6 Exceptionally Light Skateboard Trucks That You’ll Actually Want to Skate

I’ve been on a quest to make my skateboard setup as lightweight as possible while still feeling great under my feet. During this quest, I’ve tested the lightest skate trucks available, and each had things I loved and hated.

Tensor Mag Light Trucks

Price: $67.99

Weight: 303.39g

Independent Titanium Stage 11 Skateboard Trucks

Price: $85.95

Weight: 335g

Thunder Titanium Light Trucks

Price: $87.95

Weight: 315g

Independent Stage 11 Hollow Trucks

Price: $51.95

Weight: 351g

Slappy ST1 Hollow Inverted Trucks

Price: $69.95

Weight: 361g

Royal Ultra Light Trucks

Price: $49.95

Weight: 318g

The truth is that there’s more to consider than just the weight of your skateboard’s trucks.

• Will your trucks be so light that nose manuals start to feel weird because you aren’t feeling where you need to put pressure?
  
• Does the lighter metal have a different grinding feel on gritty curbs or rails?

Yeah, details like these are important to consider as you try to shave off your trucks’ weight.

With that in mind, here are the award-winning lightweight skate trucks that are actually worth considering. Each of these is excellent for certain types of skating, so you should understand where each of them shines and if they’ll be a good fit for you. So let’s get to it.

Lightest Overall Skate Trucks

Tensor Mag Light Trucks

Style of Skating These Are Best For:

Flatground or Street Skating / Grinding Gritty Curbs

Pros:

• Ultra-Lightweight Construction: Approximately 16% lighter than Indy Hollows and 22% lighter than standard Independent trucks, significantly reducing overall skateboard weight for improved maneuverability and higher ollies.
• Exceptional Grind Performance: Engineered for superior grind capabilities on even the roughest surfaces, minimizing friction and often eliminating the need for wax.
• Precise and Responsive Turning: Delivers highly responsive and predictable turning, allowing for sharp, controlled maneuvers and enhanced board feel.
• Optimized Kingpin Clearance: Features a lower kingpin design, providing increased clearance for easier execution of Smith and Feeble grinds, reducing hang-ups.
• Durable Material Composition: Constructed with high-quality alloys that balance weight reduction with structural integrity for lasting performance.

Cons:

• Accelerated Wear Rate: The lightweight design, while beneficial, can lead to a potentially faster wear rate compared to heavier, non-hollow truck models, particularly under intense use.
• Potential for Squeaking: Susceptible to squeaking, especially during initial use or in dry conditions, requiring regular lubrication to maintain smooth and quiet operation.
• Higher Initial Cost: Often priced higher than standard truck models due to the advanced materials and manufacturing processes involved in achieving the lightweight design.
  
  

Weight:

303.39 g (0.669 lbs) for 1 8.25″ Truck / 5.5 Size

Price:

$67.99

The Tensor Mag Light trucks are undeniably the lightest skate trucks that you can buy right now. These trucks are made with magnesium rather than aluminium, and you’ll notice the weight difference from the moment you do your first ollie with them.

As a 41-year-old skater, I’ve really appreciated the lighter construction of these trucks. They’ve noticeably reduced my warm-up time by about ten minutes, and I find my legs don’t tire out as quickly during the session. That tight feeling before you can feel confident popping your normal height just doesn’t linger as long, so you can spend more time trying your tricks and less time getting ready to try them.

If it’s been a while since you’ve checked out the Tensor Mag Lights, they recently got a tech rework and have a new feature called the All Terrain Geometry (ATG) design. This is the version of the Mag Lights that I’d recommend. It features a lower kingpin for more clearance on smith and feebles, and a locked bushing to improve turning and prevent wheel bite.

So, what should you know about these trucks?
The magnesium grind feels different from aluminium or other metal trucks that you’re already used to. There is a cool part about that, though. The Tensor Mag Lights can grind over rougher surfaces than your other trucks can’t (like brick or rough-cut marble), making them street-clip-friendly. However, magnesium is softer metal than steel, and since most skatepark ledges, rails, and coping are made with steel, these trucks offer a slower grind than your other trucks would at the park.

