Bataleon Goliath / Evil Twin or Skate Banana

Posted: 27 June 2011 03:49 AM

Hey Everyone,

Have been riding for about 2 weeks a season for last 4 seasons. And I like park and really wanna progress my park skills (jibbing, boxes, smaller jumps) but I’m not sure which board will be the right one for me.

I am 6ft - 90KG/200Pounds. and I have Burton Hail boots US10.5 (UK9.5) Size. I am looking for something that will allow me to progress my skills and Last a few seasons.

I have heard a lot of good things about the Bataleon Boards, but cant figure out if the Evil Twin 157 will be long enough - or if I would have to consider a Goliath due to my weight. Or would the lib tech skate banana be a better next step? Thanks in advance

Posted: 27 June 2011 08:33 PM

Yeah I think the 157 Evil Twin might be a little too small, the 159 Lib Tech skate Banana would be a better fit in terms of length and width. You might also find the rockered profile is a little bit more forgiving and buttery than Bataleon’s TBT which will help you to progress your freestyle skills. Rich

Posted: 28 June 2011 03:58 AM

Really - i have heard the opposite that the Bataleon is a lot more forgiving and buttery. and its alot harder to catch an edge on the bataleon.

However I think you may be right with the size - I just dont think a 157 will be big enough for me. If Bataleon had a 159/160 available they would get my business - I hope the Lib Tech is as good if I end up choosing it.

Posted: 28 June 2011 10:55 AM

You won’t be disappointed by the Banana. If you want to get incredibly hyped about the board, check out our interview with LibTech founder Mike! (http://www.snowboard-review.com/blog/article/industry_interview_-_lib_tech_founder_mike_olson/)

Also, we already tested the 2012 version of it: http://www.snowboard-review.com/blog/article/tested_-_2012_lib_tech_skate_banana_156/

Cheers Tobi

Posted: 28 June 2011 10:02 PM

No way, the Evil twin is far more aggresive than the Skate Banana, infact it’s pretty lively, definitely more of a slopestyle board than a jib deck. The Aerobic and Distaster a pretty soft and the TBT does help with buttering but there’s nothing like reverse camber for spreading that slippery butter all over the mountain.

Posted: 01 July 2011 06:51 AM

After doing a bit of reasearch - im pretty keen to try the TBT tech, everyone who has tried Bataleon seems to love them.

so what i need to know now is, will the Evil Twin 157 be big enough for my weight? or will I need to go to the Goliath 161/164? im about 210lbs roughly

thanks for the comments about the banana - but i keep hearing too many people switching from lib tech to Bataleon.

Posted: 01 July 2011 09:11 AM

The Goliath will be even less suited for jibbing around compared to the EvilTwin and the Banana. But sure, you want to try out TBT, go ahead!
With 200lbs and 6’ 157 is pretty small, just as Rich said before. I think you should reconsider your riding style and the boards you want to ride; nothing wrong about TBT and Bataleon but with the Goliath you won’t pop on the small boxes as easy as with a softer board whereas you’ll have a great ride for bigger jumps where you will be glad about the stability the Goliath provides you with.

Posted: 02 July 2011 08:25 AM

If you can demo TBT first, it feels totally different than reverse camber boards. I demoed the Whatever and did not like TBT, granted it was only for a few runs. Definitely takes time to get used to.