With the kind of power we have on DIY boards these days i believe that there should be a setup that works for large riders. I have been longboarding for many years but my push board has a lot of flex, i dont feel it would be safe to add all the required electronics. Im around 145kgs (320lbs) and I have most the parts sorted but im struggling to find a good strong deck. I have searched but its so hard to find consistent information about deck strength and layup from most manufactures.
What im looking for:
I would like to use wide TB trucks so i can support dual 6374 (for the torque).
I would like the option to use larger wheels (thus larger pulleys/ratio) without getting wheel bite.
I am trying to find the stiffest deck possible.
I am trying to achieve a layout similar to the Evolve GT.
Im hoping someone might be able to offer deck recommendations.
So what you big guys cruising on?
320lbs?!?! I would definitely go carbon fiber for ZERO flex (https://www.hi5ber.com/), I am bias towards CF purely on aesthetics though, long rides are tough on your legs on full CF. I’m not sure what kind of flex your weight would have on something with a W concave. Maybe have a deck of your liking and add one layer of CF on the bottom to reduce flex.
I was going to suggest that too. A fiberglass or carbon layer on the bottom will greatly reduce downward flex. The only flex at that point would be from compression of wood and not tension of wood
Interesting. Those look like nice boards however they are a little on the pricey side. Also im in EU so you add +30$ for heavy duty, +45$ for international shipping, +VAT and import tax.
I have a “heavy duty” hi5ber limelite and it is pretty solid, maybe over kill. I am no where near as heavy as you, you have a hundred pounds on me. I also have a 17 ply trampa holypro 35…
The limelite is SOLID, I run it with some medium density 1/8 venom risers to soften it a touch and a combination of hardcore barrels and venom eliminators
with that said the trampa deck is seemingly un-breakable, I have never heard of anyone ever breaking one.
@frank has anyone ever broken one of your composite decks?
past that I’d look for downhill decks, I have a Arbor higherground (that has W) for a up-coming build that feels pretty good underfoot but I haven’t ridden it yet.
Some of the bamboo composite boards like Rayne offer could be worth a look to, my Reaper feels like it is built solid.
I read online that the Earthwing supermodel, landyatchz time machine or Rayner deemonseed were strong decks but i couldn’t find any actuall specks for them. anyone got an experience with them?
17 ply? how thick is that? Im guessing that would require mountain board trucks? im not planning on going over any jumps or anything so maybe that could be a good option.
@Cobber with your Reaper do you know how many ply it is? does it flex at all?
the reaper, nemesis and demonseed all have bamboo sandwiched around a fiberglass core, Rayne rate them as stiff, but they rate there DH top mounts as even stiffer, “Speed Stiff” they call it.
They do have a reputation for not de-laminating though but that talks more of durability than strength.
Basically the faster a board is designed to go the stiffer it will be, always a exception but…
I’m on the bigger side now,started body building a few years back,currently bulking now so putting on a bit more weight for the winter!
I run my dual setup on a landyachtz 9two5, so far so good,not alot of flex “which I like” and was around £100 I think for just the deck.
I’m 6’6" 300lbs I use a Raptor 1 deck that’s carbon fiber, I have no doubt the Raptor 2 will hold me fine once it gets here and I made a diy single 6355 board that gets me over 20mph with a cheap Amazon deck I had I home called rimable and it has only a slight flex with my weight.
Any downhill board will be super stiff, I tried a Loaded tesseract at billabong and I loved it super stiff no flex i almost bought it but I’m trying not to spend all my money on skateboard stuff
Edit: I did try a friend’s GTX and I honestly did not feel comfortable on it, it’s way to flexy I never ended up putting my full weight on it because I honestly thought it would break. But most other boards are surprisingly sturdy.
it is the most layers of composite Trampa offer, I’d also look at the trucks with solid axels. You can set them up with thane or pneumatic tires, with or without bindings
all comes down to your Steez
I don’t have any personal experience with either of those, sorry bro
yeah and like Mikey was eluding to, W will help stiffen things up as well
and bamboo is often kind of stiffer (less likely to fail), but with less pop than maple but it depends some manufacturing specs.
I have a few decks from them. I got a Talon 37 with dual carbon fiber top and bottom with a nice orange tint. Weight is not an issue, but was expensive.
Here’s where I purchased my 9two5 from for £100,the price might have gone up a bit,very quick delivery though in the uk/eu,and im tellin you man the 9two5 is a no flex zone!!
They also have the switch/switchblade.
and bamboo is often kind of stiffer (less likely to fail), but with less pop than maple but it depends some manufacturing specs.