So it becomes a weight vs grind feel decision.
For the right type of skater, the Mag Lights can be a game changer. However, for the skate park skater, you might want to consider another truck on this list.

Read the full Tensor Maglight Truck Review.

Lightest Truck With the Best Feeling Grind

Independent Titanium Stage 11 Skateboard Trucks

Style of Skating These Are Best For:

Skateparks / Street Skating

Pros:

• Lighter than most other skate trucks – These are 15% lighter (53 grams lighter) than Indy standard trucks and 5% lighter (16 grams lighter) than Independent Stage 11 Hollow Trucks.
• They grind exceptionally well – These grind better than the lighter magnesium trucks.
• Durable – They are just as durable as any other Independent skate trucks
• Warranty – Independent Trucks Warranty covers manufacturing defects and axle issues, including bending, slipping, casting anomalies, deformation anomalies, threading issues, and wiggling kingpins or shaft nuts.

Cons:

• Can be expensive – Titanium is a rare metal, so these trucks are more expensive than most other trucks available.

• Thin baseplate – The base plate is made with a thin aluminum that starts to wear over time as you nose or tailslide.

• Might need risers – If you use wheels over 54MM, you should also use riser pads so you don’t get wheel bite

  
  

Weight:

335.0 g (0.739 lbs) for 1 8.25″ Truck / 144 Size

Price:

$85.95

The Independent Titanium Stage 11 trucks stand out for offering the best of both worlds, being very lightweight while still offering a smooth feeling grind. These trucks are 15% lighter than standard Indy trucks, thanks to their titanium axle, hollow kingpin, and thin, forged aluminium baseplate. While Tensor Maglights are still lighter than these, the Independent Titanium trucks reduce the overall weight of the truck, and they do it all without sacrificing the feel of the grind. That’s the real highlight here. Independent titaniums still have that same smooth grind, turning radius, and stability that you’re likely already used to.

For skaters familiar with the feel of traditional Indy trucks, these titanium models offer a noticeable weight reduction without a significant change in performance.

The main downside is that they’re more expensive than the standard truck. If you’re looking for the lightest weight indy truck, this is it, and you should get them.

Read the full Indy Titanium review.

Lightest Aluminum Skate Truck

Thunder Titanium Light Trucks

Style of Skating These Are Best For:

Do It All / Skateparks

Pros:

• 20% lighter than the average truck
• 7% Lighter than Indy Titaniums
• Still feels like a normal feeling grind
• Great for skate park skating, flatground, and stair sets

Cons:

• Expensive
• Doesn’t last as long as Independent Titaniums
  
  

Weight:

315 g (0.694 lbs) for 1 8.25″ Truck / 148 Size

Price:

$87.95

The Thunder Titanium Light trucks offer a very similar construction to the Independent Titanium Stage 11 trucks. Thunder Titanium features an aluminium hanger and baseplate, titanium axles, and a hollow kingpin. The main benefit to Thunder Titniums vs Independent Titnaiums is that these are 7% lighter than Indy Titanium trucks and 20% lighter than the average skate truck. This makes the Thunders the lightest truck that still has a normal feeling aluminium hanger.

Which should you go with, the Indy or Thunder Titaniums? I preferred the grind feel and durability of the Indy Titaniums, especially for grind tricks at street spots. But I liked the turning and response of the Thunders. The Thunders were better for skatepark skating, flatground tricks, and most other non-grind tricks. It’s not that they don’t grind well, they do. They just didn’t last as long before they grinded down to the point of me needing to swap them out. The Indys lasted longer and powered through the gritty spots I tend to skate here in PA.

