# Lib Tech Dynamo Anyone ridden it?



## flapjack (Mar 12, 2011)

Lib Tech Dynamo...anyone ridden it? Is it just a directional Hotknife?


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## Canuck (Feb 18, 2019)

I demo one last weekend in just hard groomer conditions. Board was really damp , held a good edge you could really lay into a turn if you wanted too. 
Good snap/pop I would imagine it would float well in pow. Overall it was a good board for the conditions I got to ride it in. 


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## Nivek (Jan 24, 2008)

Not a directional Hot Knife. Softer. I'd say more directional Headspace. The Ejack is the directional Hot Knife. Dynamo is a fantastick one board directional quiver option. It's real good.


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## Kevington (Feb 8, 2018)

Old post I know but now I have all the time in the world to reply. 

I bought a Dynamo and rode it for what I didn't realise at the time would be my last day of the season. 
Disclaimer: I've been snowboarding kind of a long time and know what I like but this is just my opinion. If you want something more objective and knowledgable then you know that @BurtonAvenger and @Nivek review boards for a living and can make an educated comparison to hundreds of others they have ridden. Not trying to step on their toes here and I'm sure they will have an in-depth review up for next season.

I'm 185cm tall 75kgs and US9.5 I bought the 159 and detuned the (very sharp) edges at the contact points. Rode it with Rome Katanas on a day where it was snowing and the visibility went from bad to worse. There are no trees on the mountain so as soon as you get out of sight of lifts and fences the visibility was zero. White void. I was riding the pistes and hitting pockets of heavy pow at and off the sides. Its got a nice flex, felt very medium to me. The nose is still robust enough to blast through chopped up snow. Kind of felt even like the tail was softer than the nose which made it fun to slash around at low to medium speeds and butter on the cat tracks. Its damp but also snappy. Good pop. I never rode it proper fast due to the visibility but I think it would be OK up to a point. Its never going to be a hardcore freeride weapon with this medium flex and mid-width anyway. 

The C3 profile on this is camber to flat between the feet and a little bit of early rise in the nose. Between that and the medium magne-traction the edge grip is nuts. It adds to it being a very confidence inspiring board in general. Stable and damp but still plenty pop and playfulness. For me, coming off a board with no edge-tech, the camber plus magne was a bit too much, it would be better with the very minimal mag like on the Gnu Mullair or even none at all. The snow was a bit heavy and it hooked me into uphill carves a few times, I ate shit more than once on toeside eurocarves that I didn't plan to do. I guess you just get used to it and ride/de-tune accordingly but in general as camber makes a comeback they need to chill with the magne-traction. Don't be so proud about your proprietary tech and make the right choice for the board. 

It has a nice textured topsheet which is super grippy for riding drag lifts or doing one foot airs but didn't seem to collect any more snow than a regular one would. Looks cool too. All in all its a sick, smooth, do-everything board. Some boards feel like they are telling you to slow down and others to speed up, this is neither and in a good way. Its just enough of what you need it to be in most situations. I'm going to sell the 159 and get a 156 for more mobility and fun times in the park and on side-hits. Anyone (in Europe) want a basically new 159 for a decent price then message me


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## zc1 (Feb 20, 2017)

I agree with everything you said. I rode it at a demo day last season (then bought the 156). The Lib/Gnu rep told me I was the first person to ride it in the two days they had been doing demos that weekend -- I rode it in the afternoon of the second day. It just didn't attract a lot of attention, and at that time Lib didn't have Austen Sweeten promoting it, yet. I actually didn't even pay any attention to it when I was looking over the boards in their demo lineup. It was the rep who suggested it to me when I told him that I had enjoyed riding the Antigravity the previous day.

He said that the Dynamo was his favourite board in the lineup and so he was kind of choked that nobody was interested in it. He added that since it wasn't particularly sought-after I should take it for as long as I liked. I rode it for about an hour and felt the same as you -- solid, do-it-all board with nothing in particular about it that stood out. No learning curve. It just competently does whatever you want to do without any fuss. It's a great all-mountain freestyle/freeride board for the Mervin fan.


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## Kevington (Feb 8, 2018)

zc1 said:


> I agree with everything you said. I rode it at a demo day last season (then bought the 156). The Lib/Gnu rep told me I was the first person to ride it in the two days they had been doing demos that weekend -- I rode it in the afternoon of the second day. It just didn't attract a lot of attention, and at that time Lib didn't have Austen Sweeten promoting it, yet. I actually didn't even pay any attention to it when I was looking over the boards in their demo lineup. It was the rep who suggested it to me when I told him that I had enjoyed riding the Antigravity the previous day.


