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Flowlab Flowboard 32" X-Games Special Edition SURF WITHOUT WAVES RIDE WITHOUT SNOW! The Flowboard is an alternative skateboard that simulates the feeling of both surfing and snowboarding and is like no other land board that you will skate. Flowboards have a funny profile and the wheels are brightly colored but trust me it works well for what it s made for. Its responsive and loads of fun! The Flowlab 32-in flowboard showcases an innovative 14-wheeled Deep Carve System (DCS) that allows you to carve with the rhythm and flow of snowboarding and surfing. The pure geometry lets you carve to 45 degree angles with no resistance and smooth fluid transitions edge to edge. The board is set-up with a 7-ply Maple deck Killer compound wheels and ABEC 5 bearings. Features: Dimension: 32"L x 9.25" W Deck: 7-Ply maple deck with griptape. Symmetrical design w concave Hardware: Fully assembled DCS truck set with mounting hardware and risers Wheels: 72mm x 24mm 80a Premium U.S. wheels Flowboard Review from About.com: The Flowboard by Flowlab is a large skateboard-style deck with two unique trucks that each hold seven wheels fixed in an arch. The result is a skateboard that turns and flows in a different way than more traditional pin trucks with two wheels each. In fact the feeling is so odd that you really have to try it to understand the difference. After using the Flowboard I started to gain an appreciation for the uniqueness of this alternative skateboard. The arch of wheels means there is no loosening or tightening your trucks - it s all about how much you dig in your heel or toe edge. Furthermore it s not that the wheels change direction so much as your weight and the force you push with curve the board into a new direction. It feels far more like snowboarding than any other alternative skateboard that I ve tried. Deep Carve System: Flowboards are built around a special Deep Carve System (DCS) - that s the title for their patented arch-of-wheels trucks. These trucks have 7 wheels each so there are 14 all together. That s a lot of wheels! The result is that you are always able to roll back and forth from heel edge to toe edge and able to gain a much deeper carve than when on a skateboard with trucks. In fact you can cut sharp enough to drag the edge of the board if you need to! Another bonus is the ability to check your speed while going downhill by transferring from wheels that are moving to ones that aren t. The entire system looks strange but works very well. 32" Size Flowboard: Flowboards come with three different sizes of decks. The 32" is great for smaller riders or for people who want to feel more like they are on a skateboard. It s a little more shaped on the sides and comes gripped with a stripe missing down the middle. The 32" is just the right size to try tricks with. If you are looking for the smoothest transition from skateboard to Flowboard I suggest the 32". Flowlab Support: When you buy a Flowboard you also get a pile of support through the Flowlab website that a lot of new flowboard owners might miss. The Flowlab site is chuck full of instruction help videos and to top it all off everyone who buys a Flowboard gets a free one-year membership to the National Flowboard Association. Now of course these guys made the association but they also give you a free pack of stickers a T-Shirt and a DVD! For more money your membership can even be upgraded for extra wheels cheaper replacement parts and more cool Flowboard swag. The Bottom Line: All in all I gotta say that these guys have impressed me. The flowboard is a strange monster but it s fun to ride. It mimics snowboarding and surfing better than any other board I ve used and it provides a strangely natural way to carve. Add to that all of the support that these guys give and you have a pretty safe bet. If you are looking for a board to cross train on if you are looking for something fun to bomb hills with or if you are looking for a new unique skateboard I recommend trying out the Flowboard. You won t be disappointed.
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