26
February 2016
2016-08-04T10:30:37+02:00

Since their establishment, Tensor have ongoingly been one of the dominating players in the skateboard trucks business. Trying to convince the skate community with lightweight and agile quality goods. I took a closer look at the Tensor Magnesium Light Tens 5.75″ Regular for you!

The Tensor Magnesium Light TENS at skatedeluxe

Most of you might still know Tensor for their integrated slide pads. Today, only Rodney Mullen’s signature truck still has this legendary feature. Tensor moved on. To set themselves apart from other companies, Tensor is concentrating on the built of light trucks. The Tensor Magnesium Light Tens are said to be the lightest trucks available at the moment. Weighing only 264g at an axle width of 8.375″ this model indeed is extraordinarily light. As a comparison: regular models like the Thunder 149 II High or the Independent Stage 11 149 count 364g and 394g. This made me even more thrilled to expandingly test the Tensors.

Geometry

To spare some weight, these trucks come in a minimalist design. The hanger is slim and the baseplate got milled from the bottom. A hollow kingpin and axle are part of the truck’s diet plan. Additionally and unlike most other trucks, these are not aluminum made but got casted from magnesium. Another specific is the lack of a second washer which leads to the bottom bushing directly lying on the baseplate.

The Tensor Magnesium Light TENS at skatedeluxe

Agility and grind performance

The above-mentioned lack of weight can be mentioned as a positive when it comes to skateboarding. The difference towards regular trucks is significant. Not too positive in my opinion is the stearing performance. To come to a comparable experience, I tested the trucks with the standard and pre-mounted bushings. It took some time to get used to the reaction of the trucks and I had to adjust the kingpin several times to reach a smooth feeling. Stepping on my board, it sometimes felt like some wheels lost ground contact, which means that the trucks seemed to be in a certain angle. When it comes to grinding, I must say that I was not too happy with the performance of the trucks here. There is only spare space between hanger and kingpin, so that even with new trucks, the kingpin carries a lot of the grind. Especially at smith grinds this really affected the feeling of a safe lock in. This got better as the kingpin got carried away a bit, but I think a lower kingpin would be the better solution. The use of magnesium does not have any effect on the grinding performance. Besides the already mentioned problems with the kingpin, these trucks really grind smooth and reliable.

Die Marana XT Schuhen bei skatedeluxe

Conclusion

With the Magnesium Light Tens, Tensor is serving with a real wow-effect concerning the weight of their trucks. These are definitely and most likely the lightest trucks on the market. The stearing and grinding performance did not manage to fully convince me though. There are other models by other companies that pleased me more.

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I'm not just writing about the products - I rather test them.