The Lowdown
- Hanger Width: 170mm Available Axles: 10mm (180mm), 20mm (190mm), 30mm (200mm)
- Axle Width: 8mm
- Baseplate Angles: 35°, 40°, 45°, 50°
- Top Mount Ride Height (No Riser): 2.44" (62mm)
- Drop Thru Ride Height (No Riser): 2.19" (55.6mm)
- Color Availability: Red, Blue, Green, Gold, Raw, Black, Red
- Bushing Seat Availability: Normal (circular), Squared
- Price: $159
General Overview
There is definitely a lot I have to say about these trucks, and about 99.5% of it is positive, so brace yourself. For starters, yes, Reys are significantly cheaper than other precision trucks on the market. And no, they are not any less well-built or any less fun to ride than any other precision. Please note that I have ridden the following trucks: Aera K4, Aera K3, PNL Strummer, Munkaes, Surf Rodz, Caliber, Paris, Randal, Gullwing Charger II’s, Bennets, Independents, Gunmetals, Cast Ronins, and Bears. I can easily say that Reys are some of the best, if not the best, trucks that I have ever ridden in my life. I would personally say that Reys are tied for my favorite all time trucks with Aera K4?s. And notice how there is about a $400 difference in price range there.
Now onto some important stuff. Reys feature a unique bushing seat, in that they do not feature any rake, but the bushing seats are not identical on both sides. One side of the bushing seat is made to fit normal height bushings boardside. The other side of the bushing seat is made to accommodate tall bushings (Tall Riptide Barrels, Tall Venom Barrels, etc). The bushing seat on the Reys is extremely open, but do not feature “unlimited lean”. That being said, the Reys have a hell of a lot of lean, and more than you will probably ever need. I would easily put Rey lean in the same category as PNL and Aera. In fact, you may have to play around with your bushings in order to avoid wheelbite, due to the massive amount of lean the Reys produce.
The cut-outs in the hangers are the most distinguishable feature that the Lite-Reys have over their counterparts. The Lite-Reys are approximately 25% lighter than the standard Devil-Reys. When ordering trucks from Rey (OR STOKED), the axles will come already tightened into the hanger, which saves you some trouble, and ensures that they are put in correctly. The axles come put in with loc-tite to ensure that they aren’t going to fall out on you. Kingpins, kingpin nuts, axle nuts, bushing washers, and a cool wristband are all included with your purchase of Rey Trucks.
The baseplates of the trucks are pretty much on par with other standard baseplates and don’t really have any noticeable differences from other trucks. The pivot in the Reys are slightly shallower than those of Calibers, so any pivot cups (or Riot Cups) intended for Calibers will need to be shaved down in height in order for optimal performance in Reys. The stock pivot cups in Reys are quite good, but I always do advise upgrading to Riot Cups to achieve optimal performance and feel out of your trucks.
Getting Speedy
As expected from any precision truck, Reys excel very well in going fast, both in straight lines, and in those extremely difficult hairpins. I am, of course, talking about downhill. Before I proceed, I would like to remind the readers that 90% of riding is done by the rider, buying precisions will not automatically make you a better rider. On that note, Reys feature an extremely fat center point, which makes them great for straight line downhill. Because of the large center point, very slight movement of the feet will not cause the trucks to break into wobbles. Keep in mind that bushing setups may affect not only this factor of the trucks, but all factors.
With double barrels, the amount of lean produced by the Reys is absolutely absurd. I almost always had to run a Chubby or Eliminator to help prevent wheelbite. Even with the more restrictive bushings, turning on the Reys is an extremely fluid motion and is consistent all the way through. Unlike some trucks, Reys don’t have “drop lean,” where the trucks simply drop after reaching a certain point. Reys constantly support you throughout entire lean process, until they reach their limit. I personally felt that Reys are some of the smoothest turning trucks out there, and absolutely loved them for all sorts of downhill.
Getting Slideways
While buying precision trucks will not in itself make you a better skateboarder, they can inspire confidence. With this additional confidence, I found myself progressing quite a significant amount, especially in freeride. My first session out freeriding the Reys, I was holding out toeside standup slides much longer than I ever had before. I’m not entirely sure how to explain the feeling, but Reys just made me feel extremely confident and allowed me to push my limits to the fullest. I suppose it’s the knowledge that nothing will go wrong with the trucks, or perhaps that it’s just one less thing to worry about.
Regardless, the Reys’ lean definitely helped a lot during freeride. I personally love lower degree trucks, as I really like to carve a lot into a slide prior to initiating the slide. With the immense lean offered by the Reys, I immediately felt at home. The trucks featured a seemingly perfect balance of turn to lean ratio, and felt great for fast freeriding, as well as slow speed freeriding.
The open bushing seat is really used to its full potential during freeride. Because of the open bushing seat and fat center point, you are very stable while getting up to speed prior to sliding. Before initiating the slide, you are able to get a massive amount of lean out of the truck. If you are more accustomed to sliding in one motion, rather than two (carve hard, then slide), I advise getting 50° baseplates. However, I absolutely love 45° baseplates, and would recommend them to anyone, even those accustomed to sliding 50° trucks.
Keeping It Mellow
Now, I normally don’t recommend purchasing precision trucks if you are staying at slower speeds, as cast trucks are usually the more affordable option, and will work just as well. However, if you are dead set on getting precisions, Reys are extremely affordable compared to other precisions ($159), and excel not only at high speeds, but also at low speeds.
Even with my 45° baseplates, my trucks felt plenty lively on flatland and <20mph hills. Occasionally, my friends and I will skate a local park by my friend’s house. The small slope at the park probably tops out at about 15mph or so. There were a few instances where I took my Reys to this park, and I was not once disappointed. Although the lean did seem to outweigh the turn by just a small amount at lower speeds, the trucks were still extremely fun for slower speeds. Even if you don’t plan on going over 20mph, I highly recommend getting 45° baseplates. This way, you can have just as much fun at 5mph, as you can at 50mph.
Durability
Overall, I never had any problems with the durability of my Reys. I never completely destroyed them, but I did, on occasion, grind them on ledges and such. The hangers did get scratched, but I never bent the trucks or did any serious damage. I believe I saw a picture of someone drive over their Reys with a Van, and the trucks came out 100% fine. With that said, I think I’ll wrap this up.
Concluding thoughts
Even if Rey’s weren’t significantly cheaper than other precisions, they are some of the best trucks available on the market. The low price tag just makes them that much better. At such a cheap price, Reys are an overall great deal and are simply great in every discipline. If you’re thinking about getting Reys, I highly advise it. If you end up not liking them for whatever reason (because your mentally insane), you’re only invested about $150, and can easily sell them. Well I guess that’s it, stop being such a walrus loving gazelle, and pick some up over at STOKED.
