flexboardz ATB?

"idk how it would stand up on rough ground?" : on rough ground, the independant wheels "swallows" most of the bumps and give a more confortable ride without inducing wobbles and/or loosing (too much) grip

"all those joints and lots of loose sand???" it makes sense to wonder about it.... However, after 4 years experience, we NEVER had a single problem linked to sand/joints (but we had other problem at the begining ) ...we even tested a set of boards for a year without rinsing them after use and storing them outside(SW France can be wet!!) ...only damage was on the bearing(salt and sand in it)!
PS : to be honnest, I have to add that I am the maker of the Flexboardz so i might be partial

In order to test the Flexboardz, the best way is to contact FlexboardzUSA ( http://www.flexboardzusa.com/ ). They will have boards in october and will organize test sessions (sorry Revpaul, I am not sure they will be interested in exchange )

sounds like a good opportunity to "pass the flexboard"

Get the word out and sell the crap out of 'em!!

i want in...:D

Oooh now I want to buy icikite's board

I must be some kind of misunderstanding...Flexboardz jump (see below)
What I meant is that the flexboardz really makes the difference for freeriding/speed/carving/cruising...but it can jump too!

well, to be specific, Flexboardz can jump, land and survive it !
I will see if Dave can post a feedback

In fact, at Flexboardz, we are so focused on keeping the contact between wheels and ground to maximize the grip/control/performances of our boards that we feel a bit "useless" when the boards are jumping ...
Coming back to your market feeling (% of freestylers vs freeriders ) , I am interested i having your feedback : here in Europe, the large majority of the riders is interested in cruising/freeriding more than freestyling (for safety reasons) (eventhough hardcore riders/freeriders like you are often over represented on forum)...is it really different in the USA?

Stupid non-accessible second page glitch!!!

All better now!

I think that most people in the US, if they want to cruise, use a buggy.

I want to start off by saying thank you to flexboardz to come on the forum and share info with us and answer questions on their equipment. To me that says a lot about what kind of company they are and the type of customer service you can expect.

I don't have a board coming yet to try, but i think bigkid does, so we can look forward to his feedback.

hi
would be interested to know if /when these will be available in the uk and if Trampa should start to worry!!

Sorry, it's my mistake : here is the correct link about Flexboardz cinematic : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c86J4H13Ygo

Thanks for the welcome message (I read a lot of forum but generally do not post too much to avoid "pimping" )
I also really appreciate this kind of open minded, respectful talk; it give us a chance to explain what we are good at (and also bad at = freestyling) since Flexboardz propose a different approach from others brand...
We definitely prefer to have less clients but satisfied than many disappointed one!!

This bring me to Snobr post : if freeriding means the ability to ride as freely (and efficiently) as possible with all kind of ground, wind (grip, upwind ability) or speed (no wobble), I truly believe that it will not mislead our potential clients.
In Europe, we also compete on kite boardercross races: Flexboardz riding ability largely compensate for the extra weight during jumps....

To make humor, I would say that flexboardz is a freeriding (or all-round) boards when regular mountainboards are freestyling boards

Concerning price, we decided to invest into the riding ability (our design is more costly to produce but definitely improve the ride) and less into accessory/cosmetic (deco, straps (you can ride a flexboardz without straps), flashy hubs...). Again, it's clear and clients will make their choice in accordance.

Weight issue : our 9" wheels were heavy (increased board weight by 2kg compared to 8" wheels). It won't be the case on 2010 models (around 8"kg)

To Bigkid : our first clients in Europe were Snowkiters and kitesurfers which did not like the stiff mtb ride...I am pretty sure you will appreciate it. (riding feeling is very close to a snowboard) ....

Sorry with the difference in time, I am late on the post...I will try to answer to all questions

To Snobdr : I agree with you that part of the sliding/edging "magic" of the snowboard is lost on mountainboard or (even) Flexboardz (good reason to try to improve it )

Flexboardz is all about control : controlling your trajectory, your speed and your kite...for all this, we believe that there is a desperate need for improved grip on regular mountainboard...so we developed the Flexboardz design ...but it still slides, you only have to push harder !

Basically, on a Flexboardz, you have more control on the sliding/griping(or edging) option which make the ride more similar to snowboard (the wider deck tilting angle also participate ) .

On snowboard (as on mountainboard), you can (roughly) differentiate freestylers who want to skid, do 180, ...from freeriders/freecarvers who needs more edge(grip) to control their ride....it's impossible to satisfy both riders and Flexboardz is definitely on the freeride/freecarve side...you are probably more on the freestyle side so it will be difficult to convince you.

