SWriverstone Posted March 20, 2005 Report Share Posted March 20, 2005 With all the talk of slalom skateboarding lately, I've been thinking I'd like to give it a try. But then---while surfing around for info---I came across a mention of the Freebord, which I'd never heard of. Wow! This looks really cool! Does anyone here have one? Has anyone ridden one? For those who don't know, a Freebord is snowboarding on pavement---it's a type of skateboard that has a 3rd wheel (in addition to the two standard wheels) at either end which rotates 360 degrees. Their site has video clips that look pretty amazing---the Freebord enables you to sideslip as well as carve, just like a snowboard. I'm seriously tempted to get one! Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobble Posted March 20, 2005 Report Share Posted March 20, 2005 i have one. i rode it a couple times. the videos make it look fun to ride but the learning curve is steep. when i tried riding it the rear of the board would slide and then i'd end up doing a 180 and catching the downside edge wheels. i was going slow and, well its a scary feeling falling backwards onto pavement. not the same as snow. i never got comfortable with the way it slid. i got frustrated and ended up taking off the center wheels and use it as a long board. maybe i'll try the center wheels again this summer. i have a tierney board. its fun but you go thru wheels. you can't ride it on flat ground - you need a hill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWriverstone Posted March 20, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2005 Okay, now I'm confused! I'd love to get something to ride through the summer that's similar to carving. At first I was thinking of a longboard slalom skateboard. Then I discovered the Freebord, and I thought, even cooler! But after looking at the Tierney board, I'm think that it's the most like carving! I appreciate the input Bobble...if anyone else has any additional input, I'd love to hear it! Otherwise, I'm likely to just plunk down $175 and buy something and see how it works (and hope I didn't waste my money!). One nice thing about the Tierney board---their site offers a guarantee: if you can't ride it in 2 weeks, they'll give you a full refund. Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWriverstone Posted March 20, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2005 Now (after more surfing) I've discovered the Carve board (with 4 pneumatic tires, similar to a mountain board but made for pavement). Also discovered the Tierney board (Tboard) appears to have a max recommended weight limit of 200lbs (I'm 225)...so someone my size might stand a greater chance of blowing out on turns... I have no clue if there are longboard slalom skateboards designed for 200lb+ riders? Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamran Posted March 20, 2005 Report Share Posted March 20, 2005 Last summer I tried one of those carveboards with inflateable tires. It looked very cool and I was eager to discover how I could turn that thing (been skateboarding for 10 years as a kid). It was waaaaaaaaaay too turny and nervous. it would dance around a lot as soon as you'd get some speed. I should mention that this particular carveboard was a very used one and the problem might have been loosen rubber rings in its trucks. I don't know if Randy is reading this thread. I believe he got one last year too. Never heard from him about his carveboard again. I don't think anything on pavement can come close to a snowboard on snow. I wish I'd be wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjl Posted March 20, 2005 Report Share Posted March 20, 2005 I've tried the Freebord - I found it impossible to ride. Also, it's made to skid and sideslip, so it's sort of the opposite of what we're trying to do :) I have a BMW Streetcarver, and that thing is really sweet except the turning radius is freakin tiny. If you lean the board over 45 degrees it wants to turn a radius of maybe 1.5 feet. So, essentially it feels like a 1 meter sidecut ;) Get any speed and it starts to immediately wobble. The Tierney is clearly the right solution, but if you are asphalt-phobic like me, you may never get it to the speed where it wants to be ridden. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alakata Posted March 20, 2005 Report Share Posted March 20, 2005 http://www.flowlab.com/flowboard.html check out these carving boards ^^ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobble Posted March 20, 2005 Report Share Posted March 20, 2005 i like the flowlab nuclear pickle but the trucks look a little strange. the board looks like a landyachts dh race. i haven't rode a flowlab board except stepping on one in a store. i don't think you can pump the board, can you? check out http://www.carverskateboards.com. i don't have one but would like to hear from others who have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonerider Posted March 21, 2005 Report Share Posted March 21, 2005 Originally posted by SWriverstone With all the talk of slalom skateboarding lately, I've been thinking I'd like to give it a try. But then---while surfing around for info---I came across a mention of the Freebord, which I'd never heard of. Wow! This looks really cool! Does anyone