K2 fat bob vs Arbor Formula

Posted: 12 October 2010 05:34 AM

Hey everyone. New to the forums and looking foward to getting involved.

So I am looking to purchase by first board. I am kinda in-between beginner and intermediate (aka I can get down most black diamonds but will not be the one racing down it). I live in the NE, so unfortunatly, ride on mostly ice.  I dont hit the park that much.  My buddy offered to sell me his 155 k2 fat bob with bindings for $300. Is this a good deal?  Do you think this is the right board for me?  Other boards I am looking at are rosignol taipan and Arbor Formula. Any advise would be great!

Thanks in advance.

I am 5’10”, 195 lbs, and wear a size 12 or 13 sneaker depending on brand.

Posted: 12 October 2010 02:27 PM

$300 for a K2 Fat Bob… I think your buddy might be daylight Highway Man when he’s not selling vintage snowboards at extortionate prices. Second hand snowboards don’t really hold their value so well after a couple of seasons. I think they stopped making Fat Bobs at least 7-8 years ago so I’m afraid it’s probably not worth more than $50 and if he’s been riding it for that long, it will have lost any liveliness it ever had. Both the Arbor formula and Taipan are ideal snowboards for someone of your level. I can’t remeber your stats so I’ll have to post a length siuggestion in two ticks.

Posted: 12 October 2010 02:50 PM

Actually, they’re two boards which would be perfect, but I’m afraid I don’t think they are wide enough.

Three boards that have sprung to mind -

Endeavor Guerilla 159W - refined and lively cambered board, that like gunning down pistes as much as it enjoys being thrown about the park. Awsome graphics and cambered grip.

Rome Crail 159W - A little lower spec than the Endeavor but a great beinner intermediates package at a great price with plenty of width for your feet. Also cambered.

K2 Raygun 157W or 160W- the only rockered board I’ve suggested. Tha fact it doesn’t have serrated edges means I was a little reluctant to add it, but it’s an option. More plaful and probably a little easier than the other two to turn, this boards wiill meet your needs if you intend to progress your freestyle.

Rich

Posted: 12 October 2010 05:31 PM

Thank you for your suggestions. I plan on spending a lot of time on the moutain improving my skills this season. Will the boards you suggested be good for me if I progress quickly?  Also, someone told me the rossignol one has a wide version. Is this true?  Would you recommend it?

Thanks again fir your help.
-Dan

Posted: 12 October 2010 09:17 PM

Sure, if you can get into a size 12 boot, you will be ok with the 158mW (it’s still a touch on the narrow side), because for a wide board, it really isn’t that wide. My advice would be to sort you boots first, the last thing you want to do is convince yourself that a 12 boot is a good fit just so you can ride the Taipan. If you end up in a 13 boot you will want more with than 26cm at the waist.

Posted: 12 October 2010 09:31 PM

I will take your advise and look at boots first. So now I am either going with the taipan one mag or the Endeavor Guerilla 159W. Assuming I can fit into 12 boots, which one do you like best?

What bindings would you suggest (keeping in mind that I am already over my budget with just the decks)?

Thanks!

Posted: 12 October 2010 10:58 PM

Boots are all about fit. Make sure that you try lots of different brands on as each brand’s measurements are based on a different average foot. The more brands you try on the more like you are to find the perfect fit. Your local shop will know which boots fit narrower heels or high foot arches etc etc, that’s the best place to start.

Posted: 13 October 2010 02:33 AM

Ok so I went and bought boots. After trying on a few pairs I decided on the salomon symbio auto fit size 12.5 US. Will the rossignol taipan midwide be wide enough or do I need to look at wider boards?

Posted: 13 October 2010 11:04 AM

Ideally I’d say you want a board with at least an extra 5mm on the waist, but that means you’ve only got an additional 2.5mm overhang at the toe and heel… it’s not the end of the world. I’m sure it’ll be fine, there’s no need to go full blown wide on something like the Nitro Magnum.

Posted: 13 October 2010 01:42 PM

Thank you for all your help. I forgot to mention that I have a duck stance, so hopefully that will reduce the toe and heal overhang.
I am going to go to my local shop and check out the Taipan and One Magtek. Do you think the One is worth the extra $100 for someone like me?

Thanks again for all your help.