Power Kite Forum

Recommended ATB?

Psychotronic - 3-11-2014 at 11:36 AM

Hi, guys. First time posting, as I'm new to the sport. I'm a good athlete with surfing, skating and ski skills, so this seems like a natural progression for me and am digging the idea. I've got a good 10+ hours so far on my HQ Rush IV Pro 350 and am getting pretty good at it. I'd like to jump on a board, but the difficulty lies in my current size (265 lbs.), which from what I gather reduces the number of boards I should use, due to flex. I want something decent without breaking the bank (or the board). Any ideas?

flyguy0101 - 3-11-2014 at 12:14 PM

Trampa only for us fat bastards:D

jy1zoom - 3-11-2014 at 12:38 PM

Its raining at my local park today, so I've time to post.

Im a birdlike weight 120lbs, with not alot of athletic prowess, skills or balance and 1.5 years power kite landboard experience. For you, Id suggest a custom Dupont Corian countertop with 4"x10" front go kart tires on 5" wheels, 35mmx 10mm x 17mm id bearings with custom spring steel axels mounted with automotive anti-roll bar bushings. Ive never made one myself, but I think it would be cool, and the wide kart tires would let you ride on the beach!

Or an off the shelf Trampa 17ply for the grass. I would think the board would survive, but the trucks, wheels and tires would take a punishing. Mobility 260x85-4 or 4.10/3.50-4 tires will fit on 4" MBS trispokes or 4" Primo trispokes which will bolt onto a standard mountain board 12mm axel truck.

Abe Alzouman from SKD uses an off the shelf MBS pro 90 board and he's a solid chap who gets big air! Also flysurfer's Lewis Wilby, jumps big air on those boards too.
Those guys ride smooth grass and tidal packed beach sand. Im hoping one day to do the same kite landboard tricks they do too.

Psychotronic - 3-11-2014 at 01:24 PM

Quote:
Im a birdlike weight 120lbs, with not alot of athletic prowess, skills or balance and 1.5 years power kite landboard experience. For you, Id suggest a custom Dupont Corian countertop with 4"x10" front go kart tires on 5" wheels, 35mmx 10mm x 17mm id bearings with custom spring steel axels mounted with automotive anti-roll bar bushings. Ive never made one myself, but I think it would be cool, and the wide kart tires would let you ride on the beach!


I lol'd at that. Thanks. :lol:

Worst of all I'm not even sure if you're joking about the rest of the specs after the Corian countertop, as I have no frame of reference! :puzzled:

Quote:
Or an off the shelf Trampa 17ply for the grass. I would think the board would survive, but the trucks, wheels and tires would take a punishing. Mobility 260x85-4 or 4.10/3.50-4 tires will fit on 4" MBS trispokes or 4" Primo trispokes which will bolt onto a standard mountain board 12mm axel truck.

Abe Alzouman from SKD uses an off the shelf MBS pro 90 board and he's a solid chap who gets big air! Also flysurfer's Lewis Wilby, jumps big air on those boards too.
Those guys ride smooth grass and tidal packed beach sand. Im hoping one day to do the same kite landboard tricks they do too.


Right, I didn't consider the trucks, etc. -- so, that is all Greek to me! I'm not looking to get big air yet, just cruise (for the time being). Could I get away with the MBS Pro 90 or am I really better off springing for a beefy Trampa?

abkayak - 3-11-2014 at 01:25 PM

MBS Comp 16 would work....the boards a tank

jy1zoom - 3-11-2014 at 04:17 PM

Ill let vthe experts make the recomendations. Just get any land/mountain board asap! It makes kiting so much more fun! Go for it!

jy1zoom - 3-11-2014 at 04:19 PM

Ill let vthe experts make the recomendations. Just get any land/mountain board asap! It makes kiting so much more fun! Go for it!

jy1zoom - 3-11-2014 at 06:01 PM

mann, still raining....check out this landboardin vid
https://vimeo.com/110456203

PHREERIDER - 3-11-2014 at 06:49 PM

how tall are u ? leg length is more board choice element, mostly to fit stance , a small board will work just may feel squirrelly , avoid skate trucks at this point.

super stout older comp 26 MBS , definitely 9" tires and channel trucks. comp 95 would be fine ...comp 16 , old GI 106 .

not sure whats fresh on the market , but you got the details to get what need now



Psychotronic - 4-11-2014 at 06:30 AM

I'm 5' 10", but I'm all torso, short legs.

flyguy0101 - 4-11-2014 at 06:47 AM

@psycho- seriously i would recommend that you look at a trampa with channel trucks and 17ply- i am about same height and a little lighter 240lbs and i love my trampa - i had tried an mbs and a couple of ground industries and they were all to soft for me and my svelte physique
scott

PHREERIDER - 4-11-2014 at 07:18 AM

theres your answer

Psychotronic - 4-11-2014 at 08:32 AM

I'm ok with that, but if I go with a Trampa -- which one do I choose? And what's "Dampa" stiffness? Heel straps or no?

