Rocker Board for my Small Hill

[sheepstealer]

Originally Posted by Barto

The Mod Rocker and the Machete both look like just what I am looking for. Hopefully one of them will be available for demo.

It looks like these boards are flat between the bindings and raised at the nose and tail. So, are they considered rocker-flat-rocker?

It looks like the Never Summer Proto CT gets thrown into this group of boards as well. Any reason I shouldn't consider that one too?

I see lots of heads nowadays with the Machete. Everyone I know who has one really likes it.

I went with the Mod Rocker this year and its a blast. My first "rocker" board and it was a really good choice. It's still got enough stiffness that it isn't really soft. I can carve it like I carve my cambereds, but I can still get buttery when I need to. It's a breeze on jumps. Very stable, compared to other rockers.

I'd say it IS considered rocker-flat-rocker. Read the tech on it - the middle is very flat and turns rocker just before the contact points.

[Barto]

Originally Posted by sheepstealer

I see lots of heads nowadays with the Machete. Everyone I know who has one really likes it.

I went with the Mod Rocker this year and its a blast. My first "rocker" board and it was a really good choice. It's still got enough stiffness that it isn't really soft. I can carve it like I carve my cambereds, but I can still get buttery when I need to. It's a breeze on jumps. Very stable, compared to other rockers.

I'd say it IS considered rocker-flat-rocker. Read the tech on it - the middle is very flat and turns rocker just before the contact points.

That is pretty much exactly what I'm looking for. I want something more playful without sacrificing too much everywhere else.

[sheepstealer]

Look around for deals on last years model, or wait until end of season to pick up a 12-13.

It's one of Romes more expensive boards, but play your cards right and you could get it probably almost half off (~$250ish).

[Barto]

I went to the hill yesterday but I took a friend that needed me to teach him how to board so I didn't demo anything. I did run into a rep from Flow that let me take a couple of runs on his personal rig. It was a "Breast Board Ever" and a set of NX2 prototypes.

The board felt nice and looked awesome but it didn't feel a ton different than my current Alibi. I could press it a little easier, though.

Those bindings sucked. Big time. Sucked.

[Barto]

I got to demo a couple boards yesterday. The selection was tiny and didn't include any boards that I was really considering so I just tried a couple to compare to what I am currently riding. (Cambered Atomic Alibi)

Hopefully I can figure out what board I need from what I learned by riding these since I'm not going to get a chance to ride anything else.

Flow Merc: First board I rode. I liked the pop and the amount of grip it had on the icy conditions. It wasn't super easy for me to press but it was much easier than my Alibi. My Alibi felt like it had zero pop compared to the Merc. That seems weird to me because the Merc is Rockered and the Alibi is Cambered but I could get in the air and spin much easier on the Merc.

The main thing that puts this board right out of contention is that it doesn't give me much flexibly on where I can attach the bindings. My playful board needs to allow me to set my bindings up symmetrical.

Burton Blunt: Fun to press but not enough pop.

Since I liked a lot about the Merc, would the Era be what I need? It has the same flex rating as the Merc but has better options for setting up bindings.

How about the Verve? Does anyone know how the pop, butteriness and ice edge hold compare between the Era, Verve and Merc?

[jdang307]

Wait, you like the Merc (Flow) so you're wondering about the Evo (never summer?)


Or do you mean Era?



Verve is softer than the Era, and the Era is not all that soft if you're looking for something super easy to press. No experience on the Verve though.

I've only ridden the Era a couple of times but it's a fun board. And you can find it cheap.

[Nivek]

You are all over the place. My best diagnoses is that you lack the strength to pop a stiffer deck. The Merc is the entry level deck from Flow. The Breast board you rode is a limited graphic version of the Rush, my personal favorite all mountain twin. It has carbon, the Merc doesnt.

Look into the Era, Salomon Sabotage or a Villain, Arbor Westmark, or a Yes Jackpot.

[Barto]

Originally Posted by jdang307

Wait, you like the Merc (Flow) so you're wondering about the Evo (never summer?)


Or do you mean Era?



Verve is softer than the Era, and the Era is not all that soft if you're looking for something super easy to press. No experience on the Verve though.

I've only ridden the Era a couple of times but it's a fun board. And you can find it cheap.

Thanks for the input.

I did mean the Era. I updated that post to fix that mix up.

[Barto]

Originally Posted by Nivek

You are all over the place. My best diagnoses is that you lack the strength to pop a stiffer deck. The Merc is the entry level deck from Flow. The Breast board you rode is a limited graphic version of the Rush, my personal favorite all mountain twin. It has carbon, the Merc doesnt.

Look into the Era, Salomon Sabotage or a Villain, Arbor Westmark, or a Yes Jackpot.

Sorry for sounding all over the place.

I thought it seemed strange that the Merc would feel more poppy than my Alibi. I'm not a very weak guy but I'm not a powerhouse either so you could be right. I haven't ridden many different boards so I don't have a good feeling for their differences.

Thanks for the input. It's nice to know what the Breast Board Ever is similar to.

I'll probably stick with Flow at this point since that's all that has been available for me to try.

For the Era, what size should I go for? I'm 5'10" 175. The Merc I rode was a 155.