goldmiddleman Posted October 8, 2003 Report Posted October 8, 2003 Any advice on which first board to get Bin lookin at Airdeck or Kheo Air-S to be used 99% on sand CheersBullet 2.5 Blade lll 4.9 Quote
burgy Posted October 8, 2003 Report Posted October 8, 2003 All IMO of course the airdeck is to heavy, to high & to stiff. also the trucks arnt the best & though I dont dislike the asyetric deck any more I still see it as a marketing gimic. It also mean it sucks when used on a hill. the air-s is a real nice board & my own personal ride but I wouldnt say its any better than many similar boards on the market. I do love the flexability of the deck & its light weight. Quote
SpeedTwin Posted October 8, 2003 Report Posted October 8, 2003 Hi I have got the flex deck and i'm chuffed with it. The asymetric layout helps going up wind which is apparently the hard bit but is isnt hard even as a beginner with this board. I bought this as i wasnt too interested in going down hill so a kite specific board is just the job. I guess if you can have a go on a few it will give you the best chance of choosing the best, I had to make the decision cold in a shop. I still thin i made the best choice for a beginner kite boarder (not down hiller) Cheers Clive Quote
goldmiddleman Posted October 9, 2003 Author Report Posted October 9, 2003 Well thats 2-1 to the Air-S Though some other threads about stuff wearing out after 5 rides are a bit of a concern (cups etc) as maintenence isnt exactly my middle name Perhaps there is another board that I havn't yet considered? Should I only be looking at skateboard style trucks or is suspension the way to go - I would like to keep this board for a long time and not need to upgrade after a couple of months of use Cheers for advice Quote
fly_boy Posted October 9, 2003 Report Posted October 9, 2003 Pivot cups will always wear out, when you take into account that effectively they are contantly squeezed between two chunks of metal with a not inconsiderable force. And there is always an element of maintenance to take into account. Trucks need tightening , foot strap mounts need tightening etc etc. If these are not done you leave yourself open to injury as your board falls apart underneath you.... Quote
burgy Posted October 9, 2003 Report Posted October 9, 2003 Originally posted by goldmiddleman Well thats 2-1 to the Air-S Though some other threads about stuff wearing out after 5 rides are a bit of a concern (cups etc) as maintenence isnt exactly my middle name my Air-S 2 years old now. I've replaced the bushes & bearings a few times but everything else is origonal. Quote
spooky Posted October 9, 2003 Report Posted October 9, 2003 Air-S Some like the Airdeck, I personnaly have not riden it enough to comment, but did find the convex deck and foot angles a bit weired, but that may be because I am used to rideing a normal board? So if you are new to boards then you will not be used to one type or another so my get away with it? But in my opinion the Airdeck is limiting, ok the off set board design helps you go up wind (never really had a problem with that on my Air-S anyway, remember you need to be powered up to get up wind no matter what board you are useing!) Also it is very short, ok for doing multiple spins etc, but does make stability at speed an issue, with my Frenzys I like to get about 16/20mph board speed and come chargeing in to power up, which means speed wobbles are a big problem. Also there have been a few issues about trucks bending, this is not specific to Flexi decks as it has happend over the years to my Air-S (but then again I am 15.5 stone and they were very hard landings). My opoinion as to why they bend is that the deck is very stiff (being short) so does not absorbe landings well, ie the trucks take the impact. Also (again this is just my opinion) as there is little give in the deck could lead to injuies if you jump alot, ie jarring to legs/knees, spine etc? (but that bit would also apply to any stiff board, ie Kheo Flyer) How ever haveing said all that it is a great freestyle deck so if that is your thing seriosley concider one, better still try one? But IMHO it would be better to wait for when you skills inprove and either want to up grade or have a deadicated freestyle board to go along with a freeride one? Ok Air-S, not really much to say about this except it is a really nice alround board, has good flex to absorbe hits but not too much so as to bottom out when craving hard, also the pop/return is just right so as not to throw you off if you land to hard. Construction like all wood decks now has two layers of fibreglass in, which makes it a tad stiffer than the 1st version (though not that noticable) but alot stronger. Comes with standard 8 inchs dimond tread tires and straps which are more than up to the job. If you can get the limited edition one do so, only real difference is the 8 inch Primo tires (bit more grip) and Primo hubs. Best thing about the hubs is that if you wish to up-grade to 9/10 inch tires these hubs will take them, where as some normal 3/5 spoke hubs do not (hub rim is to shallow so tire pops off under load/hard power slides). Also the Air-S has been reviewed in a few Kite and ATB mags and it has always