Brand Knew:
Welcome back to our ongoing series where we take a dive into the brands that help make skateboarding and snowboarding what they are. From brands your dad used to skate to the brands that are just coming onto the market. We’re huge nerds about the product we carry in both our Edmonton and our Leduc locations, and we thought we’d share some of that geekery with you!
As always, if you’ve got a brand you’d like to see, questions about something we’ve posted, or just want to say hi, DM us on Instagram @rumorboardshop, or hit our email down in the footer.
Without further ado, here’s this weeks brand:
7 things you might not have known about Independent Trucks
1. Independent Trucks has been around for a long, long time.
Independent Trucks or “Indy’s” have been ripping it up in skateboarding for quite awhile now. Founded by Richard Novak, Eric Swenson, Jay Shiurman and Fausto Vitello. Starting with their very first truck the Stage 1, on May 23rd 1978
2. The iconic skateboard trucks started with stage 1.
Independent Stage 1's in all their glory.
The very first independent truck released was named the stage 1. Originally launched because there seemed to only be two options in the industry, and they wanted to take “the two things from the best trucks: the turn of the Bennett and the modern durability and adjustability of the Tracker” (Kieth Wilson, Jenkem, 2018)
3. And evolved stage by stage with skateboarding itself
As the stages kept climbing, the trucks they released keep changing. Things like adding support wings to the truck hangers to make them more durable, more durable materials and more.
The Newest Independent Truck, the Stage 11
One of the more interesting changes came in stage VII. As nose slides and tail slides became more common in the skateboarding world the existing bolt mounting position on the baseplate was leaving the bolts exposed. Noticing that this was an increasing point of failure for the trucks, they extended the baseplate slightly. This change gave us what we would today consider the ‘modern’ bolt pattern. This change is why you might see on old school boards and some trucks, multiple bolt pattern options.
4. They were some of the very first to experiment with hollow trucks, stronger manufacturing materials and more.
While they may not have been the very first to introduce a hollow kingpin or axel, they certainly have done one of the best jobs with the concept. By hollowing out the axel, and using stronger materials, they have been able to lighten up their trucks while maintaining Independent Trucks signature turn and durability.
Independent has always made sure that their product maintains the strength and turn that they strove for from the beginning, but they’ve also introduced things like the stage 11 forged hollow that’s incredibly light, durable and functional.
5. Your Independent Trucks have a pretty Robust warranty.
Not many people seem to know this, but like most skateboarding products, Independent not only has a warranty, but it’s a pretty good one. Here’s some things that are covered according to the NHS Fun Factory website:
- Covered by warranty:
- Manufacturer defect in materials or workmanship
- Axle bending
- Axle slipping
- Casting anomaly
- Axle deformation anomaly
- Threading issues at point of purchase
- Not covered by warranty:
- Normal wear
- Improper set up or maintenance
- Axle stripping or damage due to improper use or failure to use bearing spacers and axle washers
- Issues after lifetime of wear*
- *The lifetime of a skateboard truck is considered to be over when the hanger is ground down to the axle.
- Spare parts
- Spare and upgrade parts are available at your local skateshop or at NHS Fun Factory
- Some truck parts are available on request, fill out a warranty claim if you have feel you have an individual part that needs replacement.
Source: https://nhs-inc.com/info/warranty
6. Their truck sizes make a big difference in how your skateboard will ride.
Every Truck manufacturer seems to make their sizes just a bit different, and tends to measure a different part of the truck. Independent Trucks are measured based off of the axel width. Heres a breakdown of the most common truck sizes, and the board size they recommend.
| Truck Size | Board Size |
| 139 | 7.8" - 8.2" |
| 144 | 8.2" - 8.375" |
| 149 | 8.375" - 8.6" |
| 159 | 8.6" - 8.9" |
| 169 | 9" - 9.25" |
7. Independent Trucks come in different sizes for different riding styles
Depending on how you like to ride and what you’re looking to get out of your skateboard trucks, different heights might help you achieve your goals. Indy has two main sizes, their regular height, and “Mid”.
The higher a truck is, the better pop you’ll get, but it comes at the cost of a bit of stability. So if your still getting into skateboarding, or just want something with a bit better balance going for the Indy Mids is a great choice!
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So there we have it, another instalment of Brand Knew in the books! Hopefully you've enjoyed learning a bit more about Independent Trucks with us. They've been such a staple in the skateboarding industry for such an incredible amount of time, and their one we recommend to skaters every single day.
If there's a brand you want to know more about, have questions or comments you can always hit us up on instagram (@rumorboardshop) or shoot us an email!
Think we got something wrong? DM us and if your right we'll get it fixed right away. If you're wrong though we'll make fun of you. Up to you!
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