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Showing results for tags 'landboard'.
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After wasting £80 on a shoddy Exit board (wish I did more research first!), I decided that now I'm officially into mountain boarding (not necessarily with kites) I should upgrade and get a better board. At first I tried out a friend's Scrub Regolith and decided it simply wasn't suitable for someone of my size - far too much flex and I was grounding out on the hills. It seems all of the Scrubs were fairly similar. Then I tried another friends' short Trampa deck on Scrub channel trucks. Much better but too short for 'the hills'. Then on eBay, I managed to secure an almost mint MBS Core 16 for £120. It's the perfect length to combine downhill stability with manouvability. It's features: - fairly light stiff deck, not ideal for freestyle but perfect for my needs - cool graphics (wolf/moon) - F2 bindings, which are my favourite. F3 bindings don't cope well with my flat feet! - matrix channel trucks, with yellow shocks - rockstar hubs with lightweight T1 tread tyres So all in all a pretty damn good package for what I paid! Took it to the top of Waseley Hills near Brum for it's maiden use. Padded up and gave it the straight downhill test. Almost no wobble whatsoever (estimated speed 25mph?) - very stable so gave me the confidence to try out a few more technical routes. Once I got used to the fact the trucks were stiffer than what I was used to (a few understeered turns and a lot of bramble cuts later) I was carving the hill with ease. My personal opinion is that MBS Core series boards lead their price range field. Just want a Comp Pro now! By : davekermito
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I received this board a bit over a week ago and have been out for 3 or 4 sessions since. I haver never boarded before, skate or snow and as I want to use this as a kite board set out teaching myself to use it with the assistance of my snowboarding son (who is learning with me). First impressions out of the box Superb build quality. Beautiful jet black resin composite deck with deeply embedded graphics. Scratched/bumps will not reach them. Great looking and as I discovered at first use very functional black and red rachet bindings (though can slip one notch sometimes when you take off if not completely square - no big deal). Solid looking cast channel trucks (not white powder coated like on GI site though). Functional and strong looking wheels and tyres. Not much to do to put board together bar bolting the wheels on and its done. Very, very happy with the A$599 purchase. First outing Took it out to Ruffey park with son and did about 10-12 runs I guess. Started on v gentle slope and built up to sl steeper. Easy to steer although I find toeside easier than heelside (in sandshoes - stiff shank boots make it more even as I discovered later). Couple of falls where I fell over and forward of the board and the wheel ran along the ground in contact with my shin - black tyre rubber and blood looked like I had been scorched. Not deep. Got the hang of the basics and turning - not linked though. A bit too upright. Board felt stable and predictable under me and let you build up skills. The learning curve Have now had about three kiting sessions on the board and maybe double that number downhill. GI and Justin: Justin (Schultzie), an aussie GI sponsored team rider, contacted me as soon as he saw I had bought a GI board. He offered to give me some tips, look at my setup and halp me get going. Gave me heaps of his time in a getting going tutorial that built on what Lee had given me. This was unexpected and fantastic service from GI as far as I am concerned. Looked at my truck setup, switched me onto heavier T1 blocks (at no cost) and generally just gave support. Kudos. Note to self: Pad area of body before bash it not after. Now have knee pads, elbow pads, wrist braces and helmet, but not before some knocks. As have damaged each area have added pads so now have extensive bruising to both wrists, right elbow and right shoulder (had knee/helmet from day 1) – lucky not to have broken something I think.. Also don’t try to jump off things before you are ready, although the adage “If you’re not falling you’re not learning” does apply I think. Observation: Trundley, ground based kiteboarding is easier and less injurious than downhilling. Both a excellent fun! I am finding holding a line easier now with a stiffer setup and am better using lean and the kite to manage both gusts and terrain through this. Performance and durability: The board continues to greatly please although I had started getting not a speed wobble but more an oversteer/understeer thing happening at (relatively) higher speeds, I think due to me being heavier than your average 16yo (at 40yo and 90kg). A switch to stiffer truck blocks certainly seems to have helped, as has dialling the back trucks stiffer than the front with the fine adjustment built into them. Turning skills are coming together and am (slowly) getting better at rail grab and power slide stops. The board is still standing up well to the abuse of a learner and in addition I am getting some nice pop in a straight line when I jump it now. I guess I am getting out for a downhill or kiting session about 2-3 times a week, mostly downhilling. Am having great fun learning. Author : PaulM
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This is the board I learnt to kiteboard on, despite being advertised as an intermediate board. This is because it has a shorter-than-usual length, and thereby becomes a more manouvreable board. However speed wobble has many-a-time been a problem for me resulting in a painful twisted knee on a few occasions. It was on ebay at £99 although the seller didn't post the board to me until 6 weeks after I won the auction. It involved a non-computer literate person asking an ebay account holder to sell it for him, and then promising to post it. It took him a while, and involved him lieing to me so all in all, not good. But I was glad to get it when it came. Anyway, the bearings were shot and everything was full of sand. But I still took it out and the bearings seemed to sort themselves out enough to not notice anything (as a beginner anyway; they stopped squeaking). Here's some figures: Wheelbase - 820mm Axle Width - 390mm Deck Composition - 10 Wood/ 2 Fibreglass Tyre Size - 200mm x 50mm Total Weight - 6.7kg figures from powerkiteshop.com WHEELS The wheels tend to look a little untidy when they have mud/sand in them, and they're not easy to clean after a session in the sand. The inflation valves come out of the hubs and bend round to the outside face of the hub for access. Although, if the tyre is flat, the valve depressed itself inside the hub when you push on it making it difficult to use one of the 'grip' type pump heads. The threaded-type heads would work just fine though as they don't need to be pushed on. TRUCKS These are plain skate trucks with a tatty galvanised finish. They're not as rugged as other styles of trucks but mine are fine for now. I'm just learning to jump. The polymers are now in need of replacement and I'm unsure of where to get them from as the flexifoil website doesn't seem to sell them. It is worth noting that these trucks make the deck sit with a high clearance from the ground. This means that the centre of gravity is a bit higher than some other boards I've ridden. But there is plenty of edging ability in these trucks. The board will turn a corner like an F1 car at Monaco; leaving you behind if you're not concentrating. It all depends on how tight you adjust them though. Adjusting is done on the bottom of the truck, underneath the polymer. BINDINGS These are faultless apart from the aesthetics side of things. It's a double velcro binding so it won't adjust itself mid-ride. They WILL hold your feet in, and are at a nice angle to twist your feet into a comfortable riding position thereby locking your feet in. The neoprene cover over the bolts, however, isn't quite so tough. The bolt has poked through the neoprene making a small hole for itself. None too problematic, however a pain if you're precious about your new baby looking pristine. GRAB HANDLE Much the same as the bindings. It performs its function, just the neoprene covers over the bolts has suffered the same flaw as with the bindings. It's worth noting that it's a soft grab handle for those of you wanting to do board-offs. It'll provide a less solid sense of control over your board when it's in your hands. DECK This is the best part of the board. It is positively solid. So solid in fact, that there's not much flex in it and it makes for a springy, but hard landing. But it's on the short side at only about 800mm so this must have an effect on its stiffness. The graphics are banal by now, having been around for so long and seen by so many, but the good thing is despite the abuse this board has seen, it still remains unscathed. RIDE This is the conclusion I'd say! Don't expect high speed runs outa this board, because you'll come a cropper. You'll need to keep leaning back on this one because no matter how tightly you do up the polymers there will always be a bit of lateral movement in the board. You have to remember that toeside turning is an issue with this board. It's not as easy as the normally biased boards and for a good reason. If you try and go upwind with this board it is plain and simple. People were nattering on at me saying once I'd learnt to go upwind I could class myself as a competent rider. However, I COULD go upwind, but didn't class myself as a competent rider. So let that serve as an example of how easy it is on this board. Due to the heelside bias, the next easiest thing thing to learn was the powerslide, and also to use this technique to slow down. The short wheelbase makes this easier too. For some reason I don't really get on with this board on grassy surfaces. Its high riding position means it's difficult to slide and carving has much less forgiveness. The feel is slightly too positive for me with my less refined movements. I'm used to the forgiveness of sand to accomodate my riding. Guess it's down to practice though. I will keep hacking away at it! Any questions?! By : architek
