OES board reviews - SG, Tanker, Diablo, etc.

[groovastic]

I'd love to, but I'm afraid I can't. I have never ridden an SG myself - in fact, I haven't ridden anything but my trusted Scott Strike (similar to a Speedster SL, but different maker) in years.

I asked about your AM board experiences because my wife got the SG All Mountain this season (in fact, she got it last season, but we had hardly any snow then) and LOVES it - our local snowboard dealer had made a really solid recommendation there.

Which got me thinking about an AM stick as my next board when the time comes, which won't be before the 09/10 season (our daughter will probably want to try skiing next season, which is going to put me on skis).

As for my wife, I'm afraid she couldn't tell you much either, as she has only ridden her equally trusted Hot Spot ('97 model) before the SG. What I can tell you is: She has the SG AM 169, she rides it in hardboots, and she's about 6' and 150. From her first day on this board, you could see that she had suddenly reached a completely new level of riding, because this is a board that she can trust, on and off-piste.

I tried SG Cult 169 and SG RaceT 178 and I must say that they are incomparable!

Cult can't be considered a good carving board compared to RaceT.

But Cult was the first AM board I ever rode, and I think, if you want a good carving machine on piste, don't buy a Cult.

That's my opinion. But maybe I'm wrong!

[Jim]

RJ was good enough to let me demo a 192 Tanker out of the wrapper even though I had no interest in buying another board.

What a fun board! Super light sandwitch construction. Pow (6" more windblown in trees) in HB's was a blast for the first time. Tons of nose lift and great climbing over rollers. Groomed runs were entertaining when flipping the 24.5cm waisted board on edge. Surprising low speed carves and excellent longer moderate speed carves. Cadillac-smooth pointing downhill even in mashed potatoes. It took maybe 4 turns to figure out the board width. Never saw more than minor nose vibration.

Needless to say, quick call to da wife and bought it on the spot. Thanks RJ :D

[P06781]

I came to OES hoping to meet up with RJ for the Tanker deal. Rode the Tanker 192 the afternoon on friday and was not disappointed. The 04-05 is superlight and it felt good after a few turns. It carved great and also was able to handle some steeps/bumps off NWE. I like the lightweightness but still not sure how to compare it to the 02-03 white tankers heft. I have been riding a 2k 02-03 for the last 14 days prior to OES and was getting quite comfy on it so it was weird to be on such a lightweight board yet after a 1/2 day I could ride it all year....

Again super thanks to RJ for the awesome deal (bought one) and for the brotherly advice.....

Jim

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

I came to OES hoping to meet up with RJ for the Tanker deal. Rode the Tanker 192 the afternoon on friday and was not disappointed. The 04-05 is superlight and it felt good after a few turns. It carved great and also was able to handle some steeps/bumps off NWE. I like the lightweightness but still not sure how to compare it to the 02-03 white tankers heft. I have been riding a 2k 02-03 for the last 14 days prior to OES and was getting quite comfy on it so it was weird to be on such a lightweight board yet after a 1/2 day I could ride it all year....

Again super thanks to RJ for the awesome deal (bought one) and for the brotherly advice.....

Jim

Thanks for the review Jim. I am enjoying looking at mine. I had to wax the top sheet so the drool would run off and not leave water marks. Glad so many PNW bros scooped these up. I felt similarly about riding the newer 200cm Tankers. They are so light, the more I ride them the more I like the lightness. I do hold out that there are conditions where weight is beneficial.

I have also noticed that the colored Tankers have a "Bigger" appearance. The red, black and dark blue Tanker 200cm get the "Oh My God, what size is that?) comments more than the white boards.

Wishing I could ride. Bryan

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

Again super thanks to RJ for the awesome deal (bought one) and for the brotherly advice.....

Jim

Sounds like RJ's rig was allot lighter on the return trip!!

Sweet Win-Win deal!!

