New board

Posted: 23 November 2010 12:26 AM

First off i’d just like to say hiya…may recognise me from the SCUK forums but thought i’d try and tap into the knowledge on here too :)

I have only been boarding a few months but am starting to try to butter and am booked on a Definition Freestyle course next month. I have a 2nd hand 154.5 Artec Cipher at the mo but find it quite stiff and after trying a rockered board definately think this is the way forward for me. I’m about 5"10, 11.5 stone and have womanly size 8 feet. I live about a mile from the MK dome (lucky me) so tend to go every week on my days off. Not looking to do a lot of mountain stuff and mainly looking to stay in the dome and hit some park nights. Boards i was looking at were:

- 152 Academy Propaganda
- 152 K2 WWW rocker
- 150 Rome Artifact rocker
- 151 Never Summer Evo
- 153 GNU Park Pickle

The last 2 are going purely off reading your reviews and altough the price tag is a wee bit steep if the boards are worth the extra then i’ll definately entertain the idea of getting them. If you could give some words of wisdom on which board to consider and also on what size to go for it would be mucho appreciated and there may even be a pint and a jager in it if we meet in the dome ;)

Posted: 23 November 2010 01:11 AM

He Tackmaster,

I can only go base my advise on the boards I’ve ridden. So here you go:

152 Academy Propaganda - This board was a lot of fun, I rode the normal camber version in a 153 and to be honest I think if I’d gone for the reverse camber version it would have been too soft. Here’s the review I wrote:

The Academy Propaganda is an out-and-out Jib board; soft in the nose and tail with a slightly firmer flex between the feet. This board is easy to press and butter, poppy and very easy to manoeuvre at low speeds. The Propaganda is also pretty light which means that it is easy to tweak and manoeuvre quickly in the air, to help get your board in the right position for rails and boxes. On smaller kickers it was stable on landings and poppy on take-offs, it also held-on to off-centre landings which is due, in part, to Academy’s Spruce WDT hybrid core

152 K2 www - I thought this board was far too soft, really hard to hold onto off-centre landing….you really have to land bolts every time. This is a board for those experienced riders looking for an out-and-out rail board…..if you’re looking to progress on kickers and other aspects of freestyle then you might be held back a bit. If you wan a K2 then have a look at the Parkstar.

151 Never Summer Evo - Great all-round jib board but if you’re going to be spending most of your time in the Some then it might be more appropriate to go for the Propaganda because it’s cheaper and jibbier.

If you’re going to be riding the Dome most of the time then I’d go for the 153 Propaganda with normal camber…..you could go for a 156 if you want added versatility for going away on holiday.

Hope this helps,

Tom

Posted: 23 November 2010 01:19 AM

Cheers mate, i actually demoed a 152 Propaganda rocker the other week and quite enjoyed it. I was looking for something pretty flexible, mainly to help with buttering and presses but if something like the WWW will hold me back then it may be worth spending a bit more for something i can progress with and will last a bit longer.

You said “it might be more appropriate to go for the Propaganda because it’s cheaper and jibbier.” can you explain what you meant by jibbier mate? The Evo is definately the sexiest looking board out of all i’ve mentioned :)

Posted: 23 November 2010 01:30 AM

The Evo is a great all-round park board that has been built for everything from 60ft kickers to halfpipe to rails and jibs…..whereas the Propaganda has been built purely for jibs and smaller kickers…...it is softer in the nose and tail and torsionally. It will also feel a little poppier at lower speeds…...you don’t have to load the board as much to get pop. If you were going away on a season or riding in the alps for 3 weeks a year then I’d definitely say go with the Evo.

Try the Propaganda 153 with the camber…...think you’ll find it poppier and more lively than the 152 rocker.

Tom

Posted: 23 November 2010 01:39 AM

Cheers again, the main thing that impressed me with the Propaganda i demoed was how much it helped me with (trying) to butter. This is definately something i’m looking to progess a lot more as well as hitting the rails as mentioned. Would the 153 cambered version offer the same amount of press and what is it like for catching edges while jibbing mate?

If anyone else has any opinions would be much appreciated :)

Posted: 23 November 2010 01:48 AM

Probably won’t be quite as easy to press…......but it’s still super easy to press and butter thanks to the soft nose and tail. The camber adds pop and makes the centre of the board a little stiffer which means holding onto landings when you land too much on the tail or nose far easier. I didn’t find it catchy on rails or boxes…..the camber isn’t particularly pronounced.

Have a look at this vid…...might help.

http://www.youtube.com/user/SnowboardReviewTV#p/u/2/fwdtotVmJG4

Posted: 23 November 2010 02:17 AM

Cheers, have watched the vid a few times now. Think i’m defo going for a rocker board but if i can find somewhere that demos the Propaganda with camber i’ll defo give it a try.

Thanks again for the tips mate. Anyone else?

Posted: 23 November 2010 03:13 AM

Liking your review about the GNU street series and Park Pickle! The Stepchild Jib Stick and the K2 Parkstar also look awesome so any thoughts on that would be nice too….. christ decisions decisions eh :)

Posted: 23 November 2010 09:21 AM

I demoed the Propaganda Rocker and GNU street series at the dome… actually if you go into Snowboard-Review.com/tv there is a video titled king of jib… it has all tyhe boards you are talking about (Wait has tom already sent you a link to that?).

My thoughts are that the Street was a great board to ride indoors, tons of grip with mag edges for when all the snow gets brushed off the landing, that happens a lot indoors and a nice lively flex. However, I prefered the Academy Propaganda rocker. And actually for a rocker I don’t think it’s crazy soft, it’s certainly no WWW. I thought it was quick edge to edge and was quite encouraging on jibs and rails. The GNU might have beaten the Academy in our test because it offered more grip, but the Propaganda had something about it. To be honest for learning, both boards will get you there no probs.

Rich

Posted: 23 November 2010 05:43 PM

Cheers lads both earned yourself a pint :)

Everyone’s raving about the Propaganda and the only thing i could really fault it on when i demoed it was the stupidly boring graphics (i know it’s fickle but thats quite a bad point in my eyes). Is the WWW a definate no-no for me just starting out on the freestyle stuff then? Also can’t seem to find much info on the Stepchild Jib Stick RETT, have you had chance to demo it or have any thoughts?

Thanks again mucho appreciate the advice!

Posted: 23 November 2010 06:05 PM

Yep I’ve ridden the Stepchild Jib Stick. We haven’t had a chance to put the Stepchild reviews up yet, because Tom is still working on the text (aren’t you Tom!).

If I’m honest I didn’t really like the Jib Stick. It was lively, but it felt too stiff for what it is. Stiff tips and firm between the bindings. It also has quite a shallow sidecut which doesn’t match the flex or the size. A lot of people love the JIB stick, but for me it didn’t tick the right boxes.

The WWW will help you progress, but it doesn’t really have the guts to take riding away from the jibs or rails.

Posted: 23 November 2010 06:12 PM

I was told by a mate that it was actually quite soft, about a 4/10 flex wise so nice to get a different view on it. Well it’s come down to those 3 for me and the running is pretty close. Thanks again.