| Archive for pavedwave longboarding distance longboarding, flatland pumping, cross-country adventuring, boardwalk cruising, and all things skateboarding and good times |
| Belegnole |
ComparisonHey all! I've been reading and searching and reading some more. What I need before coming to a decision on what setup to get is a comparison of the I believe four LDP boards currently available. So far I have found lots of get this, it's rad........but very little of why. So if one were to be around 5'11" 195 lbs and 27 years out of practice. What board and why, or what does one offer over the others. This considering that I will most likely use the approved Bennets/Tracker/khiro/Bz setup. I understand that many have only skated the board that they have, but feel the need to ask anyway. |
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| dmccoach |
Re: ComparisonMuch good consolidated information here: http://pavedwave.org/ and click on "Gear"But the (more custom) boards of choice seem to be the Roe Mermaid, or the Subsonic Pulse or Galac
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| Belegnole |
Re: Comparison
Ok, that's a start....but WHY? From what I'm seeing the desirability seems to correspond to how new the board is. Is that because the newest design is more refined and works better. OR is it because it is new, and therefor different thus more desirable to the collector. For instance (no slight intended John) the Galac board has been available for less than two weeks. How in that time has it moved past every other board out there? The information I am seeking is not just which boards are popular but why they are. Strengths and weaknesses/ form vs function.....Take the Walkabout....why is it last in line? Lack of foot room for the rear foot? Hope that helps you have a better idea of what I'm looking for. I would love to buy one of each, but right now I have only enough for one. Thanks, Dave |
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| VANILLA GUERILLA |
They're all good boards and will do exactly what you want them to. From what I gather, there is a lot of personal preference involved. remember all four boards (the walkabout,pulse,mermaid,and maybe galac although now that I think of it the galac maybe not) has been besigned by Mr. Peters. The walkabout was made as a LDP all around excursion board. He wanted the look of natural wood but still want fiberglass and carbon in the makeup to prolong the liveliness of the wood. It has a small tail if you manual and a kick nose for nose manuals. I have one and the tail makes it way easier to get up curbs.The mermaid is a LDP project Mr. Peters has been working with Mr. Roe on and refining for a while now. It's designed with a foot over the front truck stance. It has a small camber and a snappy flex. The Pulse was designed with a little concave and the front foot about 6" further back than the Mermaid. It is more stiff than the Mermaid and more suited for riders who power off their back foot more. The Galac is brand new and I don't know much about it other than it is super sexy. I have yet to hear from anyone on any site that has any of these boards and is displeased. So snappy..Mermaid, ....stiff, foot back the Pulse,..... all a rounder the Walkabout, Solid and sexy the Galac. Helps? | ||||
| Belegnole |
yes....thanks GUERILLA
I'm not trying to do a "best board thread" and know that all four are great boards. I am trying to figure out which may be best suited to me even though I don't have a style to help me choose yet....I do need a bit of a all arounder because this will be my only board for awhile. I figure I will be doing some pushing, some hills and as much LDP as I can (for a newb). There are some decent though not too long trails in the area that I plan on using. Which happen to be FLAT... OH, do any of these boards have a possible longer lifespan? Anyone else have any thoughts?? |
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| edp_swakakin |
Honestly Dave the Roe and the Pulse are top notch - strait up. Both have had world records set on them. And James spent a lot of time and miles molding them both to LDP. They both will last you a long time and you can pretty much do it all with them. Pumping, Carving, Dancing, Pushing – whatever. About the only thing you can’t do is sliding. With a pumping setup it’s just not a good idea because it’s a bit higher. But everything else is spot on. If and when you get one and you start to pump - you than realize that a pumping setup is extremely versatile. Kinda makes it hard to ever go back to a strait pusher. Maybe your thinking it’s like some other longboard decks that tend to get bad pressure cracks after prolong use. Well these don’t really do that there made with carbon fiber and you can tell there built to last. I think what it comes down to is looks. Which is more pleasing to the eye? I currently have a Roe Crossstep but I will soon have a Mermaid and a Pulse. Find your right weight for either and you truly can’t go wrong. VANILLA GUERILLA is spot on with the other decks as well, I personally just don’t have any experience with either..
Eric |
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| Belegnole |
lol....you know I think that might be the problem...on top of that they are all rather sexy in their own way. Back in the day I rode a Hobie glass deck which was as flat as it gets, with Tracker trucks and Juice Wheels. It was rather short so I am looking forward to something longer.. |
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| pavedwave |
Re: Comparison
I'm just now getting some time to go back and found this post, it's a great topic and well phrased, I agree there is not one 'best' but Vanilla nails it really well, summing up much of what I've tried to communicate about the design decisions on these decks. Similarly, judging from some of the recent wheel hype of Silverfish, sometimes the online perception of what's considered 'best' is what's getting the most 'buzz' at the moment. Personally, in terms of which LDP decks I actually believe perform best and what is still my personal "go to" quiver, boils down to a chronological list order. The board I designed first is the one that I still like best -- the Mermaid. It still makes up probably 80-90% of my total ride time. This might have something to do with the comfort of familiarity, but the other factor is that I designed the other boards afterward, noting that the "one pump fits all" concept will never fly. So it's not so much a focus on improving the board each time, but rather, by having different board makers add their personal flavor to the mix, offering options that emphasize their own strengths as builders. Based off the feedback on the Roe, it was obvious that some people simply didn't care for the snappy flex I'm so much into, some wanted a stiffer, non-cambered deck with rear footing farther back (Pulse), some simply wanted a more traditional longboard-looking design without the "hips" (LBL), and I also felt that there was value in a board that gets back to simplicity in materials- pure birch- and outstanding visual design (Galac). As far as lifespan goes, they are all quite rugged (carbon fiber adds to this), and I've owned both Roe and Subsonic boards since 2002 that are holding up exceptionally to the present day. The Galac has had very little "longevity" testing given it's the latest creation, but I think it's ride will actually improve a bit over time as the birch breaks down just a little, into a comfortable, minimally rockered feel. That's exactly what my Flexdex birch boards did and I expect about the same with this one. |
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| Juan M |
while ago i posted reports of three decks - Roe Mermaid, Subsonic Pulse 40 and Insect Firefly being this last one not specific LDP board although it was built as LDP.
All evaluations are based on user experience and way to ride so please bear with me. Roe and Scott boards are awesome for LDP. If you would like to check my posts you may see the difference between them both from the perspective of a guy who is an average Joe; nevertheless a brief summary as follows. Pulse feels lighter, is thinner and has in my opinion a little more flex and better snap than mermaid. Stance on pulse is a little wider but still comfortable. Speed up faster. Mermaid feel is unbreakable machine, with more natural stance than pulse. You can keep up speed better on this board than Pulse. Both give you plenty confidence at almost any speed and both offer excellent control when braking. What you want? it is up to you because both are truly amazing decks; you may like to have the feeling of having a lighter LDP machine or maybe you prefer something that feels heavier. However on both when ordering take a seat and be prepared for a long wait, sort of waiting for a baby but when it comes, all your bad time and frustration is gone and you cannot stop appreciating the beauty and performance of either machine. FF is a different deck and i like only because of its excellent acceleration and superb finish but by no means is a LDP maybe just for short trips (less than 10 miles). No very comfortable after few miles. I still ride on them three whenever i have time and not much lately. Regards, Juan M> |
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