I will have to wait another year to meet in person my good friend. Bryan

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

I rode the stiff 188 Diablo BX. I am a 6'1" 225-230lb beer drinker. I rode the board in the afternoon after 4in of morning powder, and pretty roughed up conditions. The board is super stiff and it seemed to be too much board for the conditions, however I left my bindings on and rode it the next morning on some pretty firm snow.

Here is my conclusion: It carved and held an edge equal to many of my stiffer carving boards while having a bx shape. It also turned surprisingly sharp for a board that is super stiff and has a 14.5m sidecut. After one run I felt comfortable on the board, and rode it with much confidence my run after. The board was super solid and had great edge hold with absolutely no vibration.

I am very excited to ride Diablo race boards. They seem very solid and super positive. I hope to ride the other 188 in the softer flex.

Shane

Anxious to give Diablo Composites new products a go. I know that Abel and Eric will build burly "Big Boy" boards that are worth a go. It was awesome that they brought out some proto types for demo. I wish these young men the best in their new venture. A new PNW alpine board builder is welcome.

[Steve Prokopiw]

I'm a skinny little bike racer boy and their product rode incredibly well for me.Though I want to have a 1 centimeter narrower version built with a stubbier nose and a rounder tail (still 188 but a with a sort of feux twin tip look)I would like to have the same flex the texallium board had with the same edge contact.That's at least for one board.I have plenty of other quiver expanding ideas for Abel and Eric:)

[RJ-PS]

Missed you Bryan. Thanks Jim and Jim.

Thanks for all the great comments guys, but alas the good times have now ended. Today marked a historic day for me as the last Tanker 192 was ordered. I am completely out (except for my stash) of Tanker 192s and as of today there will no longer be any made. I may be able to get Rad-Air to push out a few for the anniversary of the Tanker line in 09/10, but I'm not making any promises.

In the meantime I am working on importing some boards with very similar specs from a known builder across the pond. Not giving it away yet, but we should not miss out on our 190 longboards!

In other news, some of the SG race stock boards that were at OES will be making their second debuts this weekend at the Worlds in Italy and at the end of the month at Nationals, WOOHOOOO!!!!!

[Randy T.]

Yesterday was my first opportunity to ride my new Tanker at my local resort. The conditions were less than epic but still good, there was only 6" of powder (12"+ in some wind blown areas) on top of hard pack.

The one unknown for me when I bought this board was if I would be able to ride it in the Chutes at Mt. Rose. The chutes are very steep with runs from 40 to 55 degrees steep and some great tree riding. The board did not disappoint at all and I was able to ride it through the trees with no problems.

I am a very happy new Tanker owner! :D

I brought home one of the 192's for a friend and he rode his at Northstar yesterday for the first time. I'll get him to post his review but let's just say it's all good.

The Chutes

[RJ-PS]

Hey Randy,

I'm trying to plan a trip up to Rose with Allen, Baptiste, etc. to visit with y'all. I think the weekend after Easter if there's still snow.

There seems to be some sick stay and ride deals going on now via Sliding on the Cheap.

Anyway maybe Russell will have his Coiler by then and we can carve the snot out of the early morning groom together.

We'll keep in touch, sorry to hijack this post.

[wallstrum]

I brought home one of the 192's for a friend and he rode his at Northstar yesterday for the first time. I'll get him to post his review but let's just say it's all good.

first, a disclaimer: this is my first year on hardboots, but i chalked up my 25th day this season yesterday, and all but 2 of those have been on plates. i still consider myself a carving newbie, you can decide for yourself : )

the 192 that mr. randy mentioned above was brought home was for me, and i am now a tanker convert. my favorite board for the last 3 years has been my arbor a-frame, but i now have a new favorite. both days this last weekend, i was *railing* carves on it, and it felt so comfortable to be on that i don't know if i'll ride anythign else for the rest of the season. it floated me effortlessly in the ~12" of powder that was in the trees, and i was able to get down and dirty on the groomers (the groomer conditions lastg weekend were the best i have seen all season long!). i seriously can't wait to ride this thing on a big powder day - i have something to compare to: i rode kirkwood on a 12 *foot* powder day, and couldn't float at all in it on my a-frame with my bindings set all the way back. the other thing i just can't believe is how light it is. when i loaded up my car this weekend, my 192 was only *slightly* heavier than my wife's 143! if you can't tell by this point, i *loved* it.

