Off Season boards - Dirtsurfer Freebord Carveboard

[bushpig 0]

Hey FB steve. No worries mate Just glad to have helped. Some links might be good, but I checked out that site posted above already. I'd like to try these out more than looking at vids etc. After reading Oceans reviews, and being a skateboarder from when I was kneehigh to a little old Japanese granny, I suspect I would give up on it pretty quickly and go back to the skateboard. Cheers for the offer though mate Yeah the bus can be good if you are in no hurry and can get comfy.

[Ocean11 0]

joanna, the DS certainly feels stable at speed, especially on roads, but just as hitting an unexpected bump on a bike can turn that straight line speed into instability, it can on a DS too. Faster = more stable = safer doesn't hold true. Something to bear in mind.

 

Just as people say that "Dirtsurfers get more stable the faster you go", they also say things like "You won't get hurt riding in powder". You can of course hurt yourself in any number of ways riding in powder.

 

Have you had a look at MBS and other makes of 4-wheel mountainboards? They also carve nicely enough, you can skate them easily, and they won't topple over when your dog stops to sniff a fascinating-smelling patch of grass.

 

fb_steve, there are some mental Freebord videos out there eh? They certainly seem to be having more fun at it than I ever did. My best guess is that they started younger than I did. Have you fully mastered the Freebord arts?

[Ocean11 0]

> Curious why did you opt for the stik and not the straight carveboard?

 

The Carveboard looks wonderful but there simply aren't roads suited to it in Japan. You'd be constantly running into curbs or jumping off to avoid getting hit by cars. The Stik is short enough to turn on reasonably narrow roads, and to 'wiggle' past oncoming cars.

 

I'd love to ride my boards on American or Australian roads.

[firedog23 0]

JD,

 

If you go to www.carveboard.com it gives a pretty good show on what you can do with it. Yeah the roads in Japan are smaller but if you can find someplace to use it then I would suggest it. I don't have much of a problem living in Northern Japan. Like anything else you gotta get used to it but it does not take much.

[Ocean11 0]

I just watched the vid on there again, and there's some pretty tight turning going on with the Carveboard (also some nice Stick slides). Might have to take another look at that...

 

Have you learned to pump it on the flats?

[firedog23 0]

NO, apparently I suck at that right now. I will figure it out. I was never into skateboards so I am learning slowly.

[Ocean11 0]

So, anybody want to buy a Stik? I'm thinking of trading up...

[bushpig 0]

what was the stik? Any pics/links?

[Ocean11 0]

Stik

 

Essentially it's a skateboard, but designed for carving and pumping. It's really fun. It's so skateboard-like in fact, you could use it for short commutes - all the better if there are some hills. There's no annoying, painful learning involved as there is with some of the less elegant designs.

 

But for some reason, I fancy having the inflatable tyres of the Carveboard...

[bushpig 0]

cheers O11. Essentially it's a very carvable longboard yeah.

[Ocean11 0]

Would a very carvable longboard also qualify for bowl riding? If not, then the Stik isn't really a longboard. It's a bit of a hybrid mofo.

[Ocean11 0]

Check out the vid on this page.

 

He's pumping it like crazy to get it to go on the flat, but on a slight slope you can get all that swoopy-loopy without any effort at all.

 

More Stik talk here and here

[joanna danna 0]

Turns out there are just too many boards, not enough time, and darn it I want more than one now.

 

Anyway, here's where I'm at with my mission. I'm now geared for a very carveable longboard. I still WANT the Carveboard, but its size and weight and my availability of hills to use it a lot. put a damper on it. I'm told - that a very good longboard will carve just as good if not better than the stik and slightly under the carveboard but without weight issues and have enough pump that you can move it along short flats. I understand that to set up the longboard the way I want it; snowboard feel, that it will lose the properties of running speeds. Carveboarder or Stik has their own issues with speed, so there is no loss there for me. But still if I had my druthers and endless cash I would get a longboard and a carveboard.

 

On a separate interest, the Dirtsurfer is still on the back burner for me. The model I want, new 2006 hasn't arrived here in the states. So I'll have to wait for a month for it. In the interim, I'm also getting a kite that I am familiar with to use it with. The kite is a pretty cool kite and only needs winds of 3mph and will pull hard at 5mph. The kite is a done deal and took a minute to decide on. Easy and not too much of pinch to the pocketbook.

 

OCEAN11: You mentioned that my dog pull idea may be a bust with the Dirtsurfer, do you think it would be a bust with the Carveboard as well? I ask this because I would prefer to either get the Carveboard or longboard and the Dirtsurfer or Carveboard and Longboard, or better yet just one toy to meet all needs, such as just the Carveboard.

 

This post probably reads confusing, so I hope the logic comes through clear. Oh by the way, I'm not your typical chick that takes forever to shoe and clothes shop. In truth I hate both. Toys are a completely different thing.

 

joanna danna

[fb_steve 0]

Don't rule out Freebord! If you're in the states there are plenty of riders there who's boards you could try out. Just an idea anyway, good luck with whatever board you get they are all awesome!