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I should first add that i'm a total beginner to Mountainboards but maybe a newbies point of view could be helpful to someone! I have not tryed to ride any other type of mountainboard, I have however skateboarded for over 15 yrs so i'm not unfamiliar with the feel of board riding and the associated equipment. I decided on the Scrub ejector for a number of reasons. Firstly, as is all too often the case, the price. Getting into pretty much any board sport these days is going to set you back a little and £160 seemed to be a reasonable price for start up equipment. There was cheaper options but being over 6ft, size 12 feet and weighing in at 110kg, i was advised to go with a board like the Ejector rather than a smaller one. There was mention of catching the tyres with my feet, followed by braking with my face, that was enough of a persuasion for me. I was also informed that the board would take my weight due to it being very flexible. The board arrived semi assembled, it was just a case of attaching the bindings and wheels. Even for the least d.i.y handymen out there it's a piece of piss. Tools are also included so there's no excuses. As you put the board together it gives you the chance to check the quality of the board and parts, i found nuts, bearings, tyres webbing material to be all good quality. I plan to use the board for both downhillfreestyle and on the beach with a kite, so the stainless steel parts was another selling factor when i was deciding on which boards. Time will tell on the quality of the composite metal used. The first run on the board went something like, arrived at the local dirtpark, got all padded up at the top of the run which heads into a nice table top jump, straped myself in and prepared to launch myself into it, only to roll down the hill at snail pace and stop well short of the jump.......what a pratt! not enough air in the tyres, i'm starting to grow old. Second time out, with air, went like a dream. The first thing that got me was how different than expected the ride was, i was expecting it to be more like a skateboard when in fact it is a lot closer to a snowboard. There is plenty of flex in the deck, as promised, and this helps on the landings. After a short while riding i felt more confident in the boards stength and ability to cope with my weight. I also found due to the flex, i was able to pump speed out of the turns quite easily. The trucks handle like skate trucks should so alls good there. Again, there seems to be no problem handling of weight or impacts. I haven't really looked into the options a rider has in regards to tireswheels, the set that came with the board have been fine to the woodland, concrete and dirtpark areas i've been riding. They've handle the different terrain with a relative smooth glide and there was good grip even on freshly cut grass (well at moderate speeds anyway). So far the only complaint i have is that the wraping the board came in stank really bad :-). If you've not tried mountainboarding yet, you should, that feeling of the smooth flowing ride you get from just cruising alongdownover is the reason people ride boards.So far the Ejector has served it's purpose and didn't break the bank. By : delmonte
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Firstly, I love this board! It looks cool and works. Here's why... I bought this board in a package with my Beamer 3.6 from Tradewind kites, Reading. I tried a few boards in the shop, but this one stood out due to its price and lightness. It is very very light. I am glad I bought a light board as I tend to walk to my flying site and it's a lot easier with a light board. The board seems very good quality. i understand that MBS are a big player in the board world and mine has been faultless. I have flung it around, ridden over rough ground, fallen off and generally abused it. It also has to deal with my bulk. There are no marks or scratches whatsoever the finish is very hard wearing. This board has skate truks, which I may upgrade but they work fine. The do however look flimsy, a source of apprehension when I first got it. It has a slightly cheesy four colour graphic on it, a wolverine or wolf type thing against a moon. Hmmm. However the colour palette is in my favourite dark blue purple so it's pleasing on the eye and contrast is good. If it had not worn so well I would have covered it with stickers but there are no scratches so the graphics stay. I primarily use this board with my kite. I have been downhill with it a couple of times but did not neccesarrily enjoy it. It comes with a 'light' setup, meaning that the deck tilts very easily under your feet. this caused me problems early on, but tighten it up with the supplied spanner and it sorts it out. The bindings are very comfortable and adjustable. I found that this board performs very well. It steers easily, absorbs bumps well, but not so well you cant feel what is going on. It has a lot of pop in the deck, so much that it did not look right when new, but it supports my 15 stone + bulk very well, never bottoming out. I have experienced speed wobble with this kite, but all you have to do is relax and ride through it. Tightening the nuts on the trucks helps with this a bit. All in all I am very happy with this borad. It is functional, and looks cool (to my eyes). It has proven very robust too. Excellant By : panthro
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Herein lies a tale of woe and light hearted despair, but I'll get to that later. I have flown kites since I was old enough to stand on the beach and hold a string and have spent my early years flying the little diamond shaped stunt kites with the cute tails. Early highlights included hitting a dog on the head, hitting my dad on the head and a little kid grabbing the "cute tail" and pulling it off. So as you would imagine for as long as I can remember I've been hooked on kites and doing outdoorsy things, and in time honored fashion I progressed to the more challenging art of flying delta wings. When I was 16 I saw a friends dad flying a 6ft Flexifoil Stacker and that changed everything. Now my goal was not flying side by side with some chums, it was to get dragged as far down the beach as possible. I wanted to fly the most ridiculous and overpowered stack of wings that I could. I'm now 23 and have had my fill of 2 line kites, recently I was left hanging to the handles of a big Blade (2) for dear life while it basically did whatever it wanted to. I also sat in a buggy and got dragged down the beach (the second half no longer in the buggy) by a rampant CQuad, so the logical progression for me in this sport seems to be 4 line kites and kite boarding. We've all been there, wanting to go flying but with the tree tops as active as my dad on a Sunday afternoon so I wanted a board that would let me use kites when it was windy, but one that would also let me do some downhill stuff when it wasn't. Enter MBS - MBS have recently released a new range of boards for 2003, principally the Core 16, Com16 Pro and the Comp 26 X. I was attracted to the MBS range by the apparent build quality (like a Flexi kite) and the depth of improvements that had been made in seemingly every aspect of the boards design and construction. Being a beginner to the sport I obviously picked the Core 16 and despite some impressively naff graphics it had everything that I wanted. Most importantly the bindings are not too restrictive, making it easier to bale out in a beginner-on-the-fly emergency (or so I thought!). Then there was the overall weight of the that board which at under 7kg should allow me to progress to some aerial tricks. Finally the channel trucks made several spring settings available to the user allowing the board more to be tunable to the riders skill level. (As you will see this was all fine in theory !!) Once I had the board home (Power Kite Shop gave much quality service and advice from what could well be the best hidden shop in the country!) it was easy to build with all the pre- drilled holes marrying well with the trucks and bindings. I put the board together with uncompressed springs on the inside position using the yellow eggshocks - essentially providing the least amount of damping. Out on the field with a bullet 3.5 I immediately found the board to be too twitchy and unstable for my apparent lack of skill, so out came the tools. (MBS provide tools with the board but the springs and bolts are easy to lose when in the field so be careful). With the springs set to the outside position on the trucks (these adjustable trucks alone make this board a good option for beginners in my opinion) I tried again with the Bullet and found that I could hold what seemed like a reasonable amount of power and speed going downwind. Its amazing how much smaller a space is when you have wheels on your feet and I soon decided to try my hand at the other half of the equation, downhill boarding... This proved to be both mine and the boards first mistake. Having no previous experience on anything remotely similar (snow/skateboard etc.) I started on a suitably gentle slope and was immediately impressed by the board. With my weight centered instead of leaning to one side it was both stable and predictable (those adjustable trucks again) with the deck having enough flex to soak up any bumps. (Word to the wise here, I started with 20 psi in the tires which had me going nice and fast but did mean that I was largely reliant on the deck for cushioning over bumps and stuff.) After falling off a few times, trying a few bunny hops, falling off some more and generally carving down the slope I upped the ante on a long smoothish 1 in 3 slope and had a lot of fun, no falls. Impressed by the predictability of the deck I went tried again that evening, and so begins my tale of woe and light hearted despair... Beginners do not ride switch. End of story. Please if you are a beginner, learn from me and spend longer than 2 hours riding regular before going to switch. I overbalanced on a little slope, fell backwards, feet stuck in the bindings and I dislocated and fractured my shoulder. Bigtime. So in conclusion if you want a board that you can use for both kite and downhill activities I wholeheartedly recommend the Core 16 for the reasons listed above. Yes these sports are dangerous but if you are smart and not like me then common sense should steer you clear of most accidents. By : Peter Watkinson