here have one? Has anyone ridden one? For those who don't know, a Freebord is snowboarding on pavement---it's a type of skateboard that has a 3rd wheel (in addition to the two standard wheels) at either end which rotates 360 degrees. Their site has video clips that look pretty amazing---the Freebord enables you to sideslip as well as carve, just like a snowboard. I'm seriously tempted to get one! Scott Hi Scott... despite what people say, a freebord is just about the exact opposite thing you want to get for "snowboarding" the only thing it is really good for is standing skids and flatland 360s... If you want a carving experience... I would suggest a longboard (I really like Loaded Vanguard although you might like the Insect Dragonfly more because you are heavier than me (150 vs 220 lbs) and they have a super stiff, super responsive carbon fiber model that I could barely flex, but it gave you a LOT of rebound out of a carve. The carveboard is way to surfy, tippy for me (I borrowed Randy S's heavier 9-play board for a while). The tierny board is supposedly a lot of fun too... I never heard about the weight limitations you mentioned. Actually I really would like to try a T-board some time if anyone knows where I can demo one in the Bay Area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gdboytyler Posted March 21, 2005 Report Share Posted March 21, 2005 I've ridden my friends carveboard, and it was definately a lot of fun. I'd say it would be good cross-training for surfing, because riding the carveboard feels like a bottom turn on a surfboard. However, I can't say that if feels much like carving an alpine board. From the Flowlab videos, it looks like it would be great cross-training for doing skid turns on a freestyle board. But it doesn't look like an alpine carve. Now, I've seen a short video of John Gilmore and some of his turns looked exactly like the turns I've seen on slalom skateboarders (longboards). If you go with the Tierney board, you should see if they have a demo center nearby. So you could try it out before buying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~tb Posted March 21, 2005 Report Share Posted March 21, 2005 roe racing eldorado extra stiff http://www.roeslalom.com/performance.html#eldorado have someone else set it up for you for GS and you will be happier than just about any of these other options in my opinion. Ill probably be getting one of these to replace my turner, probably an eldorado, medium stiff with the high camber option. -Todd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike T Posted March 21, 2005 Report Share Posted March 21, 2005 I had never ridden a skateboard of any kind, picked up a Tieney last summer and have relly enjoyed it. It actually feels a lot more like soft-booting than hard. I find I need to stand on it in a softie stance rather than a plate stance in order to control it at any speed faster than a brisk jog. It's incredibly stable. I've still never ridden a 4-wheeled skateboard but people have explained the concept of speed wobbles to me and the Tierney doesn't expereince this phenomenoin at least at the speeds I'm using it at. If you get one, be sure to find a nice gentle grade to learn on. I found turning was very easy to learn but stopping was not; unlike on a snowboard, carving on a Tierney is much, much easier than skidding so you have to either step off the board, carve to a stop, or roll to a stop. If you have a hill that turns upwards to learn on all the better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWriverstone Posted March 21, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2005 Originally posted by ~tb roe racing eldorado extra stiff http://www.roeslalom.com/performance.html#eldorado have someone else set it up for you for GS and you will be happier than just about any of these other options in my opinion. Ill probably be getting one of these to replace my turner, probably an eldorado, medium stiff with the high camber option. -Todd Thanks for the input everyone! Todd, I checked out the Roe boards---is there a big difference between the Roe Eldorado and the Insect boards? (They're made by the same guy, right? I should probably ask him!) Everyone seems to think the Tierney board is a lot of fun, except no good for the flats...so I'm leaning toward a slalom longboard---this seems to be the most versatile choice. Then again, I might have to buy both! :) BTW, got an email from Kurt Tierney who says I'm not too heavy for a T-board (I'm 225). Kurt says he's 220 and rides with a guy who is 260+, and it's no problem. Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baka Dasai Posted March 21, 2005 Report Share Posted March 21, 2005 Originally posted by ~tb roe racing eldorado extra stiff http://www.roeslalom.com/performance.html#eldorado have someone else set it up for you for GS and you will be happier than just about any of these other options in my opinion. This deck is probably pretty similar to the Insect Dragonfly that lonerider mentioned above, as the Insect decks are made by the same guy that makes the wood Roe decks. I own an Insect Dragonfly, and that length (36") and wheelbase (27") is pretty good for some nice medium radius turns down hills, but is still short enough to be maneouverable on the flats and light enough to carry around. It makes for a good all-round board if you're into both hills and flat-land pumping. Set it up with Seismic trucks for a precise carvy feel and grippy wheels (Abec11 Flashbacks or Grippins in about 78A or 80A), and you'll have a really fun ride. I've never ridden a Tierney board, but their rubber wheels promise more grip than a regular skateboard (and it's lack of grip that really sets skateboarding apart from alpine snowboarding), although the rubber wheels also make it unsuitable for flats (too slow). Mike T says the Tierney board feels like soft-boot snowboarding - well I'd say that's true of skateboarding in general because there's less grip and you can't lean it over so far, although the slalom-style quick cross-under turns you can do on a skateboard (see the John Gilmour videos posted recently) feel very similar to the same turns on snow. Too much information? Skateboarding equipment is probably even more complex than snowboarding equipment. Check http://www.ncdsa.com for more info than you'll be able to process... <img src="http://www.insectskateboards.com/images/dragonfly_complete.jpg"> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted March 22, 2005 Report Share Posted March 22, 2005 I have a flowlab and I agree with the earlier poster that said it was more a skidding board than a carving board. It's really easy to slide the back end around in turns, but I've never felt that I'm carving it. Pretty close to sloppy freestyle snowboarding turns, in other words. It does have a short learning curve and it's a great conversation-starter but otherwise nothing to write home about. At 150 lbs, I can't flex the deck at all, so no pop out of turns. I bought a longboard skateboard last summer from Bryan (old snowboards) and have enjoyed that much much more. Very sweet carving feeling, and much lower rolling resistance than the flowlab (not sure if I need better bearings in the flowlab or what). Anyone want to buy a fairly new Flowlab, only been wrecked once, with an almost-new set of the yellow race wheels? :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philistine Posted March 22, 2005 Report Share Posted March 22, 2005 SWriverstone, I've been involved in the same sort of wild goose hunt the past couple months. I have a pocket pistols slalom right now and love it, but want a carve board. I've tried tierny, Carve board, flow board, BMW street carver and a few pintal longboards. My favorite out of all of them was the Loaded vanguard, OH MAN I love that thing. I also LOVED the loaded pintail... as a matter of fact, I'm getting both(eventually)!! The vanguard for giant hills and the pintail for transport. .... oh man.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonerider Posted March 22, 2005 Report Share Posted March 22, 2005 Originally posted by philistine I have a pocket pistols slalom right now and love it, but want a carve board. My favorite out of all of them was the Loaded vanguard, OH MAN I love that thing. I also LOVED the loaded pintail... as a matter of fact, I'm getting both(eventually)!! The vanguard for giant hills and the pintail for transport. .... oh man.. Hey philistine... I already have a Vanguard and really like riding it down hills... but am now looking for something that is better for pumping on flatland. Since I already have a Vanguard, would you recommend a slalom board like the pocket pistols (or a Insect GS/City Bomber) with seismics (which I want to check out) or go with the Pintail with R2-150s. I don't plan to use it for transportation... just to take out for a quick spin down a mild slope or in my parking lot. What do you think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrjamie Posted March 22, 2005 Report Share Posted March 22, 2005 Originally posted by philistine SWriverstone, I've been involved in the same sort of wild goose hunt the past couple months. I have a pocket pistols slalom right now and love it, but want a carve board. I've tried tierny, Carve board, flow board, BMW street carver and a few pintal longboards. My favorite out of all of them was the Loaded vanguard, OH MAN I love that thing. I also LOVED the loaded pintail... as a matter of fact, I'm getting both(eventually)!! The vanguard for giant hills and the pintail for transport. .... oh man.. I'll add my voice, since a while ago I started looking for the whole carving-simulator shebang. I had been longboarding for a while, actually before I started freecarving -- I currently own a prior 4wd (169), catek olympic pro bindings, and head strattus pro boots -- I had been longboarding for about half a year. I originally bought a sector 9 and while I'm very pleased with both how my supercruiser carves and how it bombs hills, the fact that wheels slide on concrete is now impressed upon me. In other words, I can carve my board _real_ hard at low speeds but once I start going I can't carve without at least doing a standing slide, forget about the coleman slides I accidentally go into as I lay down and try to carve a hard turn once I'm no longer at a slow speed. Then I bought (about 2 months ago) a freebord. I can verify what everyone else has said: hard to learn, not much reward. Doing 360s downhill is fun, but there's not much value to this board