Power Kite Forum

what do flex and pop do and what is the difference

shortlineflyer - 1-11-2012 at 09:36 AM

So, I am thinking of buying a new deck soon. But I dont really understand the difference between flex and pop

I know that stiff boards are supposed to have more pop and flexi's absorb bumps but I thought the flexi's would make it easier to jump since they are more springy. plus i think the flexi's would absorb landings better

Can someone tell me the pros and cons of flexi decks vs stiff decks.

bigkid - 1-11-2012 at 09:45 AM

flex and pop is the action and sound of the board breaking.:lol:
and the difference? flex is good, pop is bad. couldn't resist.:frog:

B-Roc - 1-11-2012 at 10:20 AM

my understading may be unique to me but flex allows you to carve and "load" the board which then allows for that "pop" as you redirect and release the power you have loaded. When jumping you definately feel the "pop" if you've loaded and redirected correctly (and usually in the form of, hmmm... that's a little higher than I expected).

indigo_wolf - 1-11-2012 at 10:25 AM

Flex is a boards propensity or ability to bend from it's nathural state of curvature.

Pop is the rate at which it returns from a deflected/bent state back to it's natural position.

Generally to get the get the optimum degree of both of these characteristics, multiple materials are used in varying ratios and/or quantites.

Even on a basic all maple deck the flex and pop are governed by the number of plies, but the variance in pop/flex is fairly linear because of the single material.

In multiple material decks the degrees of pop and flex are controlled by the characteristcs of it individual materials (carbon, foam, fiberglass, thermoplastics), the length of the board, the ratio of these materials in the composition of the board, and how the characteristics of one material interacts with the properties of the other materials.

The Trampa deck is a little unique because it's a woven thermoplastic, so the density/coarseness of the weave controls how much resin can be absorbed, and that in conjunction with the diameter of the individual fibers, board length and number of plies determines the Trampa's flex/pop characteristics.

Hope that helps.

ATB,
Sam

shortlineflyer - 1-11-2012 at 10:36 AM

I wish I had the tools and materials to make decks to experiment with to see what i like and what works
I have an all maple deck right now that I love. Its my first deck so I will probably always like it the most.
I think its getting to the point where i need to upgrade trucks and straps or get a new board.

I road a flexible deck (mbs comp 26x w/o the brakes) at wbb last weekend and loved everything about it. I dont think I want anything more flexible than that. Does anyone know of any new decks that are similar to those?