DirtSurfer GP

This review follows on from my previous review of the DSer GP, I recommend reading that first.

I bought my first GP back in early spring and kited with it two or three times a week, almost every session in fact! It was great fun to learn on, but had a couple of drawbacks when it came to kiting.

1/ The side rails are quite low, so it's turning circle is quite limited. It will also grind out if you edge too hard... this is not funny at DSer speeds.

2/ It's made of aluminium tubes and I dont think it liked big jumps... lol

All this lead me inexorably to the FLEXI-DECK. As the name suggests this is a DSer with a flexible composite section in the middle to provide a smoother ride.

The frame geometry is much improved. The ground clearance is higher and so are the side rails. The frame sections are made of aluminium tubing with a greater diameter. There are additional reinforcement brace bars at the back. The front is also beefed up, with larger swing arm bolt and bearings. The deck is a composite of maple, fiberglass and epoxy.

The brake provided is a diacomp disc brake. Once this has bedded in (which takes a few hours) it is extremely effective! The brake lever is a bit flexible and hard braking may cause it to twist and hit the back tyre. This is easily remedied with a cabling modification. The lower section of an SST ORYG will fit straight on and improves the brake performance substantially whilst eliminating the lever flex.

Tyre choice was a little limited on the GP due to close clearances at the front. The Flexi has a wider swing arm, allowing a 2.1" to be used on the front. The tyres supplied are the buisness! A 2" directional front and a 2.35" knobbly on the back. A bit heavy for kite use but really grippy on anything but the hardest ground.

Wheels are a generic 36 spoke BMX pattern with a deep rim. They are strong and acceptably well built. They haven't gone out of true.

Quite frankly the colour scheme is vile. Fluro green tubing and purple wheels. Either would be bad on its own but together.... You wont get missed riding one of these! It is gonna get a respray.

However it's not the colour scheme that's important here. The performance is what matters. First impressions are that it is so high up... well it is and if you ride anywhere remotely rough, then it's amazing! It just rolls over stuff that would stop an atb in its tracks, its sooo smooth and fast.

Second is that it carves turns much harder than the GP. You can carry huge speed into the turns and the only thing which will limit you is the grip. It makes gybing with a kite considerably easier as you spend less time in the turn. With a kitewing upwind turns are easier for the same reason.

The fat tyres allow much more power to be held down, so you can fly a bigger kite. Jumping is superb. The power you hold down and the incredible forward speed can be converted into hangtime with ease. The flexible deck and good clearance make landing comfortable on the knees.

It does have a couple of issues where its use with kites is concerned. Apart from the painful colour scheme that is... The Flexi Deck is principally designed as a DH & Freeride tool and is specced accordingly. This leaves some room for improvement if you only kite board with it.

First up is the weight. At ~10kg it ain't light like the GP (~6kg). I think it will be possible to bring the weight down closer to ~8kg with a choice of lighter components. The wheels and tyres are the main culprits. Designed for heavy down hill use, they are a bit like overkill with a kite. A set of quality BMX race wheels and tyres will easily knock off a kilo... The disc brake and hub isn't exactly light. Brake mounts for V-Brakes are included, these are quite sufficient for kite use on the GP and provide better 'feel'.

Second is the footstraps, which are a bit too narrow to feel really positive. I have doubled mine up, so there are two over each foot and they are much better. A fat new strap from the manufacturer will be available shortly. I have seen a number of alternatives used on DSers from MBS M3's to snow-board bindings...

Thirdly and this is getting picky, the springing on the deck is a little hard. Maple is a bit 'old-hat' for modern ATB construction and a lighter, even more flexible alternative would be good.

Don't let any of this put you off. A flexi is easily the fastest, comfyest and lairyest machine available, straight out of the box!! It is a hugely versatile board - DH / jumping / skating / road / car tows / kites etc etc. If you like to tinker and set a board up 'just-so' then this is for you. And the price has just come down to <£350 quid! Bargain.

By : g0nz0