A great setup should respond to the way you ride. Some riders want effortless lean for relaxed cruising, others want more resistance to push against when pumping, and some want extra support as they load up a turn. Bushings play a major part in creating that feel, yet they are often overlooked when it comes to upgrading a board.
Introducing Bazinga Bushings by Surfskate City: a range of barrel bushings designed for tuning Carver CX surfskate trucks and compatible standard longboard trucks from brands such as Paris, Caliber and Bear. Whether you are refining a custom surfskate or giving a familiar longboard a different personality, Bazinga offers a way to adjust the steering at the heart of your setup.
Small parts can make a noticeable difference. Your deck provides the platform, your trucks establish the steering geometry, and your wheels connect everything to the pavement. Your bushings determine much of the resistance you feel as you lean into that system. Changing them can help a board feel more responsive, more supportive or better balanced between front and rear.
WHY YOUR BUSHINGS MATTER
Bushings are the flexible cushions surrounding the kingpin inside your trucks. As you shift your weight, the hanger moves against them, deforming the material and creating resistance. When you release that pressure, the bushings help guide the truck back toward its neutral position.
That action influences how easily a turn begins, how the board supports you deeper into a carve, and how it responds when you transition from one edge to the other. Bushing shape, hardness and fit all contribute to the result. They work together with the truck’s geometry, bushing seat and washers, so the same bushing can feel different in two different trucks.
This is why simply tightening your kingpin nut does not always produce the ride you want. Adding compression changes the feel of the existing bushings, but there is a limit to how much useful adjustment that provides. Selecting an appropriate hardness and shape gives you a better starting point.
THE BARREL SHAPE: SUPPORT THROUGH THE TURN
Bazinga Bushings use a barrel profile: a cylindrical shape with material extending around the kingpin rather than tapering toward one end. Compared with a similarly sized cone in the same material and hardness, a barrel generally provides more support and resistance as the truck leans.
That makes barrels useful for riders who enjoy carving but want something substantial to push against. A supportive bushing can help the truck feel composed as pressure builds through a turn, while still allowing movement when matched correctly to the rider and setup.
A double-barrel configuration uses a barrel on both sides of the hanger. A barrel-and-cone configuration combines the support of a barrel with the less restrictive shape of a cone. Neither arrangement is automatically better: the choice depends on the steering response you want and the space available in the truck.
UNDERSTANDING DUROMETER
Durometer describes hardness. On the Shore A scale used for many skateboard bushings, a higher number indicates a harder material. Within the same bushing range and shape, softer options generally deform more easily, while harder options require more force.
A softer setup can suit riders looking for easy turn initiation and a relaxed carving feel. A firmer setup can suit riders who apply more pressure, prefer stronger support or find their current bushings too easy to compress. Rider weight matters, but it is only one part of the decision.
Deck width changes the leverage you apply to the trucks. Truck angle affects how lean becomes steering. Bushing seats can allow movement or restrict it. Your stance and riding technique also influence how heavily you load each truck. A hardness that feels comfortable on one board may feel quite different on another.
Durometer also does not describe every aspect of performance. Two bushings with the same hardness rating can respond differently because of their material formulation and shape. Hardness is a useful tuning reference, rather than a complete description of ride feel.
BAZINGA AND THE CARVER CX
The Carver CX is a natural platform for bushing experimentation because its surfskate steering is driven by a bushing-based truck system. Adjusting the bushings changes the resistance you work against as you pump, carve and transition between turns.
For a rider who finds their existing CX setup too soft, a more supportive configuration can provide something firmer to load during a carve. For a rider who struggles to engage the steering, a softer configuration may make the truck easier to move through its available range.
Front and rear balance is particularly useful on a surfskate. The front can be tuned for responsive steering, while the rear provides support as you drive through the turn. The right combination should let the two ends work together without making either feel disconnected from your movements.
Bushing height remains essential. Carver specifies different top and bottom heights for its CX setup, and identifies the taller bushing as the boardside component. Bazinga installation therefore needs to preserve the correct fit and working geometry for the truck and bushing position being tuned.
