The Caliber III trucks have made a strong claim as the best cast trucks available, a statement not made lightly. This review delves into the specifics of what elevates them in the longboard truck market.
Caliber III Trucks: An In-Depth Look
Overview
The Caliber III trucks have rightfully earned their reputation as the top cast trucks due to their exceptional turning capability, consistent lean, remarkable stability, and user-friendly control. These trucks come in various configurations to suit different rider preferences and are compatible with a wide array of aftermarket bushings.
A key element contributing to their exceptional performance is the plug barrel bushing design. This design facilitates a smooth, direct response to leaning and turning, offering enhanced support through turns. Additionally, it provides a return-to-center feel, thus improving overall stability.
Cole Trotta Pro Model with Caliber III Trucks
This improved responsiveness is noticeable during casual cruising, but it’s most evident when downhill skating. The plug barrel provides a more consistent edge of traction, increasing confidence during stand-up slides. These trucks react predictably, allowing for aggressive skating without the fear of inconsistent performance. The plug barrel also reduces twitching over road imperfections, enhancing stability and allowing for confident riding on varied surfaces.
The Caliber III trucks come equipped with high-quality components, including Venom bushings and a 96a urethane pivot, ensuring excellent performance straight out of the box. The average rider might not need to upgrade these parts, a significant advantage. However, the pivot is on the softer side and might wear down quicker with heavy use.
Caliber III 50 Degree Longboard Trucks
The trucks turn quite aggressively but remain controllable thanks to the plug barrel design. Overall, whether for cruising or fast downhill runs, the Caliber III offers a stable and easy-to-control riding experience, establishing itself as a top contender in the cast truck category.
If you’re considering a set of high-quality cast trucks, the Caliber III is an excellent choice. You can find them on Amazon.com. This review mainly focuses on the Raked (R) versions, as the reviewer didn’t use the negative rake setup. For more insights on the rakeless version, see their complete review here.
Improvements Over Caliber II
The Caliber II trucks had no rake and featured a restrictive bushing seat, which resulted in a stable but less responsive ride. Bushings felt stiff, necessitating soft setups to achieve a comfortable feel.
Caliber II Trucks Bushing Seat
The Caliber III non-raked versions maintain the feel of the Caliber IIs but offer the flexibility to use tall bushings boardside and feature an upgraded urethane pivot. They also sport the new Caliber III logo and have a slightly wider hanger.
Caliber III Rakeless Bushing Seat
The Caliber III R versions are where the significant upgrades lie. They have a more open bushing seat and incorporate rake, delivering a lively, aggressive turn. These improvements allow the III R to turn more effectively compared to the II. The rake also increases ride height, and thanks to the plug barrel, stability is maintained despite the livelier feel.
Caliber III R Bushing Seat
The 44-degree baseplate has been updated to include a removable shim, enabling tall barrels to be used boardside, but is otherwise similar to the Caliber II baseplate.
Turning Performance
The Caliber III R trucks are the most aggressive cast trucks in terms of turning, offering a substantial degree of lean. The plug barrel bushings give control throughout the turn. This control is key to handling the aggressive turn, without it the truck could become unstable.
Riding a Landyachtz Drop Hammer with Caliber III Trucks
Pumping Ability
Their turning ability makes them great for pumping. Even with stock bushings, riders can achieve decent speeds with pumping. Although not as effective as a dedicated pumping setup, it’s an impressive feature.
Direct Feel & Reduced Slop
The plug barrel bushings eliminate slop, the unwanted side-to-side movement of the hanger. This results in a direct feel, where the trucks respond exactly to the rider’s input in turns and leans, inspiring confidence, particularly at high speeds. This responsiveness makes aggressive skating and confident slides possible.
Long-Term Benefits
The direct and consistent turning of the Caliber III trucks enhances rider confidence, especially when compared to trucks with some slop. Consistent performance allows riders to push their limits and skate faster without fear of unexpected truck behavior. The Caliber III’s reduced slop bridges the gap between cast and precision trucks, enabling significant progress before a switch to precision trucks is necessary.
Stability
The Caliber III trucks are impressively stable. They have a strong center, making it easy to keep the trucks tracking straight and providing a stable platform for high-speed skating.
Tucking on a Cole Trotta Pro Model with Caliber III Trucks
The plug barrel bushings help maintain stability over road imperfections. Unlike other trucks that might twitch or articulate deeply, the Caliber III trucks react quickly and return to the center, enhancing rider confidence across varying terrains.
The Influence of the Plug Barrel Bushing
The plug barrel is key to the performance of the Caliber III. The trucks are designed around it and work best with it.
With the Plug Barrel
The plug barrel makes maintaining a straight line effortless. It supports riders at lean angles and prevents sudden diving. The plug barrel provides a smooth return to center, offering a controllable rebound. Additionally, it reduces slop, providing a direct feel during turns and leans. It also offers significant resistance at the edge of lean, which is crucial for initiating slides.
