Ride Kink

It's finally been getting chilly up here and everybody is getting stoked for the upcoming season. Premieres have been going on for the past few weekends starting off with Absinthe's "Neverland", Sandbox Films' "Shine On" and finally the ski flick "Wild Stallions" from Meathead Films (props to my fellow Champlain student Ian Compton on his part in that vid!). So now with all this hype about the '09/'10 season I have only one option; get into the good stuff and start reviewing some hardgoods!

I figured I'd start things off with a board that was/is near and dear to my heart: the Ride "Kink". I had originally walked into my local Eastern Boarder to pick up a new Rome "Artifact". Now don't get me wrong, one of my friends had an Artifact and he loved it, plus I think the bronze edges are a really cool idea, but after thinking about it, I wondered: "Do I really need that much flex?". I checked out some other rail/jib boards and talked to Earl about it and he pointed me in the direction of the Kink. It was love at first sight.

This board became my freestyle weapon of choice. It was a true twin, making it great for riders who like to switch things up a lot. With nice snap in the tip, it made popping up onto rails a breeze and giving the board a nice and fun feel when just buttering around. One of the things I liked most about the board's flex was that it still felt solid underfoot. Personally, I don't want a board to feel like rubber between my feet. With the Kink, it had enough flex when jibbing around but felt nice and solid on boardslides with a true skate feel. Another feature that I liked about the board was the urethane Slimewalls. They really dampened landing impact and softened contact with rails. Basically, this board was a total rail and jib slayer.

My only gripe with this board is its base. Its pretty obvious that this is a cheap rail board meant to be used, abused, and eventually replaced. Mine held up decently through the first season with a few nicks and scratches in the base, but into my second season with the board it really started to get beat up. It seemed like even the softest tree jib or other rough surface would put a core shot in my base. On top of this, the various colors of p-tex were not sealed well, creating a seam along the designs and lettering on the base. All it took was one good core shot to open that seam, which then continued to split all along the edge of a letter on my base. This crack in my base allowed moisture to enter and freeze, causing my wood core to splinter. I now have an irreparable crack/bump in my base, making regular mountain riding pointless. This board still works great for pre- and post-season rail jams (as long I don't catch on that bump while doing a boardslide) and I think it's a great board for its price range (around $330-$350, usually $200 for the previous year model).

The Bottom Line:

Pros

• Good board for a reasonable price
• Nice and flexible but still feels solid underfoot

Cons

• Poor base construction
• Slightly heavier board

Rating: 7/10