ALREADY PART OF SURFSKATE CITY CUSTOM BUILDS
Bazinga Bushings are already part of Surfskate City’s approach to assembling complete boards. The ATM Click Donovan Rice Carver Surfskate City Edition uses 88A barrel bushings in the front, with an 88A/93A barrel-and-cone combination at the rear.
That build illustrates how bushing selection can shape the character of a complete. The front and rear receive different configurations to balance responsive steering with supportive rear handling. It also shows that Bazinga barrels can form part of a mixed-shape setup rather than requiring the same arrangement in every position.
The useful lesson is to think about the complete board. A bushing choice should complement the deck, wheelbase, truck system and rider, with each component contributing to the intended feel.
LONGBOARD TUNING WITH PARIS, CALIBER AND BEAR
Bazinga’s applications extend beyond surfskates to compatible standard longboard trucks, including suitable models from Paris, Caliber and Bear. Barrel bushings offer a practical way to explore different levels of steering resistance on cruising, carving and other longboard setups.
Compatibility should be checked by truck model and bushing position. A brand name alone does not confirm that every truck in its range uses the same bushing dimensions or seat design. Height, outside diameter, kingpin clearance and washer fit all matter.
Some trucks use special shapes or locating features around the hanger. A replacement should seat correctly and allow the pivot and hanger to operate as intended. If the bushings do not fit the truck’s requirements, changing hardness will not solve the underlying problem.
CARVING AND PUMPING
Carving places repeated pressure on the trucks as you move from one edge to the other. Barrel bushings are useful here because their support gives you resistance to work against throughout the movement.
For pumping, the aim is a setup that responds to your timing and weight transfer. Bushings that feel too firm can make it difficult to engage the steering. Bushings that feel too soft can allow more movement than you want before you develop useful support.
The best choice is not necessarily the softest available. A rider who pumps with strong, deliberate movements may prefer a firmer configuration than someone using smaller, gentler inputs. Experimenting with front and rear hardness lets you refine that balance.
SURF TRAINING AND FLOWING TURNS
Surfskates give riders a way to practise coordinated compression, extension and directional movement on pavement. Bushing tuning helps adjust how much effort is needed to engage those movements.
A softer configuration may suit relaxed, low-speed carving and riders working on initiating turns. More support may suit riders who want to apply greater pressure as they compress and drive through a turn.
The goal is a setup that encourages purposeful movement. Your trucks should respond clearly enough that you can feel how changes in stance, pressure and timing affect the board.
WASHERS AND ADJUSTMENT
Washers are part of the tuning system. A correctly sized cupped washer generally provides more restraint around the bushing, while a flat washer allows it more freedom to deform. The effect depends on the bushing shape and how the parts fit together.
A roadside washer also separates the kingpin nut from the bushing, helping prevent the nut from cutting directly into the material. Washer dimensions should suit the bushing and truck, with no interference through the intended steering range.
Start with the bushings seated correctly and the assembly secured without excessive compression. Follow the truck manufacturer’s adjustment requirements, including proper engagement of the kingpin locknut. Make small changes and test them in a controlled area before deciding whether more adjustment is needed.
If a bushing is visibly distorted, the truck binds or the nut must be tightened excessively to achieve an acceptable feel, revisit the fit and hardness selection.
THE CAT BEHIND THE NAME
Bazinga also carries a connection to the shop’s cat family. Named after the little black cat whose playful energy inspired her own line of bushings and hardware, the range brings a familiar shop personality into the components of a custom build.
It is a fitting name for parts that help shape a board’s character. A small change inside the trucks can make a familiar setup feel more lively, more settled or easier to engage.
FIND YOUR BAZINGA SETUP
The right bushings depend on what you have and what you want to change. Your truck model, current bushing dimensions, rider weight, deck width and preferred riding style all help establish a useful starting point.
Whether you are refining a Carver CX surfskate, refreshing a compatible Paris-equipped cruiser or adjusting a suitable Caliber or Bear longboard setup, Bazinga Bushings by Surfskate City offer a way to give the details some attention. Bring your board into BoarderLabs and build the conversation around how it feels now—and how you want it to feel on your next ride. Tuning is the most important piece to a responsive ride that feels truly yours. It can be the difference between your board feeling alive or feeling like a unresponsive piece of driftwood.
