Ocean11 0 Posted April 4, 2002 Share Posted April 4, 2002 Has anybody tried this skateboard out? http://www.freebord.com/ barok? Some good movies on the site for folks with fast connections... Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted April 5, 2002 Share Posted April 5, 2002 Yep, I bought one a few years ago to keep the stoke going during summer. It really does feel like snowboarding. Big slidy powder turns. You do need somewhere good to ride though. Up in Hokkaido was perfect. Smooth country roads, long hills, no traffic. cheers Link to post Share on other sites
Ocean11 0 Posted April 5, 2002 Author Share Posted April 5, 2002 Craig thanks. Sounds good. Did you have many falls getting started? And do your wheels wear out quickly? But I'm torn now between the Freebord and this freak of engineering: http://www.tierneyrides.com/index_launch.html The Tierney Ride! - with just the two wheels. Freebord actually have a reseller in Nagoya, whereas Tierney are really new and don't have a toehold here. Link to post Share on other sites
barok 0 Posted April 5, 2002 Share Posted April 5, 2002 I like their slogan "Ride me. Ride me, now." Link to post Share on other sites
Ocean11 0 Posted April 5, 2002 Author Share Posted April 5, 2002 Oh yes baby, yesss Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted April 5, 2002 Share Posted April 5, 2002 O11, A few, I wouldn't ride without protective gear. Just like boarding, you can easily catch a front 'edge' when learning and you get launched off the board. Depends on how/where you ride. The steeper the hill, the more sliding, the faster they wear out. Freebord is very stable at speed. 50kph+ is no worries. I'm not sure about tierney???? They don't have non-flash info. Another toy I like would be www.dirtsurfer.com , but none can spin the way freebord can. I like dirtsurfer because you can use it on any surface and it has good brakes. cheers, C. Link to post Share on other sites
Ocean11 0 Posted April 5, 2002 Author Share Posted April 5, 2002 Sounds like you're having yourself some fun up there Craig. The Dirtsurfer looks like a truly mean piece of kit and one day, when I'm a rich man, I'll buy a couple. Not cheap though. Talking of catching edges, I was a bit of specialist at that last season snowboarding, but didn't happen at all this year. Certainly saved me some pain... Link to post Share on other sites
gorilla 0 Posted June 1, 2002 Share Posted June 1, 2002 I'm more and more interested in these things. I've never seen one in action (apart from the little vids on the web), but they look cool. Is the Freeboard actually free? Link to post Share on other sites
fin 0 Posted April 14, 2003 Share Posted April 14, 2003 My friend has one and I tried it for the first time today. I wassn't too impressed to be honest, nothing too exciting. The Dirtsurfer etc look far more interesting. Link to post Share on other sites
Ocean11 0 Posted April 14, 2003 Author Share Posted April 14, 2003 Yeah, I agree with that assessment. I was never a skateboard person, and the Freebord is really more like a skateboard than anything else. But if you're into that anyway, then the Freebord may be an interesting alternative. Actually I have a Freebord that is looking for a new home. Any offers...? (I'm keeping my Dirtsurfer!) Link to post Share on other sites
snurfer 0 Posted July 18, 2003 Share Posted July 18, 2003 Hi, I've not ridden mine much since returning to Sydney from Hokkaido. The conditions here are not the same. Roads are not as smooth and too many cars. Mostly been surfing. I've been looking at other toys and have read your reviews, Ocean11, on the dirtsurfer and Tierney. Good stuff. You seem happiest with the dirtsurfer and it would be unreal if they could open up the resorts for summer riding on them. I've started looking at the Carveboard though. The main advantages I see is that I won't need hills to ride it as you generate speed out of your turns and the inflated tyres smooth out the road. So, I don't have to push it, carry it and don't need lots of open space. Perfect for shopping centre car parks. (Would be good for urban Japan, me thinks) Also, they've just adapted it by adding skateboard wheels and the fun they're having in a skatepark on the website(www.stik.com) clip looks sick. Though, more like surfing than snowboarding. Is the carveboard on you review list? cheers, Snurfer (aka Craig) Link to post Share on other sites
Ocean11 0 Posted July 18, 2003 Author Share Posted July 18, 2003 Hi Craig. Good to hear from you again. The Stik looks wicked, eh. I've had my eye on Carveboard for a long time, and I hope to talk to them one of these days. If you get one, let us know what you think. For off road, the Outback I just bought is really good too. Outback is having a revival as Dirt Theory in Oz, and Exit in the UK. The 3-wheel design is great for easy, stable carving. Some good designs coming out of Australia. Link to post Share on other sites
damian 0 Posted July 18, 2003 Share Posted July 18, 2003 This may sound tossy, but for pump, flow and carve, that stik board looks like the best alternative to surfing I have seen (at least in a skate park). Link to post Share on other sites
snurfer 0 Posted July 18, 2003 Share Posted July 18, 2003 Spot on, db. If only I had somewhere like that nearby to ride it. O11, will be checking out whether I can demo a carveboard this weekend. Don't the dirtsurfer and the Outback overlap? Which is the better ride? Have you been sliding them? Link to post Share on other sites
Ocean11 0 Posted July 18, 2003 Author Share Posted July 18, 2003 The DS and Outback do overlap I suppose, but the DS is more flexible in many ways. You can ride it more safely on roads because of the very effective brake, and it works well on most terrain. But it's not really a mountainboard as such. If you want to ride with other mountainboarders, the Outback is the thing. You can use it with the tow ropes (the DS doesn't work) that they tend to have at mountainboarding venues, and it goes at more mountainboard speeds (actually faster, but not as fast as the DS). It's just nice to have a range of rides, and the Outback was really cheap. As for sliding, I don't have much time to ride, so when I do, I tend just to bomb. When I have more time, I plan to try powerslides and stuff. Link to post Share on other sites
