. Thanks for the compare-to Bro!
I too got some Lakai shoes that are super swell. Hopefully I get to see your opinion after you burn em in. Keep on thrashing man. :)
Appreciate the comments my g! I can’t wait to get back on the Thunders and swap to the blues. What decks do you skate?
@@Skatebetter I've been on my Almost 8.5 deck with some Ace 44 classics. Really mellow concave with the Impact Light makes me feel confident at the park. I have 8.25 Ventures on my 8.38 Anti Hero which is my favorite cause I still like 8.25 sized decks and axel trucks.
@@ZTFlames sounds fun- if i ever try another truck the next one will be Aces.
Hey man can you please do a video of only titanium trucks
thunders vs indys vs ventures vs the new ace hollows? I love both indy and thunder trucks, i use to ride ventures back in the day the bumble bee 🐝 ones, i’ve tried ace trucks too there not bad
Venture are my favourite trucks high and low.... old school feel to them
Venture v lights and the standard are the most comfortable to me. The wheel base is where I like it.
It really is whatever works 👍🏻
Have you tried the Krux k5 that’s what I’m on now an can’t decide to switch for Thunder or venture
I have never skated Krux k5, I would suggest standard Venture High. They have good lean and pretty good turning. I have wanted to like Thunders, but they are much more unforgiving. Wheel Bite!
@@XXPLUTONIXX never tired Krux- my wife has Krux on her deck and they seem to be fine but I’ve heard they’re not very responsive. I think a Thunder wheelbase might be closer to Krux but not sure about the truck height. Wish i had more to share- perhaps I’ll give ‘em a shot one day!
Try thunders with blue medium bushings from their rebuild kit, to me it made a huge difference, from the responsiveness and stability to the amount of wheelbite, made these trucks way more fun to ride. I also find that ventures turn kinda like a longboard. What skatepark is that at the beginning of the video?
Lol, i didn’t watch till the end and commented. the 94s will make a world of difference :) I have the nuts half tightened.
Haha no worries I would have appreciated the advice either way. The 2 skateparks at the beginning are the Heath Eiland skatepark in Austin TX and my hometown park Lot 11 in Miami.
@@Skatebetter did you get your 94 bushings online or locally? I will need a new set soon. The last ones I ordered online, I was wondering if maybe some local shop has them now. I’m from Miami as well, we skated a couple times together at the park in 82nd street. :)
@@kirillkolesnikov566 oh HEY lol! What’s up man? Unfortunately i had to get these from thedrop.com. It was the only place i could find them- can’t wait to try em. Hope to see you at the park again for another game of skate! 💪🏻🙌🏻
@@Skatebetter Yoo, I'm alright bro, trying to skate as often as possible, although after recent covid I have kinda low energy. I got my bushings from thedrop too, I guess I'm gonna order a new set from there. Are you still skating mostly lot11? I just can't get myself to drive there lol. I've been skating mostly 82nd, haulover, basketball courts. Just made a website where I post measurements of the decks that I have, wanna turn it into a deck shape library eventually (youtube not allowing to post the link).
hey bro, have you switched back to the Thunders with the new bushings yet? I'm really interested in how that performs.
I did eventually switch back and they were perfect. Best setup for trucks by far for me personally as I really enjoyed the responsiveness
Niiiice I decided to go with Thunders (lights but not hollow lights) too, gonna skate them as is but I do wanna switch the bushings eventually just to see what a difference it can make.
I want to try all the truck brands eventually as well. I'm an EDC gear nerd coming back to skating and my gear madness is unstoppable. Lmao@@Skatebetter
You should give the venture titanium’s a try really light
Thunders are spread farther apart than ventures, but main thing I notice over all is the difference in my flick, I’m a thunder guy through and through but I have a few different sets of venture and thunder… the way the board looks feels while ur doing flip tricks is way diff to me,, my flateground is better wit ventures but over all skating obstacles is better for me with thunders… either way it’s all preferences….
Interesting about Thunders being a wider wheelbase. Are you talking specifically about the Venture 5.2 vs the Thunder 149? There might be some Ventures that have a tighter wb but I’m almost certain based on the forums I found for these specific trucks that the Ventures are wider (slightly) when comparing these two exact trucks (it feels this way skating them as well). I agree it’s all preference for sure!
Ace AF1 truck review?
Thunder 147 vs Venture Lo 5.25 vs Venture High 5.25 ?
