Venture 5.80 Awake '87 Team Edition Truck

Venture Trucks have been San Francisco's answer to street skating since the 80s: short wheelbase, snappy turn, direct pop feedback. Born inside the Vitello family's Ermico machine shop — same house that birthed Independent and later Thunder — and today distributed through Deluxe. Whether you run OG Polished, V-Hollow, V-Light or the new V8 Baseplate with its shorter wheelbase, Venture delivers the geometry Bobby Worrest, Yuto Horigome, Eric Koston and Kader Sylla ride under their feet.

Heritage — San Francisco, Ermico, Streetcorner

Venture launched in the early 80s as the third truck brand out of the Ermico shop — a price-point truck whose lighter weight and tighter geometry quickly caught the attention of Mark Gonzales and the street generation. In the 90s Greg Carroll took over R&D, dropped the Featherlight low-profile design and set the tone for technical flatground and ledge skating. Since June 2011 the brand has been distributed by Deluxe in San Francisco — bench to bench with Spitfire, Thunder, Real and Anti Hero.

Which Venture truck for which skater?

Venture is known for a shorter wheelbase compared to Indys — meaning more reactive turns, snappier ollies, less carve-out in transition. Rule of thumb: if you come from Independent and want it snappier, Venture is your move.

• OG Polished (Hi & Lo) — the classic. Standard geometry, solid baseplate. Hi (~53.5 mm) for wheels 53 mm and up plus cruising, Lo (~48 mm) for flip tricks and a lower center of gravity.
• V8 Team Edition — new 8-hole baseplate with a shorter wheelbase. Current pro tool for Worrest, Koston and Horigome.
• V-Hollow — hollow axle plus hollow kingpin and forged baseplate. Noticeable weight save without going soft.
• V-Light — forged baseplate, hollow kingpin, solid axle. Middle ground between OG durability and V-Hollow weight save — tough enough for crook grinds.
• V-Forged — forged baseplate, standard axle. The price-performance pick of the lineup.
• V-Cast Hollow — classic cast body with hollow axle and kingpin. Hybrid for skaters who want OG feel and weight save in one truck.

Sizes & axle widths

Axle should sit flush with the deck edge — not longer, not shorter. Venture sizing:

• 5.0 — 7.625" axle, decks 7.5–7.9"
• 5.2 — 8.0" axle, decks 7.9–8.1"
• 5.6 — 8.25" axle, decks 8.1–8.3"
• 5.8 — 8.5" axle, decks 8.4–8.6"
• 6.1 — 8.75" axle, decks 8.62" and up

Pro team & team editions

Current pro models and LTDs come from Bobby Worrest (V8 Pro), Eric Koston (V8 Baseplate), Yuto Horigome, Erik Herrera, Nick Matthews and Kader Sylla, among others. Recurring team drops: Awake, OG Dots, White Lightning, 92 Full Bleed and collabs with Bronze 56K. To complete a Venture setup, pair them with Spitfire Formula Four, Bones STF and a deck from Krooked or Toy Machine.

FAQ

Venture or Independent — what's the difference?
Venture has a shorter wheelbase and reacts more directly to weight shifts. Indy turns deeper and looser. Ledge and flatground skaters often pick Venture; transition heads usually go Indy.

Hi or Lo profile?
Lo (~48 mm) for flip tricks and wheels up to 53 mm. Hi (~53.5 mm) for anything 54 mm and up, cruiser setups and extra pop distance.

Do I need riser pads?
Running Venture Lo with wheels 54 mm or larger: yes, at least 1/8". Hi profile usually doesn't need them. Grab pads in our accessories section.

Note: Listed prices are per single truck. You need two for a complete skateboard.