Ace vs Independent Trucks (Which One Is Best)

Whether you are getting into skateboarding or you are already into it, choosing between different trucks can always be a thing for you. It’s something that is always an open option for your skateboarding journey.

Keeping up with that, here, I will be going through two different types of trucks that a lot of people have trouble with. It’s the debate of ace vs. independent trucks.

By the end of this article, you will get to know which one does what and how they stand out in every scenario.

So, let’s not waste any more time and jump right into it.

First, I will go through each of the trucks individually, so you get the idea of where they stand respectively. I will go through the different aspects of each truck here. Let’s get going.

Ace Trucks

They are starting with the quite popular ace trucks that surprisingly take over a lot of professional skateboarders. Here are all the factors you should know about them.

History

The journey of Ace trucks began back in 2006. When two experienced skateboarders decided to collaborate and develop high-quality trucks for skateboarding.

Steve Shrewgy Ruge and Joey Tershay both have more than 20 years of experience in skateboarding, and they are both enthusiastic about skateboard trucks. That enthusiasm led them towards Ace trucks eventually.

From their starting till now, they have gained a lot of momentum and popularity in the skateboarding community. They even became one of the most renowned brands for skateboard trucks. Their popularity even got higher when they introduced the advanced AF1 truck.

Features

Now, let’s talk about the features and quality of the ace truck. There are several things to check out while choosing your truck.

Check out some Ace trucks

Sharp Turns

One of the unique features that you get to see in Ace trucks is the shorter wheelbase. This means the truck placement on your deck will be a bit tighter than usual. This gives these trucks the ability to get sharp turns.

The turns are some of the sharpest turns you can get from most trucks.

Lightweight

These trucks are very lightweight. You will feel the lightweight nature coming onto your deck, which can be a great addition if you don’t like mellow kicks. It also works out great when you want to have that gentle impact on the pops. These work out great for steeper boards.

Good Build Quality

The material used in the ace trucks is pretty impressive. You can immediately feel the top-notch build quality when you hold the truck for the first time. You won’t have to worry about grinding them off because they are quite durable and will last for a long time without any worries.

Pros and cons

For your convenience, let’s take a quick look at the pros and cons of having an Ace truck. This will give you an idea of whether the pros are worth it or not.

Pros

• The trucks offer you one of the sharpest turns you can experience in any skateboard truck.
• They are built with high-quality material, so durability will never be a concern with these.
• These are lightweight, which goes very well when you have a steeper deck
• The accuracy in the steering of this truck is exceptional with the bushings and washer improvements.
• The fit of the axle is precise and will be perfect on the standard deck sizes.

Cons

• They take a lot of time to break loose before you can get the full experience of the truck.
• The pinch you get from the trucks may feel a bit unusual at times. It leaves with a kind of twitchy feeling.

Suitable for which tricks and riding style

Even though these are some great trucks, they aren’t universal in their performance. There are some tricks that you can do a lot better with these trucks.

If you are planning to do manual tricks, then these are just the perfect trucks for that purpose. They make doing manual tricks much easier compared to other trucks.

They are great when you are riding them on skating obstacles or platforms. As for riding them on roads, the experience won’t be as fulfilling.

Read Ace Trucks Full Review Here

Independent Trucks

When it’s about skateboard trucks, independent trucks are the name that is a classic option. It’s been the home for many professional skaters for a long time until ace trucks came into the picture.

Let’s dive a little deep to know more about independent trucks.

History

The history of independent trucks is much older and started back in 1978. It has a huge list of experienced team riders and sponsors. There are plenty of popular names in the skating industry were associated with independent trucks.

It was the only reliable name for a lot of professional skaters for a long time.

Features

Several features make these trucks a top choice, even for professional skaters. Although there are different models which will have different features, the basics are pretty much the same. Let’s take a quick look at them.

Check out some thunder trucks

Stable and Secure

One of the best things about these trucks is that you will never get any instability coming from your board with these trucks. You will feel a lot more secure on your board when you have these trucks installed on your deck.

Good shape for precise turns

These trucks come with a wide shape paired up with a decent height. With this combination, you get excellent precision in the turns without worrying about wheel bites from low-impact.

Malleable bushings

It doesn’t matter whether you like to skate on tighter or loose trucks; these will perfectly meet your needs. Because the stock bushings on the trucks are flexible and they can adjust according to your needs perfectly.

Pros and cons

To better understand these classic trucks, let’s get through the pros and cons it has.

Pros

• These trucks have great precision in the turns
• With the flexible bushings, it’s very easy to adjust the tightness
• They make your deck feel much more secured and stable for skating
• The grinding capability is amazing on these trucks
• These trucks come with great durability from the full-on baseplate

Cons

• The trucks don’t come cheap, so you need to be up for the price aspect
• One issue that many people complain about is the weight of the trucks. They can feel a bit heavy for some.

Suitable for which tricks and riding style

These trucks are the perfect pick for heavy skaters who tend to skate a lot every day. Because of their durability, you can get a lot of use out of them without any issues. You can do most tricks and follow most riding styles.

However, these aren’t good for you if you plan flips or low-impact skating like a flat bar or manual pads. You will need to get lighter trucks for that purpose, and these are quite heavy for flips.

Difference Between Ace and Independent

Now, let’s draw some quick comparisons between these trucks based on various factors.

• Performance

In terms of performance, they both are pretty equal. While ace truck serves a good purpose in manual tricks, the independent one is great for heavy skating. They both are choices for pros, so performance shouldn’t be a big deal.

Many professional skaters are shifting to ace trucks, so that pretty much sums up the fact that they perform a bit better than independent trucks.

• Features

When it comes to the features of both trucks, they are pretty equal. There are no huge differences. While ace trucks provide you with some of the sharpest turns, independent trucks reassure you of security and stability on the board. None of them is a clear winner here; it’s just a matter of preference.

• Durability

Both the trucks shine in the durability factor. Even though ace trucks are a bit lightweight, you can still rely on the durability and longevity of these trucks. As for independent trucks, they boast their durability in the build quality. Simply put, you can’t decide on one of these based on durability.

• Smooth turning

Both these trucks are suitable for smooth turning. They both are precise in turning. However, ace trucks are just a class above the rest for sharp turns. You can’t even compare that to anything. So, if you are looking for a truck that turns sharply, ace trucks should be your pick.

• Size

Well, the sizing is pretty much the same for both the trucks. You can find a variety of sizes in both these truck brands. Sometimes the wheelbase on ace trucks may be a bit shorter than independent trucks.

That’s what gives it that distinct upper hand in making those sharp turns.

Are they both good for bowl skating and skate parks?

Yes, both these tracks are quite good for bowl skating and skate parks as well. Ace trucks are just made for going through those carving bowls. With the medium height, you get a lot of clearance on those carves, and you won’t have to worry about wheel bites either.

As for independent trucks, they come with that heavy layer of metal on the hanger. Because of this, grinding is never a problem with the truck. This works out great for skating on bowls as well as skate parks.

Last Words

All in all, the debate between ace vs. independent trucks is pretty hard to decide. While ace is a very high-quality truck, the independent trucks are a classic choice.

Having said that, most of the professionals are switching towards ace trucks and finding more comfort here. So, that may indicate which one is a better pick.

However, it comes down to your personal preferences at the end of the day. You may find independent trucks to be your thing, or you may just like ace trucks better.

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