MMW Sputnik II Slalom Trucks

[Geezer-X]

I've had several complete trucks ready to go into production, but bailed when what I percieved as competing products were released. Radikal...Splitfire...etc...

This is the solid model of the v.2 Sputnik. I'm working on the first (less delicious looking) ridable prototypes, which I'll hopefully have evolved sufficiently to commit to production by summer.

The design principle takes what was great about the PVD truck, the rigid single axis pivot, and loses the non-standard bushings and other components. Sputnik II uses a pair of conventional 608 bearings for pivots. Everyone has 'em, why fight it? They're aligned in the same axis, so load and any manufacturing tolerance issues are easliy accomodated, unlike all the dual spherical bearing trucks which can never exploit the strength of the bearings due to angular misalignment.

Patent pending...

[longboardharry1]

how much will they be

[heavyweightchamp]

Really cool design, very clever. Is there some sort of bearing or something in the hanger? It looks like there may be but I can't really tell.

[Geezer-X]

Cost will depend on production quantities and methods. If I do a long enough run to justify doing these with 2 aluminum castings which are machined, it'll be much less expensive than CNC machining the 2 parts from bar stock, but I'll need to commit to multi-hundred part orders for the castings.

With castings, probably in the $100, by CNC probably $175. These are slightly educated wild-ass guesses though. Please don't go jihad on me in 6 months when they cost something different...

Regarding the question asked in the post above, the answer is very cleverly concealed in the jumbly, scratchy looking bit above the pretty pictures...

[nsc1120]

How are the trucks going to deal with different height bottom bushings, and are you going to have to disassemble the truck to change the bottom bushing?

[tyler87]

Oh snap, I love double pivot trucks. I had a set made for me and they are pretty tits.

I would say that you do have to take apart the whole truck to change bushings, but really, it's no different than a Rad.

Can't wait to see these in person.

[Geezer-X]

How are the trucks going to deal with different height bottom bushings, and are you going to have to disassemble the truck to change the bottom bushing?

The design is based on a Khiro barrel-Tracker Stim sized bushing. The kingpin will be easily removable, but once you're in the ballpark durometer wise, the outer bushing and amount of bushing preload have more than enough range for raceday tuning.

By way of example, I've had the same bushings in both my rear PVDs since...well I don't know when. Years.

And...it's nothing like a Rad. At all.

[jkaps]

ooooooo

these look neat

[nsc1120]

That's what I figured, but that truck is 25* ,right?, is that the only angle you plan on making?

[heavyweightchamp]

No, I realize that it's using normal 608 bearings for the pivots, but in the pictures it looks like there is something under the bushing. I was just wondering if there is.

[tyler87]

Sorry, Geezer, I didn't mean to compare to a Rad in terms of geometry and whatnot.

I was just thinking about how you have to take the kingpin out to change things.

[Muttlips]

What a great design! Those look stellar, really inovative, I'm so glad you're pursuing this...

Can't wait to try them!

[Geezer-X]

I'm going to go get some actual work done in the shop, and let this simmer into a firestorm of controversy overnight...

The 608 bearings are retained by internal circlips. A circlip plier will be the special tool required. Cost may allow a lower bushing exchange system via kingpin removal only. I want these to be affordable; it should be possible to have pro performance trucks on a slalom race board for a couple hundred bucks.

[mellowkat]

Do you need the outer bushing? Why not a larger diameter inner bushing only?
Nevermind, just re-read the standard component thing in your first post!

[shapeshifter]

beautiful work as always...

[revzack]

Nice Geezer.
I bet coming from you they will be awesome. Will they be interchangable widths with spacers or different axles or hangers?

[HerBDerb]

Will these trucks allow me to orbit earth and cause american society to break into a panic?

[Geezer-X]

Herb: Absolutely. They'll also silence the troublesome voices you've been hearing.

Revzack: I really don't like the idea of stacking spacers unless the spacer has as big a cross section as the hanger and is at least as hard. In a perfect world it'll be a 2 or 3 width thing, probably 90-100-110. I'd like to include bearing spacers too, since they're utterly key to traction.

Shapeshifter: You remain one of my skateboard heroes.

After working on this project some tonight, I revisited 2003 and did 8mm axles in a Turner TTC and a small pivot Tracker Fultrack, which came with a fully threaded axle...Talk about contrast.

[Parallel Man]

Geezer,

Howard made the TTC.
Howard sold 3DM to Seismic
Gesmer sold his TTC stock to you.

Did you also acquire the rights, designs and whatever legal association there is to the TTC? In other words, does MMW now own the TTC design?

I've talked to you before about your inventory and I can't imagine why I've never asked this. It seems like a natural followup to interupt you when start going off into orbit about tolerances and stress loads on various diameter shoulder bolts (ahem.)

[king edward]

I guess I could be able to deal with a circlip. Just as long as there's none of those pesky kotter pins...