[Ocean11 0]

joanna danna, I haven't ridden a Carveboard yet, so I don't know how it would do in dog-pull mode. But it certainly wouldn't just topple over when the pulling stops as the Dirtsurfer would. Also, I don't know how well controlled your dog is, but both the Carveboard and Dirtsurfer are big boards and require two hands to pick up and move about. If one hand had an antsy dog leashed to it, I don't believe things would go very smoothly.

 

I had the impression from reading up on lots of boards that in the US, you can often borrow them to try before you buy. Is that correct? If it is, like fb_steve says, try a few if you can. It beats reading about it and watching videos.

 

With a kite and a dog for pulling, and something to practice carving on, I'd probably be looking at a conventional mountainboard to cover all the bases.

[Oyuki kigan 0]

 Quote:

Originally posted by Ocean11:
Would a very carvable longboard also qualify for bowl riding? If not, then the Stik isn't really a longboard. It's a bit of a hybrid mofo.

It depends on how carvey it is. I've seen guys ripping Hastings Bowl (4 foot to 11 foot bowls)in Vancouver on longboards, but they had regular wide trucks. I've tried carving-specific trucks, and they are pretty squirrely at first. Something that turns really quickly, or has a really small turning radius would be pretty hard to use i think. But excellent balance practice if you could do it.

i am just using a regular skateboard over here in Taiwan. There is a 4-foot bowl that is perfect for carving and slashing. And its a 2-minute walk from where i'm staying!

[bushpig 0]

lucky you! Wish I had something really close... does it get crowded?

[Oyuki kigan 0]

Hardly. The most sk8ers i ever saw there was tonight. Ant there was a total of 7. And not all of them sk8 the ramps.

[joanna danna 0]

Hey Guys,

 

Decision made I have decided to go with a longboard setup that I am told will carve and have enough flex and snap to simulate snowboarding but yet not be as heavy and cumbersome as the carveboard.

 

OCEAN11:

As a dog puller and possible future kite board I have looked in the Outback. Both yourself and another cool guy on a longboard group appear to like them and I thought this 'might' be a nice addendum to the longboard I'll be getting. I WISH the Carveboard could be ridden off road easily because I would pass on the Outback and get the carveboard for off road and the longboard for on road. My dog is a puller but she's not going to break any speed records and I'm not sure what speeds the carveboard begins to wobble to ride it under a kite. Note: I have nixed the idea of getting the DirtSurfer - just too many issues that don't sit well.

 

Anyway, if you can tell me a little about your Outback I'm all eyes. And since your into the whole board thing, when I get my longboard I'll tell you what I think of it. I am very excited to be getting it in the next few weeks.

 

Thank you guys for keeping this thread alive and helping out another snowboard enthusiast.

[bushpig 0]

Sweet JD! Let us know how it goes

[Yuki's Passion 1]

I picked up a board from O11 for $hits and giggles Figure itd be a fun thing to cruise home on after school See how fast I can straight line it down the mountain now

[Ocean11 0]

joanna danna, the Australian company Outback actually went bust years ago, and the Outback brand boards available were old stock that some companies had kept. Mine is one of those. It's made of steel, so it's very heavy, but the carving and sliding feel is kind of ... ecstatic.

 

If you were to try to buy an actual Outback, I have no idea where you'd look. Mavin, the company I got mine from, no longer sells them.

 

However, Dirt Theory in Australia bought the Outback design, and they make something essentially the same called the Crossbow . I imagine it's a good deal lighter than the original Outback.

 

I think the Carveboard would be awful for kiting. Reviews stress that it's only good for carving on roads and nothing else. The highly flexible deck might not respond well to being drilled for bindings either which are essential for kiting.

 

I'd like to see your dog. Have you got any photos?

[Ocean11 0]

Just by the by,

 

Anybody who thinks Dirtsurfers are 'more stable the faster you go' needs to see this movie . These are supposed to be the good riders.

 

Watch how matey hobbles about near the end after experiencing some of that high-speed stability. Fortunately I never binged quite that hard on my Dirtsurfer, although I nearly tore my arm off once performing a failed turn on my Outback.

[joanna danna 0]

Yeah the more I thought about the DS as a dog/kite power source the more I thought how improbable it would be. I found a guy in the states that has the Outback - motorized in fact should someone want it in such a way. I've tried to contact him w/o luck.

 

Have you any experience with the Flexifoil Flex or any other superb mountainboard?

 

As for my pooch. Here is a link that I posted to another group recently that shows my girl; American Staffordshire Terrier. Yes she is a pit-bull and one of the most loveable creatures on earth. The rest of my album are other sports I have enjoyed.

 

http://joanna-danna.smugmug.com/gallery/843585/1/37861472

[Ocean11 0]

Thanks for the dog pics. She's a cutie.

 

I haven't played kites or kite boarding, although I'd like to give it a go.

 

I'm off to the garage to get some air in my Outback tyres and my son's mountainboard. We may be getting in some downhill action this weekend. Woo-hoo!