Understanding which forces are at play when the axle rotates on the ground is a pesky problem of mine. The goal is to obtain a good understanding of the effect that different axle lengths have when turning (an effect that’s overstated, I feel, in the community). It turns out the problem is not so unattackable. In this post, I report what I’ve found so far. Continue reading Skateboard physics: moment of inertia
Occasionally, people assert that TKP trucks (i.e., trucks with significant forward rake) turn “progressively,” while RKP trucks (i.e., trucks with minimal rake) turn more “linearly”. That, at first glance, can only mean that the trucks resist turning in such ways. In this post, I check for patterns in the way trucks resist when a rider leans on a skateboard. Continue reading Skateboard physics: squeezing bushings
In this entry I want to write down a couple of things that relate to a project that might or might not happen in the future. It’s an idea by a friend (whose handle is “Holden”), who already built a few two-spring trucks. His dream was (still is) to built a one-spring truck. Continue reading Skateboard physics: one-spring truck (and the dead-zone problem)
This post is to show, in very practical terms and without abstract models, that reversing the rear truck is simply an option available for when we need it, not some fanciful eccentricity. I derive a very simple rule-of-thumb for those keen to experiment. Continue reading Turning radius: as a function of the rear PA angle
While the industry is rather unimaginative, over the years I’ve stumbled upon quite a few brilliant non-professionals. I’ve collected examples of their work in this post. Continue reading Ideas by other people
Changing Angles 