wally

p.s. i want to ride randy's 200 just to compare, but i can't imagine liking it any more than my 192 : )

[newcarver]

After reading all the + on the Cult, I decided to buy one. Don't know if it will arrive in time to try it out this season though:(. Was eying both this board and the Dupraz. Think that this board will be well suited to the type of riding I do and my size. I have an older Generics AM/FC board that I love. The Cult is similar in size with a little less effective edge and a slightly larger sidecut radius. I think it will be a better performer off piste than the Generics, which is still pretty good. Think I'll keep the Peak 60 as my rock board. Would the Cult be better riden with softer bindings? Have the choice of Snowpro Race or TD2 with suspension. I weigh 160. I will probably try it with softies too, at some point. Will post my thoughts on it if I get it in time to ride before the season ends. I did demo a Dupraz D1 5' 5" and really liked it. That was the first time I have riden on plates on steep off piste chopped up conditions. Board was really easy to manuver in the trees and was flawless over chop. It carved well too. It took a couple of runs on it to feel comfortable and was a little on the wide side for carving with my small feet. I think it would have ruled in powder.

[zoom]

Would the Cult be better riden with softer bindings? Have the choice of Snowpro Race or TD2 with suspension. I weigh 160. I will probably try it with softies too, at some point.

My feet are tiny (22 mondo), so I can run angles in the 20s on softboots on my Cult. Haven't tried it with plates yet, but I plan to do so soon. My guess is that softer bindings will be the best match, but no harm in testing the TD2s.

[energyrail]

So Does anyone know if rad-air is changing anything for next year.

Maybe a big board in a narrow quick width like the old ones.

Hopefully a 182 tanker with a width under 250 at the waist.

[RJ-PS]

Due to rider feedback Rad-Air went with a snappier board for 08/09. They achieved it not only without adding weight, but reducing it!!!!

I've got a few in the shop now and they are crazy light. All Rad-Airs have been light, but these levitate a little bit if you don't keep a firm grip ;) . These are the Silver Edition Super Light Tankers.

Yes, they did some new stuff, but all internal changes, the board specs remain about the same.

I'm hoping to play up at Tahoe this weekend to demo the 200. Sandy has already demo'd them, maybe he can chime in.

[Jim]

Due to rider feedback Rad-Air went with a snappier board for 08/09. They achieved it not only without adding weight, but reducing it!!!!

I've got a few in the shop now and they are crazy light. All Rad-Airs have been light, but these levitate a little bit if you don't keep a firm grip ;) . These are the Silver Edition Super Light Tankers.

Yes, they did some new stuff, but all internal changes, the board specs remain about the same.

I'm hoping to play up at Tahoe this weekend to demo the 200. Sandy has already demo'd them, maybe he can chime in.

Hey RJ,

I rode that 04/05 192 Tanker from the OES in the late afternoon slush at Kirkwood yesterday. See you next year.

Big Thanks

[energyrail]

well trip to cali, isn't really in the cards for me next year. So i'll have to take everybody's word for it. And buy one. Hey rj you should send me an email on the deal you may have on this years tanker. I'm mrwright59

later

[Fat Old Bastard]

The only reason I can think of not to buy a Tanker is if you don't like speed in all conditions.

Tanker = The One Board ! :D:D:D

[groovastic]

A number of OESers had the privilege of trying some rare and groovy boards, courtesy of RJ at Exoticboards.com, Abel and Eric of Diablo Composites, and other miscellaneous OESers. Post your impressions - good, bad and indifferent - here and help spread the word.

