Which Roe?

[Bradley Elfman]

Martin,

Thanks. Yes this helps a lot. It is not just the answers per se that are helpful, but understanding the concepts involved. At this time having a more forgiving board will be more useful to me, and understanding that I can make corrections is also helpful.

The question of which holes is use now makes more sense to me.

[Martin Drayton]

I'm old, I get confused....Sorry Brad!
Which holes you use (its usually drilled 20 & 21"), depends on the type of courses you are going to run. You can run 6ft on the 20" as a newbie but that might be tricky at first. I would suggest starting with the narrower wheelbase and setting a straight course of about 7ft, then working tighter from there.
Then another option is to then space the 7ft cones to each side off the center line of the course to practice offsets.
The longer wheelbase when you start doing higher speed courses where the cones are further apart ie Hybrid/GS.

By "unforging"...In terms of board behavior going through a course... A foam/torsion core will give you snappier response, more precise control and ultimately (ideally) a tighter, faster line.
A more forgiving board will feel a little looser and feel less precise, however if you make a small mistake or need to adjust your line at speed, it will allow you to do that...The foam probably won't at this stage.

My advice to you would be to go for a Performance series to start with. Hope this helps...

[Marcos Soulsby-Monroy]

I ride a roe Unlimited PS. It was drilled at 19 and 20 inches for me instead of the standard wheel bases. I find this board to be excellent for both hybrid and tight (6 to 7 foot centers) slalom. I is nice and wide and has a lot of room to maneuver your feet if needed and provides a great snap that shows no real sign of relaxing yet, I have had the Roe for about 2 years now . . . I think. A lot of my friends ride and swear by Pocket Pistols but those are too stiff for me.

Marcos Texas Outlaws

[Bradley Elfman]

Martin,

Could you elaborate on what you mean by forgiving vs unforgiving in terms of board behavior when I am going thru the cones.

[Martin Drayton]

Hi Mike,
I own both types of Roe and this is what I have worked out so far...

WOOD-Great at absorbing road irregularities, forgiving due to the board having the ability to twist torsionally (along an axis nose to tail). Tough. Gives you a bit of leeway especially if you are fairly new to all this. At the same time podium proven, as Gary Fluitt won the Slalom event at the Worlds last year on a stock PS Unlimited (ON A ROUGHISH SURFACE)!

FOAM/TORSION CORE-Superlight, easy to move around, but very powerful! Torsionally very stiff (this is irrespective of the flex chosen), and therefore much more precise, and therefore less forgiving. This is the construction Michael Dong repeatedly takes to the podium in TS.

Either way you cannot lose, the boards are truly beautifully produced, and personally and from the experience of those at our Thursday sessions, more lively than the E-series PP's.
The PP's are fantastic value for the money, but IMHO you need to go to their foam cores to get podium-placing performance.

[Bradley Elfman]

Mike,

Everybody's talking, but I have to ask: are you thinking of the flexible wood-core Performance Series (PS) or the foam core Roes?

Two completely different performance characteristics and definetely two different price ranges.

Can someone elaborate on WT comment above about the difference in performance characteristics between the PS and foam core Roes. What should I expect if I have a PS Unlimited rather than a foam core Unlimited, and what does this say about how I would pump the PS, or what I should expect the PS Unlimited to do or not to do. The Roe site, for some odd reason, has no description of the differences between the PS and foam core other than construction.

[Gareth Roe]

Mike -
I would recommend the medium flex. This will ride a tad on the stiff side for a 30" deck and your weight of 130lbs. Which is what you most likely want for TS.

Its great to hear what others have to say.

Thanks!
Gareth Roe

[Mike River]

Out of 6 or 7 PS Roes I tried, PS Crossfire stands out. Stiff flex, low camber should be good for your weight.

Do you mean that I should get the Stiff flex (as defined on the purchase options on the website) or that the flex of the boards is generally stiff.
Thanks. Mike

[Vlad Popov]

Out of 6 or 7 PS Roes I tried, PS Crossfire stands out. Stiff flex, low camber should be good for your weight.

[Steve Collins]

... now that you mention it, I always advocate the local mom-n-pop over any big box warehouse store like home depot or osh. I'd rather give my money to the guy who cares and really has a stake in the neighborhood.

My local store, South Shores Hardware, sells black semi-gloss high-bonding spray paint for $3.49. It's all over my Roe. It covers my Cal Hybrid. After I finish redoing the wheel wells it will be on my Chicken Dagger. Only time will tell if it gets to the Brown Bomber.

BUY LOCAL!

[Marty Schaub]

Steve shops at Home Depot....

[Steve Collins]

Well if graphics don't appeal to you then a Pistol is out!!!!!

Don't be afraid to modify your deck. Choose the BEST DECK and then paint over it if you need to. A can of black spray paint will cost you all of $4.

[Marty Schaub]

Well if graphics don't appeal to you then a Pistol is out!!!!!

[Mike River]

Mike,

Everybody's talking, but I have to ask: are you thinking of the flexible wood-core Performance Series (PS) or the foam core Roes?

Two completely different performance characteristics and definetely two different price ranges.

Im thinking of a ps model. Im fairly new to the scene, I only been doing slalom for about two months now. So I dont feel that I realy need to spend so much money on a top end deck. The PS Roe appeals to me as they custom make the board and it has good construction that will last me a long time. And they have a nice minimalist asthetic, I never was one for arty attitude graphics.

[Wesley Tucker]

Mike,

Everybody's talking, but I have to ask: are you thinking of the flexible wood-core Performance Series (PS) or the foam core Roes?

Two completely different performance characteristics and definetely two different price ranges.

[Joe Iacovelli]

Mike,

For tight, or worse yet, English Tight, the s camber is a perfect choice. If you want to go all around more, but still keep it tight, the crossfire would again be an excellent choice. I own both of these decks as well as pocket pistols, Icks, and turners for what it's worth.

Joe

[Steve Collins]

I had a Roe unlimited foam core that was really bouncy. Thats supposedly been fixed in the newer "torsion cores".

I still have a Crossfire PS (solid wood), it's a good deck.

On the other hand, I have 2 PPS e-series decks that completely blow all the Roes I've ridden out of the water. No comparison. I recommend the PPS e-series most highly. They are an incredibly good deal.

I've also ridden the newest PPS "wake & bake" model, an awesome deck. PPS foam cores have an excellent flex feel.

Can't comment on the Hester or S-Camber.

[Marty Schaub]

Not to dissuade you from Roe, but have you checked Pocket Pistols and Sk8Kings AXE yet? I was first headed to Roe and still like the look. But I now have two PPS's in my race bag, one for GS/Hybrid & one for TS. Chicken does a fine job, give them a look for an informed purchase.

Have fun pumping......

[Mike River]

So im saving to upgrade (from a bahne deck) and get a Roe. I have refined my choice down to the Hester or the crossfire and I half think about the s-camber. Would any body with experience of these boards like to reply? I would like to know how they compare with each other. I have read the roe review posts but theres not much cross comparison goin on.
IM only a little guy, 130lbs 5' 8 tall. and I do tight slalom.
Cheers. mike.