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OK.......so now I know why we have the reviews section.......it's not to keep all the newbies well informed/educated on which gear to buy.......NOOOO!! it's so that when there's no wind at all we experienced dudes and dudettes have something to do!!!! so expect reviews on everything from MBS bearings to the holes in my shoes in the next week!!!! but tonight Matthew,I'm going to be the MBS Core 8 reviewer.......... INTRODUCTION I'm pretty new to this kiting malarkey,I only started in February or March and have found the learning curve to be very steep,yet more enjoyable than I could have possibly imagined.I started on a Super 10 and within 2 weeks,had progressed onto a Crossfire 4.0(kiting should be classified under class A narcotics!)which was just as quickly followed by the board I am going to review here.............. THE MBS CORE 8 This board usually retails for £150-£165 and is designed as a higher end beginner board.It is made from what MBS call "Powerlam Composite" and is designed to give both "pop" and "forgiveness". The bindings are MBS F2 bindings and to finish the package,you have the MBS skate trucks and Rockstar hubs with T1 tyres. The graphics have been described as "naff" before,but I quite like them. You receive the board with everything built up except for the wheels,this takes all of about 10 minutes to do with the spanner provided and before you know it,you'll find yourself standing on your board in your room pulling 180's and making swooshing noises as you pass another imaginery tree!!! On standing on the board,you will be surprised at just how small and comfortable it is. I had seen ATBs on TV a few years back and thought that they looked cumbersome,but on strapping yourself into this board you will instantly feel a connection due to its short length and light weight.The bindings are great,just place your feet in,pull hard on the straps and your feet are now stuck to the deck SO, DOES IT GO THEN???? Well yes! it does!...and then some!!! I started off using this as a downhill board as I had no real idea on how to get moving with a kite.Being from Scotland,I had no real difficulty in finding a hill and me and my fellow newbie mate made the trip to try "downhilling" Now I was never a skateboarder....but I found this board awesome!!!(note to self....no wind for whole of next week.....get out boarding again!!) I set up a fairly lengthy slalom course and was getting some great times in with no speed wobble whatsoever and some of the turns that were being carved were just crazy. We then went on to set up a couple of jumps and had great fun with the board just soaking up everything we threw at it....the only downside being that for every trip downhill......there's an equally long trip uphill(note to self.....forget boarding!!! go to beach and sunbathe!!) SO WHAT'S IT LIKE FOR KITEBOARDING THEN? FAN-BLOODY-TASTIC!!!! Now I've eventually got my Kites under control,this board does everything I ask of it....cruising?? nice!! I have tightened up the trucks ever so slightly and I can whizz up and down the beach at St Andrews all day and it's not speed wobble slowing me down..........it's my lily livered keester!!! I reckon I must be hitting at least 15-20mph sometimes though and that's scary enough!!! Airs?? not a problem!!! I've had some huge airs of at least 2'3" and I'm still breathing!!! only kidding....I actually had a 10' air on Sunday(my first!-hence the big landing!!) and come down on the board a bit harder than I should have done but it made no difference to the board at all!!! I weigh 13 stone and that's about average so this board will do fine for the majority of peeps out there SHOULD I GET ONE OF THESE THEN? not before I tell you the bad points....the finish.....maybe it's just the board I received,but I've found the finish on one side to be very slightly shabby but being honest that's my only gripe....this board may not be as bombproof as a Trampa,as cool as a Flight-lite or as cheap as a Deimos.But you have to realise that this board is a combination of all that is good in a board and set at just the right price!!! I've been using mine fairly heavily for 4-5 months now and it looks like its asking for the abuse levels to be turned up to full power for the next 6 months just to scratch an itch on its back!!!!! So yes!!! if youre reading this review because you're wondering which board to buy and you've got a budget of £150-£160 then buy it!!!!! you will love this board Enjoy your MBS Core 8 Dawson By : DawsonCreaks
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i purchased this board beacause it was cheap.... i had no idea on what to expect as i have never ridden an ATB (except skate boards ), i got one of these because i have a 3 meter buster and i wanted to start learning about kite surfing. first thing i notice when i take it out of the box is how BIG it is!! i used to bolt on a windsurfer sail to my 20' skateboard !! you can dance all over this thing!! then the next shock came .. it was REALLY flexible in the middle!! i had visions of scraping out the belly of it ,or even snapping it in half. ....but i gave it a good jumping on and i came off second best . so i played around the carpark on it riding it like a skateboard ...thought the trux were a bit tight so i loosened them off (big mistake later on). then my frustrations started... 30 knot winds forcast for the next week!! so i don't think i will get my buster 3 meter out in that on a board i have never ridden!! 3 days pass and in frustration i finally grab my 1.2 meter toy power kite and head down onto an old concrete parking area. the wind is still 25knots and i am keen to ride the board. slowly but surely i start tacking up and back... no probs here ..grips well to the concrete and can cruise along comfortably. a little bit sloppy with the flexing but there must be a reason or use for it. then the day finally comes ... a constant 15 knots ,low tide and a half day off!! so away we go! i launch the kite and jump on board ...... This thing really starts humming along!! then it starts vibrating like crazy!! ...then the wobbles started..(i loosend the trux !!) i couldn't turn without gong all over the place. so as i jump and stumble across the sand trying to get my balance. ..i grab the trusty tool kit that comes with it.(damn handy too... re- tighten the trux and let some air out of the tyres to act as a shock absorber..the vibration was the sand ripples!! . so off agaain and this IS SO COOL!! the steering is responsive and no more vibrations! 2 hours later my arms and legs are starting to give up but i am having a ball it really is a pleasure to ride ! the steering is smooth the flex in the board is cusioning the bumps...... i am getting a bit of slide out the back of the board ..COOL!! conculsion : this thing is a great first timer board. the design is simple and effective the foot straps are a little basic but suit me it rides well and you can get off easily (if you get into trouble) the tool kit can fix everything on the board and comes with a foot strap too. smooth ride and looks good . thumbs up from me so far.. down side : still a little flexy in the middle for me... but you don't notice it when your flying. will try doing some technical stuff (like jumps) later and let you know how it goes... By : baggsy
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let me kick off here by first giving you all the heads up on how the lion canyon seems to be made. it's an entry level mountain board, built no doubt for those weighing a little less than I; a fairly flat piece of canadian maple, with some snazzy graphics on top. from what i can tell of bouncing around on other boards in the shop (ps i got mne on ebay), the lion canyon is a little shorter, lighter, and has less bounce of flex as i was told than some other brands the axle, or trucks, are the skate style variety, which means easy adjustment if you want to make them looser or tighter, all you need to do is weild a spanner in the right place. just remember - lefty loosey, righty tighty! i wasnt lucky enough to get wind for my first go on the lion canyon, i'm going to call it the LC for short. so i took the LC on a downhil jaunt! well the ground came rushing up to meet me a lot quicker than i thought it might! the board seemed to banana skin underneath me as i took off on the run, but i have since learnt that was down to my shoddy technique - apparently, the trick is to lean OVER your leading foot to get down a slope. but i digress. once i was used to the tec, i managed to get a few turns hither and thither in, and despite my limited experience, i'd like to say the board felt 'lithe' and supple underfoot. the LC went where i intended, and so i took on a couple of 'berms' down at the local track. by now i was feeling pretty comfortable, and a couple of local kiddies were hanging about. one suggested i try a 180, and the other seconded the motion. well. i didn't know what a 180 was, and when it was explained, i practically blanched with fright! i wold have to ride down the hill with my good foot forward, hit the kicker ( i picked up the lingo ) and land with my other foot - the less good one - facing downhill...could i manage this? could the lion canyon, sorry LC, handle it aswell? dispensing with the leash that comes with the board (if i stack it, the last thing i need is a mtn board come hurtling towards me on a bungee chord) i prepared at the top of the hill. 60 metres or so of seemingly steep black run (read kinder slope) dropped away in front of me as my breath quickened and i tightened the straps about my feet. popping into the run, i descended, the LC jittering about 'neath me as i go, and the whole time i'm thinking "no way shall i try the 180". anyway, the kicker comes up, and on a seemingly autopilot mode, i hit it. i hit it left foot forward, my best one, then, emulating (or more 'apeing') what i learnt from the kids on the hill, i rotate my hips mid flight. by this point i am feeling very afraid. coming down to earth with my oposite - read right - foot forward, i ride out of the jump and scrub off speed in the grass. so wether my success is down to the kiddies at the local site, my bravery, or perhaps the LC's business like build, whos to worry. what i can say, in my experience, the LC is a plucky little contender for a downhill run. its light, which lets you get off the ground when you want to, but strong enough to take the pounding when you realise you dont have the skills to come down safe. as an afterthough, i should mention my LC came with skate style trucks, binding post foot straps, and grip tape under both feet to help with the extreme riding. i would say the LC is great to get going with, espesh if you want a board you can chuck around. i'm getting into the kiting with the LC right now, and i like that fact i can jump with it. i dont think it will be the best board for long distance or speed missions, but perhaps i'm not the best rider for those either! to summise, a buget board that will perform. i think its a good choice for a budding boarder, leaving plenty of spare cash for a nice kite too! good luck and enjoy! By : monaco
