# REVIEW: Nitro Sub Pop (Sub Zero) with Union and Ride bindings...



## $Lindz$ (Feb 18, 2009)

Board: Nitro Sub Pop (aka Sub Zero) 152cm
Bindings: Union Force size L/XL, Ride Delta size XL (11-13)
Stance: +15, -12, 25" width (I'm tall!)
Boots: 32 Lashed size 11.5
Me: 6'2" 175lbs, 26 years old, Saggitarius, enjoys rock n roll, alcohol, and movies. Dislikes Facebook and Twitter.

Modifications: detuned the shit out of the board edges, especially between the bindings. Replaced Union crap strap with Burton Custom cap strap. Wrote L.A.M.F. all over the place to remind myself that Johnny Thunders should always be screaming in your head when you are shredding rails.


Preface:
I have been riding a Stepchild Jibstick for the last 2 seasons. It rules. I really like the board. Contrary to it's marketing hype, it's not an easy board that makes you a miraculous jibber. Welcome to no board does that. The Jibstick is a pretty stiff flex and it's got real good pop. It's just a super solid durable go-to board that loves long features because the flex won't let the board fold when you are trying to balance that press on a real long box, etc. Anyways I had a bad rail strike with it's nose and I epoxied it back together it is chipped and dinged and really holding up well for the shit its seen but I had a sneaking suspicion that if I kept riding it that hard I'd be getting a new board real soon.

I figure why not see what I can pick up at the end of the season on sale. Stepchild hired... I dunno... some fucking meth head to do their graphics for next season so I wasn't necessarily eager to wait for any 10/11 Christian Crosses (barf), Weed Smoking Rasta Lions (that's a JP board? Not a Bradshaw board? you sure?) Sextons board is pretty cool but i got a peep of the 10/11 catalog and Stepchild has kept with their pretty stiff flex. Any board with a softer flex has some pretty bare features and tech. That ultimately turned me off the the Latchkey or Ripper whatever they call it now. The flex felt nice like an Artifact but it was camber-only. I like the skaty feel of rocker boards and have gotten real used to that. It's that whole creature of habit thing for setting up for rails. I wanted to keep a flat camber or rocker board for this feel. 










So I go on the hunt for an 09/10 closeout rail board. In the end it was between Rome and Nitro. Obviously the Artifact and Artifact 1985. And the Swindle and the Sub Zero. They were about cross-comparable to size and feel and flex just camber vs rocker. Like I said though I wanted rocker if I could. Just how I roll I guess. Not me buying into marketing hype it's me for 2 seasons on a board I love. 

I was going to go home and flip a coin or something but I stopped in one more shop. They had an 09 Sub Pop for about $150 less than everything else I found. Sweet. Let's do this. It's a rail board. Good flex some cool tech whatever I didn't care just wanted something softer than the Jibstick for rails. But not a K2 WWW. I hate that fucking board.

I'll admit I pay attention to a company's riders and marketing because without knowing them personally what else can we go on? I try to be concious of who owns who and why if your boards are made in China do they cost so fucking much, etc.

Ok on with it:

The board rips. It's awesome. It's got a shitload of tech for a rail board. Gullwing camber, Drifter base (edge bevel but bevels the base so it keeps the edge to base transition smooth thus more durable edges. In theory). Super thick (like... Huge) edges that can take a lot of rail abuse. Its also got a real nice flex pattern. Soft but still poppy thanks to the slightly stiffer flex between the bindings and the Gullwing camber profile. It's not gonna hit 50 ft kickers real good but 30 footers are just fine.

This thing is at home on rails. Check out Ben Bilocq KILL it with this board in this years Videograss video. Maniac. The weird camber all flexes out when you are on rails. The rocker flexes to wrap around rails on boardslides. The camber flexes out to flatten and lock you on presses.

