the BMB

Sorry if this has been covered before.  I did a quick search but only came up with some threads from a couple of years ago.  Also, I know this isn't very Burton but couldn't really find any decent Libtech forums.  Anyway, enough with the apologies.....I'm trying to decide between a 156W or 156 Skate Banana and a 157 Travis Rice BTX.  Has anyone had any experience comparing these two?  I'm coming off of last years 158 Hero which I really loved in powder and playing in the park but found it a bit soft when at speed.  Also, the 255 waist width on my Hero barely fit my size 11 Ozones so I wouldn't mind sizing up a bit on the WW.  Any suggestions?  I ride mainly East Coast powder, if you could call it that, but really like playing around in the park on warm days.  I don't really spend too much time on groomers but do like having the option to haul ass when needed.  Thanks in advance for the help!  -Jersey-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tut7p9rIWGw

Hey thanks Greed!!! Definitely cleared things up a bit!

I found that funny.

Anyhow, I didn't really read what you wrote, but I think the Banana is a highly hyped board and people tend to fool themselves into believing it's great because they've tricked themselves into believing every other persons opinions.  I've heard (and mind you this is what I heard...have no personal experience) that the Banana is a good board, but there are much, much better options out there. 

Regarding the TRice, I have heard (again) that it's a tank, but a very well rounded board and very beefy.  I think if I was to purchase one of the two I'd go with a TRice simply because it seems to be more of a quiver killer than the Banana would be.

Sounds like you don't really like either? What would be some better options than BTX/C2 tech, in your opinion?  I'm definitely looking for some type of rocker and the MTX seems interesting. I will, however, miss the ICS/EST combo.  

Well in defense of Lib I haven't ridden too many of their boards so I can't comment on them really.  Are they bad boards, no, just not my cup of tea.

I'm the resident Rome goon and I stand by their boards and am a bit biased.

If you want a hybrid I strongly suggest looking at the new Rome Agent 1985.

PS: Rome has the new Quick Grip edge tech which is their own variation of a magnatraction. 

Gotcha......I don't really know too much about Rome.  Mainly, I was looking into LibTech.  I've been riding Burton for the past fifteen years or so but decided to bring LibTech into the shop I work at and really wanted to get on their product this year to gain some first hand experience.  Thanks for the help though! 

If you rode Burton and you want a change I strongly suggest looking into Rome.  That's what I did.

Honestly the big thing I dislike about Lib is the lack of wrap around edges.  I really don't get WHY they don't do that.  That in itself annoys me to the point I wouldn't buy one.

the 255 waist on the hero should have been ideal for size 11 ozones unless you were running a stance of 20 inches or something.

the banana felt stiffer than the hero to me, but its not a stiff board.  i would say the hero is something like a 4/10 roughly and the banana is more like a 5/10, but who knows.

basically, if you want a general medium flex twin that will work well anywhere, go bananas (heeeeeeeeehaw).  and if you ride more aggressively and want a bit more power, go t-rice.

First off, the Hero ww should have been fine for you.  I rode the 55 Hero with sz11 Ions and never had any issues, and I ride at pretty mellow angles.  I also use Med bindings, maybe the Lrg would stick out more, if thats what youre using.  I rode the Banana and didnt like it too much.  It felt kind of lifeless and not poppy.  The Libs are really good and I really do like the BTX/MTX, just didnt like the Banana.  Havent tried the TRice, but the new C2 looks very interesting.  I think there is a pretty big diff between your 2 choices.  Maybe even consider the TRS.  I rode it for half a season and was really impressed by it.  Good solid board, MTX held an amazing edge, poppy (once you learn where to ollie at), rode switch good, stable, good fast base(although you will get varying accounts on this-some say they are good and others say it felt like they were dragging an anchor).  I do agree with the point of not having wrap around edges.  I have seen their reasoning behind this, but having a full wrap edge would give more protection from impacts.

Thanks for the replies guys! Yeah, the 255ww on my Hero wasn't horrible but I had Large bindings on it and could never really get them well centered toe to heel.  I ride 15/-12 and go to the first notch away from the reference stance on each channel, not sure what that would come out to.  Anyway, powder days weren't an issue but on hard pack, on my heelside turns, I would get some heel drag.  Again, not a huge issue but a couple more mm of waist width would be nice. 
I pretty much had my mind set on the Banana just to play around on for the season then saw this C2 tech on the TRice.  The guys at Lib also insisted that I'd love the TRice BTX.  I guess I really just need to figure if I want something more aggresive like the TRice. 
Nitro - the guys at Lib described the TRS as Mervins Custom X.  I wasn't really looking into something that stiff.  Sounds like a nice board though...........

Well unless something changed in the past year.  It didnt feel stiff to me at all.  In the catalog is has the same 'flex' as the Banana.  I know the Dark series is stiff, maybe thats what they meant.  I def has a diff 'feel', as i liked it more than the Banana.  You could also look at the Gnu DK C2 or the Park Pickle if you want something a little diff.

I have to agree with other posters, the waist on the Hero should have been fine for you, so play with the angles and stance width a bit to see if you can improve that.

I have a T.Rice 157 BTX from last year and I'm of mixed feelings about it. When it's running, it's great. Fast, stable, and unlike others I find that the Banana technology does make a difference. I like the improved float in powder, and it's fun to bounce around on the upturned tips. I don't find the board to be unstable, but it's not as precise as my Custom X. The board was plenty wide, and I wear 11.5 DC Judges.

With all these great things I still would not recommend the board. The construction is lacking, and the board is heavy. I've had the board one season and it's needed to be repaired 3 times. I had a skier run into me, I was riding trees, and my brother and I bumped boards getting off a lift. Each of these required some degree of repair from a shop, the skier incident rendered the nose unridable. The nose was always the problem. In an effort to keep the weight down(because their construction is still too heavy) Lib Tech doesn't do a full metal edge on their boards. Thus the nose is exposed and vulnerable. As a comparison my Custom X, which I've had for 2 seasons and ridden to hell and back, looks brand new.

I believe in alternative camber solutions, I'm interested in the Flying V and the Custom V-Rocker. I would suggest these to you. The Flying V is a mix of reverse and traditional camber, like the C2 from Lib Tech or RC from Never Summer. And the Custom V-Rocker is has the same rocker as the Hero but a better base. With each of these you can keep your EST binders. And with the shrink-tech on your Ozones you should be fine.

Hope this helps.

TheInfamousGreed:

If you rode Burton and you want a change I strongly suggest looking into Rome.  That's what I did.

Honestly the big thing I dislike about Lib is the lack of wrap around edges.  I really don't get WHY they don't do that.  That in itself annoys me to the point I wouldn't buy one.

Same here. It's not a big deal, but at the same time why not have full edges? It just seems that the board would be that much more durable if it had full edges.

Plus, and maybe I'm just way too picky, but it felt like my Banana wouldn't hold a waxing nearly as long as my Un..Inc. The Un..Inc would feel freshly waxed for a couple days whereas the Banana would start to feel a bit sluggish towards the end of the first day.

I liked the feel of the ride of the Banana, but I probably wouldn't buy one again. Maybe the TRice, but I think that if I were to go for another rockered board, I would probalby look at the Easy Living V-Rocker.