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Firstly i'm a 24yr old 16.5stone guy who tried mountainboarding, got hooked, and started looking for a board for fat people (basically!) Got this board after having a few go's on my brothers MBS core 16, and loving downhill boarding. Didn't really know anything about it but it was £120 on ebay which i thought not too bad for my 1st! After it arrived was shocked by the massive 9" wheels which dwarf those puny 8" ones everyone else seems to have (but don't really know what the difference is!?). Also was the fairly sweet design, a nice firey red graphics i thought pretty cool. Wasn't so sure on the velcro straps but i'll get to that later. First experience on the board (at bugs boarding no less) was good. Got the tyre pressures down to sensible levels for my novice experience(~15psi), then stepped in and went. On the medium shocks i could really get some good carves but any speed and the wobbles came in fast and hard. I suspect this to be because of my overweight nature though. The only other initial problem i had was the straps. After finally agreeing where my feet should go on the board and finely adjusting the straps, it still felt as though i was fighting for the board to stay on my feet. This could of course just because i'm still a n00b or this is just how it is! Since that first pleasurable, but could-have-been-better experience, i spent ~£22 on some heel straps and hard shocks. This made such a difference, the shocks cutting out all of the wobbles and the straps finally negating the constant battle with staying on the board. I'm now tearing up those lovely grass slopes and starting eyeing up some of those nasty looking table tops and rails! Hope they don't kill me. Well, i have since been told that this is a fairly good board for fat lads/beginners, it's now outdated so even cheaper if you can find any. Hope this helps Cheers J By : HeffaHarris
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- furnace creek II
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So, you get bought a little foil kite as a present, then you go on a sailing holiday and realise that that kite-surfing stuff looks pretty cool and your old windsurfing kit is just s-o-o 90s. Then you forget to take your little kite when you go to the coast, and end up buying a bigger one (well, that was in the days when I thought 2.5m2 was big). Oh, and it dawns on you that you don't need water to fly a kite and you watch someone else get their kit out of the car boot and it doubly dawns on you that you can have just as much fun on a landboard as a surf-going board and you don't need roof racks any more.... 'Dear Santa, I've been a good boy all year. Please can I have a landboard, please, oh, and a bigger kite, please. And I promise to share it with my brother and sister and let them have a go too - well for five minutes at least, if they share their iPod with me anyway. Please Santa, can I please. ' I picked one of these up for £130 brand new last November just as the 06 range was starting to arrive in the shops - and no, I didn't ride it until Christmas Day! So, I realise this review is a bit out of date but it's taken me this long to get anywhere near good enough to be able to say anything meaningful about it, and I suspect most of what I say will still hold for the new Regolith if there isn't any more old stock of Furnace Creeks still lying around. Besides I'm tired of being greeted by a 😞 Review Status every time I go to the racekites homepage. I'd been lurking on racekites for a while since buying the Beamer II earlier in the summer and was trying to glean as much as I could about boards and stuff for free without having to spend any money on anything like lessons where I could have a bit of a try-before-you-buy (you can take the man out of Yorkshire....). Being 6 foot tall and towards 14 stone fully kitted up in safety gear et al, I figured a larger board would suit. Plus, although I had no idea what speed-wobble was or what it felt like, it didn't seem like it was a necessary part of my fledgling boarding career so channel trucks became part of the wishlist too. I'll say from the outset, not having ridden any other mountain board to compare with, I am very pleased with my purchase. I used to do a bit of skate-boarding first time around in the 70s and have tried various other forms of standing on things to go along - windsurfers, water-skis, skis, snowboards (once!) - so I hope my comments will still carry some value. I also thought it would mean I might stand a better than even chance of picking up most of the basics with just a quick read of Mark Crook's guide on here - I was mostly right! The first day after Christmas when we went out with the kites and the board - a family outing to laugh at the errant younger brother - was met with good wind as the front blew through, then snow and no wind once the snow had stopped falling. So, downhill boarding it was then... At slow speeds, I felt the board had good flex and was nicely balanced and responsive without being twitchy. As it sped up, I began to feel like the tiniest body movement would send me hurtling off in one ungainly direction or another - I was partly right. Now that I've gained some more experience, especially with the kite too, I feel that there is in fact a good stability at speed, and more speed than had originally scared the pants off me! The bindings are easily adjustable with velcro fastenings and are plenty comfortable, seeming to do what they need to with no fuss. Either by chance or by design, I quickly found a good compromise between support, control and being able to escape easily when it goes a bit pear-shaped. I have size 11 shoes and have been able to find a comfortable stance with toe and heel both protuding evenly by about 1-2cm. The board has three stiffness settings for the channel trucks - not surprisingly, it comes out of the box at the centre setting. At one point, I had considered setting the heel-side to be stiffer to counter-balance the lateral pull of the kite but now, I think that is unnecessary and correct technique is a better way of addressing that issue - personal preference, I guess. I typically fly inland and the fields have been a bit soft over the winter and spring, or the grass a bit long, so I appreciate the 9" Primo tyres as the board gets rolling easily and absorbs the majority of bumps with ease - I even ran over a rabbit hole without stacking it... I've read other reviews that say the larger tyres have too much grip and are more likely to pull you sideways onto two wheels than slide - I just thought it was because I was being rubbish. And then, I got my first powerslide with the kite today so I don't see it as a big problem but remember, I have nothing to compare to again - I did end up on my backside at the end of it but it was still pretty cool! My current skill level revolves more around trying to cruise back and forth than any thought of 'big airs' so I cannot comment on how easily this board will take to 'tricking it'. The literature seems to suggest it is better suited to high-speed cruising and that free-style boards are better for free-style riding - go figure... There are numerous weights published for this board that I have seen at different shop web-sites but I am not so anal as to have gone and weighed it myself so I don't know if it is really that heavy in comparison to other boards or not. That said, I can jump from static without the kite and get a 180 degree turn in either direction without any real problem so I think that at least being able to flip heel-side to toe-side and carve gybe should not be beyond this board (although it is currently beyond me!). Although the Furnace Creek is talked about for heavyweights, my wife is able to easily control this board so I would think it makes a good purchase if you are going to be sharing with other friends and family. Other 'important' things like colour and graphics are not my primary buying criteria but I do find the dark red colour and stylised graphics to be appropriate for 'extreme sports' equipment whilst remaining the right side of tasteful. It also comes with a coil leash for actual downhill mountain boarding but I have sufficient ways to do myself a mischief, and I kinda like the idea of brakes when going downhill, so I doubt that will get much use in our household. The one mod I am considering is adding a piece of shock-cord between the two bindings to hold my kite ground-stake - I tried Duck-tape today but the flex of the board on turning plus the wet grass put paid to that idea so shock-cord is the next idea - will try tomorrow. All in all, I think this is a great board for learning and progressing. We have found it works well for both heavier and middle-weight riders (9-14 stone). I do not see there'll be any need for buying another board until this one wears out - and I'd probably look for similar again. By : Adeybabes
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- scrub
- furnace creek II
