All,

I have a new 16" GP Dirtsurfer coming in next week that I'm willing to loan out as a demo.

Same deal as the Pass the Pansh:

I'll ship it off to the first person in line and after they have tried it out, they can ship it off (at their expense) to the next person in line.

(Shipping within the US with insurance runs about $35)

I would like to limit it to five people at first.

Thanks!

Joe

Oh Oh! Me Me! I would love to give one of these a try. $35 is a bargain to get a shot at one.

OK - no prob Bob!

1. BeamerBob
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A couple questions I have.

Will it roll backwards?

To go in both directions how do you handle an out and back route? Ride toeside? harness recommended?

hey if you dont mind i would totally be interested. it looks like fun.

Sure thing strictlycarved!

1. BeamerBob
2. strictlycarved
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BB,

It only goes one way and you ride toeside back.

Handles (or bar) with or without a harness woks

Riding a Dirtsurfer is tough at first. It's harder to ride than a mountainboard, but way faster and smoother on rough surfaces. However, you do need some room to ride (more than a mountainboard) to have fun.

Dirtsurfers also don't develop speed wobbles - in fact it gets more stable at higher speeds.

The disk brake is activated by leaning back on the brake arm.

The low rolling resistance of the Dirtsurfer allows you to use a smaller kite than with a mountainboard. A 6 - 7m depowerable or something around a 4m fixed bridle kite is a perfect match for the Dirtsurfer in moderate winds.

Quote:

Originally posted by BeamerBob A couple questions I have. Will it roll backwards? To go in both directions how do you handle an out and back route? Ride toeside? harness recommended?

how stable is it. i can imagine that with only two wheels it would be tough at slower speeds.

Not bad at all - you just need to get going at first. After that, it's a sweet ride.

Check out foilman's page for some great pics: www.mustbemad.com

cool pics it looks totally awesome to ride something definitely a little different.

Looks like my Beamer will get me going with a little wind. I think I can pull this off. I hope it gets here in time to go to the beach with me. Is it ok on the beach as long as I keep it out of the water?

Bob - when are you going to the beach? It's coming from Dirtsurfer HQs in Canada (ships out tommorow), so it will take about a week to get to me.

We leave Tuesday in a week. That's 11 days from now, so it probably won't make it in time. I'll have my plate full of buggy those days anyway. I'll have the DS to flounder on when I get back the next weekend.

OK - sounds good. I'll give it a good inspection/test ride before I send it your way beamerbob

Glad to see DaV could get to this before I could. I just got mine last month but have been plagued by 7 day work weeks and a 3 week bout with the suprerflu.

It's definitely easier to figure out the DS on a downhill grade by itself before adding in the kite. Skating is the key here. With the kite you'll have to keep the front foot off the board and gently dip the kite into the powerzone while putting your front foot on the board at the same time. Learning to skate or push start with your feet before you add in the kite dramatically reduces the learning curve.

Riding at slow or a snail's pace speed is tricky at first. Only practice will take care of that. I can carve directly upwind, bring the kitewing overhead and airbrake to a dead stop, then go backwards and forward and backwards and forwards again. Riding backwards is very tricky and most people who do it are going moderately slow and for short distances. There's a video of JM Sicotte going backwards for about 10 ft then popping a 180. If you are good at jumping with a kite then you can do a jump at the end of your run and 180 the other direction. Not as easy to do with a kitewing, but I am working on it.

As for riding toeside and all that, that's up to you. If you want to learn or already know how to ride Regular and Goofy, that will be useful. Then you can stop and go back heelside goofy if you just rode heelside regular. There's a video of a guy named Tim in England who actually does board-walking a'la surfing and he also switches from Regular to Goofy stance in the middle off riding. There's no telling what's possible with a little imagination and the determination to practice it.

If you get stuck or need some pointers, just give me a shout.

J

BeamerBob-

The 16" GP is made of one piece high-tensile steel ( I forget what it's called ) Beach water can rust the frame in spots where the paint has been chipped away. Just be sure to give it a thorough wash down after beach use and you should be fine. Also be sure to flush out the wheel and pivot bearings real good too

DaVinch,
I would love to give it a try if you wouldn't mind. I can try and get sthrasher, elkiter, art lessing, and dagon all together and we can give it a spin. Thanks

There will also be 16" GP's and 16" FS's to demo out at Superior for the pre-event and Ivanpah for the main-event, along with a couple of 4.8 dacron kitewings.

Thanks for the tips kiteboarder Did you ever get that Caffeine mountainboard I sent you last year?

Sounds great dlish!

1. BeamerBob
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Looks like I'll only be riding it on grass, so no worries about messing it up. I'll feel better about that. My soccer field location will be good and soft to learn at. ;-)

I would like to try them out. I will be on grass also. ;-)

Sure thing kullas:

1. BeamerBob
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Does it make much difference in shipping charges to ship a short distance or across the country? If it did, I would be willing to change my position on the list to make it work better. Any thoughts?

The DS was my first board, and I love it, though it is tricky to ride on. My 3.2 crossfire is enough to get me going on it, though you really need to have a bit of speed before you bring the kite down. It is great at downhilling, too. I just wish I could find more runs here in TX for it.

Very stable board, just a bit tricky. I really like the brakes, being new at this. Just dont look at the wheel wobbling around. Oh, and the dirtsurfer.com website has lots of tips and vids, also.

Sure - it could save us some money, but I don't mind sending it to you first.

Quote:

Originally posted by BeamerBob Does it make much difference in shipping charges to ship a short distance or across the country? If it did, I would be willing to change my position on the list to make it work better. Any thoughts?

We'll just roll with it then. I made a mistake on the calendar. I will be in town till April 8th and return April 13th. I could actually get a chance to use it before and during the trip if it makes it in time. I have someone house and pet sitting so if it arrives while I'm gone, it'll be safe.

OK - I'll let you know when it gets here

I'll follow how it does and just get one from ya ,looks cool !Maybe I can jump on one at Ivanpah ?

Try one if you can Crash - Ivanpah looks like the ultimate playground for the Dirtsurfer!

Any room left on the list? Looks like it'd be fun! And the weather is getting really nice, so I'll need something to ride!