pavedwave longboarding

jdnorthrup · Joined: 23 Jun 2008 Posts: 19

first, props on such a great site everyone!

i've got a question -- it mentions on the "gear" page that there's a pulse "2.0" that's under test, with camber and concave tweaks ... i'm curious as it seems the current stock pulse has no camber at all.

i'm wondering if a hair of camber might be nice given my experience pumping both an extremely flat 46" cruiser, and an extremely cambered loaded pintail. it seems something in between the two would be nice!

any feedback you're willing/able to share?

ez,
-jd

pavedwave · Joined: 22 Oct 2007 Posts: 1120 Location: seattle wa usa

still hoping to get some more time out on it. will definitely post up impressions, and i plan to share this board a lot with my buddies Ted and Patrick especially.

the degree of camber/concave really boils down to preference, or where you spend most of your time in which kind of pump -- it also depends on how much of a "pocket" you want your foot to fit into. with more camber you'll get a little bit more spring out of the pump, but with a concave / flat combination that fits you just right, you'll also generate more power with the right motion, relying less on the "pop" or spring of the board, and rather more on a smooth, connected flow of turns, turning and powering forward.

kind of a tricky concept to explain in words. i use both kinds of pumping, relying more on snapping/popping from one turn to the next when high-speed cruising. then when it slows down and you need to pick up momentum again, you appreciate having concave and connecting turns, or "wiggling" forward back up to a faster cruising speed.

Tookie · Joined: 06 May 2008 Posts: 25 Location: Oahu

Oh booooo. I just ordered a pulse a couple weeks ago.
I always get the short end of the stick, oh well guess I get to enjoy the slightly more mature version...mmm old stuff.
Can't wait to hear more about the 2.0!

pavedwave · Joined: 22 Oct 2007 Posts: 1120 Location: seattle wa usa

no worries tookie, one can never really keep up with all the changes and possibilities. i feel that adding camber is a subtle tweak, and it doesn't work for everyone. note, i had been riding a camber and NO concave deck up until just a few months ago, for that matter! (on the Roe) last thing, it may be many weeks before this mold really goes "gold", because we may find we need to adjust it. then summer would be over!

pavedwave · Joined: 22 Oct 2007 Posts: 1120 Location: seattle wa usa

A little update: Patrick and I have been out on the 2.0 a few times now, around Greenlake and on my commute. I'm at about 165lbs and overall I found this deck a bit too stiff for my taste, and my concave preference is still mellower. I'd ask Scotty for his next flex down were I to test this one a lot more.

Patrick weighs about 40 lbs more than me, and he really likes the snap out of this deck. A week ago Sunday he and I went for a 15-miler, and over that period of time he also preferred the mellower concave of the original Pulse (the same one that Ted rode on the 24-hour Ultraskate.) One thing he liked about the deeper concave is that you can work some torsional flex out of the deck by getting your feet up on the "wings" of the concave and driving into the board. Overall the effect is just a little more exaggerated than the Pulse 1.0.

So the Pulse 2.0 is not an "upgrade" per se -- it is specifically for people who prefer more concave. Technologically the original Pulse is just as badass, and I like the mellower concave on it. What Scotty wants to do is simply provide more choices for people.

There will be more to come -- Ted is back in town and I'm hoping we'll get out to ride again soon!

Bullwings · Joined: 01 Aug 2008 Posts: 62

I have the new Pulse 40. It's awesome. I've been trying to pump on my Vanguard Flex 4 with very poor results.

Got the Pulse 40 last month and put some Bennett 6.0s on it, and what do you know, I can pump now. Granted I'm no where near doing 15 miles or more, but I've been able to make a few laps up and down some streets that are nice and flat in my area.

Only thing now is that my back foot gets a little sore/numb. I've only been on those two boards, that and a Supercharger, so I don't really have much comparison for pumping boards. I like it though. It's really easy to get up to speed, and the concave really pockets your foot. Only complaint is that i have to riser it up so high that it makes pushing (not that you should be doing any of that on this board) and foot breaking a little bit harder.

cappa · Joined: 11 Oct 2008 Posts: 42

Are you supposed to position your rear foot on 'hips' of the Pulse?

I've noticed the in photos of Barefoot Ted, that his rear foot is placed on the narrow 'waist' of the Pulse.

Bullwings · Joined: 01 Aug 2008 Posts: 62

It depends. I tend to move around on the board a bit. At lower speeds when i'm just starting to pump and trying to generate momentum, I stand more like Barefoot Ted, with my front foot over the trucks and my rear foot more in the middle of the board.

Once I'm up to speed, I tend to shift my stance back a little bit and widen my stance a bit too.

cappa · Joined: 11 Oct 2008 Posts: 42

thanks for the reply Smile

pavedwave · Joined: 22 Oct 2007 Posts: 1120 Location: seattle wa usa

hey cappa, you're right, the pulse was designed with a bias toward the surf-stance, the back "hips" being moved back closer to the rear trucks than on the Mermaid, though it is pretty subtle. it's all about preference and where you spend the majority of the time cruising.

good observation on Ted's stance -- note one thing that riding on something like the 24-hour event, he was using that "maintenance" pumping up toward the nose of the board a lot more consistently than we would normally, when we're just out cranking and cruising pumps on a casual ride, and moving back and forth a lot more loosely, as Bullwings mentioned.

btw, I sold my prototype Pulse 2.0 to Alec in the UK, his weight is closer to Patrick's. make sure if you consider the more-concave and more-camber option of the 2.0, that the flex will be stiffer. I would probably order it in the flex just under my actual weight, that's my preference anyway.