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i took the plunge today and bought a scrub lion canyon series 2. Needless to say after that the heavens opened.To the board.I had a restricted budget of approx £100 having already spent way too much on kites,but after about 18 months of static flying i decided it was time to give it a go.The board is relatively short,that is unless you are used to skateboards in which case it looks pretty substantial.I was advised by the shop that it did not have a lot of flex and "pop" but as i only wanted the board to learn on and to hopefully cruise at a leisurely rate this seemed ideal. There is some flex although nothing compared to the eejector i also tried but the board is tidy comes with the normal velcro adjustable straps and a leash,plus spanners and allen keys.The board is wooden, coloured green with some graphics and the area of the footstraps has rubber grips.Being a first time boarder i headed for the local field complete with protek helmet. The grass was approx 1/2 inch long quite damp and thankfully soft.As there was a reasonable wind i thought i would use my bullet 2.5,the wind then became lumpy and my kite decided to display its on/off tendency. Undeterred i got the kite to the zenith and climbed on the board,not an easy thing to do whilst trying to ensure your kite is still above you head.Once on i dropped the kite down and promptly got pulled off the board,rolled on the floor and swore at the kite,but with a big grin.Second go,success travelled about 20 feet quite smoothly before the wind suddenly dropped. Being on long grass and only doing about 5mph it was quite easy to jump off and the velcro foot straps have quite a large amount of adjustment. I had mixed success from there on none of which was the boards fault. I was advised by the shop the usual pressure for the tyres is 36psi and the board was quite responsive.It has all stainless steel fittings and scrub logos abound.I am no youngster at 38 and weigh about 90kgs. The "little" lion canyon coped with me without any problem and with it having been superseeded by the demios you may be able to find it cheaper than i did but even at £100 i would recommend it to a beginner.Just don't forget the protection. By : wizzykite
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- scrub
- lion canyon
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Kitedeck reflex review. Hi, had this board about seven months now and it still looks like new after some sessions at the beach and being dropped from 20ft several times. The build quality is like nothing else i've ever owned, there is nothing that can corrode that is open to the elements, all of the parts are top quality and the board still feels like new! My board spec is as follows: 35 degree Revo trucks I'm not sure about the ply but i'm 80 kg MBS F3 bindings Gold manhicks Deck length 90cm S.Steel axles S.steel fixtures and fittings. You can customize your board by using different trucks and bindings etc. but you can also choose the colour of the truck bodies etc. The Ride The deck itself gives an unbeleivable amout of pop and allows you to load up for those huge jumps, i find it has just the right amount of flex and the length is perfect for freestyl'n. The bindings work well with the skate deck grip and can be tightened up to almost snowboard binding tightness or set up for board offs etc. The trucks are possibly the best part of the board. They require practically no maintanance as everything is sealed in, just a quick rinse after a trip to the beach. They are super stiff yet useable. On light wind days i have to hop the board around to turn but once you get going they are great for carving up before a jump. These trucks are immune to speed wobble, i encountered wobble once when doing nearly 40mph on grass but it wasn't so much wobble as a slow waving motion! The wheels are my personal favourite part of the board, yes they way a tonne compared to resin wheels but you don't have to buy pair every other week due to them breaking. They are super strong and look bling in gold, it's worth the price tag. Comments My only problem with this board is the weight, doesn't make much of a difference on most tricks but it make inverts really hard but still managable. And a very small niggle is that the tyre valves are very hard to acess on the manhicks when they need a pump up but this may just be me. Conclusion If you want a reliable beach proof custom board for speed,freestyle and a spot of downhilling(it's good at that too) get a kitedeck. I think they are very good value for money for the best boards you can buy(which is what they are!) and are available in your own coulurs, tailored to your riding style and weight, and are the best looking boards on the beach. Aftermarket Care The customer service from Kitedeck is fantastic also. They rang up and emailed me after buying the board asking if I was pleased with it and if any changes need to be made. The board arrived ready to go, even with air in the tyres. I bought the board through Turbulence after having a quick go on their demoboard. They were very helpful also. This board can be used by somebody at any standard of kiting is very user friendly and absolutley bomb proof. Go Buy One! By : Jack H
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Picture a never-ending almost perfectly flat, expanse of light brown, sun-scorched nothingness baked by 100 degree F. temperatures. This forbidding locale comprises the shores of the Sharm, a bay area near Yanbu Al-Baha, a fly-blown town on the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia. This is the only Saudi location marked on Race Kites' map of world locations. This expanse was once living coral. But over eons the water receded, the coral was flattened and worn smooth by wind, sun and sandstorm, leaving a gritty surface of small gravel, and seashell with the occasional small outcrop of resistant coral rock. This is where mikeskor and his MBS Comp 16 call home. I ordered the Comp 16 from Kite-High, an American online dealer for $450 U.S. plus $150 for express mail shipping to the college where I work. Less than two weeks later, I picked up a large rectangular box in the mail room. Clutching it tightly under one arm, I scurried off to my digs and ripped open the box. (I am after all a big impatient child of 56 with a new toy.) I had no idea what to expect. I'd waffled over what to order, having never even seen a mountain board before or anyone on one. Was it to be Core this or Comp that? Was it to be the biggest board or something smaller? I am, at 187 lb. unclothed (an unpleasant sight indeed), near the upper end of the prescribed weight for the Comp 16. Add clothes, pads and boots and I'm at the upper limit of 200 lb. In the end I ordered by price and image, thinking if I paid a little more for this racier model, the quality would be a little more. Later I found Race Kite's website and was vindicated. People said nice things about the Comp 16. I also vowed to keep my weight down by dieting. I didn't want to crush the thing. On ripping open the box, I found this shiny, black and blue thing, like a large skateboard, only without the wheels yet. In the centre of this simple uncluttered deck was a splash of white with the name mbs Comp 16 and a dark-blue graphic of an eagle in flight. It really wasn't very impressive. Also in the middle were holes to affix a grab handle Then there were the bindings! As a snowboarder, I could relate to these. They are the ratchet-type. You click them down until they are as tight as you like. Under the bindings, sandpaper material is glued. Your boot can be firmly fixed to the deck and won't move around. But as a new mountain boarder, this wasn't what I wanted. I wanted the bindings loose so that I could jump out quickly in case of imminent crash or loss of balance. And in fact, I did jump out quite regularly or fell out as my kite pulled me forward flipping the board over. As a result of these mishaps and not having the bindings tight, the padding on the bindings has become prematurely worn and frayed. As my balance and skills improve, I have developed the confidence to gradually make the bindings tighter and tighter, which give you wonderful control over the board's steering. Next I unpacked the wheels and tightened them onto the hubs, then released them half a turn so that they would spin freely. The instructions were fairly straight-forward. The 8-inch knobby tires came already inflated to about 50 psi. However, they don't look particularly robust. Nevertheless, after running them over quite sharp-looking coral rock without a puncture during the last six outings, I have to concede that they are holding up quite well and I am developing more confidence in them. One of the biggest problems initially for me, was that once I got mutant kite flying and pulling (I call my Venom 10m mutant because it has been patched so many times and has even had its broken battens replaced with aluminum tubing) and I was moving joyfully along on the board, I would inevitably put more pressure on the heel side and go upwind to places I did not want to go. Then I realized I could adjust the turnability of the board by depressing the springs using an allen key. By depressing the springs the board became harder to turn, and I went (more or less) in a straight line. Then it dawned on me that if I depressed the spring on the heel side more than on the toe side, I could make it harder to turn upwind and easier to turn downwind. Now I was really onto something. I've left the board with this turning bias and it works a treat. I can now steer anywhere I like. Initially, I was worried that the hubs might give way under my weight. The fear was there as I first practiced on the board in my living room while watching Martha Steward on TV. It was especially there when rattling over rough ground and rock. But this fear has proved to be unfounded. The board is robust enough to hold me but I'm not sure I would exceed the manufacturer's recommendation of 200 lb. This board is plenty fast, as fast as your nerve will allow (mine usually doesn't allow much.) And no speed wobble. I've lately just gotten up the nerve to go out on the road near my spot with it. During a three-hour stretch on weekdays, you might see one car on the road so it's safe enough. Nothing like humming down a deserted two-lane, highway with your kite pulling overhead. What a rush! The board goes upwind fine too, really as close to the wind as your kite and nerve will allow. I'd like to be able to make knowledgeable-sounding utterances on jumping using words like "pop" and "float" but I just can't. I'm not at that level yet and I don't know whether I ever will be. (I use a kite which is mainly too small for the wind conditions and short lines to boot.) I'm content just cruising around on my coral field and moving serenely up and down my deserted highway. Is this board worth the extra coin you pay for it? Definitely. I like it very much and feel I am getting my money's worth in sheer pleasure. The only thing I've been wracking my brain about is what exactly does "Comp" stand for? Is it "competent, composed, competitive or compelling ?" All of these might apply. For me though, in this lonely desert kingdom, it can only mean "companionable." By : mikeskor