scrub 0 Posted July 26, 2003 Share Posted July 26, 2003 The freebord is indeed a little difficult to learn. Once you dial it in though, you can rip just like a snowboard in carving, sliding and even freestyling. The manueverability that the slide provides lets you check speed or stop whenever you want. The Tboard inventor says you 'stop just like a snowboard' on tierney boards and then they tell you to practice U-turns. Do you stop your snowboard with a uturn? Freebords can ride switch, bomb over 50mph WHILE carving curb to curb or sliding. People are doing handrails, stair drops, and big launch ramps. You can do amazingly fast and long powerslides too. Link to post Share on other sites
Ocean11 0 Posted July 26, 2003 Author Share Posted July 26, 2003 I believe the point of practicing U turns on the T-board is to get used to stopping first without slamming off onto your face. When you get the U turns tighter, then stopping is more like snowboarding. Kurt's advice there was for beginners who are just learning the basics. But anyway, the snowboarding analogy can be taken too far with any of these kinds of rides. The main thing is to have fun (which involves not getting hurt). Link to post Share on other sites
scrub 0 Posted July 27, 2003 Share Posted July 27, 2003 I know that when you push a turn with enough speed, that it will give out into a slide. But saying its like stopping a snowboard is still a huge stretch. Its similar to sliding a regular longboard in that its still "mostly carve", you will get mad chatter, and if you go completely sideways getting tossed over becomes a good possibility. There is no doubt that a t-board is safer for the beginner to step on beacause it is a much simpler riding interface. But when you get to a certain level of riding, the stopping, speed control and manueverability of freebord will be a huge safety asset when it comes to steep hills, traffic/obsatcles, and stop signs. Also the versatility of movements keeps it interesting even after years of riding. For me, it really became just as free and effortless as navigating a slope on a snowboard. I don't think the snowboarding analogy can be taken far enough. There are at least 4 companies who claim they are matching snowboarding on the street, but in my opinion only one really does it and I've ridden them all. The tboard is still very fun, but I'd call it a suped-up longboard. One of the bigger misconceptions about the freebord is that it can't carve. With skyhooks and proper from, you can rip carves without sliding. It's great snowboarding practice, because the board doesn't rip carves 'automatically', you have to get on your edge hard and keep your shoulders parallel and knees bent just like on the snow. It's ALL about edge control, and only one street board has real working edges. Freebord takes some dedication at first, but if you're really looking to rip a hill just like you can on the slopes, it's the best choice hands down. Link to post Share on other sites
Ocean11 0 Posted July 27, 2003 Author Share Posted July 27, 2003 scrub, what size board are you riding? I have the X-80 which seems small to me. I think I'd be happier riding a longer board. I'm going to get back on my Freebord soon and see if I enjoy it more. While I don't question that you can actually carve with the Freebord, I have to say that it doesn't seem to promote good form. If you see the Freebord website, most people are doing some pretty bad straight-legged bums out riding, and just fish-tailing the back end. What kind of settings have you got your wheels on? Trolley wheel all the way down and front trucks looser? Any recommendations? Have you got any more pics? It's always instructive to see how other people are doing it... Link to post Share on other sites
scrub 0 Posted July 29, 2003 Share Posted July 29, 2003 I ride the x80 with hooks. The x80 is really designed to be ridden with hooks. I'm 6'3" with a size 13 foot. I learned on an hookless alpha for about 3 months before switching. The wheelbase is actually only a couple inches longer but the size of the plank is a little more comforting. Once you start ripping that 112 deck is just dead weight. While the freebord doesn't force you to ride with form, it will reward you like a snowboard by holding edges and giving smooth constisent slides at any speed. Here is a vid you can look at that represents some decent form. http://www.wefilmu.com/PlayAsfVideo.asp?filepath=videos/samples/asf/&filename=Mike_LombardClean.asf Its from 2 years ago so I'd like say I'm alot smoother on those bricks now. For the latest and best riding you should see a short video that will be an extra on a snowboarding dvd 'Truckin' which will come out in September. Take some tips from the learning document that I linked to on the silverfish forum. Take it at your own pace and Good luck! Link to post Share on other sites
Ocean11 0 Posted July 29, 2003 Author Share Posted July 29, 2003 That's you riding in that video? I first saw that a long time ago and was well impressed. Have you got any more vids online? Link to post Share on other sites
Ocean11 0 Posted July 29, 2003 Author Share Posted July 29, 2003 Craig, did you have a go on the Carveboard? Link to post Share on other sites
snurfer 0 Posted July 30, 2003 Share Posted July 30, 2003 Hi, no not yet, the shop where I saw them doesn't sell them anymore, but I'm on the trail and have sussed another.... reading the CarveBoard BB, they don't recommend them for the flats...hmmm. Link to post Share on other sites
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