What about this one -- http://www.trampaboards.com/kiteboard--35-long-deck--inifini... ? Too much/not enough board?

Sorry, guys -- I'm an absolute n00b.

abkayak - 4-11-2014 at 08:53 AM

thats a nice board...it will certainly do the job and i doubt your next would be any better

flyguy0101 - 4-11-2014 at 09:05 AM

you are looking at the right place- i ride a 35 degree short 15 ply (most can have on a shorty) and if you have skateboard experience, or intend to do more freestyle than speed runs would go short. As for the 9" wheels if you are planning on rougher surface or grass fields then the 9s might be a good idea but add a ton of weight- i have both and much prefer the 8" wheels, regular velcro bindings no heel straps. and you will be good to go
scott

Psychotronic - 4-11-2014 at 09:53 AM

All of their boards w/ 9" tires are 35 long, though. I plan on doing most of my riding in grass. What the heck do they mean by "DAMPA" stiffness and what value of that should I go with? And how do I know if they are channel trucks or not?

flyguy0101 - 4-11-2014 at 10:12 AM

http://www.trampaboards.com/kiteboard--35-short-deck-on-infi...

there it is- dampas is the little bumpers inside the springs on the channel trucks- and i have no idea what i have in mine so cant help you there other than what they do is help stiffen the trucks when turning

Psychotronic - 4-11-2014 at 10:39 AM

Right, but above jy1zoom says I should go with 17-ply and 9" tires. And their website only shows boards with 9" tires are long. Or should I just stick with 8" tires even though I'm going primarily on grass?

Now I'm really confused...:dunno:

abkayak - 4-11-2014 at 11:15 AM

i vote 17 w/ the 9's....i find the bigger tyres eaiser to get going...i hope you were a skateboarder cause it helps
if not get a longboard and ride some..you need dampas for sure...at least the greens my big friend

flyguy0101 - 4-11-2014 at 12:10 PM

my opinion- smooth clean grass fields that are regularly mowed think nice municipal park or soccer fields then go 8" wheels nasty fields that are mowed every couple of weeks or might have gopher holes or mole tracks- think part time parking lot at fairgrounds the 9s would be nicer will be smoother and maybe a little stabler if long definetly 17 ply. if you were thinking mowed hayfield or cowpasture think buggy

Psychotronic - 5-11-2014 at 12:00 PM

I've been talking to Ted at Trampa -- I think I'm going to go with 35 long @ 17ply w/ 9" wheels. Thanks everyone for your help!

flyguy0101 - 5-11-2014 at 12:32 PM

thats what you call going to the source- teds a great guy and should know what he is talking about- enjoy

Psychotronic - 10-11-2014 at 11:01 AM

Alright, got my board. Putting it together now, although I'm guessing with a few things as there are no instructions and I have no clue what I'm doing. The flat round spacers (with the colored plastic center) that go with the wheel on the axle -- one on each side? Do they get pressed/hammered into the wheel itself or ride on the outside of the wheel? Looking at pictures that show them IN but that didn't seem like an option when I put them on, they only went in a few mm's.

abkayak - 10-11-2014 at 11:11 AM

first...no hammers, not w/ new equipment, 2nd take a pic so we can follow

Psychotronic - 10-11-2014 at 11:44 AM

Well, not so much hammer, as mallet...Anyway, here's what I mean: from what I can tell via Google image search, these are supposed to be flush with the wheel, not sticking out.



I'm guessing the small one goes in the center, and the two larger ones get tapped into the corresponding space in the wheel.

abkayak - 10-11-2014 at 11:53 AM

yea u got it...should all pull in as you tighten it all up
spacer goes in the middle of wheel, bearing on ea. side

Psychotronic - 10-11-2014 at 11:57 AM

Ah, ok, so don't tap them in, just tighten the axle bolt until they get pressed in?

abkayak - 10-11-2014 at 12:01 PM

u can tap them in or start them...but be careful, make sure you dont crush/damage the seals, tightening the nut on the axle will bring it all together

Psychotronic - 10-11-2014 at 12:02 PM

That's not doing it -- the axle nut tightens completely and they only get pressed in a few mm's, and they don't seem to be getting pressed in straight either.