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After a bunch of research (including reading all the reviews on RaceKites.com) I finally selected a Mountain Board to kite with. I purchased the MBS Comp 16 from an online retailer in the US. It was delivered today. My first impression is one of quality, detail in constructions, and that this board is substantial. I had never had the opportunity to actually see a board in person. They are large and pretty heavy! Although the board itself is smaller than a snowboard, the total package with trucks and wheels very closely resembles a snowboard. It feels like one, too. On first blush, it has the same ride and manners as my favorite snowboards. The Comp 16 is springy, yet very solid. The bindings are well designed and very comfortable. The deck is thicker than I expected, but feels lively and has plenty of "feel" to it. More in my detailed review... Since the UPS man delivered it just today (a day early none the less), I obviously need to spend some "quality" time with it, but I already think I am falling in love! Details: Board The board is a wood core board with composite cap much like a snowboard, but upside down. I can say this not because I have read any marketing info on the board (which I have), but because I can actually see through the board in some of the holes drilled to adjust the bindings. I will get more into the bindings, next. The board has nice clean graphics involving a Raven (I love Ravens) and is blue. The construction looks to be top-shelf although if I lived in a ocean climate, I would probably spend a little time making sure all the holes for inserts and the binding are sealed. They are not currently. I am excited to see how the board slides on rails and other "features". The cap on the bottom of the board has a glossy finish, but I wonder how hard it is and if it will be grabby. The top of the deck has two grip tape foot pads. Trucks The bindings are metal and composite and have a very different design than my traditional skateboard trucks. They use dual coil springs with elastomer "egg" shocks inside the springs. I have the yellow egg shock. I guess the orange egg is stiffer. The tension in the spring adjustable via some bolts that protrude up through the deck. When you tighten them down, the bolt top moves down toward the surface of the deck. I have not adjusted the tension of the Matrix trucks and am waiting to get some time on the board before I do any adjustment or tweaking. The axel of the Matrix trucks is a solid bar of metal that will allow for grinds. I am interested to see how the polymer base holds up. The range of motion of the trucks is less than on a traditional skateboard. I am interested to see how the board turns. Bindings The bindings are a pretty simple affair, but seem to be well constructed. There are two (each) metal, L-shaped plates that serve as the attachment bases for the binding strap.The strap itself is comprised of plastic, rubber, and high density foam. There is a racheting mechanism that allows for pretty precise adjustment. I wonder how much I will adjust the bindings and whether the ease of adjustment will actually become a bother if I accidently change the setting after finding the perfect tension. The buckle itself seems to be better than my snowboard bindings. I am interested to see how it holds up. Wheels The wheels and tires are polymer and rubber, respectively. I understand the tire has an inner tube. We will see how well they endure the goathead thorns that plague my bike tires. I better Slime the tires ASAP! The manual suggests a lower inflation pressure to keep speeds down. This concept seems less applicable to my intended use with a kite. The tread pattern is knobby with a center strip that is continuous. This makes the wheel suprisingly smooth and quiet on the hard surface of my garage floor. Summary I am impressed with the Comp 16. Having only seen photos and video of the board, I don't have much to compare it to in the mountainboard marketplace, but based on my 20 year experience with snowboards and skateboards, it seems to be well built utilizing technology I am familiar and comfortable with. The trucks are of a modified design compared to what I am used to, but appear to be well built. I am excited about my new acquisition and look forward to hundreds of hours of fun, ahead! I will post updates to this review after I have some time on the board. By : diablo943
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This mountain board is a great all round board. I have had it for a year or two now and it hasent let me down (YET) :0) . I have used it with a kite a few times and it was great, i used a 2.5 metre kite and i went like a rocket. I would recomend this to a beginner/intermediate. There are hardly any down points to this board i only had one problem with it and that was the rubber grip on it had started to unpeal at the side of it, but a bit of super glue did the job lovely. It can also take alot of force aswell, have jumped it over ramps,ive used it on a half pipe and its been fine so all together its a brillient mountain board. The price i think is great to ,to by one new it costs a mere 175 pounds which i think is exellent price for the quallity for what it produces, and if i could turn back time to when i bought it and choose a board again i would not go for another board it is wicked ! By : josh
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I've been kiting and buggying for 8 years and with each passing year comes better quality equipment. My current set up includes Predator MkII and Flexifoil Blade III's, used with a Libre Vmax XL buggy. First little point before I talk about the Regolith is that I'm sick and tired of reading reviews of new kites with people complaining about "stuff sacks". To be honest I'd rather have a brilliant kite like my Predator MkII in its stuff sack and Sky Kites still in business than any fancy backpack with handle pockets, water bottle holder and key pocket. Right, mini-rant over. The Regolith. Bought for £170 through an Ebay shop in Germany. Arrived flat pack with all tools required for assembly. Very impressed by deck, a 9 ply glass fibre and maple composite. Trucks are aluminium channel with adjustable positions for stability. Light weight hubs with 8" wheels. First day out with the 4.9 Blade III and I was blown away by the stability and speed. No wobbles and an ability to thrash over any minor bumps with trying to throw you. Reminded me of the first time I took my Vmax out, bomb proof. It carves like a longboard (maybe just my preferred riding style) but is agile enough to keep you out of trouble. On the few ocassions I've adventured up dunes and off the top the board took the punishment of a couple of heavy landings and a few crashes. This is a board for adults who have a reasonable amount of skill......definately a big boys toy. If it was stolen or broken I'd buy another. Next test is a visit to the hills. Watch this space. By : parakarter
- 4 comments
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- scrub
- range regolith
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Scrub Silver Reef II I bought this board to replace my old and battered Kheo Air-S, which I had bought second hand off e-bay. I ordered it from www.kites-kites-kites.com (Trowbridge Active Leisure Ltd.) after speaking to Dominic and taking full advantage of their price match promise. It was delivered at 9.15am the next day – superb! And included a free grab handle. It was delivered in a large white box with “made from adrenaline” on it. I was slightly gutted as I had been lead to believe that it had a plastic coated maple and fibreglass laminate deck, with hollow axle skateboard style trucks, stainless steel fixings, rubber grip tape and nine inch primo striker tyres! But who am I to quibble over such things. When I opened the box I was more than relieved (as it wasn’t made from just adrenaline) I was seriously impressed – it looked fantastic, what a revelation to have a shiny new board. The graphics are cool, a blue underwater reefy looking design, the plastic coating gives it a shine and looks and feels very hard wearing. I’m not a fetishist but it all had a nice new rubbery smell from those big tyres and the grip tape. It has scrubs standard velcro bindings and these are adequate for the job. The shape of the deck looks great, the curves are slightly feminine in shape, but it looks mean and ready for business with those big tyres and cut off ends. It all weighs in at a very reasonable 7.1 kgs. The instructions are more than adequate, they tell you how to assemble the wheels, check the foot straps and tune the board. They also have the basic principles of how to ride, safety advice and importantly how to stop, as well as a brief introduction to kiteboarding. They also contain links to the ATB sports club for further advice etc. There was also an additional sheet of paper which had information about NOBS and LARD-ass (which are the Northern Off-road Boarding Society and the London and Regional Dirtboard Association, 10 out of 10 for whoever thought up those names!), plus other regional clubs. It also came with a tool kit, consisting of a set of 3 allen keys and two spanners, and also a leash which I gave to a surfing friend – unfortunately there was a complete lack of stickers (I use these to adorn the roof box on my car!). After attaching the wheels during my lunch break, which was easily done using the supplied spanner, I spent the rest of the day bouncing around my office on it waiting to go home so that I could try it out. There was the usual complete lack of wind, so my first outing was going to be to a local park to try it out on some down hill runs. Downhill I found a superb spot at a local sports field, which has a gentle slope with a steeper bank all along one edge and then a huge run off area, all with neatly mown grass (a cricket pitch!). I took it easy on the first couple of runs and just headed down the slope getting used to the feel of the board and doing some gentle turns. As my confidence grew so did my speed as I started to head down the bank. Increasing the turns and gradually turning off higher up the slope, as a result having a bigger bank to ride down. Ending up with a power slide and kicking grass cuttings into the air yeee haaaa! - does anybody know where I can get a small ramp? After a couple of hours of riding down and walking back up with shoes full of grass, grass stained shorts and with huge grins (and after ending up on my arse and nursing a bruised elbow) my mate and I headed to a suitable place to evaluate our initial impressions of the board and have some well earned refreshments – the local pub and a pint of