It was weird at first because with the regular tip to tail rocker of the Stepchild I could kinda roll into boardslides if they weren't stomped out perfectly. On this board if you try that too much you might end up in the camber under your foot and you'll just slide out with wobbly balance and hike the thing and do it again. The board needs some precision when getting into that shit.

I don't know if this is really a minus though. You've all seen the thuggish ruggish park rats who cruise up to a box or rail and prioritize their steeze over their trick. They'll 3-whatever butter on the box til they get to the end and just slide off at whatever point they were at. Theyll rock up to a FS boardslide, get the nose on and just ride that out til they slide off. Mid rail, whatever as long as they dont have to move from their rap video pose. I despise this kind of riding. 

This board does not do that kind of riding. You need to bend your knees (!) and pop and turn and stomp your trick and this board will lock you in and you will feel good.

Non rails:
Before I detuned this board I was very surprised at it's edge hold. Jesus fuck it had as much bite as my BTX Lib Snow Mullet. But the Lib is stiffer thicker and more back country all over-ish. This board would bite and you could feel it getting flexed around from it. It was like having racing slicks on your car. But a couple of your bolts were missing from your suspension so it just jumped around all jerky and you had to use The Force to keep it pointed in the right direction. I didn't detune my Lib, but I definitely would on this board even if you aren't using it for rails.

Detuning:
After detuning, the board felt much smoother on rails. I felt like it could ooze onto rails. It matches the flex much better not to have a very precise edge. Besides, fuck peeling potatoes, get rid of your edge for a rail board, dummies!

Bindings:
Simple. For this type of board: Union > Ride. I like mid-stiffer freestyle bindings. aka I don't like Rome 390s or Targas. I used to have Contrabands. I never had any issues slipping out or anything like that, I just went back to 2 strap binders because I wanted some more toe hold for rails. Went to my Delta MVMNTs but for how tight I like them for rails, the toe strap gave me some pressure points and the highbacks were made out of hardened steel it felt like. I put the Contraband ankle strap and highback on. Ankle strap was too soft and highback still too stiff.

Oh well, experiment fail. I like Ride binders, and I reassembled the Deltas and they live happily on my Lib.

Riding this board with the Unions was basically heaven. It felt like a skateboard. Like I said I like mid stiff bindings so Forces were great for me. Little bit more flex than I'd like in the back country, but that's what I wanted for this board. Rails and jibs afterall. I could tweak more in the Unions and they kinda just disappeared. I felt like they were just supplimenting what I was trying to do, where I wanted my weight, and how I wanted that press or lipslide or whatever it was. Not like Union Forces need to be Internet-hyped any more than they are, but if the shoe fits....

But... I didn't even ride them with those shitty toe straps they have. Sorry. Fuxk those things. They felt flimsy and the buckles felt like shit to me. When I bail on a rail and I want to throw my board as hard as I can toward the nearest thing, dealing with dumb ass hard toe buckles is the WORST thing in the world.

Find a pair of cap straps that fit your boots real good and retro fit them onto your Forces. I chose the Burton Custom cap strap. Fits the square shape of the Lashed toe box real good (another reason I ditched the contrabands... They fit 32 boots like shit).

So all in all: the Nitro Sub Pop (Sub Zero) is a great board. It slays rails with the right commitment on your part, has good pop to do half cabs or boot off kickers or pop off nose presses with style. It's got rad tech and it has really nice flex that puts most other board to shame (fuck you K2 WWW).

Flex numbers on my scale:

K2 WWW: 1.5 overall with a shitty soft flex between the bindings. Good for firewood.

Nitro Sub Pop (Zero): 3 overall with nice medium stiffness between your bindings. Good for rails.

Stepchild jibstick: 5 with a predictable controlable constant flex from tip to tail. Go-to board for all over jibbing and park riding.


