• 02-11-2004
    zoltan
    burton baron, ride nation, or illuminati prototype?
    ok, it's down to three boards and i'm really up in the air about which one to get. so i figured i'd let you'all choose for me. i'm 6', 145 pounds, and have a size 11 foot.

    ride nation - $335 - brand new. it's a mid-wide which will slow it down edge to edge but it has a shallow side cut (8.6m) which should make it even slower. not sure why ride did that, but i don't want a board i'll be waiting for to get itself on edge.

    burton baron - $300 - slightly used. it's the widest of the three at 25.8mm, but it has a nice deep side cut (8m) which should keep it fairly fast. i really like burton as a company.

    illuminati prototype - $335 - brand new. it the narrowest of the three at 25.5mm and, i think, has the best number. good progressive side cut. it has sidewalls, which i like, and is probably my favorite of the three. they're made in the usa, and i've never heard anything bad about them, but i haven't heard that much about them period. it's a small company and i'm unsure of their quality. www.ill23.com
  • 02-12-2004
    MARK
    Understand that sidecut depth isn't going to directly affect edge to edge quickness. The deeper the sidecut of a board is, the shorter the distance it will take to turn when on edge. This could be good or bad depending on the style of riding the person likes. A deeper sidecut will turn more quickly, but can be less stable at higher speeds. While more stable at higher speeds for freeridng, a shallow sidecut will not turn in quite as short of a distance when compared to a deeper sidecut. In general, the wider a waist on a given length becomes, it can often be seen that the turning radius becomes larger as well. The Nation is designed primarily for freeriding which is why it doesn't have a super deep radius.