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Mantrax 98 Skiboards 2013/2014

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  • Mantrax 98 Skiboards 2013/2014

    In a continuation of evaluating lesser known brands, one of my projects of this season will be riding and reviewing the wider version of the Mantrax skiboards from the Czech Republic. (They do an asymetrical thinner 99 as well as a 75 version) During this season I'll use this thread to update people on progress and hopefully before the end of the season I'll post a review to skiboardsreviews.com.

    They are the product of David Zak at skiboard.cz. Published measuresments are length of 98cm with a width of 140-110-140mm. The 4x4 bindings are center with no set-back facility. The retail for €148 and are available in seven different graphic designs.

    The boards arrived today and here are the first photos. This is the Octopus variant.




    Mantrax is depicted on the base which is a nice touch.





    This is the larger octopus on the top-side.


    I did a quick check on the camber and it appears to be about 3.5mm.

    First test ride is schedules for end of September. More reports after that...
    Current: '20 Spruce Slingshot 119s, '20 Spruce Crossbow 115s, '18 Spruce Osprey 132s (touring), '21 Rvl8 SII 104s, '21 Summit Invertigos 118s
    Also: '11 Allz Elaila 94s, '12 Rvl8 Rockered Condor 110s, '15 Spruce Osprey 132s , '18 Spruce Crossbow 115s
    Previous: Gaspo Hot Wax 84s, Mantrax 98s, Summit Nomad 99s, Spruce Yellow 120s, Eman Uprise 104s

  • #2
    Met up with valmorel & gromit yesterday morning, but could not ride due to a lighting issue at Snozone. Managed to go back late in the afternoon foe a 2h test session. The problem with riding between 4pm & 6pm is that it is the last snow before being regroomed for the evening session, so it tends to feel slow and it does affect testing conditions. Anyhow, some initial feedback based upon boards straight out of the box without any tuning:

    - They felt slow (probably the condition of the snow, my kids complained too).

    - Carving was good. They turned when I wanted.

    - They survived bouncing over crud.

    - I survived (mostly) jumping over the few features that were available.

    - Capped construction abd well finished (from gromit & valmorel)


    Next step is to wax them properly and to ensure the edges are sharp before returning for more testing at the end of this month.

    Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 4
    Current: '20 Spruce Slingshot 119s, '20 Spruce Crossbow 115s, '18 Spruce Osprey 132s (touring), '21 Rvl8 SII 104s, '21 Summit Invertigos 118s
    Also: '11 Allz Elaila 94s, '12 Rvl8 Rockered Condor 110s, '15 Spruce Osprey 132s , '18 Spruce Crossbow 115s
    Previous: Gaspo Hot Wax 84s, Mantrax 98s, Summit Nomad 99s, Spruce Yellow 120s, Eman Uprise 104s

    Comment


    • #3
      I sharpened the edges, gave them a good wax and got out there tonight again. The indoor snow was not in the greatest and the boards turned out to be a bit slow again bombing down the slope. Nothing wrong with their carving though. They managed to do some tight turns.

      They are getting another hot wax and I'll take them out for a run in a couple of weeks time again, before taking them to real slopes in December.

      I beginning to form the opinion that they are suited for beginners to intermediates. They will do well as a first set of skiboards for someone getting into the sport. THey have handled basic jumps quite well, and I would think they have suited for the park.
      Current: '20 Spruce Slingshot 119s, '20 Spruce Crossbow 115s, '18 Spruce Osprey 132s (touring), '21 Rvl8 SII 104s, '21 Summit Invertigos 118s
      Also: '11 Allz Elaila 94s, '12 Rvl8 Rockered Condor 110s, '15 Spruce Osprey 132s , '18 Spruce Crossbow 115s
      Previous: Gaspo Hot Wax 84s, Mantrax 98s, Summit Nomad 99s, Spruce Yellow 120s, Eman Uprise 104s

      Comment


      • #4
        Today's test quick feedback

        Background: The boards were waxed properly before taking them to the Jasna ski resort in Slovakia. Conditions were not great - lots of hardpack, lots of iced up European-blue pistes, quite a bit of loose snow on the Europen-red slopes. All the blacks at the resoirt currently do not have enough snow cover.

        Verdict: if you are beginner to intermediate and your local slope looks like the above quite a lot, the Maxtrax might just be an ideal set.

        People were falling all over the place today, but I never felt a worry. It took the icy slopes in its stride and carved happily through the heaps of loose snow that were around. If only fell over twice and in both cases it was due to me trying to carve hard on ice. In both cases the edges lost grip. I think this tends to happen more on cap-constructed boards like the Mantrax. In all other cases it was actually a surprising great ride

        These boards are on the stiffer side, and my quads were killing at the end of the day due to the

        Tomorrow it is back to the RCs to get a feel of how they will handle the same conditions.
        Current: '20 Spruce Slingshot 119s, '20 Spruce Crossbow 115s, '18 Spruce Osprey 132s (touring), '21 Rvl8 SII 104s, '21 Summit Invertigos 118s
        Also: '11 Allz Elaila 94s, '12 Rvl8 Rockered Condor 110s, '15 Spruce Osprey 132s , '18 Spruce Crossbow 115s
        Previous: Gaspo Hot Wax 84s, Mantrax 98s, Summit Nomad 99s, Spruce Yellow 120s, Eman Uprise 104s

        Comment


        • #5
          End of the season verdict:

          • Great board for beginners to intermediates
          • Best suited for groomers
          • Carves quite well, but not as well as Eman Uprise or RVL8 Revolts.
          • Will probably work in park, but cap-construction might be a deterrent for some.
          • Well-priced for the budget-conscious


          Full review to follow.
          Last edited by Greco; 03-20-2014, 04:26 PM.
          Current: '20 Spruce Slingshot 119s, '20 Spruce Crossbow 115s, '18 Spruce Osprey 132s (touring), '21 Rvl8 SII 104s, '21 Summit Invertigos 118s
          Also: '11 Allz Elaila 94s, '12 Rvl8 Rockered Condor 110s, '15 Spruce Osprey 132s , '18 Spruce Crossbow 115s
          Previous: Gaspo Hot Wax 84s, Mantrax 98s, Summit Nomad 99s, Spruce Yellow 120s, Eman Uprise 104s

          Comment

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