abkayak - 10-11-2014 at 12:14 PM

take your time to get them started and put them in straight, i sometimes line up a socket to tap them in
and work over wood on the back side against the rim, again make sure u are not damaging those seals

Psychotronic - 10-11-2014 at 12:15 PM

Alright, so I very gently tapped them into place, put the wheel on the axle, tightened up the axle nut, and now with them pressed most of the way in there's 1/2" gap between the wheel and the nut which gives it room to travel that distance along the axle. I'm guessing this is not the intention?

abkayak - 10-11-2014 at 12:19 PM

everything gets snug...nothing loose no gaps

Psychotronic - 10-11-2014 at 12:23 PM

The nut ran out of threads. What the heck did I do wrong? :D

abkayak - 10-11-2014 at 12:27 PM

noooooo...spacer in the middle of the wheel between the bearings

Psychotronic - 10-11-2014 at 12:38 PM

Yeah I remembered to do that. Now I'm trying to remove that wheel and the damn nut got cross-threaded on the way OUT and just spins in place -- the plastic insert inside the nut is sticking out slightly. Never seen that before. Figures, though. :mad:

WELDNGOD - 10-11-2014 at 12:43 PM

Stop!!!! remove the wheel take out spacers and put them on axle first. Then put bearings back in wheel and re-install on trucks.

abkayak - 10-11-2014 at 12:46 PM

sorry this isnt going well, and WG is right i do have a board w/ spacer on the inside

WELDNGOD - 10-11-2014 at 12:48 PM

Were there no other spacers? The alloy ones go between the wheel and trucks. I don't know about Primos but my superstars came with larger black spacers that go between the bearings.

Psychotronic - 10-11-2014 at 12:48 PM

Would love to. Axle nut spins in place. As do I, at the moment.

Never even got the chance to get out on it and I already destroyed it. Fantastic.

Psychotronic - 10-11-2014 at 12:50 PM

No, per my picture on the previous page, there were the two colored ones and the smaller metal one. I put the metal one inside the wheel, ostensibly in between the other two larger ones.

The bigger issue at the moment is how the heck do i get the nut off the axle now?

WELDNGOD - 10-11-2014 at 01:04 PM

Ok first off . What trucks do you have?

abkayak - 10-11-2014 at 01:04 PM

bad...if it spins w/out coming off the only way i know is to cut/grind it off, im ok w/ that for my own stuff not yours
right now got to hope the axle threads are ok and the nuts threads got chewed up

WELDNGOD - 10-11-2014 at 01:08 PM

SS nut has lost its threads more than likely. And that is preferable to the carbon steel axle being shot. But it is replaceable. And I'm pretty sure Ted wants your boarding experience to be a good one.

Psychotronic - 10-11-2014 at 01:11 PM

My guess is it's shot. At this point I'm just trying to salvage the wheels. I'm no stranger to tools, but this was bizarre. I stopped when the nut ran out of threads, and there's NO WAY I over-tightened it for it to cross threads on the way out.

I'm pissed right now, as there were no instructions with it, none on Trampa's website, I even asked them for it and got no response. This thing was NOT cheap, either, as you all know. Now I am likely going to have to get new trucks. Not cool.

WELDNGOD - 10-11-2014 at 01:16 PM

get an open end wrench and turn it to come off and pull out on it at the same time.

WELDNGOD - 10-11-2014 at 01:18 PM

I need to know what trucks you have. channel or skate?

Psychotronic - 10-11-2014 at 01:20 PM

Channel....I think.

Psychotronic - 10-11-2014 at 01:23 PM

Way ahead of you on that wrench idea -- it spins and moves laterally a little, but it's not coming off. The nut is the kind with a nylon insert in it. Somehow that got twisted out slightly while I was initially attempting to remove it with the socket wrench.

WELDNGOD - 10-11-2014 at 01:25 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Psychotronic  


I'm pissed right now, as there were no instructions with it, none on Trampa's website, I even asked them for it and got no response. This thing was NOT cheap, either, as you all know. Now I am likely going to have to get new trucks. Not cool.


Keep calm, I'm sure Ted will make this right. They don't come with instructions as it's not usually a persons first board. Usually one steps up to a TRAMPA after they have been boarding a while.

Psychotronic - 10-11-2014 at 01:34 PM

Well, I'm stuck, as is this axle nut.

WELDNGOD - 10-11-2014 at 01:35 PM

The axles come out of channel trucks. There is a set screw not far from where it goes into the truck body. If you loosen it ,you may be able to slide it out. Not sure if they are press fit or not so it might take some force to pull it out.That will allow you to get the wheel off.

