Every piece of equipment has a backbone, a component designed to keep everything intact.
For instance, a skateboard has trucks as its support. Inside these aluminum parts is a kingpin. So, what is a kingpin on a skateboard truck? This master bolt holds the parts of a skateboard truck, whether during rides or when the structure is idle.
Keep reading this article to understand how this part works and why it is necessary for a responsive skateboard system.
Table of Contents
What is a kingpin?
The truck kingpin hardware is related to two major parts: the hanger and baseplate. These components are separable and joined only through holes where the kingpin passes.
Essentially, a kingpin works as a connector, support, and a skateboard’s stabilizer. What’s good about this part is its adjustability to make your skateboard suited to your rides. You can tighten or loosen it depending on your desired turning levels.
What Makes Up a Kingpin?
Kingpins are often made of steel or titanium.
With innovation taking over, some brands now come with hollow kingpins. Their purpose is to reduce the skateboard’s overall weight, making it more maneuverable.
Don’t worry if you soon end up breaking this bolt. Replacement parts are now available almost anywhere, and all you need is to learn how to install them.
Do Kingpins Vary?
Besides size or material composition, kingpins have variants: the regular kingpin and the inverted kingpin.
Regular and inverted kingpins come with threads on the bolt’s tip. Their installation process is also similar.
These kingpins can be pushed into the baseplate from its bottom side. There, you can lock them and the upper components with a nut.
Inverted kingpin trucks, however, differ from regular ones regarding setup and usage. We’ll discuss these disparities below.
Standard Kingpin Truck
Standard kingpin trucks are the ones we often see with regular skateboards. If you flip the skateboard, you’ll see the kingpin’s bolts face each other.
Looking at the purpose of a regular skateboard, we can say that these kingpins are the best for doing tricks, sliding, and park skating. They’re maneuverable and agile, too.
Reverse Kingpin Truck
Reverse kingpin longboard trucks are used more frequently. The most significant difference this type has versus the former is that the kingpin faces outwards.
This type of truck is stable, which is why it’s the perfect variable for non-tricky rides. Its low-height profile works best for cruising, downhill skating, and carving.
How Many Kingpins Are There in a Skateboard Truck?
There should only be two per skateboard. You may have also heard of the double kingpin variant. This truck type has more pivot points than regular ones, which allow better maneuvering around corners.
Such a truck style yields a better carving performance. It also allows better speed for the skateboard, as many users would want. There are only a few of them, and Gullwing is one of the few brands selling this design.
Conclusion
Steady support is always a staple for a sport like skateboarding. It can be in the form of protective gear, a skating buddy, or sturdy skateboard parts. And for skateboard trucks, we always have to remember what supports it best.
What is a kingpin on a skateboard truck? It’s the truck’s backbone and a significant portion of the skateboard’s operation. Without a quality kingpin, our skateboards will yield no satisfaction.
Be mindful of the variations of this bolt to ensure you’re using the most appropriate one.
Hi, I am Charles Harris. I opened this site to write as much as I can about my biggest passion – skateboarding!
I started as a clumsy yet passionate rookie 10 years ago to now a still passionate yet much better skateboarder! But I have to tell you, the whole journey has always been fun and rewarding, indeed not without hardship.