like I said, such as Pavel, Roe Foamcore, Sk8kings, Wefunk, etc...
why some people ride them? lighter? more durable?? Just because it contains high technology?
I have Roe PS32 and kind of looking in to Pavel boards.. their concave is SICK. just like a Taco... but want to know more about the foamcore before I drop few $$$ on it..
FLEX in a slalom skateboard accomplishes two things:
1. Reduces the turning radius of the board at the apex of the turn
2. Allows the skater more control of the pump through the turn and improves traction.
Some people believe the flex actually increases the effectiveness and speed of the pump but this is a fallacy. Pumping speed is a direct result of the skater's technique and STRENGTH. The stronger the skater, the faster the pump.
What flex does is it alters the turning geometry of the board itself while expanding and contracting ("all the way down" and "all the way up") through the turning motion. This allows tighter turns with more control. (The tighter the turn the closer a skater gets to a straight line and you know what they about two points and straight lines.)
It's like this:
The black outline is a board with no flex. The red outline is obviously with flex. As you can see the truck geometry coupled with the board's flex geometry results in the wheels turned "tighter" and thus a more acute arc through the turn.
The flex also allows the skater to control the pump as the flexing action is a tangible representation of potential/kinetic energy. The board will "hold" energy when pushed to the max through a turn and "release" the energy as it comes out of the turn and thus accelerate the board to the next cone/turn. Dont' forget, though, the AMOUNT OF ENERGY is a direct reflection of the skater's STRENGTH, not the board itself.
So, why do some skaters ride hard inflexible boards and others ride flexible boards that vary from squishy to "almost as hard" as a wood board? It's a combination of riding style, attitude and results. Richy Carrasco rides a wood board and Jason Mitchell rides a flexible board. Some skaters ride either one depending on the course and conditions.
Now, it must be remembered that flex is also accomplished in other ways. Fiberglas/Wood combinations are the most noticable. Fibreflex, Roe PS and the Santa Cruz boards from back in the day are the most familiar. I've found, though, the difference in the two is the RESPONSE. What's that, you might ask? Well, it's simple: when a board flexes DOWN, I want it to PUSH BACK UP, not just wait for me to unweight before the board returns to center (or cambered as the case may be.) Foam boards have better "memory" and will "push up" out of a turn more precisely and more predictably than a wood/glas board. I've also found the wood/glas boards "squishy" feeling as opposed to a foam cores "snappy" response. As usual, though, it doesn't mean one is better than the other. It's a matter of preference. Back in the day both Henry Hester and John Hutson rode wood/glas "squishy" boards and regularly kicked the ass of foam-core riders like Bobby Piercy and Steve Evans. Then, Steve and Bobby would win on another day. One type wasn't better than the other, just different.
Personally, I've ridden flexible boards ONLY since I got a 27" Bahne in February, 1976. (Yes, that flat extruded fiberglas-only sandwich did flex.) I've ridden wood boards and for me they just don't "feel right." Is that what's best for you? Beats me. Only you can answer that. I hope, though, I've given you some idea of the reasons behind flex (I won't call them "advantages" or "disadvantages" because that's not appropriate.) This isn't a comparison with wood boards. Just why some boards have foam core and are flexible.
P.S. EVERY foam core board flexes. Some might be layed up so thick with foam so dense they appear to be rigid but I guarantee there is some give in the board through turn from the rider's weight and momentum if the board is a foam/glas combination. That's probably even true of solid concave wood boards but the effect is so slight as to be irrelevant.
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Last edited by Parallel Man; 06-28-2008 at 11:54 PM.
Foam boards have better "memory" and will "push up" out of a turn more precisely and more predictably than a wood/glas board. I've also found the wood/glas boards "squishy" feeling as opposed to a foam cores "snappy" response.
Bullshit. Wood cores, especially when sandwiched between carbon have superior flex. Much better damping than the skittish feeling of foam cores. Wood is both resilient and smooth when it unloads the stored energy.
And I was riding fiberglass a Bahne in 1975, junior.
I sure as hell don't like the South Carolina low country. I spent a very hot and sweaty summer once on one of the sea islands and I didn't care for it. Columbia's not too bad though.
I reccommend you contact makers of foamcore boards directly and ask them.,
most board builders love to awnser questions concerning their product
enemy combatant simply trolls the forums looking for a chance to pick on someone and get under their skin. "he" loves negative rep, its all an act
that said look for their contact info on this site(somewhere)
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all your pants are belong to us
How is Foamcore superior?