That said, the main benefit of Thunder Titanium Lights is their balance of performance and weight. While they offer a solid enough grind feel, these trucks are for the well-rounded skater who wants a light truck and doesn’t mind sacrificing longevity to shave off the weight of the car. If you’re looking for a lightweight truck that’s even lighter than Indys but still retains that familiar grind feel, the Thunder Titaniums are a solid option.

Best Skate Truck for Weight & Durability

Independent Stage 11 Hollow Trucks

Style of Skating These Are Best For:

Skateparks / Street Skating

Pros:

• Best Value Lightweight Truck / The Indy Titanium won’t feel that much lighter underfoot.
• Durable / Long lasting
• Grind Well
• Warranty

Cons:

• Not the lightest option
• Slightly more expensive than standard skate trucks
  
  

Weight:

351.0 g (0.773 lbs) for 1 8.25″ Truck / 144 Size

Price:

$51.95

 Independent Hollow Stage 11s have also earned their place on our lightest truck award list, too. Basically, these are the same exact trucks as the Indy Titaniums with one small update. Instead of a titanium axle, you get a hollowed-out steel axle in the Independent Stage 11 Hollow trucks (“Indy Hollows”).

The main difference is that the Titanium version shaves off 16 grams per truck (between 4-7% in weight). However, the important detail was that I barely noticed that difference under my feet, and you likely wouldn’t either.

So, as you’re deciding on your next truck, I think it’s important that you consider if you’ll even notice the weight reduction across the entire weight of your setup. In this case, if you don’t mind the 16 gram difference, you’ll save around $34 and still get nearly the same feeling trucks at a lower price.

What’s great about the Indy Hollow trucks is that you get that same classic Independent feel with its responsive turning and smooth feeling grinds all in a truck that will last you for months. I’ve been grinding the hell out of my Hollow trucks for the last nine months, and they’re still holding up.
It’s also worth noting that I had a pair for four months before this that Indy warrantied for me with no questions asked. I found that my back truck’s axle would slip now and again, so I filed a claim, and they sent me a brand-new pair. All I had to do was write them and send three pictures showing the measurements that the axle wasn’t staying still. I haven’t had that issue with my replacement pair. Their support is a huge plus in my book, and why I can’t recommend these trucks enough.

If you’re looking for an excellent lightweight truck in the $50 range, these would be my recommendation.

Read the full Indy Hollow review.

Lightest With Most Kingpin Clearance

Slappy ST1 Hollow Inverted Trucks

Style of Skating These Are Best For:

Skateparks / Street Skating

Pros:

• Make Smith, Feeble, and Hurricane Grinds easier – They have the most kingpin clearance of any truck
• Noticeably Lightweight (they’re 4.32% lighter than Indy Stage 11 Bar Hollow Inverted trucks)
• Grind smooth at skatepark or on crusty curbs 
• The bushings come prebroken in
• Tighter turns / Responsive feel

Cons:

• Inverted kingpin can loosen (It is fixable with Loctite)
• They still get wheelbite
• The bushings may blow out quickly
• New 20-degree Geometry takes some getting used to

Weight:

361.0 g (0.776 lbs) for 1 8.25″ Truck / 144 Size 

Price:

$69.95

The Slappy ST1 Hollow Inverted trucks are the truck I am skating currently, and they’ve rightfully earned their spot as the newest truck for this list. The main benefit of this truck is that it weighs 4.32% lighter than the closest comparable set of Independent trucks with an inverted kingpin, and this truck has two main benefits.  

1. It’s got the most grind clearance (kingpin clearance) of any truck brand. It measures out to be 9mm (.345 inch) of grind clearance. This allows you to smith and feeble grind easier.
   
    
2. It’s got a new type of 20 degree geometry where the baseplate and kingpin point at an angle of 20 degrees. The closest truck that gets to this is the Venture high at 14 degrees. The exaggerated angle makes for tighter, more responsive turning and allows you to Slappy grind a little easier. 
   

Overall, they feel noticeably light and a lot like an Indy Stage 11 Hollow truck. The main reason you would get this over an Indy truck, though, is these are easier to smith, feeble, and slappy grind.  