WELDNGOD - 10-11-2014 at 01:40 PM

I just tried to remove mine. It's in there pretty good. No luck, but still trying

WELDNGOD - 10-11-2014 at 01:49 PM

Mine has been around seawater its whole life ,so mine may be frozen.

Psychotronic - 10-11-2014 at 01:58 PM

I dunno, http://www.trampaboards.com/kiteboard--35-long-deck--inifini... is what I have. Found what appears to be a set screw, removed it completely, nothing budged.

Psychotronic - 10-11-2014 at 02:04 PM

Now I see what I did wrong with the spacer -- per the link above, click on the trucks tab, it shows the spacer on the inside edge of the wheel, not INSIDE the wheel.

Still can't get the nut off, though, or its axle.

Psychotronic - 10-11-2014 at 02:23 PM

Sent another email to Ted at Trampa, hopefully he'll respond to this one.

trickyrickxx - 10-11-2014 at 02:26 PM

I am in the UK where Ted is based and it 21.25 here now so I wouldn't expect a email any time soon I am sure he will reply to you as soon as he can

WELDNGOD - 10-11-2014 at 02:32 PM

Nutsplitter or dremel time...

WELDNGOD - 10-11-2014 at 02:37 PM

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200396173_200...

Psychotronic - 10-11-2014 at 02:39 PM

Nut splitter, eh? Hmmm......

WELDNGOD - 10-11-2014 at 02:42 PM

Yeah, that's what is needed or a dremel rotary tool w/ cut- off wheels.

abkayak - 10-11-2014 at 02:48 PM

give Trampa the shot first ..but if you have to...thin cutting disk dont go all the way thru nut just down far enough to where it will split it apart w/ a screwdriver when pried

WELDNGOD - 10-11-2014 at 02:51 PM

Ted will make it right,I'm sure of it.

cheezycheese - 10-11-2014 at 04:29 PM

Psycho check your u2u.

Psychotronic - 11-11-2014 at 08:34 AM

Cut the nut off w/ dremel. Axle threads are mostly gone. Axle does not seem to come out of the trucks, though. If I could get the axle off, the only replacement parts I'd need would be an axle, axle nut, and one bearing (I hit the outer one by accident and it bent the seal). Talking with Ted at Trampa for the last 2 hours, he's aware of the issue and we're working on a solution. I'll keep everyone posted.

Psychotronic - 11-11-2014 at 08:59 AM

Ok, Ted's confirmed that the axle does not come out. A re-thread is unlikely, so the hanger's shot.

WELDNGOD - 11-11-2014 at 09:16 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Psychotronic  
Ok, Ted's confirmed that the axle does not come out. A re-thread is unlikely, so the hanger's shot.


That begs the question ...Why the set screw??? Sorry to hear of the damage. I wish I would have got in this thread earlier Bro.

Don't feel bad ,last week I ruined a brake caliper on my truck,by not paying attention... Did you know that caliper pistons aren't steel anymore? They are made of phenolic(fiberglass and resin) w/ a veneer of metal over them.:mad:

ssayre - 11-11-2014 at 09:24 AM


Quote:

That begs the question ...Why the set screw??? Sorry to hear of the damage. I wish I would have got in this thread earlier Bro. Don't feel bad ,last week I ruined a brake caliper on my truck,by not paying attention... Did you know that caliper pistons aren't steel anymore? They are made of phenolic(fiberglass and resin) w/ a veneer of metal over them.:mad:


as of the last 10 years, I've been replacing the calipers / wheel cylinders along with the pads / shoes every time to avoid that sort of thing. You shouldn't have to but it just saves me headaches.

Psychotronic - 11-11-2014 at 09:44 AM

I'm going to go down the block to my local car service place and see if he can re-thread the axle. It's worth a shot. Otherwise, Ted will give me a break on a new hanger (which is certainly nice of him to do).

WELDNGOD - 11-11-2014 at 09:51 AM

make sure they know it's METRIC.

Psychotronic - 11-11-2014 at 10:15 AM

Doesn't matter -- the axle is too far gone to fix. Getting a replacement hanger from Ted.

Psychotronic - 24-11-2014 at 02:22 PM

Alright, finally got the replacement parts this morning. Re-assembled the board without issue and took it out for the first time today (just got back, in fact).

WOW, I am STOKED. This sport is awesome. Took me a good 1/2 hour to get the board rolling for more than a foot or two, but once I did -- holy crap. Got thrown a few times, but I figure that's part of the learning curve. Wasn't able to tack at all, and ended up doing a very long "walk of shame", but I don't care -- I had an absolute blast. Can't wait to try again.

The only thing is, I need some pads, as I got tackled a few times (at least that's what it felt like).