Apex Gecko Plate Review

[kipstar]

After 3 very sweet days riding on the new Gecko Plate from Apex (this one www.geckosnowboard.com) I thought I should do a review since no one else has as yet.

 

I'm a middle aged former half decent rider 20 years ago who has gradually gone backwards as a result of getting older, less fit, tearing part of my ACL in a rather large stack 2 years ago and live in a country that has never had snow in the last 100 years, so riding isn't something I do a lot of, maybe 0 - 20 days a year.  That said, when I ride I tend to do a bunch of days in a row, so fitness is a bit of an issue, I heard a lot about plates helping to reduce fatigue so I thought why not try one, however I didn't want a learning curve, the weight on the lift or not really understanding how to set one up, so the Geckoplate (which I personally think would  be better called the "Octopus which has mutated as a result of a nuclear leakage nearby and also which is black plate" which is considerably more catchy) was selected as a dip my toe in the water approach to a plate; I was assured I would not lose a day or so figuring out how to manage the plate, and I didn't want the weight of a major plate loading up my one good knee which I am completely paranoid about (it is very hard to get it out of my head the acute pain and stupidity that led to the fall, and not helped by snapping both heels off my boots last season which could have been a catastrophic fall had I ridden just 1 more run with them in that shape). 

 

I'd describe it as a halfway step between an actual plate and a basic riser; that's said having never used either but it's what the cool kids said to me on the lift.  And cool kids are always more believable than anything else.

 

So....onto the set up.  It's a pretty easy beast to mount, as unlike the plate systems there are no moving parts; screw in the mounting screws and then place the plates on each side (they are marked which is which) using the line of holes that best aligns to the edge and then mount bindings on top.  I've mounted them asymmetrically, with the end row of bumpers using the softer urethane and the stiffer urethane for the rest.

 

Upon riding, I can only compare with and without.  With the geckoplate there is no question the board is able to soak up choppy conditions better than without; I have been riding through chopped up powder, small bump runs, heavily ridden variable conditions, and the geckoplate certainly reduces the amount of feedback from that sort of condition; you can still feel it but it's almost like riding in a car with good suspension; you still feel it but the amount you feel is more manageable.  Definitely has reduced the fatigue in my legs a little.

 

The positives then:

- dead simple to mount, well packaged when it arrives

- a nice first step (and for me only step) into the world of plates/risers

- very light and the height increase is not a lot (maybe +12mm?)

- improves the quality of ride without stripping away the feel of the run

- has basically no learning curve; first run was a little odd feeling slightly higher for about the first 10sec, then I didn't notice it again

- seems to slightly reduce fatigue on your legs

- it is the weirdest looking thing you have ever seen (ok for some people this might be a negative) - I really think I need to get Sean at Donek to do me a custom board with some sort of 10 leg octopus so that the plate makes more of a story here :-)

- they supply two sets of bumpers and since you can mount asymmetrically or symmetrically, there is a bit of playing around if you like that kind of thing NTTAWWT, some of my best friends like to play around.

 

The negatives:

- it is an extra cost for a board (but IMHO totally worth it)

- it slightly increases the weight on a chairlift; for me it is totally manageable and I would guess it is about halfway between the weight of a plate system and nothing

- the extra height makes using the chairlift foot rests a little tricky, need to angle my knee to fit under the cross bar

 

So all in all, if you are not really up for a full on plate system, then I really recommend to consider this as a good first step, and if you really like, you can go further down the path (and presumably the step from the gecko to a full on apex/donek/bomber/dinner plate is going to be easier) or if you are happy you can stop the gear accumulation here.

 

 

 

[piusthedrcarve]

What bindings were you on the 'Gecko' plates?

&

What deck did you ride with?

[Ernie00]

Good review.   Pretty weird, I wrote a firs try review about the Gecko about a month ago and it's not here anymore.   Maybe the Ghost of the old forums! 

 

Anyways I agree with kipstar on his review.  

 

Here's a little more.  Coming in from the apex V2 it's a very different feeling.   The plate system (and I have ridden many, apex v2, apex sport, home made, donek...)  is really in your face and invasive.  It changes the way you ride and you need to be on your A game and pushing it all the time.     The Gecko is stealth, doesn't even fell like it's there.  No lower speed problem like with the plate and you don't loose the feeling of the snow under your board.

 

I tested for the first time after a rain few days and into freezing.  So it was golf balls.  Type of day you pack it in after 2 runs and go home.  The Gecko saved the day I was able to push very good and keep good edge pressure in very crappy conditions.   This was on my coiler AM. 

