Tammi’s unHoly Union – Union Bindings 2012

Year Seven. Stronger. Yeah I know, using the companies own tag line is ridiculously lame and less than original, so shoot me, I am going somewhere with this! Back in the day More »

Ride Snowboards 2012 – You’re off your Rocker son!

In the early days Ride Snowboards consisted of a couple of guys, a fair amount of pizza and hand counting screws to package for the Preston Bindings range, pretty small fry if More »

Ride DH 2.6 2012 – Get Nuts

The Artist Series only hits selected stores and graphics are kept as classified as a Defcon 4, generally only being revealed a few weeks before delivery day and only being available in More »

Analog Transpose 4 Rideable Fleece

Still going strong in it’s forth year, the Analog Transpose 4 is back and ready to ride. There’s not much room for improvement on perfection but a few cheeky tweaks never hurt More »

Nick’s Review of the 2012 Never Summer Evo

The low down… Okay, So I hear we’re getting the new Never Summer boards in to test at Born Extreme. Already I’m excited about the EVO, the graphics look sick and the More »

Madd gets Mental – The Brand New Madd VX2 Scooters are ALIVE!

Not that long ago a phenomenon (known as Madd) hit the UK with Jedi like force and point blank refused to sit down and behave, bringing with it the strongest of statements and promises of being bigger, better and generally kicking the competitions ass up and down the globe. It raised an eyebrow or two and you possibly didn’t believe these crazy Aussies, we had our doubts too. Turns out, they were bang on the money and delivered every last promise, well they have more :O Madd VX2 has arrived people! Read on to find out why the Madd VX2 Scooters excel the competition!

Being leaders in the scooter industry, you’d think that there wouldn’t be much room for improvement right? Wrong, very wrong my friends! The creative kids at Madd HQ are slightly unhinged shall we say and they’ve been up to no good as usual. They have tweaked, nipped, tucked, pimped, penged and dialled until finally, finally Madd VX2 was spawned. This time, they’ve created a monster, a big one.

Let’s start somewhere like what ‘tweaks’ can we expect…Well, all Madd VX2 models will include a brand spankingly new fluted deck (fully loaded with grind rails….ohhh yeahhh!) and a scalloped 82.5 degree downtube, this combo only means one thing, light and solid as rock! To keep you tail-whipping like a boss, expect to see an FSA headset as standard, yeah that’s right FSA baby on ALL Madd VX2’s! What!? Rounding off your whip nicely is the brand new two tone Shocktape, giving you a mega squidgy landing. All models come with their own unique tweaks so there’s something for everyone.

Kicking off is the Madd VX2 Pro (formerly Base) comes with all of the above and an Affix Integrated Bar Clamp System, an FSA B53 headset, pro forks, VX2 alloy brake system and 18.5” adjustable 2pc bars…and that’s just for starters…

The all round favourite Team has been cleverly renamed the Madd VX2 Team, of course!? Keeping the Team happy comes in the shape of curved Y2 bars, an improved brake system that is shorter, closer to the wheels and rockin’ a much better angle with two bolts to boot ;) …not to mention the graphics which make the hatter himself look sane.

Stealthing nicely into place are the Ninja 4.0 and Ninja 4.5..shhhhh Flying in on their 21” Bat Wings, the Ninja’s are black on black on black on black (anodised in case you were wondering), laser etched graphics, improved brake system, gorilla grips, HIC, FSA Orbit Headsets and rad 110mm Ninja Aero Wheels. For the kid on a mission.

Moving on we have the Nitro which isn’t any normal Nitro. Now known as the Nitro End Of Days; A spectacular machine straight out of the box. The Nitro End Of Days is a serious bit of kit for the serious rider. Rocking a 4.5” deck VX2 nitro fluted deck, HIC, 3D forged forks, improved brake system, anodised with laser etched graphics and 110mm EoD aero wheels. Sup Player?

Now, last but not least is the Nitro Extreme She Devil. Aptly named, the She Devil is not for the faint hearted with lava-hot graphics, FSA Orbit C integrated headset, 3D forged forks, improved brake system, gorilla grips, HIC, anodised with laser etched graphics, cut outs (top only) and 110mm She Devil aero wheels…ride like a BOSS.

To find out more about these hyper rides and check out the new look VX2′s Click Here :)

Tammi’s unHoly Union – Union Bindings 2012

Year Seven. Stronger. Yeah I know, using the companies own tag line is ridiculously lame and less than original, so shoot me, I am going somewhere with this!

Back in the day when petrol didn’t require remortgaging, Union Bindings were sure on one thing, creating a binding for snowboarders that thrash the living daylights out of their kit and expect it to take it like a man. Well why not!? Year one saw the impossible created, an elite binding that was nukeproof and then some, and with a platform of that calibre to go on, only good things could happen!

