Thinking about getting the Gullwing Sidewinder trucks?
In this article, we’ll share our experience to help you decide if they’re right for you or not.
Who Is It Best For?
To put it simply, Gullwing Sidewinder trucks are made for carving. If you plan on bombing hills, don’t get these. They’re double kingpins and set you high off the ground, making it easier to get speed wobbles.
The Gullwing Sidewinder trucks have a more rail-to-rail carving feel. They’re not as easy to pump from a standstill compared to a front spring-based adapter.
If you’re looking for a surfier cruisy set up then they might be best for you. Especially if you don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on a surfskate complete.
Are They Worth It?
If you compare Gullwing Sidewinder trucks to others, especially from a price point perspective then I would definitely recommend them. The quality is solid, and they’re much cheaper than buying a surfskate complete.
They’re a pretty similar price as a Waterborne adapter kit, so if you’re deciding between the two, you need to determine if you want a more aggressive rail-to-rail experience (Gullwings) or a more pumpable, front-heavy carving experience (Waterborne).
Overall, for the price, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed with the Gullwing Sidewinders.
Can You Pump On Gullwing Sidewinders?
You can pump on these, but if you compare them to a spring-based surfskate with a front adapter they’re not as pumpable. If you’re familiar with the Original trucks or Hamboard HST200s, I compare them similarly to those because both trucks lean in unison.
What Does Rail to Rail mean?
I’ve also had questions from people asking what rail-to-rail means and basically what I mean by that is the board leans side-to-side evenly (both the front and back).
And that’s different than a lot of the other surfskates out there like YOW, Smoothstar, or Swelltech because they’re built with a front spring adapter. As a result, the front leans more than the back, which gives a much different carving experience compared to the Gullwing Sidewinders.
How To Install Gullwing Sidewinder Trucks?
Installing Gullwing Sidewinders is pretty straightforward. Mount them to your deck of choice, similarly how you would with any other trucks. Depending on the size of wheels and deck you use, you might need to add riser pads to avoid wheel bite.
You can see in the image below that they should be installed with the bushings facing inward, like a traditional kingpin setup.
Before you start riding your setup, push the wheels downward with some force to see if you’ll get wheel bite. If you do, you’ll either have to tighten up the trucks, mess with the bushings hardness or add additional riser pads.
Comparison to others
Since a lot of people probably want to know how Gullwing Sidewinders ride compared to other similar brands out there, in this section I’ll do my best to compare them.
Gullwing Sidewinder vs Carver
Carver trucks have a much mellower rail-to-rail lean compared to Sidewinders, which offer a deeper carving experience. If you want something more stable to go for longer distances, then go for Carver.
Gullwing Sidewinder vs Waterborne
Waterborne has a completely different feel since it has a front pivoting and back rail adapter, making it much easier to pump than Sidewinders. If you want something to pump from a standstill, but also offers some rail to rail lean, then go for
Gullwing Sidewinder vs Spring Adapters
YOW, Smoothstar, and SwellTech are all spring adapter surfskates, so I’m gonna group them into one for this comparison (even though they all have their own unique feel). Similar to the
Advice From Others
I put out a post asking our community if they have Sidewinders and what their experience has been. Below are some awesome responses, that I think will really help you get even more insight.
“Had them on a custom longboard- 39inch deck. Depending on the deck shape, you will need to add risers to prevent wheelbite. Great trucks for cruising with a surfy feel. Can be tightened to make them ride a bit stiffer if necessary. Better turning and carving compared to traditional longboard trucks but no where near Carver, Smoothstar, Swelltech, etc. That being said, probably one of my favorite cruising trucks for long distances.” –DaddyBear84
“Yeah.. I have them on a
“Try using it only in front and leave a TKP in the back, it will make the ride super carvy but also stable. The problem with the sidewinder is that no matter how you tweak it, using it in the back will always give you wobbles at medium speed unless you use very hard bushings and kill the fun. Pair it with s 149 Indy in the back for max fun.” –el_miguelosky
“I have them in a 2ft board with 60mm wheels, a dream for streets and avoiding pedestrians but a nightmare when you pick up some speed.” –shortynotsorry
“The key is to either drop-through or wedge to bring your ride height down, then tweak bushings. Softer front roadside and stiffer back boardside.” –liammilross
“I got a pair as a gift and I didn’t know what to do with them so I put them on a Chocolate Skateboards Couch deck 9.25×13.875 wheelbase and paired them with OJ Keyframes. It’s a good downtown cruiser setup to go get coffee on relax days, but that’s about it. The small wheelbase with high trucks is super carve-y!” –rayvvision
