Hey guys, Cody over here at Windward coming at you with a review of something very dear to my heart, Venom Bushings! Alright, so all month i’ve been testing out all sorts of bushings, and bushing combinations. Loose and carvy, to stiff and responsive. What I’ve found is that I love Venom Bushings. Their Urethanes are top shelf.
Venom Bushings provide the dampening and responsiveness that this new generation of long boarders demand. Now we could a spend some time going through every single different combination of bushing in existence, but that would take all night! instead i’m just going to give you a few of my personal favorite bushing set ups, and if you ever want to know more, just stop on by or contact us here.
Super Carve
For my super carve set up I used Venoms 97a cone for my “Board-side” bushing, and for my “Street-side” bushing I used an 85a cone. This set up is ideal for anyone looking to really “Lay” into their carves, constantly rolling the board from side to side. while you wont have much board stability, the flow of your kinetic energy will be much for fluid. You should be looking to spend the day cursing down small hills or streets with a slight decent, also long streets of smooth pavement.
Dancing/ Freestyle
So you want to show off your sweet moves? Maybe it’s showing all your bros that you CAN Heel Flip a 42″ board, or maybe some hotties by the beach would find your mad dance skills impressive? Well first things first, your gonna need the right setup! For a freestyle/dancing deck setup your going to want something stable, with a stiffer turning feel. With that idea in mind, I went with Venoms 93a barrel for my “Board-side” bushing, and for my “Street-side” bushing I used a 90a cone. I found the barrel bushing provided me with a solid, stiffer platform to dance on, yet it still has slight give. The stiffer bottom cone give me the ability to turn, but keeps the board from leaning to much, which makes for an unstable ride.
Downhill
There’s a speed demon hiding somewhere deep down in your soul, trapped and clawing to get out. The time is now, unleash the beast. Today will be spent screaming down the most insane hillz, drifting through hair pin turns, and pushing both board and body to it’s limits. You need bushings that can take a hit and keep on swinging. That’s why for any downhill set up I recommend Venoms 90a barrel for my “Board-side” bushing, and 87a barrel’s for my “Street-side” bushings. Also for this set up, tighten up your trucks, a lot! Having a “Double” barreled setup will give you a very stiff a responsive feel, which is what is needed in any downhill longboard. So slap some barrels on that baby, and feel the need, the need for speed!
Do it all!
Who knows where you’ll end up when your headed out for a day of boarding. Perhaps it’s going to be a long day of just cruising, or maybe you’ll run into a ledge you want to hop, you might even see a hill that you just cant pass up. It sounds like you need my “Ride Anything” setup! In this setup I went with Venoms 87a Eliminator for my “Board-side” bushing, and for my “Street-side” bushing I used a 85a cone. Having the Eliminators gives the board a “Solid” feel, but doesn’t stop you from “Laying” into your slides. This set up will allow you to shred anything that comes your way.
Now you have the knowledge you need to dominate your bushing setups. Consider reading our guide to Understanding Longobard Bushings or checkout our current stock of longboard bushings here at Windward.