Stella (reassuringly expensive!). This board appears superbly made, the plastic coating looks tough and hard wearing and the fixings are all stainless steel, so will not rust. The deck has enough pop and flex to make jumping and landing comfortable and with those 9 inch tyres the ride is smooth and it goes over most bumps without you knowing they are there. I did have the tyre pressure fairly high. I found the turning, heel and toe side, responsive and it went where I pointed it. I don’t think the large tyres detracted from this and it was great that I could power slide it on dry grass with out to much effort. The board felt very stable, I did get a bit of wobble at speed but this was easily resolved by shifting more weight on to my front foot. For down hilling this board is great, my only disappoint was the lack of stickers! Now that I have had a good blast with it I can’t wait to try it out with a kite both in a field and on the beach. If anybody uses a board I would recommend having a play on a hill, as it increases your balance, board skills and confidence without having to worry about what the kite is doing. I think there is definitely a benefit in knowing how to ride your board before you team it up with a kite, most people get used to flying and learn about their kites characteristics before they get on a board or in a buggy, therefore it should work both ways. It is also a great way of spending your time when there is no wind. Kiteboarding A beautiful sunny day on the beach, the tide is out – and typically there is no or very little bloody wind! I let the tyre pressure down, hook into the kite send it up to the zenith, climb onto the board drop the kite down and off I go, no great speed due to the lack of wind but by working the kite I am able to coast along nicely. It skips over the ridges ok without getting knocked off course and ploughs over soft sand with some loss of speed but doesn’t dig in like my old air-s used to (perhaps because of the tyre pressure?). The combination of the flex in the deck and the low tyre pressure make for a comfortable ride, and the board is very controllable and slides with little effort. I was unable to try jumping with it because a). lack of wind and.. . lack of skill with jumping on the board. Overall I think this is a great board for somebody starting out or if you are on a budget, I love the way it looks and think the graphics are stunning. It copes easily with different terrains and looks like it is going to be hard wearing. I eliminated any problems with speed wobble by keeping my weight forwards. The flex in the deck is great and I was able to pop small jumps when downhilling. I could slide it on the grass and very easily on the beach. For the price I paid it is an excellent board, the only thing I may change in the future are the bindings. Disclaimer I apologise for the complete lack of safety equipment in the photographs, but I am stupid and forgot to take them with me! I would of course recommend the use of safety equipment for all aspects of power kiting. -
This board was purchased from Argos for £99 in Sep 05. It is now 6 months old & been used a lot. Down hill. whole family had a go even my 9 yr old boy. quite a robust board all round. easy turning with tight turning circles. whole deck is covered in grip tape but now worn down to the wood where your feet go in & out of the bindings. small 8" tyres on strong axles. padding on bindings is now worn but partly due to metal boot fastners rubbing against them. Kite Boarding. Initially with bindings undone & twisted outwards. easy board to kiteboard with. It has been thrown around a lot & kicked into position with boots while i have kite in the air & withstood it well. it has ridden over pot holes & craters & not buckled. bearings have been cleaned & re-greased once & are still OK. the suspention rattles a little & the trucks squeek when not greased. Not the best looking board but a good price at the time of buying. I would buy this board again. By : footy7439
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I personally have been downhilling on mountain boads for a year or so now and i have been through 2 boards already and am on my third. I started off on a 50 pound Kheo Bazik in 2004 and in summer 2005 i advanced onto a Sol 16 with NoSno soft bindings. I liked the pop of the boad and i improved much quicker. But after Christmas 2006 i decided to take the plunge and buy a Comp 16 Pro. 150 squids later i was the pround owner of a second hand 2004 comp 16 with a few of the finer trimming missing but the main parts still there. Now came the metamorphosis this review is all about. I chose to combine the best features from both of my boards (I still had the Sol 16) and make my 'ultimate' board. Its stats are: Comp 16 Pro (2004) deck MBS quadshocks trucks Trispoke hubs NoSno soft bindings Red T1 tyres Assembly: The first major obstacle when building a mountain board is to dissassemble the boardswithout stripping any heads. My tips for avoiding that circumstance are to a) go slowly and push down hard to avoid it stripping the head. After that the only other obstacle is drilling holes for the new trucks. This is actually very easy if you take apart the trucks you want to drill holes for and use the baseplate as a template for the drilling. Make sure you clamp a piece of wood to the bottom of the board to stop it splintering when the drill comes through. After you have done all of this final assembly is easy. The only major part for me was the bolts needed to attach the bindings to the comp 16 as they needed to be a different type due to the inserts MBS supplies. The scresw cost about 90p from a DIY shop. Performance: Well for me this board is close to the ultimate setup for downhilling for me. The Trispoke hubs are stronger than rockstars even though they are heavier in my opinion they perform much better. The red T1's are light, grippy and very good looking and for me they are the best tyres on the market. NoSno soft bindings are amazing i would reckomend them to anyone with any board. They are like F3's without any chance of your feet coming out and the ability to have snowboard like control without having to wear snowboard shoes is very liberating. They also help you get higher for freestyle as the board seems to stick to your feet better so all energy goes up rather than in shifting your feet around. I have never had a foot slip out with these bindings! The trucks i chose are lighter than matrixes and so i chose them instead and in my opinion they perform better and for freestyle they help alot. As a whole this board is a beast, it munches through freestyle and while it wont go in as many places as 10inchers can go it will go over some pretty bumpy stuff. I have taken it to over 20miles per hour and no sign of wobble and i think it has the potential to go much faster. In short i would reckomend building your own board from bits for any one who like me finds board on the market good, but not good enough or someone who is just looking for a bit of a challenge. Go forth and create!! John By : jackass
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MBS comp16 pro – update. Just thought I would post an update after living with my board and putting it through its paces for the last 6 months. The Board The deck is a composite and is very light and strong, it comes pre-drilled so it is easy to attach a grab handle move the binding positions etc. This could cause problems if you wanted to put a different make of truck on – but IMHO I can’t see why you would want or need to. The MBS matrix trucks are light weight (though not as light as scrub channel trucks) and highly adjustable, from just tightening the springs with an allen key or moving the springs position and changing the egg shocks. The trucks are also v-brake compatible for beginners or for single track riding (when there is no room to powerslide!), I have bought a v-brake for riding in the alps but have not yet attached it, though it looks straight forward enough. The trucks are finished with the light weight rockstar hubs and MBS T1 tyres, which are a soft compound so are extremely grippy, but more vulnerable to puncture. The bindings are the coloured (black and grey) F3 ratchet bindings, with sandpaper type grip on the deck, which clamp you feet firmly to the deck and are easy to adjust and I have added MBS heel straps. I have had the board 6 months now and ridden it in loads of different conditions, including getting soaking wet and in a really hard frost and over different terrains - smooth mown hills at a centre, the dirt and features of a boarder cross course, through thick mud and freeriding over uneven ground. So far the board is living up to all expectations -it still looks immaculate, no dents or scratches in the deck, despite some serious abuse (mainly being put in the boot of the car with other stuff on top). The grip tape remains securely stuck down with no lifting around the edges. The bindings don't show any wear and tear. The trucks show no evidence of rust (anywhere) but they were dismantled and treated with white lightening not long after getting the board. The springs aren’t bowing – but you have to remember to loosen them off after riding (if you have tightened them) and are also rust free. The egg shocks are still firm (and aren’t rusting either!). The tyres have still got a good deep tread, though I have had one puncture (which was easily repaired), but certainly don’t seem anymore prone to punctures than on my silver reef. The hubs are unscratched and the bearings still running smooth and true. The Ride What can I say? The experience of riding a board is purely subjective but there is an obvious reason why this board is ridden by pro-riders the world over for boarder cross, free-style and freeriding. The ride is super stable and can be adjusted to your style/level of experience simply and easily, the Matrix trucks completely eliminate speed wobble, but provide feedback about the terrain and what the ground is doing. The deck is stiff enough to allow you to pop jumps and then softens the landing with a comfortable flex, and has never grounded. It doesn’t matter if you are riding on manicured grass, over features on a boarder-cross course or just letting rip down a rocky uneven track using the terrain to pop jumps, this board feels right and inspires confidence. The bindings and grip tape provide security so that you know that you are not going to come off, and I have also added MBS