~'05 f2 speedster - does it suck?

[xy9ine]

was looking at a ex racer custom built 178 for a cheap beater. after riding a couple modern metal boards (kessler, prior) would i hate life on something pseudo vintage like this? should i save the pennies for a new(er) thing instead? from the snippets i've found these boards seem to have been on the more demanding end of the spectrum. the fact it's a custom build may of course mean that stock reviews have little correlation.

[ti_knee]

I had one of these, briefly, as my first board. The biggest problem was the massive sidecut. I had a RS and I think it was 15 or 16 M. It was stiff and got going way too fast. That said, I sucked anyway. I can't imagine going back for the sidecut alone. I'd look for a Donek or Coiler of the same vintage, or same price range with a more moderate 10-13M type of thing.

[darko714]

You won't hate life on that Speedster unless, as a custom built, it's too stiff. I borrowed a stock 186 Speedster of about the same vintage in 2011 and really liked it. It was fast and easy for me to decamber, and got edge to edge quickly and easily. I'm hoping to buy it off the guy who lent it to me.

[MacSkiddin]

I have that board in a 177. It was a slightly-used training board for a 150 lb high-end female racer, so perhaps custom-built - I'm not sure. It is quite stiff for me at 160lbs and hard to decamber except in better conditions. Even then, it still has a big turn radius that is a challenge on the narrow runs around here. It grips fantastically well on ice and is very stable at high speed, and go fast is what it really wants to do. Would I buy another one? Hmmmmm.... Not one this stiff. I would want to make sure I was in the middle of its recommended weight range, not the very bottom or below. I think my board is probably better suited to a 180-lb rider. Dave