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Xgecko
Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2009 1:42 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 06 Sep 2008 Posts: 456 Location: Westerly RI
I've read a lot of reviews of the banana tech reverse camber boards but they all seem to come from 18-25 year old park rats and not people like me who like to ride the whole mountain at speed and in control. This review was written by a custom board builder who was doing a little R&D understandably he is biased but even so his insights are interesting and relevant

reverse camber test
There has been some discussion here with regard to reverse camber boards. I have discussed the subject on numerous occasions with other engineers within the industry. On Friday I took out a reverse cambered board from another manufacturer to try it, in hopes determining if I should begin prototyping. I am still on the fence about the technology, but less convinced of it's applicability to the carve industry than I was before trying it.

I typically ride a 160 incline when in soft boots. I chose a board from this manufacturers line that was similar in specs and stiffness. I used my Catek Freeride bindings at the same stance width and angles I ride my incline.

I took the reverse camber board out first. I took it down a nice greenish blue run for the first run down Copper. This manufacturer told me that the reverse camber would be much faster than a cambered board, but I did not feel it was any faster than a properly tuned board with camber. The board held an edge very nicely. It did lack some pop out of the turn but initiated very rapidly and easily. I tend to struggle a great deal with carving fakie, so I tried carving this board fakie and found it quite easy to do. About 2/3s of the way down the hill I found I could actually lean over the nose and carve it completely independently of the tail while skidding the tail to scrub speed. A very unusual experience, but an ability I've never experienced with another board.

My second run consisted of a blue and more carving. It continued to carve nicely. The third run took us back down to center village copper. This board has different sidecut radii in the tip and tail. Due to the tighter radius in the tail, I found I could over steer the tail, making it come around faster than the shovel. It felt a lot like driving a forklift with the steering wheels in the back; a rather interesting sensation.

The 4th run was under the Super B lift. I found a small patch of powder and ran the board through it. The shovel definitely had a desire to seek the surface. I wanted to find the steepest terrain on the hill that hopefully possessed some harder snow. Super B has some blacks that are typically groomed and hard by Colorado standards. On this terrain I felt very uncomfortable. I found myself hesitating and unable to link carves. The board simply did not feel stable enough between the turns to enable me to transition to the next turn.

After 4 runs I got my 160 incline out and took it down the same terrain I had taken the reverse cambered board. My immediate reaction on the incline was “this is a rocket”. It became apparent to me that I had been struggling with stability the entire time I was on the reverse cambered board. I could lay the incline flat and it tracked predictably. Carves were effortless and fun. I had no problem with big wide high speed carves or short tight carves. It was like night and day. I even let it run as fast as I could to try to see if I could reproduce the uneasiness I felt with the reverse camber. I never got there. When I got it on the steep run under Super B I made some of the best turns of the day.

It's important to remember that I have spent over 20 years developing boards that suit my riding style. As a result I'm unlikely to find another manufacturer's board that suits me as well. At this point I feel that there is insufficient stability in a reverse cambered design for my style. I would love to see some others who ride soft boots to run a similar side-by-side test and post their feelings on the matter. The rest of the readers here would find it helpful and the manufacturers here could benefit greatly from your feedback.
__________________
Sean Martin
Donek Snowboards Inc.
[email protected]
www.donek.com
phone:877-53-DONEK

_________________
It is almost like racism to seperate street skating and longboards.
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yoyo
Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2009 4:48 pm Reply with quote
ORDER OF THE SKULL ORDER OF THE SKULL
Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 2228 Location: Germany
Count Ratula wrote:
Upland_Yo wrote:
hard to say anything bad about lib, they make nice stuff.

I am a little biased on the Salomon stuff but it really is the best stuff I have ever ridden....and I get smokin deals on it. I wouldn't ride it if it wasn't super good....I would rather pay retail for a good board then settle for something mediocre because I got a a deal on it. I do have 3 of them currently and I have had many in the past. They are fast, snappy, very durable, very very light. They do it all with steez....IMO.

There are so many great boards out there, you just gotta go with something you likey. I had a Ride Timeless 165 that was such a great board. Fast, floaty and you could huck a 540/720 on it like a small board. I would still have it if I hadn't smacked it on a log and bent the rail. That board was really fast and just ate up the chop. I think I rode it for 4 seasons because it never gave up. I gave it to one of my employees and he thinks it's the best thing ever....7 years old now.

K2, Ride, Lib, Salomon....and countless others

Stay away from lamar, and super cheap deals.


Salomon is sub-par.
Seriously....when is the last time you set foot on a brand new snowboard, as in the best snowboarding has to offer?
Start reading some reviews.
Apart from everything else, the Lib Tech Skate Bananas are SAFER!

Yes! SAFER! You are less likely to catch an edge and scorpion out on a Skate Banana than any other board on the market.

Oh....and yeah, they are good for every type of snowboarding...

....hence the nickname: "quiver killer".

Everything you do on a snowboard is going to be easier, funner, and safer on the Skate Banana.

There is a reason that each one of them has a sticker that says:
"limit one per customer"...they are the best snowboards on earth.
Period.


The quiver killer used to be the Lib Tech Emma Peel..... anyone remember the posters...??
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