# Big Guys Need Apply: Ride Big Foot, Elan El Grande, Risers, Big Feet, Big Board Setup



## Ucsbwsr (Feb 19, 2014)

Due to a career in rather long career in sports, for over a decade snowboarding has been put aside. Now that I am able to ride again it was time to get a snowboard setup, ideally I would have liked to demo boards, boots, and bindings before purchasing but as us big guys know that is not a realistic option. Options are so limited that the decision is almost made for you! 

This forum was a great resource, user "Big Foot" unsurprisingly was a great help. There is however a lack of pictures of such rare-hugemungo setups so I hope these pictures help.



*BOARD*
I am 6'8" 250lbs w/ a size 17. Board options I considered were a 2014 LIB Skunk Ape HP 170uw, Artec Phenom, Elan El Grande. As far as I know, Artec is/was made my Elan and the board is the same as the El Grande with the exception of the core material being of a lower quality, it is also ~$100 cheaper. Where the LIB is expensive, it is only available in a 2014 model so there is no deals to be had. Both the Artec and El Grande are hard to find in the sizes I want, I was shooting for a 171 ideally but may have settled for a 167. 

After scouring eBay, Craigslist, and all the online distributors I found an used 2013 Artec Phenom 167 for sale in NC, and a brand new 2012 El Grande 171 being sold by CBS down is Southern California. Prices were $250 and $400 respectively. I was torn on getting a deal on a slightly less than ideal board versus paying more than I was hoping to for the 2012 El Grande.

On eBay I saw Waterski World list El Grandes for a more modest price of $360 but they were out of the 171. I inquired if they had any unlisted stock or were planning to receive any additional 171s, they said no. 
...then they emailed me back to inform me they discovered a 2012 in the back that was never sold due to a small blemish from the bag-zipper. I confirmed that the blemish was in fact minute and would in no way lead to further damage and the shop even went through with repairing the board prior to sale. Due to the blemish (which is almost impossible to see unless you know where to look) I snagged to board for $250.

*BOOTS* 
This was an easy choice, Ride Bigfoot 17s, done. The only place I could find them were directly through Ride.com It is such a tease seeing other Big Foot boots being sold for $50 or $75! Mine were $200, whatever!

*BINDINGS*
After some research on this forum and help from a few members, I ended up with Ride Revolts. It appears that Ride Foundation Chassis were the best option (where the Infinite Chassis lacked the forward and rearward adjustment due to their smaller mounting discs). I went with the Revolts over the EX because they are slightly stiffer and have a more substantial highback. I snagged a brand new of 2014 Revolts on eBay for $110. 

*RISERS*
It seemed like a logical move to get a pair. I was not really convinced with the design of some risers. After some internet scouring I found Edge Risers, the simple and sturdy design caught my eye. I ordered up a pair from here: Amazon.com: Edge Risers: Sports & Outdoors

As it turns out it is a small time product and the guy who designed them lives near me in the Bay Area. He asked for my feedback and although I have not had time to ride yet, here is my feedback after mounting them: They are simple light, and strong. Even with my bindings elongated and boots being as massive as they are, the risers seem to offer adequate support front and rear, width-wise it is nearly as wide as the Foundation Chassis. If I was to suggest some constructive criticism:
1. Mount some thin but dense foam on the bottom of the risers to help protect the board, my bindings have this (as I assume most do).
2. It would be nice if the supplied bolts had thread lock already applied.

So far, it seems like a great product and I am excited to see how they perform.


Here are some pictures of my setup, please note the early photos have only 1 riser installed to show the difference in overhang angles. 

I hope this helps other BIG GUYS!!!

Evan


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## Tatanka Head (Jan 13, 2014)

Have you ridden with risers before? I never have, and i imagine going between edges has to be somewhat of a trip. I wear a size 12 Ride Insano and I'm thankful for their reduced footprint and can avoid the risers. 

But it looks like you have a legit setup. Now don't bust out of those bindings!


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## tokyo_dom (Jan 7, 2013)

Damn thats a big setup. Would be a trip to see a 'regular' sized board next to it for comparison - my 152 with size 9 boots for example.

Us short fellows always get jealous of the taller guys, but in cases like this i see its not always such a great thing...


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## andrewdod (Mar 24, 2013)

well, when you said big footers i was thinking you were like me, im 6'3 220 with 13 feet... 6'8 250 17 feet... thats a big dude... Basketball and football coaches must have eaten you up! glad to see you are getting back into the sport! It is hard for a big guy to find a setup, although the industry has done a lot better in accounting for us in recent years... I ride a 162w gnu carbon credit with union forces w/o risers and love it to death.


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## CassMT (Mar 14, 2013)

if it works, it works. but if you could lose the riser and get used to slightly greater angles to reduce drag i would think that would be a better ride


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## Ucsbwsr (Feb 19, 2014)

andrewdod said:


> well, when you said big footers i was thinking you were like me, im 6'3 220 with 13 feet... 6'8 250 17 feet... thats a big dude... Basketball and football coaches must have eaten you up! glad to see you are getting back into the sport! It is hard for a big guy to find a setup, although the industry has done a lot better in accounting for us in recent years... I ride a 162w gnu carbon credit with union forces w/o risers and love it to death.


I went with volleyball and no, I don't wear spandex. haha




When looking at my own pictures the boots look like they are painfully squeezed in the bindings. 

I realized I am putting the carriage before the horse a bit with installing risers from the get-go. I may remove them and see how it goes as without. I have never ridden with risers (and also have not snowboarded in over a decade) so I am sure almost anything will seem "just fine" to me at first.


I am eager to get out there and ride so even with this spring like weather we are having in CA, I will be up shredding the slush in Tahoe this weekend.

:thumbsup: Evan


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## ivangp (Mar 11, 2016)

Evan, thank you for the detailed post. I am considering the El Grande 171 as well, I need it mostly for riding in powder. What has been your experience with it? It seems to me, form your photos, that you have set up the bindings too far forward, which results in greater than optimal toe overhang. Try to set the bindings so that when your booths are in them the toe and heal overhang are equal.
Thanks again for the post! Please give us some feedback about your riding experience with this board.

Regards,
Ivan


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