Quote:

I like the ability to set board angle, as a normal mountainboard feels akward coming from the snow, but this only works if you ride heel all the time. Kills any toeside riding.

It must be some kind of misunderstanding (or my english is not good enough) because Flexboardz rides toeside without problem (even more comfortably than on regular mtb because the deck can tilt a bit needing less bend on your ankles when you lean). Could you please explain it to me again?
We appreciate your concern about Flexboardz potential market and will take it into account

You are refering to the set up below, I guess...
This is only an option when extra grip is needed : strong wind, speed runs or slippery area (we have some clay/sand beaches in france very slippery where this option is appreciated). Some riders simply prefer it (better ergonomy/position more similar to kitesurf edging) ! Boards can be adjusted this way in 5 mn...definitely not compulsory !

Other option, is to adjust the stifness (rtz) of the boards differently on each side : hard on heelside to handle extra pressure with less steering (for sliding for instance), and soft on toeside to keep maniability...but again, it's only an option among few

Answer to Maven 454 question:

Quote:

"a compressed elastomer block". Is that similar to the cubes that Ground Industries uses in their bionic trucks?

not really. elastomer block in the crosspiece absorbs the impact and provide RTZ (return to zero). Please see picture below (I hope it is clear...in case, you can get a larger format here : Flexboardz elastomer block)

i still say 'pass' one around

it would answer all of the questions about ride-ability, and feel... plus it would give you a great deal of feedback, and a ton of PR. If its a good product, it would sell a ton of 'em if it had some good riders saying good things about them... heck even crappy riders... publicity is always good when you are trying to get your name out there.

The people on this board are pretty good about treating passed items like their own... i dont have any problem telling you, that if this board is worth 500 bucks, and its built like its 500 bucks, then it will be returned to you like its still 500 bucks.

I think this thing looks cool, but its hard to drop that kind of money on a chance...

Find a tester board in one of your riders cars, pass it around, build some exicitement about it, and i bet you sell a bunch more!

I am in Western Canada so it not the U.S.A or Quebec. In Vancouver cruising and ATB is not an option so my view of how many prefer freestyle is no doubt unique. Probably 100% of the board riders in Van. wish to jump?

I think your boards are very nice and would be the way to go as a cruiser. I had great success learning on a big heavy MBS Blade that probably weighed almost as much.

How do people with no previous board skills take to this style?

Quote:

Originally posted by flexboardz In fact, at Flexboardz, we are so focused on keeping the contact between wheels and ground to maximize the grip/control/performances of our boards that we feel a bit "useless" when the boards are jumping ... Coming back to your market feeling (% of freestylers vs freeriders ) , I am interested i having your feedback : here in Europe, the large majority of the riders is interested in cruising/freeriding more than freestyling (for safety reasons) (eventhough hardcore riders/freeriders like you are often over represented on forum)...is it really different in the USA?

Folowing last talk about board design, you can see a short video about Flexboardz R&D history ( and some weird prototypes )
Flexboardz R&D History Video

My American is pretty bad too - I use the Queen's English ok bad joke

I meant, in the vid it looked like the board just flops straight to its max lean (and the smallest turn radius) and then the rider 'drives' the board through the turn by pumping his body, as you do on a snowboard ... or as you SHOULD on a snowboard

Japanese kite scene is ... me we got a bunch of kite surfers here but I've only ever seen one other guy on a landboard, and he was a crusty old dude ... a few scattered stunt kiters too. The problem is the areas you could ride are over-regulated and quickly get too crowded ... and they're small

You could sell here, but I think it'd still be a real niche product I'd market the board as like summer snowboarding practice or if there's an ATB scene (don't know about that) then promote that heavily. I think Europe, the US and Australia/New Zealand would be the best markets ... I do see a number of guys around on long skateboards ...

I could be wrong though - send me a board and I'll go zooming around towns on it see what we can stir up :D

Queen's english is to complicated for me...so I stick on pidgin
I suspected what you said about the japanese powerkiting scene (lack of space, crowd, regulation...)
However, the snowboarding scene in Japan is quite heavy (i believe) so the downhill mtb should have some future in Japan (as you said, Flexboardz ride is very similar to snowboarding)...
otherwise, an electric powered flexboardz (see pic of electric accessory below) could find its niche to snowboard the city (we will have a better version with electric hub soon)

Yeah mad popular here, snowboarding is ... and they do love their gizmos

U2u sent