Flex on Downhill Boards

[WTF]

A slight amount of flex will absorb a fair amount of the road vibrations caused by imperfect pavement. Hardly any roads are blacktop or have been repaved within the last year here in the Pacific Northwest, and having a dampening flex to absorb the imperfections and the occasional pebble makes the rider have to compensate for these problems less. Less compensation, more concentration.

I hear what your say and completely agree that less compensation would equal more concentration but where I am left questioning is your choice of wording "dampening flex". The flex doesn't truly absorb the impact energy from that pebble or bump but rather just change that energy to a bouncing motion with your deck. You're legs are still having to compensate for it - it's just making the absorption of that energy spread out over a longer period of time where as your legs could have taken care of it immediately.

You're not always looking for precision in your setup. When I'm bombing on my Randals I'm not expecting to feel every little nick in the road, every tiny crack. I know Randals are far from precise, but what gives? I'm just as stable on a set of Randals as I was on my Smokies, which is one of the reasons I sold them. I liked how they felt, but on crappy roads it was all I could do to keep my feet from going numb. Randals and other cast/non-precision trucks don't translate every imperfection from the road to you like sphericaled precisions.

It's all personal preference. If you want to feel every little crack in the road, go ahead, get yourself a set of Smokies and the stiffest deck you can find. If you'd like your board to absorb some of the vibrations so you don't have to, get trucks without sphericals, a deck with some dampening flex, and some shock pads.

I find your results interesting and I only wish I had a pair of precision trucks to experiement with (soon ). I know it comes down to preference, I'm just in the mindset that those who want a flexible deck are making a compromise rather than making it "better" but like you said, if the vibrations are ridiculous than all that precision will come at a cost of concentration. A limitation that varies between people I would assume.

Btw I not trying to play the devil's advocate here and I'm no badass skater or anything, I'm just simply trying to see the logic behind things and make some interesting conversation.

[AJ_]

I think you should use what you prefer and to me and all my experiences ( I got a real stiff carving board with randals and hawgs), the flex just stops the vibrations from putting you off. I live in Australia so my roads are possibly a hell of a lot worse then yours but really it's a matter of preference

[jessse]

I hate flex on a dh board, it just something about it that doesnt feel right. I dont mind alittle flex for carve board but i still recomend a stiff board.

[snozzboarder55]

its a trampoline effect vs a shock absorbing flex.

the vanguard (with bouncy "trampoline-ish" flex) will bounce you off on bumby roads, whereas a hyper-carve (with a saggy dampening flex) will absorb vibrations better, like the shocks in your car.

yes your legs are responsible for some shock absorbing, but if possible, the deck can help with that too

my buddy had a deck that flexed when he jumped on it, but it felt stiff on smooth roads. on bumpy/uneven roads it was like going from 60mm wheels to 75mm wheels. absorbed the inconsistencies and bumps much better than my stiff avenger did.

i know the 2 boards i used here are not dedicated dh boards, but they help paint the picture.

[AJ_]

Yeah that's what I meant. Something as flexy as a vanguard would lose control so easily. Something slightly flexy just makes it more comfortable.

[SoloRider]

Great post. It's helping me in the planning stages.

[Dimm]

After taking her down some slopes the flex seems to be alright... haven't gone fast enough to really tell if it'll be good at high speeds but from what I can see now it might be alright!