Plug Barrel Bushings on Caliber III 44 Degree Baseplate
This combination results in predictable, consistent sliding.
Close Up of Plug Barrel Bushings
Without the Plug Barrel
Without the plug barrel, the ride quality decreases dramatically. The lean is less smooth, the hanger isn’t supported properly, and the turn isn’t controllable. There is no clear end to the lean, and the trucks tend to flop from side to side.
Various Longboard Bushings
The trucks lose their center and react excessively to road imperfections. While using harder bushings can improve performance, it doesn’t match the effectiveness of the plug barrel design.
Hardcore Barrel Longboard Bushings
Separate Plug Use
Some riders cut out the plug and use it separately with non-plug barrel bushings, but this method is only about 50% as effective. If the plug is available, it is recommended to use it as intended.
Cut Off Plug Barrel Bushings
Tall vs Short Bushings
The Caliber III comes with a removable shim that allows for tall bushings boardside, which provides an increased lean and turning ability.
Tall Bushing Boardside on Caliber Trucks
Sliding Performance
These trucks are excellent for sliding, offering a consistent edge of traction which provides confidence for fast freeride sessions.
Sliding on Prism Trotta Pro with Caliber III Trucks
Suitability for Dancing and Cruising
The lively feel and support during leans and turns make the Caliber III suitable for dancing. Furthermore, they are also great for cruising, offering stability, smoothness, and excellent turning capabilities.
Carving with Caliber III Trucks
Stock Parts
The Caliber III comes with industry-leading stock parts, including a high-quality pivot and 90a Venom HPF bushings. The bushings are exceptionally good, to the point where most riders may not need upgrades. However, riders with very light or heavy builds might need to adjust accordingly.
Rakeless Caliber 44 Degree Trucks
Potential Drawbacks
The plastic shim, prone to being lost, is not readily replaceable, which could be improved with retail availability. Also, there are limited aftermarket options for plug barrels, and they are not sold separately.
The Shim on Caliber Trucks
Caliber III Vs Paris V3 Trucks
The Caliber III with plug barrels outperforms the Paris V3 trucks. The plug barrel enhances stability, smooths the lean and turn, and provides a more consistent transition into slides, more akin to precision trucks.
Caliber III Vs Bear Gen 6 Trucks
Both use plug barrels, but Calibers have a lower ride height, a more aggressive turn, and a livelier feel. Bear trucks lean more and are carvy. However, Calibers have the edge as they are fully compatible with Venom plug barrels, and come with great stock bushings. Bear trucks require slight modifications to make Venom plugs fit, a minor drawback.
Caliber Trucks vs Bear Gen 6 vs Paris V3
Caliber III Setups
Here are a few example setups:
Setup 1
- Deck: Landyachtz Freedive
- Wheelbase: 23.5 inches
- Trucks: Caliber
- Hanger width: 157mm R
- Baseplate angles: 50/35 (Randal plate)
- Front truck: 87a/90a Plug Venom HPF barrels, flat washers
- Back truck: 93a Plug/95a Venom HPF barrels, cupped washers
- Riser: 1/8inch
- Wheels: Remember Collective Savannah Slammas
Landyachtz Freedive with Caliber III Trucks
Setup 2
- Deck: Trotta pro
- Wheelbase: 25 inches
- Trucks: Caliber
- Hanger width: 158mm or 180mm R
- Baseplate angles: 44/44
- Front truck: 90a Barrel /93a Tall Barrel Venom HPF barrels, flat washers RS/ Cupped washer BS
- Back truck: 90a Barrel /93a Tall Barrel Venom HPF barrels, cupped washers
- Riser: 1/8inch
- Wheels: Various
Cole Trotta Pro with Caliber Trucks
Setup 3
- Deck: Landyachtz Drop Hammer
- Wheelbase: 27.25 inches
- Trucks: Caliber
- Hanger width: 184mm R
- Baseplate angles: 50/50
- Front truck: 90a Cone/90a Plug Barrel Venom HPF, cupped washers
- Back truck: 90a Cone/90a Plug Barrel Venom HPF, cupped washers
- Wheels: Orangutan 78a Kegels
Landyachtz Drop Hammer with Caliber III Trucks
Randal Compatibility
Caliber trucks are compatible with Randal geometry, allowing them to be used with Randal baseplates and other precision plates that share this geometry.
Exceptional Customer Service
Caliber’s customer service is highly rated, they show they are a company run by people who are part of the longboarding scene. They offer solutions and go beyond the typical interactions. Their customer service team is responsive and involved.
Conclusion
The Caliber III trucks stand out as top-tier cast trucks thanks to their exceptional performance, innovative design, and high-quality components. The plug barrel bushing is a game-changer, enhancing the riding experience significantly. Whether you’re cruising, dancing, or doing downhill freeriding, the Caliber III is a worthy investment for any longboarder. These trucks point to a bright future for cast truck technology.