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## twin89 (Jan 21, 2009)

nice review, i love my sub zero, soo much fun, but i always thought the WWW was stiffer than the SubZero, just from what people have told me, i have never rode the weapon.

did u find you really needed to detune the edges between bindings a lot even with the drifter base? i haven't detuned mine at all and so far i haven't caught any edges, but i'm not up to boardsliding rails yet, just boxes =)


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## $Lindz$ (Feb 18, 2009)

WWW is a total noodle.

It honestly feels like they have no wood in the core or something. Or that their core is a strip of Balsa wood, and the rest of the board is just urethane or rubber.

I dunno, I HATED that board.





As for the detune... Like I said it wasn't peeling potatoes, but it at the minimum gives you peace of mind to know you don't have those razors waiting to fuck you up. It's most evident really in a kinked box or rail. 

Even if you want an edge (but you live in SoCal... you don't need an edge) I would detune it anyways to make it less grabby and like I said to me it rides better like this b/c its not stiff enough to have a super razor crazy nuts edge on it. 

Don't be afraid to detune this board. Some people say to detune the contact points mostly and leave most of the edge between the bindings. Honestly for a camber board that doesn't see any rails, yeah. But this board's contact points are elevated anyways, plus it's got rev. camber between the bindings, PLUS you are using it for rails and boxes... definitely detune between the bindings. It's jibbing 101.

You have any other boards? You ride mostly Bear and Mt. High? Or like... Tahoe trips or Mammoth or what? I assume you'll have another board for when the snow dumps and you get some real "riding" in.


p.s. how's Long Beach? I used to live down near Belmont Shore and then also up near CSULB and Los Coyotes. I love that city.


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## twin89 (Jan 21, 2009)

hmm, yeah, i think when i start boardsliding rails i will detune between bindings (yeah, with the slush not much edge is required hah). I ride mostly Bear, and i'm heading up there tomorrow =)

Yeah, i have a 156 Agent and a 152 Omatic Celebrity for all mtn riding.

Long Beach is awesome, it is so cool that i can go snowboarding in the morning and then be back down for a laker game haha. 
I used to live in belmont shore too hah, right next to 2cnd Street.

Now im in Alamitos Heights, but yeah, still loving it, i don't ever wana leave here =)

Why are you in Japan now?


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## $Lindz$ (Feb 18, 2009)

Yeah since you have a little quiver going, detune this board a little bit. Just take the edge off with a bastard file at least. It will ride a lot more playfully and less catchy on hardpack. 

I'm in Japan for my job. Not complaining too much, the snow and backcountry has been epic out here, and its nice to shred in new places. The parks are NOTHING compared to Bear or even Mt. High. Sad... it's like they are stuck in 1996 out here with their features and "seperate from all other parts of the mountain" kind of thinking.

Anyways, yeah... at least I found a park with a few decent rails otherwise I'd be going nuts.


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## twin89 (Jan 21, 2009)

yeah, i prob will once the season is over, which sadly is prob in a couple weeks.

Sucks bout the parks, i have recently noticed a lot of pretty good Japanese riders at bear haha. I have heard Japan has the best pow in the world though. Well, with less parks u need to become a buttering master haha. (See Below)

YouTube - SNOW BOARD GROUND TRICK (?????MOVIE 09--10 TRUST6MEDIA (MASTER OF GROUND#02)(MAGIC BOARD)


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## $Lindz$ (Feb 18, 2009)

Eh. 

I feel like buttering really sucks. Just me though. Never thought it was fun. Way more fun to hike 1 down rail all day and practice. Then when there is nice snow, bust out the pin tail and go slay some pow in the rees and back country. 

Yeah japan is great for that stuff actually. Maybe I'll have to make a thread about my Lib Snow Mullet. Haha.


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## York (Apr 18, 2008)

Hey lindz what part of japan are you in?
I'm in Nagano and while it gets crowded, ikenotaira (on myoko) is a great place to get your jib on if you haven't been there.


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## $Lindz$ (Feb 18, 2009)

York said:


> Hey lindz what part of japan are you in?
> I'm in Nagano and while it gets crowded, ikenotaira (on myoko) is a great place to get your jib on if you haven't been there.