come out well above average, opinions varying from ok to great depending on the rides style/prefernce and what it was used for. Where as the Air-deck seeems to be split between those who love it and those who hate it?? You say you will mainly use it on the beach, so looks like you will be enjoying some speed runs? Which the Air-S would be better at (though not the best as it has still SK8 trucks which can be prone to speed wobbles?) But at the end of the day it is down to you, what I will say is that you can not go wrong with an Air-S, at the vary worst you will get on with it, where as if you get an Aideck there is a 50% chance you will not get on with it (or even hate it?) Oh yes and you can use the Air-S down hill or for street cruising NB I have seen some Airdeck riders struggeling as the board turns up wind TO easy, which means when you are trying to go in a straight line and lean back you end up turning up wind, which is no good. You tend to need to ride in a more up right stance rather than leaning back, so not as good IMHO when powered up? On chatting to them it turns out they were total novices and had gone to a shop saying they wanted to do jumps so where sold the Airdeck, which as you may have gathered IMHO is not a novice deck? Liek wise some guys being sold "Junior2 decks as they were the cheapest, but led to problems as again they were to short, stance to close and only 7 inch tires fitted? Hope that helps, Jon P.s Sorry it was so long but now on my days off and am suffering with a sh1tty bout of the flu! Typical Wind at the weekend but was working, wind in the middle of week and have flu, wind predicted for the weekend and yes I am again working Quote
boardaholic Posted October 9, 2003 Report Posted October 9, 2003 ok like many i didnt read all that last thread....i have no use of the air-s but i do have an airdeck...its a great board but use the same trucks as scrub atb boards n there pretty cr@ppy. but i love my board n wouldnt change it Quote
woodsy Posted October 9, 2003 Report Posted October 9, 2003 try before yo buy? ok guys i understand the advantages of trying before you buy, but if you are a total novice, as 90% of people are when they buy their first board what help is discovering that you can fall off both boards?!?! i recently bought my first board as a total novice which was an air-s. the dude in the shop offered me a trial..... i looked out the window at the force 5 and then at my blade 4.9 and thought to myself.... all the best mate!! my advice mate is buy the board that gets no stick from anyone, the air-s. just my opinion woodsy Quote
Jofski Posted October 9, 2003 Report Posted October 9, 2003 Quote: "Maintenance isn't exactly my middle name" Maybe not. But S. Y. M. certainly is... Quote
comedown Posted October 10, 2003 Report Posted October 10, 2003 I think it was me who mentioned about pivot cups going through too quick, again this was due to me not adjusting the kingpin nut right, it was cranked down well too tight, now I've backed it off a bit and put new cups in it seems fine. Just like to say I now love my Air-S LE and my mate who's ridden it likes the feel too (mind you he does ride a Furnace Creek) I had a ride on a Flexdeck but like spooky really didn't like the 'unatural' feel. It felt like you could probably use it for baby delivery in an emergency. My vote, Air-S LE Andy. Quote
goldmiddleman Posted October 13, 2003 Author Report Posted October 13, 2003 Bought Air-S on Saturday Been lovin it all weekend Cheers for the advice guys (especially the 4 page thesus) PeteBlade 4.9 Bullet 2.5 And Now Air - S Quote
Jofski Posted October 19, 2003 Report Posted October 19, 2003 so when are you gonna get your shiny new Blade dirty then ? and you better hope yer missus don't see your kite bag either ! Quote
goldmiddleman Posted October 20, 2003 Author Report Posted October 20, 2003 so when are you gonna get your shiny new Blade dirty then ? As Soon as my leg heals!!!!!! In the meantime thinkin about a bullet 1.5! Quote
BruvDBassMan Posted April 19, 2004 Report Posted April 19, 2004 go for a flexdeck mate they are well cool. jus been out on mine, very stable and very gd for going up and down wind. they aint to good at down hilling and street boarding tho, but mine is getting better with use, my board doesnt like turning toe side, but like i sed, is getting better wiv use. Bruv:D Quote
Luffin out Loud Posted April 19, 2004 Report Posted April 19, 2004 Air-s I'm pretty much a newbie but the Air-s is gud at speed. Speed wobbles do happen but only when you are goin too fast for your health! luffinol!! Quote
Roland Posted April 20, 2004 Report Posted April 20, 2004 I`d take the AIR-S everytime...I`ve ridden then both..the Flexi felt odd for the 1st 10/15 min`s but after a while you suss it out and it`s not too bad.. 1st go on a AIR-S and I felt @ home within 10 second`s or so..In fact after riding it for only 10min`s I was doing some of the biggest toeside powerslide`s I`ve ever done.. This very day I replaced by battered/knackered Mongoose Litecamb with an AIR-S LE. If anyone`s trying to track an LE down..phone this number as they have 1 left.. 0118 959 8755 Quote
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