# This just baffles me (Board Core Material)



## PanHandler (Dec 23, 2010)

Why on earth arent more board companies switching to Bamboo cores in stead of the more expensive, more brittle poplar?

The reason i ask is because i just came across these











I can say for sure that this will be my next park board.


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## BurtonAvenger (Aug 14, 2007)

Because Bamboo has to be done right otherwise you crush it.


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## PanHandler (Dec 23, 2010)

Seems like it would be worth it to invest the time/money to figure out how to do it right. Unless companies just dont care because they want kids to buy a new board every year, which also makes a lot of sense.


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## burritosandsnow (Nov 22, 2008)

Bamboo has a different feel to it and Id suggest you demo one before you plop 500 on a fastplant ... I loved they way it flexed/ollied but BA did not...


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## PanHandler (Dec 23, 2010)

how does it feel different? ill try to demo one next season if they have them


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## ryannorthcott (Dec 17, 2010)

my buddy just picked one up, felt sort of clunky and dead compared to my turbo dream. the pop was there but it just didn't feel very lively. i don't know, it felt like riding a piece of wood without much more technology than that... hard to explain, i would definitely demo one before buying.


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## BurtonAvenger (Aug 14, 2007)

Two words Organic Flex


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## PanHandler (Dec 23, 2010)

organic flex sounds like it would be a good thing. I guess ill just have to try it out for myself.


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## BurtonAvenger (Aug 14, 2007)

It's different strokes for different folks it doesn't have the snap you'd think it will have which is why I'm riding a Raygun over a Fastplant.


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## jliu (Jan 20, 2009)

I guess Arbor did it right with respect to using Bamboo. Instead of making the full core bamboo like the fastplant, they still use a wood core but use bamboo as a replacement to carbon stringers. That is if I understand their explanation of their boards correctly


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## MistahTaki (Apr 24, 2010)

does it ever lose its pop?


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## PanHandler (Dec 23, 2010)

The reason i was most interested in this board is because frankly, im not skinny, and i never press super deep or do tail blocks or anything like that because my board will for sure snap, and im not rich so i cant just go out and buy a new board whenever i feel like it. Indistructability would be a huge plus for me, and it would open up alot more riding situations.


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## linvillegorge (Jul 6, 2009)

MistahTaki said:


> does it ever lose its pop?


everything loses it's pop eventually


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## PanHandler (Dec 23, 2010)

snapple lids dont,, unless you bend them enough that theyre unpoppable.


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## Inky (Feb 2, 2011)

Maybe bamboo is going to be the standard one day. But I weigh 140 and the features at my mountain aren't exactly huge so breaking boards isn't really an issue for me

I'm confused about what my board (Omatic Extr Eco) is made of. On the board itself it says "OMG Eco friendly-ish recycled base technology with bamboo woodcore" but on Omatics website it says my board has "intelligentcore", which is made of poplar.Anyone know who should I believe, Omatics site or my board?


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## BurtonAvenger (Aug 14, 2007)

Inky said:


> Maybe bamboo is going to be the standard one day. But I weigh 140 and the features at my mountain aren't exactly huge so breaking boards isn't really an issue for me
> 
> I'm confused about what my board (Omatic Extr Eco) is made of. On the board itself it says "OMG Eco friendly-ish recycled base technology with bamboo woodcore" but on Omatics website it says my board has "intelligentcore", which is made of poplar.Anyone know who should I believe, Omatics site or my board?


All the sayings on the board are a joke. They tried to make a green board and every factory they went to kept saying no because they were too busy making eco stuff for other brands. Honestly no matter what we do snowboarding is about as unenvironmentally friendly as you can get.


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## legends6spd (Jan 18, 2010)

isn't bamboo also a heavier material than the usual wood core used for snowboards? that could play in a role why more are not using it?


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## Music Moves (Jan 23, 2009)

Tofu boards... awesome.


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## phile00 (Jan 7, 2009)

Without having ridden a bamboo board, I feel I can describe the difference in pop just based on the reviews I've read here on the forum and other websites.

Bamboo has linear pop. Which is to say that it's predictably even in its release of energy. On a graph it would be a straight ascending diagonal line. Whereas other board materials have non-linear (or exponential) pop. The power delivery would look like a half of the letter "U" on a graph. The boards with carbon fiber rods have even more exponential pop. Classic materials and classic materials incorporating carbon fiber rods/stringers translate into a more "explosive" ollie. Explosive is an exaggeration but I think the idea provides a good illustration of the difference between board cores. 

