RoeRacing CK30-Concave Kicktail board!

[Martin Drayton]

I just had one arrive yesterday afternoon and it looks wicked! Sadly the computer that I am on will not attach pics (it just freezes), but I'm working on it.
You can see it on the Roe site, but mine is black instead of yellow...nice. Drilled on the tail and an 18" and 19" wheelbase, it will work for a variety of courses. Judi Oyama has used it to good effect on Hybrid and GS and loved its control and stability.

There is a nice subtle concave in the nose area and lots of space for the more generously endowed in the foot department. This also gives multiple drilling options for TS and Hybrid/Special courses. I will be using mine as a test bed to push the design envelope as much as possible, so don't be surprised to see it looking like a piece of Swiss Cheese eventually! I feel that this design definately has "quiver-killer" potential. This would be great, a good-looking inexpensive board that replaces at least 2 boards in your quiver!

The tail is a nice angle and the board fits into the same area of the market as the Axe and the Skaterbuilts...its just, IMHO, much easier on the eye! Beautiful lines and beautifully finished....just might have to get one in foam now...

I will get to ride it pretty soon....just need the rain to stop.

[Martin Drayton]

This is the new baby....

For the rest of the pics taken from "naked" to mounted:
http://s59.photobucket.com/albums/g281/ ... ?start=all
If it doesn't link straight through...
PASSWORD: maya
Then go to "skate pics album"
It should get ridden tonight...
Enjoy!

[Rick Floyd]

Sort of reminds me of a more rounded off Pavel Roadster shape - nice! I've been feeling the need for more tail width under my size 11.5 foot. Grazing a cone with the smooth edge of a deck will leave it standing or slightly displaced, whereas a "pop" with my heel or toe sends it flying. That shape in carbon/foam would be niiiiice.

[Martin Drayton]

Hi Rick,
These days boards are becoming more and more functional, wide where they need to be, reduced where there is no need for width. The CK has a varied heritage... Lots of ideas from the team, influence from Richie Carrasco etc.
My personal input came from my experience with the Turner Eurofighter which I designed, and then my custom Roe TS shape and the foam kicktail that I subsequently attached , which also widened the tail.
http://www.slalomskateboarder.com/phpBB ... php?t=2385
I wouldn't be surprised if you notice quite a few shapes around not dissimilar to Paul's Roadster design...
Quicktime:http://media.libsyn.com/media/iskateboard/issue40.mov
Windows Media:http://media.libsyn.com/media/iskateboard/issue40.wmv
Have a look at one of CBarks protos for example!

I know your background is Alpine Snowboarding and it seems there that function has, to most people's eye, left all boards looking the same! Long live variety!
If you get to try a CK at some point, I think your size 11.5's will love all the space at the front plus it also has more room at the back than most of its muses.
Hope you enjoy this racing scene as much Rick! see you around.

[Martin Drayton]

Here are some pics of it mounted with a 20" wheelbase for tighter Hybrid or European Special courses. It is proving to be a real quiver-killer!

here it is showing the concave:

And here showing the kicktail and GOG set-up!

As they say at the house of the Golden Arches...."I'm lovin' it!"

[Martin Drayton]

As an experiment, I re-drilled the tail on my test-sled....(poor thing looks like Swiss Cheese now) and brought the rear truck forward an inch. Re-mounted it at 18" wheelbase and found that you DIDN'T need a big foot to take up the space at the front as the front truck is now further forward. The board was perfectly balanced,super stable and responsive in 5ft and 5.5ft straight.
The board makes total sense, the kicktail cradles the back foot, the nose concave is subtle, but very well positioned...in fact the first board I have had in years that I haven't felt the need to build up with C-Foam.
Very happy indeed and will set a nasty offset course this week of 5.5ft flushes,6ft offsets with diagonals, step-overs, curves etc and 5ft stingers and see what happens!

[ben hall]

right this post clinches it, i am going to buy this board, what would you recomend setting it up with? i have emailed roe but they havnt got back to me yet.

really useful post


Thanks




Ben

[Martin Drayton]

I always suggest going with your current set-up when first trying a new deck, gives you a chance to really test the deck itself.
I like to have the trucks and wheels pretty flush with the sides of the deck from a balance point of view...so maybe racetracks, skennets/bennets....or if you can find them splits or GOGs. As for wheels....I have a personal preference for 3DM's over Abec 11's, just feel that they hold their speed longer over time. The Zigs may (or may not) be faster out of the box, but for me the speed dropped off over time. If you are lucky enough to crack out a new set regularly then no prob!
have fun!

[ben hall]

yeha. at the moment i have a bahne blackhill, with seismic front and a rts rear, and 3dm's which are awesome wheels,

im stil waitng for roe to reply though, ive emailed thme before and they havnt got back to me. Oh well

if they dont reply soon i will strongly consider buying a subsonic

Cheers



Ben

[Eric Brammer]

Ben, as Martin said, run what you're used to, truck/wheel wise, for now.

The nose on the Roe is very responsive to steering input, so you may find that your front truck will feel 'looser', but since it's a Seismic, go EASY on adjustments to the springs (1/4 turn at a time, per set-screw). Wedge the front up to where you're comfy, but really, don't go overboard; 15* would be the steepest I'd recommend, which gives you a 60* steer/lean angle [45* + 15*], but probably a 10* wedge would be enough.

The rear is trickier, as you'll stack wedges to give the Tracker a negative-wedge set-up. The tail is about 12*, so -12* would be flat, and I usually prefer to see RTS's set with -12* as that puts the kingpin at almost vertical alignment. That's a hefty -24* of rear wedge! (this also means Looong rear screws; be sure to check these often)

Khiro's Rail Wedge Kit is the best bet, and you'll want 2-3 thin flat Rubber 'shock pads' in between the risers and deck, risers and truck, to help keep the tall stack from shifting side-to-side. Again, due to the added steer/lean input, your Tracker might feel a tad soft at first, so have a wrench, maybe a stiffer bushing kit on hand when dialing it in.

Lastly, once you've had a few days on this deck, mark where your front foot likes to be, and add a toeblock. With a well set Toeblock, this board can Drive, even climb hill hills while pumping.

Near future, look into an 8mm axled truck for the rear (like Airflow, or a Geezer-X mod Tracker, though if money isn't an issue, look at both Radikal and GOG). Get the rear first, as that's where the traction is at. Turnier fronts are available, though Bennett would be high on my list, I'd think a front Radikal would be as good as it gets ,but we'll see, the Fyre from Chaput may give that a good run-for-the-money.

If Roe dosen't respond quickly enough for you, the Subsonics are very good boards. Scott does great work, with great options. My only kvetch is his preferred use of Birch over snappier-flexing woods like Maple or Hickory. Otherwise, that's a company I always feel confident in recommending.

[fabrice andré]

I've tried to contact Roe at this email : sales@roeslalom.com several times about a cutsom carbon version of the CK-30, but didn't get any answer

Anyone here can answer my question or give me a correct email ?

thanks