heel straps so that I can be totally locked in and in control. The only problem I have had with the bindings is trying to undo them at the bottom of the hill – but this is becoming less of a problem as they have loosened up and settled in. What a difference the heel straps make to confidence and control when going down hill and jumping - definitely wouldn't be without them for downhilling, but it will probably be a different story when I try it with a kite. They are a bit fiddly to attach and can be put on permanently using the bolts of the bindings or just threaded through. The tyres provide fabulous grip in all conditions, and aren’t yet showing any signs of wear. I tend to adjust the tyre pressure depending on the conditions, type of surface and gradient! I have had times when it is really wet and muddy that the board twitches and you feel that you are heading for a lie down or face plant, but some how I manage to hold it all together and stay in control – I think this has a lot to do with the board, being locked in, it’s stability and feel, the fact that my riding has improved (my wife now says “I can hardly walk down there and you are riding down it”) and the force! Living with it At the end of the day I just loosen the springs (just a few turns on each with an allen key) hose the dirt off, a quick wipe with an old towel so that it doesn’t drip everywhere and back up on the wall of my garage. Since owning it the only maintenance I have done was to dismantle the trucks and treat with white lightening – and I will repeat this again some time in the spring. I also do a quick check before riding it to make sure the nuts and bolts are tight, the wheels run true and adjust the tyre pressure and springs (this should be done before riding any board). But otherwise this has been an easy board to look after, it is even house trained! Value for money? This is an expensive board as the RRP is £325, but who said owning perfection is going to be cheap! But if you know that boarding is definitely your thing (either downhill or with a kite) then this board is great for beginners to experts. It comes with top notch kit, can be easily adjusted for different riding styles and level of experience. As a beginner you can learn to ride with confidence and come 6 months time when you have improved you wont need to upgrade (but for £325 you have to be sure that boarding is your thing). I think it is worth the cost and since owning it I have not suffered with board envy just a satisfying sense of well being and pride! Conclusion This is a board that was developed for pro-riders by pro-riders and this is reflected in every aspect of the board. It is expensive It is light weight It comes with top notch fittings It has a superb stable ride It is easy to adjust and maintain It is hard wearing and well made This is a kite web site and yet again I still have not tried it out with a kite – but at the end of the day this board has been put through its paces over lots of different surfaces. It is light weight, super stable, it is great for jumping with and for cruising – it will make a superb kite board. I love this board and think it has got to have been one of my best purchases of 2005, I used to have a silver reef which is a great entry level board and I have also tried a no-sno (which is a completely different style of riding). But this board sets the gold standard. If you get the chance to try one –you will not be disappointed. -
I've only just started up with kiting and boarding, so I'm aiming to get kit with good manners and no behavioural problems! It also needs to be pretty robust and inexpensive - as a beginner I don't want to spend a lot, break it and get racked off with the whole business. The Lion Pro is just the job. For £100 I've got a board that is sturdy and well behaved. (Just noticed Powerkiteshop doing it for £85!) I started off in the local park just dropping down a slope of 6ft or so as I'd never even been on a skateboard, let alone off-roading with a tractor pulling me along. Having got the basic feel for it, I then took it to the skatepark - woh! - it goes like stink on the smooth concrete ... and boy is that concrete hard! Next stage was to get the kite in on the action. I've got a Peter Lynn Pepper 2.5M2 (another inexpensive bit of beginer kit). I thought it might be too small, having flown much bigger kites on the beach with no board, but it was fine, even in the fairly light winds. The board felt like it loosened up after a few runs - the steering getting lighter and more responsive - maybe it was just me figuring out what I should be doing. It runs very smoothly, good foot grip, stable and secure. I like it - especially the added 'Pro' handle. I've read that it's there to help with the tricks when you get big air - I've found it does very well for carrying up hills and back to the car! Having now had a day with no wind, I've taken it out on some big hills and had some really god fun on it - that is until I sprained the ligament in my knee screwing up a goofy 90 degree hop start. I'd been getting comfortable (cocky!) with the regular starts, so tried it the other way - bad move. Especially as I failed to follow Mark Crooks very sensible advice: "I was initially advised when starting out to keep bindings loose so that I could step off the board if things got hairy. You must only ever mount or dismount a stationary board! If you try jumping off when the board is moving you are more likely to twist knees and ankles; damaging tendons, ligaments and bones. If you fall when strapped in everything moves together and you shouldn't get extreme torsion forces at knees and ankles." So, apart from operator error, I've found the board a real pleasure -and now I can't walk, I've got time to write about it! By : markarowe
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The MBS Sol 16 is a discontinued model that went out of production around 4 years ago. Now don't let this put you off because it's actually a bit of a bargain and thats why I'm writing this review. I got my Sol 16 on E-bay for £55, new about 6 months ago. I took a gamble as I knew nothing about kite boarding and it paid off as this mountain board absolutely does the buisness at 1/3 of the price of a new MBS board now. The biggest advantage of the Sol 16 over cheap Scrub, MBS (Core 😎 or Kheo boards is that they have sprung matrix trucks rather than basic skateboards trucks. The biggest difference between a Sol 16 and the more expensive Core 16 is the board itself. It's just not as flexible and is slightly (a couple of cm) shorter. The other main difference is that the matrix trucks have a slightly different mounting system on the board and don't have on-the-fly adjustment using an allen key. This doesn't mean that you can't control the damping as the Sol 16 uses the modern range of egg shocks just as the Core 16 does. Having used both boards mainly for kiting and a little downhill it's my opinion that whilst the Core 16 does ride better downhill there is little to choose when kiteboarding on the ground. The bounce in the Core 16's deck does make a difference if you are getting air and bouncing around but as a begginers/stay-on-the-ground board it is as stable and manouverable as a Core 16. Additional advantages are that it uses the same basic binding system as the Core 16 so it can still be repaired/upgraded, it has slick tyres for grass and beach speed and best of all it comes in a retro stylish varnished wood finish which is most chic! Whilst you would struggle to find a new one they go on e-bay for about £50 and are well worth a look if you want a cheap way into kite boarding! By : monkeyherbet -
fast, great composite wood, a beautifully bouncy board, I jump all over the place, and this is a workhorse board. THe turns are smooth and the tires have huge knobbies that have the poly-card hubs that seem unbreakable!! Grip tape is boss, and the bindings are cushy and comfy, and the boards let you know!!!. i have no trouble staying on the board while zooming .... and when i need to get the heck off, the bindings slip from my shoes perfectly. the angles for foot bindings are natural and comfortable alternative to other brands. No calf strain or leg pain while squattings, leaning, etc. Channell trucks can be changed to really loosey goosey, to friggin tite, especially with the use of egg-sox!! Solid metal trucks have never been scuffed or bent, and i use it long time!!. Sweet grfx on bottom, and goodangle of attack for carrrving, Excellent use of 9 ply wood. By : mynakedrat
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I decided on the air-s after deliberating over flexi, mbs and scrub boards as although i liked the mbs boards they are out of my price range. the flexi boards are kite specific so no scope for dh when the wind is down. so i was down to kheo and scrub, it eventually came down to an extremely good deal on ebay. Brand new board for £65 with a £115 saving of the rrp i couldn't turn it down so i took the plunge. It finally arrived and i must say i was impressed. it's very well made and looks ideal for the type of riding i want to get into eventually (freestyle). what impressed me more is the weight. it is marketed as a freestyle board and now i can see why, its very light for it's size making those rotations (if i ever get that good) easier. Build quality: Is excellent, especially for the price. maple and fibreglass ply deck. Skate trucks (upgrading to mbs channel) diamond tread tires and bearings which have stayed smooth despite the sand you can't really grumble at that. Ride: after tighetening the trucks a bit (speed wobble with out the speed lol) i was very impressed. being my second attept at boarding and first with this board. it was suprisingly and reassuringly stable admitadly at 5-10mph, keeping it slow and steady, don't want to break any bones just yet. the deck has better pop than the board i used before (not sure what it was) which is good as itabsorbs some of the bumps and makes hopping around a lot easier. I tried using it downhill, it was equally as good, unfortunately i wasn't lol i think i'll stick with kite propulsion. In short this board is great value even at the rrp which has now been reduced to £149 and i think it will last me until for ages. its a great beginner/ intermediate board that won't break the bank my only complaint is that it was a little twitchy at first, but that was quickly sorted i recommend this to anyone thinking of getting into landboarding By : cwatson