In the two years following the birth of awesome, the restless creative bods at Union go out their chemistry kits and submerged themselves into material development, design processing and improving on perfection…impossible? Not at all, it seems injecting magnesium and machine coring to increase strength and also cutting out excess weight was to be the way forward. This alongside exclusively working with Dupont Zytel ST * made sure that Union Bindings were in it for the long haul. Throw what you like at them. Go on.

The reoccurring fact about Union Bindings is that they keep going from strength to strength with only a few minor tweaks, nips and tucks here and there. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it right!? There’s no wonder that right now, year seven, the Pro Team consists of some of the sickest riders in the world and they all have a hand in the design, fit and performance that us mere humans get to ride….just like them :D (unfortunately will not automatically turn on Scott Stevens steeze….boooo)

 The toe strap from the DLX (rocked by Joe Sexton) has been rolled out across the entire range this year,  giving you the best fit and the best tweakability to date and the comfort factor is second to none as per across the board. It’s actually Scott Stevens’ fault, rumour has it (thanks for the inside info!) that he used to cut the middle out of his toe strap for better lock in, Thank-You Sleepy Stevens! So if you’re in the market for new gear then hit Union Bindings UP, you’ll be hooked. From the carbon infused Union MC to the minimalist rail rat favourite Union DLX, there’s a Union for everyone and make sure you check out the sweetest, far out colab range you’ll ever see! Not forgetting the hard charging chicks, oh no…Union have the ladies on LOCK with the Trilogy, Milan, Flite Lady and Cadet so you can show the bro’s how it’s goin’ down :) a personal favourite of mine being the Trilogy which is s a super hybrid of the Men’s counterpart Asadachi and the Force, uniquely tweaked for a Women specific design, the Trilogy will excel.

Yeah, yeah, so we like them, some of the best riders in the world like them, why are you still here? Want to know the reason Danny Kass, Scott Stevens, Gigi Ruf, TJ Schneider, Dustin Craven, Dan Brisse, Joe Sexton and Jess Kimura ride Union Bindings? Get out and ride Union….now!

One thing is for sure, they’ll probably last longer than your current…..Click Here to view Union for yourself!

*a clever Nylon Resin that can take a serious beasting & ST is short for Super Tough…. :O

Rat Scooters Rat-A-Tat-Tat

Depending on who you believe, you are never further away than 10 feet or 3 feet from a rat…well now they’re even closer, in fact, at this moment in time, I have two in front of me and hundreds behind me :S Good job I’m talking scooter goodies. Rat Scooters have exploded on the scene and spread quicker than the bubonic plague and twice as gnarly. With scooter companies cropping up left right and center, it’s hard to determine which brands are good, which are bad an which ones are downright ugly! Even at a quick glance, we knew these guys meant business, I mean they use 6063 Aluminium for goodness sake which is aircraft grade, YES aircraft! Insanity! There are not many other companies doing the same unfortunately, making Rat Scooters among the leaders in the market for strength and durability. It doesn’t end there, the bolts used to secure their collar clamps,stunt pegs and forks are high tensile…hurrah (for the heavier handed out there who can round off a bolt just by looking at it)! Mentioning no names….moving swiftly on! As if life couldn’t get any sweeter, Rat Scooters have tossed boring colourways aside and given us something good to look at, from the Halloween inspired Orange on Black Blade Wheel to the Black on Red/Black Blade Triple Core Wheel, it’s like Christmas for your eyes! Wohooo!

Now, I could write all day long about how awesome they look but when it comes down to the nitty gritty of how they perform, I thought it better in the hands of a few hardcore pro riders whose main mission in this test was to DESTROY!!! Imagine the smirks they got back at base when they came back fuming with all wheels, clamps and pegs in tact…man did they try….and fail! Haha!



When asked what they thought the flow of positives was nothing short of amazing…sick, sweet, peng & fit to name a few! Bouncy was an interesting one but the explanation was simple, the PU used (88a unless specified differently) is extremely ‘bouncy’ making the impact of landing hard disperse over a greater area, therefore not shocking the cores and not de-hubbing, a little miracle!

So, you’ve read our collective views on Rat Scooters, all that’s left is for you to get out and shred RAT!!

Click Here to see the full range of Rat Scooter Accessories

Ride Snowboards 2012 – You’re off your Rocker son!

In the early days Ride Snowboards consisted of a couple of guys, a fair amount of pizza and hand counting screws to package for the Preston Bindings range, pretty small fry if you think about it….well that was in the winter of 1992/1993, nineteen whole glorious seasons ago. From the beginning (and countless stories of mischief and mayhem in between) Ride Snowboards are still repping as hard as ever.

 

Everyone is welcomed into the Ride Snowboards family with a big snowboardery hug and a slap in the direction of the nearest snow. Whether you had your first Ride set-up as a grom or your a week away from your hundredth birthday still charging the mountain on your Slackcountry UL . Their passion for snowboarding, family, friends  and the ability to turn the most mundane of tasks into something truly spectacular and fun beyond ridiculousness is what keeps them at the forefront, no question.

