Eboard Vs StreetCarver

Skateboards are going in all directions these days, but here are two
recent entries in the skate corpus worth checking out. First is The
Wave which was launched with a rather cheesy informecial in the U.S.,
but is rather cheap (I bought a knock off of The Wave at a Taipei
surfshop for a meager 50 USD and it’s also got a better design than the
original). The Wave is quite simply a skateboard that’s been modified
to emulate the balance needed for surfing (or so goes the product pitch
I’m not much of a surfer yet). It’s main charm is that it turns any
street into an obstacle course of balance and speed. The Wave rests on
two wheels instead of four so you can easily steer just using the
balance of your body which can be exhilarating when going downhill and
convient for scooting through traffic. It’s only drawback is that
ollying and other common skateboard tricks are almost impossible (if
not impossible) becuase The Wave weighs so much more than a traditional
skateboard (although it has a series of suggestive bumps on the back
implying that little jumps might be possible with more practice), but
still if you’re looking to turn a local hill into a slalom it’s a fun
and enjoyable way to have a good time.

The BMW Streetcarver takes on an opposing look at skating. It’s made
of a series of interlocking gears and a large curved board that serves
to help steady your balance during turns. While The Wave is a cheap and
efficient way to achieve manuveriability on wheels, The StreetCarver
chooses to make itself more balancable, but does this by charging a
hefty price (retial price is around 600 USD in the U.S. more elsewhere)
it also has the problem that the faster you go the more of your body is
thrown against the speed of the turn (it nearly through me off once
just during a test drive). However the streetcarver has an elegance
(and a strangely BMW-esque heft) to it that makes it appealing not to
mention that it’s intended to be a practice board for snowboarders,
hence if you’re looking to practice during the off season or when there
is no snow around, the streetcarver might be the answer. A few reviews
I read on the internet also mentioned that the wheel size means the
board goes faster than a traditional skateboard and also might be
suitable for off road rolling, but the 39,000 baht price tag kept me
from buying hence I can only mildly recommend the street carver. While
it might look cool, The Wave is definitely the more affordable option.

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