Longboard Skateboard Bushings

Bushings are the resistance of the longboard truck. Longboard bushings, just like wheels, are measured in durometers. The higher the number the harder the bushing and the more resistance you will get. Hard bushings (Greater than 90A) are good for downhill bombing. Soft bushings for trucks (Lower than 90A) are good for cruising and provide less resistance for more lean and maneuverability. Generally, trucks come stocked with a middle of the road bushing. This middle ground usually lies around 90A. There are different shapes of longboard bushings such as: Barrell Bushings (Good for Freeride), Cone Bushings (Good for cruising or lighter kids), Eliminator Bushings (Good for extremely fast downhill), and Wedge/Freeride Bushing (Good for Freeride and Downhill).

The standard bushing set up for a cruising/commuting board is barrel board side and cone road side. This barrel cone combo provides for optimal maneuverability with just a hint of stability coming from the board side barrell.

The most common downhill or freeride bushing set up is the double barrel. That's a barrel board side and another barrel road side. This combo proves to be one of the more stable combos allowing for all aroind skating. The double barrel set up is preferred for any style of riding.

The downhill set up includes eliminator bushings. Eliminator bushings restrict motion as much as possible and add a large amount of stability. It can be any combination of eliminator and barrel bushings. All eliminator or one of each. This set up is recommended for those riders seeking to push into higher speed ranges up to 60mph.

The wedge or freeride set up of bushings for trucks are the least common, but they are basically a barrel eliminator combo in one bushing.

The most uncommon set up is the double cone set up. A cone on both board and road side is the most maneuverable set up possible. This would work great for younger kids that way next to nothing. This also makes trucks extremely maneuverable for slalom skateboarding.

Bushings for trucks will fine tune your ride and will all feel and react differently. There is no right or wrong way to go about your longboard bushings. Our recommendation is to try out as many combinations as possible, until you find the perfect set up for your style of riding.