Longboard trucks: Raked vs Rakeless
The Caliber 3 truck has been launched, and the rake vs rakeless question is back.
Before we get started, let me say there is no right or wrong truck, the rake has to do with how a truck rides.
What is rake?
Rake in a longboard truck is when the axles of your truck are offset from the actual line of the pivot. See our image below. We have drawn a line from the pivot to the axle. The rake truck has the axle above the centre line.
What does rakeless or no rake mean?
No rake means the axle are inline or centred in the actual line of the pivot. In the image above you can see the rakeless truck has the drawn line going through the centre of the axle.
What is the difference between rake and rakeless?
It is all in the turn or lean of a truck. A rake truck has a divey feel. When you initiate a turn on a rake truck the turn is slower, but the more you lean the quickier and diver the turn feels. The truck feels more lively and lighter to skate.
A rakeless truck has a more linear turn. The feeling of the turn is the same from start to finish. The turn feels faster to start but has this gradual predictable lean that continues until the bottom of the turn.