otherwise. The vanguard sounds interesting, but again I wonder if I'll just run into the same problem I have now with my sector 9: carving is easy so long as you don't pass the speed where the wheels no longer want to grip the road and would prefer a slide. That said, I'm currently considering several boards: the tierney a carveboard a flexboard (http://www.flexboardz.com/) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philistine Posted March 22, 2005 Report Share Posted March 22, 2005 Lonerider, I love my pocket pistol (it has seismics), but those insects look awesom. I'm pretty sure that most slalom boards are excellent for flatland pumping. I think the GS city bomber with seismics would be really good for pumping. You probably can't go wrong with either Pocket pistols or the Insects. The only thing you might want to take into consideration is the width of the truck hanger. 105 mm can seem a bit tippy (from what i've experienced)....... I'm so new to this... Try out as many boards as you can, thats what i've been doing. I'll have a loaded pintail in about 10 days, i'll let you know what I think of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~tb Posted March 22, 2005 Report Share Posted March 22, 2005 If you want versatility, I would swear by a 30-36" long GS boards set up with some seismic trucks and some nice grippy wheels. Back when I spent a decent amount of time in NYC, it was the best way to get around. You could get from times square down to soho and beat the train by several minutes. pick your board up, and walk into wherever you were going. I even rode my board down to a nice dinner in a shirt and tie, when I got there, they hung my board up in coat check. It was great. the next day, found some people running cones in the park, loosened the trucks just a hair, ran some cones, tightened them up, and did some GS, and on the way home, found a nice hill to lay a couple out. too bad that board is long since gone :-( Personally, have ridden a fair number of slalom and GS boards as well as alot of the boards like the T-board and others, and I would personally always stick with a real slalom or GS board rather than some kind of gimmick. But thats just my opinion. -todd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skatha Posted March 22, 2005 Report Share Posted March 22, 2005 I just ordered one as well-hope to have some fun with it this summer---I really feeling the snow withdrawal this year.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack M Posted March 22, 2005 Report Share Posted March 22, 2005 Here are some reviews of this type of equipment: http://www.bomberonline.com/articles/street_carvers.cfm http://www.bomberonline.com/articles/tierney_article.cfm http://www.bomberonline.com/articles/tierney_new_carver.cfm IMO, the Freebord would be a waste of your time, money, and skin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWriverstone Posted March 22, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2005 Thanks for the links Jack! Now I'm wondering...was there an easy way to find those articles? I clicked around the links from the Bomber home page and couldn't find them. (How many more good articles do you have lurking around here, aside from the page of snowboarding tech articles, which I found?) So would you agree with my assessment: Skateboards are more versatile and better on the flats. Tierney boards offer more of a "carving-like experience" (but obviously require hills) I've come to the conclusion that I need...to buy both! :) Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack M Posted March 22, 2005 Report Share Posted March 22, 2005 Originally posted by SWriverstone Thanks for the links Jack! Now I'm wondering...was there an easy way to find those articles? I clicked around the links from the Bomber home page and couldn't find them. (How many more good articles do you have lurking around here, aside from the page of snowboarding tech articles, which I found?) Home page (www.bomberonline.com), left-hand column, Articles - Bomber Files. So would you agree with my assessment: Skateboards are more versatile and better on the flats. Tierney boards offer more of a "carving-like experience" (but obviously require hills) I've come to the conclusion that I need...to buy both! :) Yes, but I've never ridden a slalom or gs skateboard. Some people would tell you they're all you need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike T Posted March 22, 2005 Report Share Posted March 22, 2005 Originally posted by SWriverstone Tierney boards offer more of a "carving-like experience" (but obviously require hills) Having never ridden a 4-wheeler, I don't know how it would compare... but I found the Tierney board challenged my balance more than any snowboard, including slalom boards. I severely sprained an ankle last season and the Tierney board was a great tool in the latter stages of my rehab; I dare say my balance is better now than before I sprained my ankle. I has without a doubt paid dividends in my carving. Now I do not possess "natural athletic ability" like many carvers seem to - so the T-board may have been a more effective tool for me than most. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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