A good analogy is the difference in power delivery and hence 0-60 times in cars that are naturally aspirated, and cars that use super-chargers or turbo-chargers. The acceleration in naturally aspirated cars is even, and would have the same line on a graph as an ollie with a bamboo core. Turbo charged engines have that pause before the power kicks in, then when the power kicks it occurs all at once (and you get thrown back in your seat).


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## Leo (Nov 24, 2009)

I like bamboo cores, but I don't want them in every board that's for sure. Would I like to see more options? Yea, why not?

Keep in mind that bamboo has to be fused together to make things like flooring and snowboards. It's not an easy or cost efficient process. Someone mentioned that it has to be done right and they are correct. This is the biggest issue when one chooses bamboo flooring for their home or business. You need to get a quality made one because when they are bad, they are really bad. As in the pieces of bamboo start separating.

Bamboo does have a flex all its own. The best way I can describe it is that it rides stable, yet flexes when you want it to. So rides like a more stable board, but flexes like a softer one. Pop is good. Not DH2 good, but good.

I agree with everyone. You should demo one before you drop that much cash on it. It's not for everyone. Some companies do hyrbrid cores that incorporate bamboo. Those are good too. K2 has some of those coming out for 2012. Bamboo core boards don't weigh much. Bamboo is light by nature.


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## BurtonAvenger (Aug 14, 2007)

I'm guessing you people don't realize this but almost every company has Bamboo or Polonia in their cores. It's there just a lot of companies don't market what wood is used because they don't want companies stealing their core constructions. I.e. "ultralight weight mystery wood" yeah bullshit it's polonia with poplar shoved in there to make it strong. 

The best thing I've ever heard about being more green and using bamboo in the core construction from any company is from Bob Carlson the owner of Arbor "we use bamboo in our boards because it actually has a benefit the way we do it, a lot of companies are just slapping it in there without knowing what they're doing to claim they're green, if it didn't have a benefit in the process that we use we wouldn't do it." That pretty much sums up a lot of companies working with bamboo.


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## Leo (Nov 24, 2009)

Yea, there was also a debate about the "green" factor of bamboo when it comes to flooring. Someone brought up an interesting point that bamboo farms have to be created so that means land for bamboo farming has to be cleared. I forgot the specifics, but something along the lines of the fusing process not being eco-friendly either.

I'll look for it some other time and post a link here.


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## PanHandler (Dec 23, 2010)

BurtonAvenger said:


> I'm guessing you people don't realize this but almost every company has Bamboo or Polonia in their cores. It's there just a lot of companies don't market what wood is used because they don't want companies stealing their core constructions. I.e. "ultralight weight mystery wood" yeah bullshit it's polonia with poplar shoved in there to make it strong.
> 
> The best thing I've ever heard about being more green and using bamboo in the core construction from any company is from Bob Carlson the owner of Arbor "we use bamboo in our boards because it actually has a benefit the way we do it, a lot of companies are just slapping it in there without knowing what they're doing to claim they're green, if it didn't have a benefit in the process that we use we wouldn't do it." That pretty much sums up a lot of companies working with bamboo.


i didnt know that. I was under the assumption that most snowboard cores were made of poplar. honestly if bamboo can make a board that durable i think i can deal with the different feeling of the flex. I already have 2 other boards so i can switch to one of those if i want better pop on random days or whatever. Who knows. My mind might change by next winter anyway.


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## BurtonAvenger (Aug 14, 2007)

Well the thing with Bambooyah from K2 is that it's not done like any other company that uses bamboo in their cores. There's some seriously insane scientific shit in there. I know how it's done and why it's got the 5 year warranty on it but I really don't feel comfortable saying how they lay it up.


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## PanHandler (Dec 23, 2010)

i assume it has to be some pretty advanced tech in order to make claims like a 5 year warranty. I honestly dont care how its done as long as it works as described. Which it does by all the videos ive seen.


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## BurtonAvenger (Aug 14, 2007)

The rep out here took one over to a store in Vail and the guys tried to break it I guess they put it between two saw horses clamped it down and the guy jumped off a ladder onto it. It didn't break but there was a bit more rocker to it.


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## Leo (Nov 24, 2009)

The buyer from my work had it demonstrated to her. The rep had everyone try to break it AngrySnowboarder logo style. Threw it off the roof. Ran over it with a truck. Nothing. Still intact. I rode one and flexed it myself. I believe their claim needless to say. I'm sure you can find ways to break it especially with machines, but I don't see this thing breaking from normal (even abnormal) riding.


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## phile00 (Jan 7, 2009)

BurtonAvenger said:


> The rep out here took one over to a store in Vail and the guys tried to break it I guess they put it between two saw horses clamped it down and the guy jumped off a ladder onto it. It didn't break but there was a bit more rocker to it.


It's a person that's going to break during one of those demos


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