DjulezD

+1 on this. Roller skating (quads) went from leather boots to hard hockey shells, then back again to softer, hybrid shells with the development of inline skates. The problem with the hard hockey shells was precisely the forward flex, because they were one bloc. They remain like this with the high-end hockey skates (mission, bauer), which belong to a very thin market segment. Today, most of the hybrid shell have a forward flexing mechanism similar to what you will find on a hb shell. The most elaborate from Salomon (like the crossmax for instance) are a combination of laces, buckles, hard shell, reinforced nylon material and some leather. Oh and I forgot, they have a thermoformable liner. All this below 500 bucks including the chassis, wheels and bindings. This speaks a lot about what mass market can bring and, from this point of view, I fully agree with Rob S' assessment that you need to look into making soft boots more responsive. However I don't think it should be seen as a HB/SB divide. I remember that Koflach boots where used with both plates and straps, not to mention AT bindings and crampons. In my opinion, something to the same effect would have a lot of market potential because it would touch a larger segment of the population (sb carving, sbx, hb all mountain, AT, moutaineering), and it could also play on the one-for-all argument. Most of the hybrid boots for inline skates include the following components: - laces for the lower part ; - ankle strap ; - forward flex mechanism ; - one or two buckles on the ankle. (doesn't it remind you of that K2 sidewinder boot pictured above). In terms of lenght, it is also worth noting that inline skates boots have a shorter bottom (no sole obviously) than the actual foot length, which is very similar to HB's.

Dingbat: yes the whole insert pulled out. It was actually stuck to the center disk of the binding (snowpro). There is a small bump around the insert hole, but no real crack or delamination (see picture). I was planning to take the board on a trip next week, hence the question. Is repairing this something an average ski shop can take care of ?

While removing the bindings from my board today, I noticed that one of the inserts got stuck to the plate. It seems dry and pretty recent. Don't know how it happened since I didn't charge much recently but still. Now, can this be repaired easily in an average ski shop or should I go higher ?

Thanks Buell for the review. I find it very precise, systematic and quite convincing. Does the pow comes with the parcel when you order one ? <input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden">

I chose surfer because as a little boy I was fascinated by surfers and waves, but so far I probably spent more time on the slopes than in the water. Overall I spent probably more time roller skating than any other "sliding" sport. There should be a "all of the above" or "else" answer. My recollection is not very accurate, since I almost started everything at the same time, around 9 or 10. First was windsurfing, then surfing, then rollerskating and skiing. Rollerskating on a daily basis. Skiing every weekend or so. Windsurfing more often than surfing, because waves needed family holidays to be seen and caught. Skate came in the mix at some point but I went higher above the vert on eight than four weels and you go way fast on roller skates, on flat, downhill or towed. Started monoskiing at the end of the eighties and snowboarding a few years later. HB and asym of course. SB came later, with the "freeride" time. Then I rediscovered alpine carving through BoL six years ago. <input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden">

Nice shot emorris. Anybody knows if the mondo marks are always on the lower part of the shell for Raichle ? There was a topic on this issue but I can't find it. I am specifically interested in finding the mondo size of a 121 shell.

In my experience, you have to finetune to find the correct settings for your riding style on this board. But once you find them it is very responsive and versatile. If you are looking for a board that will handle trees, bowls, faces and couloirs alike, it's a serious contender. Some don't like it. Some love it. It's worth trying.

One thing I find mostly convenient in my house is the laundry system: a compartment in the bathroom closets. You open it at hand level and put all laundry within. Collection is done through low level doors. No laundry on the floor, no baskets. Not very sexy or technologic, but simple and practical. One thing I'd like to have is a remote control to turn on on the outside lights when coming home at night. Currently they have to be turned on friom within the house. I recently looked at building a home wide sound system based on an audio server and wifi controllers in everyroom. Technology is not satisfactory yet IMO. That would definitely be a great feature. <input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden">

This guy was just to tall for a head hit to the old lady.... !:lol:

Bryan, I love that MP3, it's a carving machine... A friend of mine got one and he has real fun with it. The price tag for Piaggios in Portland is way more expensive than in Europe. And Bobdea, I can tell you that though I've seen a few guys bomb the freeways in the Bronx (without helmet), I have never seen anyone venture to speed and slalom between cars in Manhattan, like they do in other big cities. Too many potholes and too many crazy cabs !

