Randall II Axel Bending

[reign454]

I ride Randall II's with 90mm Flywheels, luckily this hasn't happened to me yet. However, I've heard that wheels that are over 83mm (or so) can bend your axels if you slide them. I was wondering to what degree this occurs. Obviously, it sound like you wouldn't want to do a whole bunch of hard perpendicular sliding, however, would drifting while cornering/hard cornering without drifting bend your axels as well?

[bpz]

They come from the manufacturer crooked and bent already; don't worry about it

[carbonfiberlove]

They come from the manufacturer crooked and bent already; don't worry about it

You've said this same exact quote before.

[easy]

You sure they aren't bent already? Ride 'em, thrash 'em, buy some more...

[jawes]

You sure they aren't bent already? Ride 'em, thrash 'em, buy some more...

..or get some real trucks.
like crails..

[jawes]

You sure they aren't bent already? Ride 'em, thrash 'em, buy some more...

..or get some real trucks.
like crails..

[XPLOAD]

You sure they aren't bent already? Ride 'em, thrash 'em, buy some more...

..or get some real trucks.
like crails..

or force

[bpz]

Crails come bent, too. I'd be surprised if Force trucks came with perfectly straight axles. I don't think any manufacturer cares about how straight axles are.

[mark grimace]

I bend R2's just looking at them

[Mile_High_Mark]

[EBasil]

Back to the question at hand: yes, a really big (especially a really TALL) wheel exerts more leverage on the axle. When you slide a while like that, get air on a streetluge, etc..., the forces you're putting on the axles and bearings peak way beyond what occurs in normal, fast riding. How thick is your axle? .310"? What's it made out of? We trade those things off for the price point of the truck.

I just had some .314", very high-quality steel axles in hand. Those wouldn't likely bend with the Flywheel in a slide...but the stupid things, alone, cost about what the entire RII does. It's a trade off.

[crawdad62]

I just had some .314", very high-quality steel axles in hand. Those wouldn't likely bend with the Flywheel in a slide...but the stupid things, alone, cost about what the entire RII does. It's a trade off.

That's what I've found amusing here on the Fish. I've seen people going to great lengths and spending $$$$$! to overcome a shortcoming of some piece of equipment (mostly in the truck category).

If you're racing and that bent axle at any given time is the difference between placing and going home then yeah it's probably worth the trouble and cost. If you're riding around town having a good time it's probably best to ride the crap out of it and when and if it bends buy another. It'll likely be as cheap if not cheaper, you'll get a whole new truck with all new components and you'll keep the retailers in business. Machine shops don't need your business but skate shops do.

Ride them and don't sweat the details that may never arise.

[zaphod911]

word bro. word.

i always felt good when i came back from a hard session and saw my equip was in shatters. says ive been riding hard.

but then i cry as i realize im going to have to buy more crack.

[EBasil]

If you're riding around town having a good time it's probably best to ride the crap out of it and when and if it bends buy another. It'll likely be as cheap if not cheaper...

Totally! This is one reason why the Randal remains supreme for now. I see legitimate inroads being made by the "Randal Killers", but the next jump up is really unecessary for all but racing.

[VoiceofTruth]

but when do you let your inner sense of right and wrong take over, by buying more randals once you easily break the shoddy things you are doing nothing but pouring more and more money into the pockets of a man that could care less about the consumer turning a deaf ear to the quality control concerns the consumers voice.

i have heard people time and time again say support the people that care about skateboarding and want to see its betterment, yet when a one of these people buy randal trucks they are going against thier own word buying a truck that has not gotten better but rather worse. We have wheels made with super radiation mutated super bouncy ball urethane and bearings with silicon nitrate ball bearings, yet we still take the low road when it comes to trucks buying the disasters that are randal trucks. One of longboardings true tragedies.

[EBasil]

What an interesting twist. Maybe only Randal can respond to that?

I don't think Randals regularly break or bend. I'd bet that, even though many of us are frustrated with the lack of QC in the Randal product, most of the trucks do just fine or, once they're tuned/tweaked as many do, better than fine. Tom Edstrand has a good point about what to do with the wacky drilling patterns and Mr. Dremel has the kingpin interfaces all figgered out.

This isn't to say that installing, skating and tuning the Randal Killers isn't all the more enjoyable for those that have had to deal either either particularly bad Randals or just a lot of them.

[crawdad62]

Yeah I wasn't advocating buying Randals as a disposable commodity item. More the opposite. I'm just saying don't get hung up on something and go to great lengths to rectify something that may or may not even happen.

I'm not a Randal fan. I'll probably never own another set, but many people like them and that's cool. I'm sure there is stuff I like that other people wouldn't. But if I had them I wouldn't worry about bending an axle and if that day came I'd probably get another one before I'd go to the added expense of fitting stronger/larger axles in them. In fact I couldn't see ever doing that because Randals have so many other issues that make them less than desirable for modification.

You can dress up a pig but it's still a pig and smells like one none the less.