So if you’re a ledge skater like me, you’ll absolutely love these. 

 Read the full Slappy Hollow Inverted Trucks review.

Lightest & Best Bang for the Buck Trucks

Royal Ultra Light Trucks

Style of Skating These Are Best For:

Skateparks / Street Skating

Pros:

• Balance of Lightweight & Durability: Noticeably lighter than standard trucks while still feeling solid.
• Smooth Feeling Grinds: The raw aluminum texture provides a surprisingly smooth feeling grind. Grind feels similar to an Indy Hollow especially on waxed ledges and coping.
• Responsive Turning: The “sacred geometry” design offers a responsive feel to its turning capabilities.  
• Long-lasting Grind: These take a long time to wear down to the axle, so they will last if you skate gritty curbs or street spots.

Cons:

• Kingpin Clearance: The kingpin’s angle can cause it to catch during certain grind tricks, requiring potential filing for optimal performance.
• Adjustment Period: The new geometry will take some time to get used to if you’re switching from another brand of trucks.  

Weight:

318.0 g (0.701 lbs) for 1 8.25″ Truck / 144 Size

Price:

$49.95

The Royal Ultra Lights are perfect for anyone interested in the weight of a titanium truck but they don’t want to spend the $30 extra dollars on their setup. The Royal Ultra Light skate trucks are perfect for you because, for $50, you get an aluminum truck that’s only 15 grams more than the Indy Titaniums.

The main benefit of getting the Ultra Light Trucks is that they have such a smooth feeling grind while still being lighter than an Independent Stage 11 Hollow truck by 9% or 33 grams. (And they cost around the same $50 mark.)

When you pick these trucks up, you’ll notice two details. The more obvious one is that they feel noticeably light in your hands, and the other one is their rougher raw aluminum texture. I initially questioned the rough texture of the truck. However, it actually has a very smooth feeling grind on street spot ledges as well as the rails and coping you’ll hit at a skatepark.

The turning with the Royal Ultra light is also on point. I’d say it feels responsive and stable. However, I actually preferred the turning experience with my Indy trucks over this one. The difference is so minor, though.

You’re probably thinking: “‘Great, cheaper and lighter than Indy Hollows. What’s the downside?”

Well, for me, it was the grind clearance. Even though the new “Sacred Geometry” design features a kingpin that sits lower than the original Royal truck design, I found that it still wasn’t enough for me. My kingpin still extended further than what I am used to with my Indys, so I wound up needing to file it down to fix it. The Royal Ultra Lights worked better for my feeble grinds once I did, but it is something to consider. Even though the Indy Hollows are heavier, their geometry has its perks over this geometry (when you don’t modify it).

So there you have it. Those are my picks for the lightest skateboard trucks that are actually worth getting.

Steve Weber

Steve Weber is the passionate snowboarder, skateboarder, and author behind Board of the World. He understands that most gear reviews focus on having the perfect snow conditions, but his testing methodology is different. Living in Pennsylvania, Steve describes exactly how a board performs when the conditions aren’t perfect. His reviews cover performance on ice, hardpack, and flat-out brick conditions. In other words, he reviews boards for the conditions that East Coast riders actually face.

Bringing 27 years of East Coast snowboarding and 21 years of skateboarding experience, Steve is a 42-year-old intermediate park rider. His recommendations are informed by decades of battling icy conditions, ensuring every review accounts for the board’s performance on the roughest of terrain.

For the last five years, Steve has poured his passion into writing in-depth, unbiased reviews that help riders make informed decisions about the gear they’ll use. He also works part-time at a snowboard shop in Northeastern Pennsylvania, which gives him a direct line to learning about the new gear tech months in advance. When he’s not writing reviews, Steve is often found riding at Montage Mountain and testing out new boards.

Steve’s goal with Board of the World is simple: to help every reader find the right gear so they can have fun outside from the first time they use it.