Tierney Rides VS Carve Stik VS ??? - XMas Present for Racer

[jhcolman]

Hi All:

If you were buying an Xms gift for a 14 year old alpine racer, would you buy a Tierney Rides or a Carve Stik or what else??? Pros + cons? A longboard is on his Xmas list, for off season use. He has a great board for the racing season (a Coiler, lucky kid ! ).

Thanks for your advise.

Julian

[Dan]

I'd actually go with a skateboard, maybe something with some flex from either Loaded or Landyachtz. There have been a lot of threads on this, check out the search function. I think longboard skateboards are still ahead of the alternatives in terms of fun per dollar spent and their ability to mimic snowboard carving

Allow me to also recommend full pads and a skate helmet - I learned this summer that asphalt carving has a little bit of a learning curve. :)

[Mike T]

I have a Tierney and a Loaded Vanguard, I really enjoy both of them. I got both to satisfy the summer carving joneses. I can't say I'm any more than an advanced beginner / low intermediate on either of them. I find the Tierney more fun for steeper hills and the Loaded more fun for gentler hills. Which one is a better crosstrainer? They both seem to be helping me! After a very modest amount of skating around this summer, I feel like I'm riding better after 3 days this season than I did at any point last season!

[bobble]

i've got a t-board and a longboard from insect skateboards. i got more use out of my longboard than the t-board. on average i traveled 3-4 miles on my longboard thru my neighborhood. on the t-board, maybe a 1/4 mile in a parking lot if i was lucky.

the t-board is fun to ride, but lugging it up a hill sucks. the wheels wear quickly too. i've had problems with the hubs breaking on the wheels. it makes an annoying clicking sound.

you'll cover more distance on a longboard than a t-board. you're basically limited to going downhill on a t-board. with a longboard you can go downhill, flat and uphill (if you kick which IMHO is good training).

on a t-board, you can't ride with an alpine stance. feet have to be 90 degrees to the board. kind of defeats the purpose for alpine training, doesn't it?

my longboard is much faster than my t-board. everytime you turn on the t-board it slows down. i can pump it for short distances to the speed of a slow walk. on the longboard i can pump it almost indefinitely.

i think the t-board is overrated (i bought into the hype). i don't see bomber advertising t-boards anymore.

not sure about a carve-stick. looks fun.

[SWriverstone]

Okay, since everyone has chimed in with the other usual options, I've got to chime in with...the Dirtsurfer! (Just Google it.) This kills a skateboard or T-board, in my opinion. It's not well-known, and (because it's Australian) hasn't developed the critical mass needed in this country to take off---but this thing carves downhills like nothing else (more speed, more stability). And it's got a BRAKE that actually works!

The down side? It's hard to kick on the flats (takes a LOT of practice), and it's big (the size/weight of a small BMX bike).

Scott

[Guest jschal01]

You can ride alpine angles on a t-board, and you can pump it. The urethane wheels last longer than the rubber. It is true you don't get nearly as good a pump as on a skateboard. I would view it as a different deal from a skateboard, snowboard crosstrainer and possible nascent new summer sport is how I'd describe it.

Also, for crosstraining purposes, while the conditioning and some types of balance issues will carry over, understand that there's very little crossover between snowboarding and skating. Probably about the same as snowboarding and mountain biking. So, the key is the skating should be fun of itself.

So, where does this 14-year old live, and what does he want the longboard for? Cruising to school and around the neighborhood? Solely snowboard crosstraining? Does he live in a neighborhood without much traffic & good pavement? Does he have access to long hills without too many cars? Does he want to be able to take his longboard to the skatepark? Depending on the answers to these questions, the right choice could be anything from a functional pig, such as at www.tailtap.com, that's not too wide, to a longer park-orineted longbaord form Gravity or Landyachtz, to a slalom board, to a pumping & cruising oriented board from Loaded or Landychtz, to the T-Board.

[Dan]

Okay, since everyone has chimed in with the other usual options, I've got to chime in with...the Dirtsurfer!

Scott

Hey, don't forget I'm the other Dirtsurfer on this board. It's a cool toy, for sure, and the brake is a lifesaver (literally?) but I haven't seen anything that matches the elegance of drifting a corner on a longboard skate.

[gdboytyler]

I have a regular skatepark type skateboard, carvestik and carveboard. I also have access to a freebord.

If you live by some big, steep hills, then I would recommend the carveboard. It's the best alpine snowboard simulator that I've tried. Riding the carveboard feels a lot like riding my short alpine snowboard (Oxygen Proton 149 SL). I can carve down the steepest roads in So Cal with very little sliding/skidding (but I need at least two lanes). It’s also best to have a driver that can bring you back to the top of the hill. After a long run, I get the same thigh burn on the carveboard that I get on a snowboard.

After riding the carveboard down a lot of steep roads the past couple months, I feel like I’m in mid-season form. I just need some snow to verify that feeling.

The carveboard is not good for general transportation.

If you don’t have any good hills to ride, then I would recommend the carvestik or some other type of longboard. I wouldn’t recommend the carvestik for steep hills because the wheels don’t have enough grip.

If your son plans on bombing down hills at high speed, then DON’T get a carveboard or carvestik, they are too susceptible to speed wobbles.

I don’t like the freebord because it’s very little carving and a lot of skidding. It is good for bombing hills.

[Guest owaysys]

i've ridden t-board and a bunch of other gimmic longboards, and i have to say that i'm glad i just ended up buying a sector nine longboard. 46" bomb hills with Randall 180 trucks. This board may be a little much for a 14 year old, but they make a lot of other models, like the super cruiser, that would be better for him. i would definitely recommend the randall trucks, as they have a varied pivot point that gives you more of a carving board feel. i would have to agree with the other guy, though, when he says that longboarding and snowboarding don't share a lot in common. they do keep you going sideways, though!