 

Since then the plates have graduated to my goto board.   My Coiler RaceCarve metal with TD2 bindings.  This is the board that instantly makes me smile first turn but it always been very unpredictable on ice. So I had high expectations.   First turn and it was instant love again.  The board is narrow in the 18.8.  So I am able to lower a little the angle with being a little higher.    On ice (and we do get a lot of it on the ice coast) the board felt very good and I was able to keep pressure on the edge.    In softer snow it did some serious damage also.  

 

definitely a toy to consider if you have some cash left in the gear budget for this year. 

[lonbordin]

What's the weight of the plates?

[Ernie00]

I didn'T weight them but I can say that you don't feel them really and I have no foot rest at my local hill.     Nothing compared to other plates I have tried. 

[kipstar]

I ride with the TD3 std bindings, std dampening and with that set up, the board really rides nicely.  As Ernie said, there is not a lot of difference between with and without in terms of learning curve, but it just makes crappy conditions (and variable conditions) a lot easier to ride.

 

I'm riding in UPZ boots (which for me are a new set up) and I've been dealing with a learning curve on those at the same time as the set up of the plate, but feel like the points I raised are reflective of what is going on with the plate rather than the boots.  Board I've been riding is an Oxess SL162 metal, and I'll ride on my SG180 in a few days to see how it performs.  BTW check your heels, I had torn both heels of both my boots hence the switch to the UPZs.

Weight wise guessing I'd say around 1kg maybe more than 750g?

 

There is definitely a little snow collection under the plate, so if you drive a car and flick your board inside, worth it for any of these plates to have a small brush of some sort so you can sweep it out rather than collecting a pool of water in your Ferrari FF's interior.

[Cousin of Beagle]

There are 3 models of Gecko Plates: Free, Cross, Carve.

 

Which model are you reviewing?

[loopback]

BTW check your heels, I had torn both heels of both my boots hence the switch to the UPZs.

Thanks for the review!

If you don't mind the question...what model boots failed and how many days on them?

[kipstar]

carve model.

 

The boots I tore the heels off were Raichle Indys with about 25 days on them.  The orange plastic just basically completely gave way and both heels had fractured completely at the heel area where they are held under the binding.  One major turn and I suspect the entire boot would have split with the heel and foot hinging up, and the sole staying in the binding.  Not a good method for powerful toe side turns.

 

They were always kept out of the sun and were looked after, so my conclusion is the plastic of that type of boot probably has a useby date of around 10-12 years no matter what you do with them.  This is why it has surprised me that the northwave boots are not completely falling apart now.

 

Along with the knee injury it has totally destroyed my confidence to ride at speed; I am always aware on some level that it would be possible to suddenly be riding with only 1 foot in the binding and the other one in mid air!

Edited January 1, 2015 by kipstar

[Ernie00]

I was talking about the apex Gecko race as the other one would be too wide to fit on a carving board. 

 

Kipstar : make sure you keep a close eye on all the UPZ screws.. specially the canting one and the buckles.. they tend to loosen up and I lost a canting disc and ruined a beautiful day.    I have since used blue locktite on all my UPZ screws and been very happy. 

Edited January 1, 2015 by Ernie00

[loopback]

Thanks for the boot info!

Will definitely keep a closer eye on my boot heels. 

[kipstar]

@Ernie

Yes I have seen the large number of screws on the UPZ; I use plumbers tape on every screw and that seems to act like a form of Loctite also.  Fingers crossed!  I also have a spare for every buckle and every part where possible from UPZ which I carry around  with me; did the same with the Indys - useful since I snapped one of the strappy buckles on that boot also.

[kipstar]

BTW here's a pic of the set up on my oxess 162.

 

Since it has 10 fingers, it should be called a ten-tackle.  A mutant octopus Ten-tackle.

 

Very very catchy, it sells itself.

[purpletiesto]

How is the gecko different to the Palmer pls? Apart from the big difference in price, that is.

[kipstar]

2Purpletiesto
I have not ridden solely a riser plate so cannot comment 100%, but according to my mates who race a couple riding with the geckoplate, somehow the geckoplate is more than just a riser plate; it is able to absorb some of the chop and chatter to smooth out the ride, while also giving the additional leverage and height of a riser plate, but without taking away the feel of the snow.

 

In Japan a number of the racers use for slalom now instead of a full plate system.  I think it's like a better lighter version of the conshox type systems from F2 in the past.