True stylish urban style. That's what it is about. And since in a urban environnement your Suzuki ZZR 750 will only make the difference till the next traffic light, you will still save lots of time. Having said that, I loved it when I lived in Paris, but never had the guts to ride one or any other two-wheelie in bumpy NYC.

http://www.bomberonline.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=24646&page=3

I came across this vid on you tube. It's about surfing, but I like the fact that it's focused on one maneouver at a time, with one rider giving advice on the trick, slow motion, tips for balance, stance, etc.

I suspect all these bindings - or at least most of them - were produced in the same factory somewhere in Germany or Austria. Find it, find the gasket.

I read somewhere blax was bought by dalbello some years ago. Don't know what it's worth.

The shape of the baseplate looks similar to snowpros. The snowpro gasket might work on these.

Jack, this was a good joke a couple of years ago ! Metal is commonplace nowadays and exotic materials too ! =============================================== Having said this... I just ordered a "das dekapitator" with a macassar wood finish, to look cool Like this one too: At company x, you will not find a catalog with diagrams, curves flexibility and descriptions of muddy Antivibration system with masturbatory expansion. The boards x are designed for riders who know how to ride and "insiders" enough to do without the pseudo technoïd lingo major manufacturer whose use and abuse to drown the bitch. (my translation of swell panik website)

In fact, it is known to have good gliding abilities. What about a titanium board with a silver base.

What matters is having fun ! Blacks are usually less crowded, that's all. When icy, they can be very challenging. There were several threads on this topic on the forum with good advice on how to handle steep. Check out the blue mountain thread in the PA ride forum, there are very good riders that hang out there and they organized a session this winter. The photos from it are awesome. I was so sory I could'nt make it. Yeah I'm gonna miss all this ! Happy trails.

Sorry King I don't know much about bikes, but what I remember from the time I used to hang around with freestylers in the pipes is that bx/pipe frames were made of chrome-molybdene, not titanium or aluminium. I may be out of date on this, sure. check this review of a ti bmx frame: http://bmx.transworld.net/2009/01/20/khes-prototype-titanium-flatland-frame/ The properties you describe for Ti are exactly what was great with this chassis, compared to other heavier metal alloys. But I am talking about extreme manoeuvers, not the usual practice. In my experience and in a relatively specific sport, carbon fiber was more solid than Ti. I only broke a carbon fiber chassis once, but landing an aerial on the coping, which was direct impact on metal. Ursle, You are talking about Ti trucks for skate: do you mean street/ramp or carve/downhill ? In my recollection Indies are still made of steel.

It was titanium (Ti 22). Very light chassis indeed. I can't remember for sure the brand name - maybe zephyr - but broke it in half on landing a big jump over stairs. I should have pointed out that the chassis was not designed for this purpose and I kind of knew what to expect. Carbon fiber chassis became popular and the norm (variflex) soon after. I would simply assume your bike is designed for speed and doesn't need to handle big shocks as a bx or mountain bike would have to.

Titanium also is not very solid, though very light and resistant to deformation. I remember having broken in two rollerskates chassis made of titanal. Now the top of the line is aluminium 7000 or magnesium. Just a quick question on Carbon fiber ? I was recently considering a carbon skimboard and noted that there was a big price difference between the US and Europe websites of the same brand. I don't know how nor where they actually produce the boards, but it occured to me that carbon fiber may actually be more expensive for manufacturers in the US than in Europe. I am surprised that silver is not used or envisaged, as it is supposed to have so many properties.

Guesswho (from the game ?), There are a few bolers from NYC, they'll show up. I am about to leave the city this summer but I would offer the following suggestion as to where to carve this winter: - one day trip: blue mountain, PA - if you are not bothered by repetition, it is the best carving terrain in the 2-3 hours range from the city. It has a slope called razor that is very good for carving. Windham would be number two in my view, with the double black called wolverine. - If you can spend more than one day, go for the big east coast spots in Vermont, Maine and northern NY (stratton, sugarloaf, whiteface), not to forget Okemo where you have numerous decent carving slopes (fall line my favorite) and gate training thanks to patmoore. cheers julien

Mike, I heard the board arrived quickly and well packed to its summer vacation camp in France. Thanks. Longing for checking it out in a few weeks and thinking about where to try it out first in a few more months... La Grave, Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece... decisions, decisions. Thanks Bryan for your review, I actually didn't know about the versatility, but read about its abilities as a pow gun, which was what I was looking for in the first place. It's going to be my longest board ever, so that's comforting to know that I may push it for speed on groomers. I'll report more later, but just wanted to vouch for Scottishboardracer and the shipping method he used (see posts above). I didn't look deeply into it, but it seems that this kind of business seriously raises the possibilities for transatlantic sales or trade on the forum.

...and master the power of the float you will.