 

Charging into the 2011/2012 season is the Hybrid Twin technology seen in the Ride Arcade UL, DH 2 and the DH 2.6 (not forgetting the wides!) Predominantly park and pipe boards, the new Hybrid Twin shape features a micro rocker in the tip and tail and a level micro-camber zone between the feet allowing for all-mountain versatility. This offers elite response, banging pop and an undertow of stability like no other! Keeping the pow junkies happy is the new Hybrid All Mountain Rocker. By placing the rocker in the nose and extending the micro-camber zone under the feet and through to the tail, it allows for a floatier more surfy feel yet remaining grippy, responsive and ultra stable for all riding conditions.

 

 

One of the favourites among many is the Lowrize Rocker which lifts the contact points out of the snow and has an almost flat zone under foot making it one of the raddest all mountain freestyle rockers around! Featured in Ride Snowboards 2012 Machete, Compact, Crush, Rapture, Agenda, Lowride and Blush. Get Some!

 

Flying the HighRize flag solo this year is the Slackcountry UL, killing it as a powder board with a slightly higher nose rocker. The HighRize Rocker dominates powder and is at home slashing groomers too, oh and you can ride it switch, if you can that is ;)

 

Sliding us nicely into the ProRize rocker that nestles smugly into the Buckwild and the DHK, the ProRize is twin in shape with a minimal rocker and a longer flat stable zone that extends beyond into tip and tail. Finishing our little rocker rendition is last but not least the LowPro which has a directional profile rocker up front and a stable flat pro rise out back, like a backwards mullet! A nice forgiving entry into the mind-boggling world of the rocker!

 

There really is no wonder that Ride Snowboards are winners of two Transworld Good Wood Awards 2012 for the Ride Manic and Ride Compact. The Manic winning Men’s best all mountain under $399 and the Compact winning best Women’s park board under $399.

 

To check out the very latest boards from Ride for 2012 in all their graphically awesome amazingness! Click here y’all Ride Snowboards

 

Ride DH 2.6 2012 – Get Nuts

The Artist Series only hits selected stores and graphics are kept as classified as a Defcon 4, generally only being revealed a few weeks before delivery day and only being available in painfully low quantities. All adding to the ‘must have’ hype, however, the Ride DH2.6 is not just a pretty base.

 

From the beginning…..

 

The DH2.1 was the first of the Artist Series from Ride choosing Mike Z for his razor-edge accuracy and his ability to absorb the diversity of his surroundings and put it on paper or in this case, on board. Revealed on September 15th 2009, the DH2.1 set the benchmark higher than the twitchy kid from down the street. Hot on its heel edge was of course the DH2.2. The DH2.2 designed by Art Chantry dropkicked its way into the season with an unorthodox graphic design edge and scrappy punk-rock undertone. Ready for war as standard. Finishing the 09/10 Season with his screen-printing mastery and love for graffiti was Shawn O’Keefe. A snowboard to be admired both on and off the hill. Although to keep it on a wall without even riding it would be a crime!

 

The general feeling to the DH2.1-2.3 is very stable board, nice to ride! Transitions were smooth thanks to the slimewalls and Ollies amazingly due to the PopRods. Not the softest of boards in the world but it doesn’t need to be.

 

Kicking off the 2010/2011 season came Dethkills, clad in paint stained clothing and wielding sharpies, their trademark typography and repeated layering gave the DH2.4 an almost murderous demeanor, a graphic that reflected the boards awesomeness at every angle. The DH2.5 barely touched the shelves before worldwide sellout, thanks to some pretty hot girl-on-devil action. All created by Artist Coop who has a penchant for subverting the mainstream and has produced everything from rock posters to album covers. Clients including Nirvana and The Ramones, yes really! Cool story bro….

 

In order to take the Ride DH 2.6 Artist Series to the next level significant changes have been made for the Ride DH 2.6 and the 2012 season. They’ve taken the drama out of it by replacing the LowRize with the ProRize Rocker. Not that drama isn’t fun, we all love a bit of drama…..there’s just a time & a place for it. The Ride DH 2.6 can handle pretty much everything from hard carving to terrain parks and everything in between thanks to the sensational mixture of a stable camber zone between both bindings and the ingenious micro-rocker zones which keep contact points elevated. The new 2.0 PopRods are rumoured to do the impossible, deliver the exact crazy amount of pop with a ‘sweet-like cherry pie’ serving of damping, you know like snappy but not as much as the Mom-In-Law :O

 

The Ride DH 2.6 has a rare ‘have your cake and eat it’ vibe, promising stability, playfulness and the very best benefits of a rocker all wrapped up in hard-charging attitude and edge. It’s the nuts. To see more tech details click here Ride DH 2.6