[Corey]

How does it attach? Through the 4x4 baseplate bolts? Bolt the plate to the board and then bolt the bindings to the plate? Or longer bolts through bindings to sandwich the plate?

I assume you're not drilling 20 holes near the edge for each of those visible screw heads!

[pokkis]

What I read and seen on web, it is attached to board with those 4 "things" which are screwed to inserts and then screws

connect then to plate parts.

Those pieces on end of those fingers just rest on board, no additional inserts there. 

But someone with real info please update.

[kipstar]

It attaches with a screw type I have used a similar sort to in yachting; it looks like a large hex nut with an m6 thread poking out the bottom; then inside the hex portion is another thread (also m6) with a round shape sticking up (as the thread is narrower than the diameter of the screw.

 

You use the 4X4 pattern, so the hex nuts screw into the deck, tightened slightly, then the plate fits onto the round holes of the thread, and then the binding mounts onto that with the M6 screws coming with the bindings; there is a definite front and back with the hole pattern slightly off centre front to back so the points with the urethane bumpers are close to the edge of the board.  There are a variety of holes in 3 rows, so it is possible to find the row which gets the bumpers closest to the edge without overstepping the edge; you can also mount centered or asymmetrically (I did asymmetrically).  The binding bolted down is what stops the plates coming off, although they are sort of held on through the tight fit around the hex nut heads anyhow.

 

I believe the reason for the hex screws is so that it is stronger than using a long screw from the binding throught the plate, as that way the plate is having a large unsupported area between the bottom of the plate and the inserts of the board.  This hardware from APEX the plate is sandwiched between the hex nut portion of the screw underneath and the binding clamping down on the top and the holes are a tight fit so nothing is wiggling around and there is no unsupported spans anywhere.

 

Apparently it is the same hardware used by Kessler for other things as well.

 

The bumpers are simply a metal thread inside the urethane and you can screw them on and off with the plate on or off the board.  They are not attached to the board.

 

Its pretty simple and all works well.  no moving parts.  I must say maybe it is a mental thing, but I swear the board soaks up a bunch of stuff that would otherwise have me getting out of position; in fact I took one huge slam on my front side because I had gone into a day dream while I was riding and wasn't watching what I was doing at all (not the plates fault, totally my own); there is basically no learning curve and the plate seems like it shouldn't do that much since it is not got an axle....but it really does seem to help.

Edited January 19, 2015 by kipstar

[lordmetroland]

Helpful information, this. For soft boots, I'd love to see a head to head test with the Bomber Power Plates. I got my first go on the Bombers this past week and, similar to you, was surprised at how well they soaked up the flotsam and jetsam. My only comparison point was the old Palmer risers which seemed to do no more than what the name implied.

[purpletiesto]

Thanks Kip.

[big canuck]

I've ridden these a few days now on a 180 JJA and on my 188 Oxess. I have used Kessler "Speed" plates, F2 S Flex plates, the Apex (the board brand) versions as the under binding (non isolating style)

 

They are the best plate system I have tried for free carving.

Very happy with them.

K

Edited February 15, 2015 by big canuck

[Surf Quebec]

Kurt, can you a little more feedback?

Things you like the most? Cons?

[big canuck]

Sorry didn't see the question. Used them yesterday on a172 Oxess FC board. Looking down from the chair I don't think I've ever pulled tighter arcs. Rode a run that historically I have had to side slip the last section cause it's narrow and undulating and steep. (With big trees on either side!!!!)After riding it three times I was carving the whole run.

Don't know of it was all the plates but I don't think it hurt the situation

Another member that I have bought several boards from (trust me this guy has TOP equipment) sent me a note today saying he loves them and they were perfect for him

I also like the fact they don't lessen your stance width ability. Prob not a huge deal for most but I'm finding myself more and more comfortable on 22.5" plus stance widths.

They seem to be super damp, a little lighter. Not that weight has ever bothered me and a little easier to set up.

Again, for this heavy free carver they are ideal for me I think....

Cons? They're spendy but fit and finish are top shelf.

Edited February 25, 2015 by big canuck

[AcousticBoarder]

Helpful information, this. For soft boots, I'd love to see a head to head test with the Bomber Power Plates. I got my first go on the Bombers this past week and, similar to you, was surprised at how well they soaked up the flotsam and jetsam. My only comparison point was the old Palmer risers which seemed to do no more than what the name implied.

I would love to hear how the compare as well. Has anyone been able to try both?