I'm in Tokyo and have been riding mostly Hakuba this season. I'd love to check out better jib stuff! Thanks!


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## $Lindz$ (Feb 18, 2009)

Ok so I just finished up day...7 or 8 with the Nitro. I'm getting a lot more comfortable on it the more I ride it and find out what it likes. 

I'll update with some more recent impressions:

Kickazzz: this thing can handle pretty big kickers actually. 40, 45 footers are totally do able. I was suprised at the pop from the gullwing camber. Landing big jumps needs to be a bit more precise that a stiffer camber board but then that's all rocker boards in general. Either way, not going to impress bros who spend all day honing their switch 7s and double backs, but it's definitely good enough to throw some tweaked grabs all sick on your way to the next rail. Also, this is coming from me on a 152. If you bought the board "proper size" for more all around park use, it would do even better on the jumps. 

Rails: yeah just more riding to find the sweet spots. This thing is lovely on rails. It's verrrrrry flexible but I've never once felt like it was folding on me. 


I haven't out-awesomed the board yet, so I don't have anything bad to say. Bought it just to thrash rails with and ended up loving it all over the park. 


Get

This

Board


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## Nivek (Jan 24, 2008)

I have one also. It is definitely an enigma. It holds an edge better than a Scaremaster even though it is much softer. Its weird. It can definitely handle some medium kickers for sure. I wouldn't go over 55 though unless your pretty sure you'll be landing bolts. The soft tips don't let you squeeze out of a backseat landing and I've folded the nose landing a little forward. Bolts or bail with the SubPop. I also love how light it is. I have Contacts on mine and the thing is like a feather, so nice. Everyone I've let ride mine wants one after a single run.

You'll also probably be pleasantly surprised with the durability. I rode it for about 2/3 of its debut season and my friend rode it almost all last season. Trees, jibs all day, learning lots, and the thing is hardly phased. Kid actually kinda pissed me off, he rode the board like it was his and he was getting a new one at the end of the season, not really a regard for that fact that it was MINE. I powder pressed a rock late 08/09 season, like bad to the point that I yelled profanities and pulled off as soon as I could and checked. Looked for like 2 minutes, and ended up confused. I found the mark later that day at home, pretty much nothing. Base is so solid. Still no issues and its had two hard riding seasons.

One thing though, check your binding centerage. I don't know one person that has a SubPop that has centered inserts. All of ours are shifted forward anywhere from a cm to an inch.


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## buddermeup420 (Mar 1, 2010)

Nivek said:


> I powder pressed a rock late 08/09 season, like bad to the point that I yelled profanities and pulled off as soon as I could and checked. Looked for like 2 minutes, and ended up confused. I found the mark later that day at home, pretty much nothing. Base is so solid. Still no issues and its had two hard riding seasons.


Haha, similar incident here... Coming down 6 Chair on my trip to Breck last season I came right over a rock.. Cringed, checked it as soon as I got back down to... PJ's??... One of those shacks. Anyway, looked for minutes, finally found a tiny little divit, not even worth Ptexin'... Ironicly, comin' down from there I whacked it on a tree, got a good split right above the front binding... nothing a little epoxy wouldn't fix though.

Overall, I love this board... Against my better judgment, I let go of my NS to help pay for it, but I was plesently surprised at how well this did all-mountian. Of course, it rips up the park, but it really holds its own in the trees or pow. Wonderful butter ability, presses wonderfly. 4/5 overall..


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## Chedos (Nov 15, 2011)

hey lindz i am highly considering getting this board, i am 5'8 and weigh 145lbs with a men size 8 shoe, and the only question i have is that how stable is the board hitting those big kickers from 40-60ft, because i really wanted a jibbing board but i also love jumps and hit big kickers all the time, i just wanted to know if you think it can handle some 540s or some corked stuff off of those big kickers, and if not what other kind of board should i be looking at? thanks

chedos


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