I’m pretty sure they have venture hollows maybe it’ll be the happy medium
They definitely do- and i might try a pair in the future. 👍🏻
Can you fit bones bushings in either one?! 🤔
I’ve tried putting bones bushings on thunders- you can watch my review (didn’t end well). Haven’t tried Ventures with Bones yet!
I have a set of Venture Hollow Lights that I run with Bones Hards and it seems to be a very good combo. They turn and carve very nicely.
For Thunders I found I had to use their harder bushings because to me it fit much better. Bones just didn't look right in the Thunders.
@@TheReal_DeanD I’m running the hard bones on there and they work, but it’s very creaky
Do royals and slappys lol
Also shorter wheelbase for ventures to work
Why venture and thunder? Why not venture alone, and thunder and Indy?
If I could do it all over again i would probably do them all separate or one big video (which I might still do). Basically I already did a Indy vs Thunder video- and I thought if I was gonna talk about the Ventures it would be easier for me personally to compare them with another truck (for reference). At the time I’d only been skating Thunders before mostly so hence “Venture vs Thunder.”
a thin coat of Wax on the trucks, for a fast consistent Grind.
Thunders are closer to the nose and tail my guy
I was gonna watch this but it made zero sense to NOT use Venture HollowLites against a Thunder Hollow..
If they had Venture Hollow Lites I would have done those but they only had these
Conical bushings upgrade the VENTURE turn 100% better.
And halve their stability.,,,
Too hard to hear you....
How so?
Ventures are my favorite 😩🤌🏼 They pinch and skate way better than any trucks. You should try Venture V-Hollows they are easier to skate 🤌🏼 I skate Venture V-Hollow 5.2 high/5.6 but I wanna try lows one day 😳
For sure i feel like they really stay “locked” in the pinch. I will def try hollows next time and probably the 5.8’s. Always been curious about the lows- i bet them feel amazing on the right setup.
I can’t seem to find any sub 50mm wheels but I’d be up for trying some 48mm wheels to go with a Venture Low. I’ve already got some 50mm wheels and 50mm high Thunders though so not that much of a difference.
It would take some getting used to though. That low set up really messes with my pop when I try it out.
@@RikRiorik what kind/size deck are you trying with the V lows?
really considering the 6.1 hollows as my MAINSTAY shaped board truck for 8.8-9.25" boards. After swapping 6.1s from 159 indy standards the pop on command mid bank wall/qp or for gaps with seemingly no effort just really has them locked in as that "SHAPED BOARD" setup thats "BUILT" for slappys and transition...that really becomes the MAIN setup....or the board for ALL terrain/street too...over the main "QUIVER" shape/truck setup... I started doing a lot more 180/shove it half cabs in lines at the park just bc of how much better those trucks felt to do how natrual and just overall better they were with ventures. Big spins etc. Even shove outs etc from slides. They also slappy much easier than the 159 indys....maybe bc of harder bushings with the indys vs the stock ventures. Either way im just glad to be skating something other than 159 standards for the last 8+ years. Might try ace60 AF1, or indy mid 159 hollows before i give the 6.1 hollows a try...but it sure makes riding that de-lammed shaped deck a hoot and got it off the shelf. The 6.1s have me ready to buy another shaped board to have one with fresh pop in the quiver. The trucks are that good....watching indy riders jump ship helped me get a couple pairs of ventures over the years...ppl like kader, worrest, manderson. Even yutos part was a great Venture ad. The only other trucks i was willing to try other than indy 159s were aces and for a long period of time i never saw a 8.75" axle in the mix for the AF1 so i finally jumped on the ventures the sec they were HOT out with the 6.1....and around a year later got the second set..At first the WB geometry change was a learning curve for tricks....but once i got used to them and swapped out the indys on the shaped board kept the bushings stock vs the first go with the 6.1s...wow they are pretty GOOD on a shaped board for mainly normal stance riding and your usual 180/big spin variations. Good stock bushings good all around trucks. Great grind lock in....and crook pinch out of the box for a shaped board with big/contact patch wheels like some conical full shapes or radial 57mm+ wheels. You really cant ask for more from a truck out of the box slapped onto a shaped board or something with a chopped nose.
@@anhiirr I wish they had a 9" version. Would be cool if they still made the 80s version for old school decks. They looked way different back then. Basically, an entirely different truck.