Royal Ultra Light skateboard trucks are a new, lightweight, and durable option from Royal that is gaining popularity among skaters of all levels. I put them to the test to see how they perform and hold up over time. Read on to see my full review of how well they skated.
Highlights of the Royal Ultra Light Trucks
Pros:
- Lightweight
- Grind smoothly
- Responsive / Turns Well
Cons:
- The kingpin can get caught on some grind tricks and needs to be filed down.
- They take some getting used to.
Royal Trucks Size Chart to Match Skate Deck Width
The Royal Ultra Light trucks are available in 127, 139, 144, and 149 sizes.
Here is a chart to help you find the right trucks to match your skate deck’s width.
| Royal Turcks Size / Name: | Actual Axle Width Size: | Deck Size That It Fits: |
|---|---|---|
| 127 | 7.5″ | UP TO 7.75″ |
| 139 | 8″ | 7.75 to 8.25″ |
| 144 | 8.25″ | 8 to 8.5″ |
| 149 | 8.5″ | 8.25 to 8.75″ |
| 159 | 8.75″ | 8.5″ & UP |
What size Royal trucks go on an 8.0-inch deck?
The Royal Ultra Light 139s would fit an 8.0-inch deck perfectly.
What size Royal trucks go on an 8.25-inch deck?
The Royal Ultra Light 144s would fit an 8.25-inch deck perfectly.
So What Are Royal Ultra Light Trucks?
Royal Ultra Light trucks are a new model of aluminum alloy skateboard trucks that launched in April of 2022. The Ultra Light trucks are 7% lighter (or 22 grams lighter per truck) than Royal’s standard trucks and 30% stronger than most other forged aluminum trucks on the market.
For a weight comparison, the Royal Ultralight trucks are 16% lighter (63 grams lighter per truck) than a standard Independent Truck.
To make these trucks lighter, the Royal designed them with a hollow kingpin and axle, which reduces the amount of material used in the truck. Along with additional kingpin clearance to help with smith and feeble grinds.
Lastly, the Royal Ultra Light trucks are designed with a new “sacred geometry” feature, which provides for a more seamless turning experience. Sacred geometry offers more stability and responsive turning while you skate.
My First Impression of Royal Ultra Light Trucks
When the Royal Ultra Lights first arrived, I opened the box, lifted the trucks, and instantly noticed how light they felt in my hand. I was eager to set them up because who wouldn’t want their setup to be a few ounces lighter?
Lighter skate trucks allow you to maneuver your skateboard more easily. Your trucks are the heaviest component in your skateboard, so when you reduce the weight of your trucks, you make your entire skateboard setup significantly lighter. When your board weighs less, it’
The texture of the trucks caught my eye. These were the first raw trucks I’ve ever bought that actually have some texture to them. I was curious how well they would grind, given their grittier feel compared to the polished aluminum trucks I have been used to skating.
Here is a closer look at the raw aluminum texture of the truck.
Why Did I Buy Royal Ultra Light Trucks?
I’ve been a fan of the Girl and Chocolate skate brands. I wanted to see what their truck brand, Royal, was like. When I saw they put out a lighter truck, it got me curious to see how well they skated.
So, How Do Royal Ultra Light Trucks Skate?
I will say that these trucks delivered on their promise of an “ultralight” feel. My board felt easier to maneuver under my feet. My setup was noticeably easier to get off the ground. To skate these, it felt somewhere in between an Independent and a Thunder truck. Every truck extends your deck’s wheelbase, and these extend your wheelbase not quite as far as a Thunder and not quite as shallow as an Indy. The result is a truck that offers a slight additional level of pop in a lightweight package that grinds and turns well.
What do I like about Royal Ultra Light Trucks?
They Grind Incredibly Smooth
One of the standout features of the Royal Ultra Light Trucks is how smoothly they grind on rails and ledges. The raw texture of these trucks makes grinding feel ridiculously smooth on coping and perfect on waxed ledges. They were a little slow on really crusty, chunky ledges. However, what trucks aren’t?
The grindability of the Royal Ultra Light trucks is the second core standout feature for me. I would compare the feel of the grind to an Independent truck.
