Shapes and Shape Combinations
Shapes and Shape Combinations
The shape of your bushings will greatly affect the feel of your ride, especially when turning/carving. Shape combined with the durometer of your bushings determines how much force it takes for your trucks to turn, so it’s important to take them both into consideration when changing your bushings. Force is often dependent on your weight, for more info check out our weight charts, which show the relationship between durometer and different shape combinations.
It's important to note that urethane does not compress - it deforms. When you turn and put pressure on the bushings, you are forcing the urethane to move into a different area. With less material, the bushings can deform more and your trucks will turn more. With more material, there is less space for the urethane to go, so they will deform less and your trucks will turn less.
Different shapes work with different washers, which are listed below and are washers that are sold with some of our products. For more on washers and how to use them, check out our washer article.
We offer 4 main shapes:
Cone: We offer cones in our short street (0.4”), street (0.5”), longboard (0.6”) and tall (0.75”) heights, as well as .55” and .65” for CX SurfSkate. Cones take the least amount of force to turn, allowing you to achieve the full lean potential of your trucks without losing control or feeling. Cones also take less force to turn the deeper you get into the turn, because the shape decreases in size. Cones work with our small cup washers and small flat washers. The large end of the cone sits in the bushing seat.
Barrel: Barrels are the ‘standard’ bushing shape and are the starting point. We offer barrels in all of our heights which include: short street (0.4”), street (0.5”), roller (0.55”)longboard (0.6”),tall roller (0.65”) and tall (0.75”) heights. Barrels take a medium amount of force to turn, which still gives a lot of turnability while providing more stability than Cones. They are applicable to a wide range of skating disciplines and are our most popular bushing shape. Barrels work with our large cup washers and small flat washers. For tight setups, the rounded edge of the Barrel sits in the bushing seat. The Barrel can also be flipped so the sharper edge sits in the bushing seat to remove slop.
FatCones: The FatCone (large, inverted cone) was designed to provide more stability than a Barrel, especially when turning. They offer the same initial stability as a Barrel, but then require a higher amount of force to turn due to the shape flaring outward. If you’re worried about wheelbite or losing control while turning, the FatCone is a good shape for you. FatCones come in street (0.5”),Longboard (0.6”), and Tall (0.75”) heights, and work with large flat washers. The smaller end of the FatCone sits in the bushing seat.
Chubby: Chubbys are our most stable shape, but take the most force to turn. They work best in trucks with stepped bushings seats to take advantage of the step in their design. Chubbys in lower durometers retain their turnability, while providing stability and a comfortable set up. The Chubby is one of our most versatile shapes due to its size and wide variety of applications. We offer Chubbys in street (0.5”),Longboard (0.6”), and Tall (0.75”) heights, and they work with large flat washers. The stepped area of the Chubby sits in the bushing seat.
Canons and Magnums (Only 0.6”): The canon is the same shape as a barrel, but with a slightly larger outer diameter. It is designed to fit more tightly in normal bushing seats, and it works well with trucks with slightly larger bushing seats. Canons work with large cup washers and small flat washers. The Magnum is designed to replace Chubbys in Paris or other trucks with slightly larger bushing seats. It works with large flat washers.
We do offer other, non-standard bushing shapes, designed for specific trucks. Those can be found under Alternate Bushings.
Combining Shapes
As mentioned above, different shapes have different levels of resistance, and take different amounts of force to make them turn. Combining shapes can often be helpful to find the perfect amount of stability while being able to turn your trucks.
The bottom bushing is what provides stability to your set up, and the top bushing can be controlled to allow for different types of turn depending on the shape. Most applications do well with a larger (more stable) shape on the bottom, and a smaller (more carvy) shape on the top. The Cone/Barrel combo is a prime example; where the barrel provides stability but the Cone allows the trucks to turn more than if using two Barrels.
It also is not necessary to use the same shapes in the front and back. This is known as an asymmetrical set up.
Roadside (top) /Boardside (Bottom), ranked from most carvy to most stable.
Cone/Cone: The Cone/Cone set up has the most turn for a very carvy or surfy feel. With this set up, the more you lean, the less resistance there is.
Cone/Barrel (Most Common Set up): This set up offers more stability, while still keeping the carvy and surfy feel. The Barrel provides a bit more stability while the Cone allows for more lean.
Barrel/Barrel: Great stability at higher speeds without compromising maneuverability for slides, high speed carving and downhill applications.
Barrel/Fatcone: For those looking for a bit more stability at high speeds without giving up maneuverability. Still great for slides, carving and downhill, but the ends of the lean are restricted. This can be preferable for those who like a more progressive feel for their setup, or those who want to prevent wheelbite.
Barrel/Chubby: One of our most versatile set ups. The Chubby provides stability on the bottom, while the Barrel still allows for turns. It is excellent for Free Ride, Technical Downhill, Downhill and anything where speed is a priority.
Fatcone/Chubby: Our most stable set up that still allows for some carve. The FatCone will require more force to go deeper into turns, preventing wheel bite and providing even more stability than the Barrel/Chubby combo.