Bushings: The heart of every Longboard truck
Bushings are the heart of every truck, as they significantly influence its steering characteristics. They come in various shapes and hardnesses.
When discussing bushings, people often talk about their specific properties: lean, rebound, and hardness.
Lean describes the degree to which the bushing compresses during a steering movement, which depends on the bushing’s flexibility. Rebound refers to the restoring forces with which the bushing attempts to return to its original shape. For bushings, hardness (according to the Albert Shore scale) is specified in Shore A, for example, 90A. The higher the number, the harder the bushing.
The plastic compounds used by different manufacturers vary greatly. As a result, two bushings with the same shape and hardness may have different riding characteristics.
Standard bushing shapes include:
The cone
[> fig. 02]
The Cone is a truncated cone that is particularly popular among riders who enjoy tight turns and prefer agile steering with plenty of lean.
Due to their geometric shape, Cone bushings deform significantly even under light force. The rebound of Cone bushings is also relatively low.
The barrel
[> fig. 01]
A barrel bushing is a simple cylinder (»barrel«) that is fully symmetrical. It has the same contact surface at both ends, which gives it many of its characteristic properties. Since the same mass is deformed on both sides of the barrel, a barrel has a fairly linear lean.
In addition, barrels have significantly more rebound than cone bushings, since more material is deformed between the hanger and the baseplate and wants to return to its original shape.
TIP
Many people like to use a stiff bushing as the bottom bushing (the one on the board side) and a softer or more responsive bushing as the top bushing (on the hanger side facing the street).
Generally speaking, it’s entirely up to your personal preference which bushing combinations (e.g., barrel/barrel, cone/barrel, cone/cone, etc.) and shapes you use. There are also a wide variety of shapes available, such as Eliminator, Fat Cones, and Chubbys. Just try out what works for you and what feels good. Check out our video on bushings for more info!