Incredibly Light
True to their name, these trucks are incredibly light. Not quite as light as the Tensor Mag Lights I reviewed last year, which are still the lightest skate trucks you can buy. However, the Royal Ultra Lights have the perfect balance, having enough weight to help you manual and grind while still being noticeably light enough to help you get your board in the air higher.
The detail I never thought about was that trucks need some weight for certain types of tricks. It’s challenging to manual or nosegrind with a truck that doesn’t have some weight to it. The Ultra Lights offer a balance of having enough weight to them to help with this while still offering the benefits of a lighter truck.
Responsive Turning
The Royal Ultra Light Trucks turn incredibly well. Sometimes, with new trucks, the bushings will get stuck to one side and force you to fight them. That wasn’t the case with the Royal Ultra Lights. The bushings broke in quickly, and it has been very easy to turn with my setup ever since. The Ultra Lights go where I need them to without any issues whatsoever.
Durable / Long-Lasting Trucks
Durability is a crucial factor for skate trucks. Despite their lightweight construction, the Royal Ultra Light trucks have held up incredibly well to the rigors of skating hard through the summer. Additionally, these trucks take a while to grind down. I’ve been skating ledges for around five weeks straight, and it still looks like they are brand new. I know these will last me for a while.
What do I dislike about Royal Ultra Light Trucks?
The Kingpin Sticks Out Too Far for Smith Grinds
This one might be more of a personal issue as a friend with the same trucks in a wider size didn’t have this same issue. However, even though the description for the Ultra Light Trucks says there is a generous kingpin clearance for smith grinds, that’s not been my experience. I find the kingpins to be catchier than normal.
When using a digital angle gauge, it starts to make sense why this happens. The kingpin’s angle is nearly vertical and measures 15 degrees. For comparison, Independents are at 16 degrees and Thunder at a sharper angle with 20 degrees. The Royal Ultra lights have a straighter geometry to them. If you’re like me and crank your trucks a little too tight, you may have threads of your kingpin dig into the curb or ledge you are trying to grind, too.
With that said, I was able to fix this issue by buying this $5 file from Amazon and filing my kingpin down enough to make it work for me.
It’s a detail to be aware of if you like doing ledge tricks where your kingpin can get in the way.
They Can Take Some Getting Used To
I found the Royal Ultra skateboard trucks more challenging for me to get used to than some other new trucks I’ve tried. I know this is subjective. However, it took me longer than usual to start to get used to these trucks. It is probably due to the steeper geometry of the kingpin’s angle as well as the Royal Ultra Lights extending the wheelbase by around 1/8th of an inch more than the Independent Hollow Trucks I was skating before this.
With that said, the wider wheelbase has made the board feel more stable, and the finish of these trucks offered a better grind than my Independents, so making the switch still seems worth it. Just know that if you’re coming from another truck brand, Royal Trucks can take some extra time to get used to.
Are Royal Ultra Light Trucks Good for Beginners?
Royal Ultra Light Trucks are great for all skaters, regardless of their experience level. They are a perfect option for beginners because they offer the benefits of being extremely lightweight while still feeling smooth to grind. As a beginner, these benefits can help you to learn your first ollie and 50/50 grinds, which become the foundation for every trick you will learn from there.
Overall Rating of Royal Ultra Light Trucks?
| Considerations | Rating Out 5 |
|---|---|
| Turning / Responsiveness | 4.75 |
| Grinds | 5 |
| Weight | 4.75 |
| Feel While Skating | 4.6 |
| Overall Quality | 4.8 |
Overall Rating Score
Editor’s Rating: 
4.78 out of 5 stars
Where Can You Buy Royal Ultra Light Trucks?
You can buy Royal Ultra Light Trucks at Amazon.
Also Read These Other Skate Gear Reviews:
Steve Weber is an avid snowboarder and skateboarder. He has been snowboarding for 26 years, skateboarding for 20, and is always looking for a new board sport to try out. When he is not riding or skating, he runs a marketing agency. Board of the World is Steve’s blog for skateboard and snowboard gear reviews. The blog’s goal is to help people find the right board for them and encourage people to have fun outside.