Me first! I'm 5'4", 135 lbs

The SG Cult 169 is one fun board! With my small feet (23.5 mondo in softies), it's a great softboot carver, but it could be lots of fun for a light, larger footed person on hardboots. Its long effective edge (134 cm), narrowness (23 cm) and flex pattern made it the closest thing I've found to a hard carver on softies. It holds an edge well and the stiffish tail gives it a really fun release in transitions. Rode it in a few inches of PNW "pow" and it performed like a champ - probably due to the long, soft nose and 10 mm of taper.

On the other side of the spectrum, Randy T (big guy, hard charger) tried it on hardboots and found it too soft and small for his taste. Hope he'll post his impressions here.

I've tried a half jillion boards in my short snowboarding career, and if I could only have one board, this would be it... hands down.

Conclusion: bought it!

08 Tanker 172 - I didn't ride this one for long, because it's too wide for me to carve on without a lot of work (258 cm) - again, I have tiny feet. However, it busted through chop, carved tighter arcs than I expected and rode like a Cadillac. Damp, stable and smooooooth.

Conclusion: as advertised, the little longboard

Photo below, SGs L-R:

Race Full Pro Team 185 Titanal (08-09 prototype)

Race 185 Titanal

Race Pro Team 178 Titanal

Speed 173

Cult/All Mountain 169 - MINE!

SBX Pro Team 169 (08-09 prototype)

Speed 162

anybody knows the exact specs on Race Full Pro Team 185 or the smaller one?

Thanks

[mc-alex]

anybody knows the exact specs on Race Full Pro Team 185 or the smaller one?

Thanks

I have only the sizes in the moment!

185

175

163

157

[trikerdad]

groovastic, read post #4 on the first page of this thread.

[mc-alex]

groovastic, read post #4 on the first page of this thread.

This are the sizes for the rugular RACE, not for the FULL RACE! The RACE is the version with the long nose, the FULL RACE with the hammerhead nose (available this autumn). I have written the sizes for the FULL RACE.

[Buell]

Groovastic,

I think the specs of the proto 185 Full Race were similar to the 185 Race, but the 08/09 185 Full Race prototype was much stiffer and the nose is going to engage differently. Once at speed, the pointed nose 185 Race was easy to ride, even at my 145 pounds. I was not even interested in trying the 185 Full Race proto (too beefy). I would have ridden a 175 Full Race, but we did not have one to try. I think the effective edge was 156, the sidecut was 18.5, and the width was 20 mm on the 185 Full Race prototype we had.

[groovastic]

Thanks guys!

But Buell, the specs you wrote seem to be specs to the old (pointed nose) model. I think Full Race has much more eff. edge.

So you say it's a totally different board to ride?

Cheers!

[svr]

Due to rider feedback Rad-Air went with a snappier board for 08/09. They achieved it not only without adding weight, but reducing it!!!!

I've got a few in the shop now and they are crazy light. All Rad-Airs have been light, but these levitate a little bit if you don't keep a firm grip ;) . These are the Silver Edition Super Light Tankers.

Yes, they did some new stuff, but all internal changes, the board specs remain about the same.

I'm hoping to play up at Tahoe this weekend to demo the 200. Sandy has already demo'd them, maybe he can chime in.

Just got back from a first-tracks gathering and the longboard classic in Stuben, Austria and it was incredible...it is still snowing in Switzerland and Austria!! As for the new tankers, yes the shapes are primarily the same as last year, but the 08-09 has a new topsheet material that is lighter than the 07-08 and the internal changes include carbon fiber weave made for the German aerospace industry and yes the boards are incredibly light even when compared with the Crown Tankers which were really light as well. The new tapered shape combined with the increased response from the new carbon and the light weight make the boards so fun and playful. I helped run the demo booth at the longboard classic (still not fully recoverd from my broken fibia so cannot ride...much yet) and even longtime tanker riders were totally stoked on the new board and were lining up to find out where they can get one next year. Hope you all had a good winter and when I am healthy will be on the slopes again for next season. pray for snow.