Did you notice any difference to the Antigravity? On paper they are the same but the Gnu is cheaper. If they ride the same I would cop the Antigravity instead.


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## zc1 (Feb 20, 2017)

I thought the Antigravity was softer than the Dynamo, but I rode it on the first demo day, and the Dynamo on the second day. I had a chance to hop on a brand new Antigravity later on in the season and it was stiffer than what I remembered...more like the Dynamo; I wonder if the initial Antigravity that I had ridden is what to expect once it gets broken in. If that's the case then expect the Antigravity to feel like its flex is on the soft side of medium once it's broken in.


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## Kevington (Feb 8, 2018)

zc1 said:


> I thought the Antigravity was softer than the Dynamo, but I rode it on the first demo day, and the Dynamo on the second day. I had a chance to hop on a brand new Antigravity later on in the season and it was stiffer than what I remembered...more like the Dynamo; I wonder if the initial Antigravity that I had ridden is what to expect once it gets broken in. If that's the case then expect the Antigravity to feel like its flex is on the soft side of medium once it's broken in.


Thanks, sounds a bit too soft for me then. I'll stick with the Dynamo.


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## SBK (Sep 14, 2011)

FWIW I demo'd this board a few weeks ago, only a groomer day so can't speak to its float capability.
5'10", 180, Size 10.5
Demo'd 156

I was mainly interested in the Orca but this was the other board they recommended me trying. One rep swore by the Orca, said he rode it almost exclusively this past year, another said the exact same thing about the Dynamo, basically everything from dropping cliffs to running groomers.

I only made two runs but it was a fairly predictable ride but seemed to require more attentiveness than the Orca, or my TRS for that matter. I assume this is because of the C3 profile, felt more like my old camber boards. Very confident in locking in turns but not as nimble IMO as the Orca and definitely felt stiffer. It also was damp. Its a board I could live with but didn't love it. The Orca put a smile on my face immediately so an easy choice for me. To me it seems like the Dynamo is more a charger but maybe that is because I associate that with camber dominant boards.

As mentioned earlier it's a really good looking board (2021 model) and the topsheet is very cool.


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## flapjack (Mar 12, 2011)

Kevington said:


> ...Kind of felt even like the tail was softer than the nose...


This has a slight taper and a setback, but the flex is confusing...I have a cambered twin and was looking for a cambered directional board. This sounds like a great deck, but sounds like it rides more like a twin than a full directional?


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## Rip154 (Sep 23, 2017)

flapjack said:


> This has a slight taper and a setback, but the flex is confusing...I have a cambered twin and was looking for a cambered directional board. This sounds like a great deck, but sounds like it rides more like a twin than a full directional?


If you just move stance back and taper a board with something close to camber, the tail will feel softer than the nose. If you ride it twin it will feel like a twin yes. Some boards have been stiffened up in the tail, and they call it a directional flex, and those are nice for people that like to hit the brakes and stay backseat, take faceshots and so on, more sliding than riding.


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## Kevington (Feb 8, 2018)

flapjack said:


> This has a slight taper and a setback, but the flex is confusing...I have a cambered twin and was looking for a cambered directional board. This sounds like a great deck, but sounds like it rides more like a twin than a full directional?


It definitely feels directional (a bit of rocker in the nose, which is significantly bigger than the tail). Not sure if 3mm of taper is even noticeable to be honest, but there's a lot of boards with 3-5mm these days. Many boards that are good in powder have a softer tail for easy turning and a stiffer nose to blast through tracked out and uneven snow. It also means you can lean forward a bit and make deep powerful carves or lean back and slash it up. 

If you want something VERY directional and totally different from your twin, this is not the board. Look at the vids from Libtech, Austen Sweetin wrecking pillow lines and big heli-access terrain but also Phil Hansen doing 720s and hitting rails in the park. Its the sort of board that aims to be versatile and work as the only board you need. Closest board from Lib that is more directional is the BRD. Similar profile and flex but more taper and rocker in the nose. Same nice black textured topsheet. 

Or just get a Korua and forget about your twin after one run


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## MERV0 (Dec 8, 2020)

My 2 cents. Another good option to check out besides the Dynamo is the Cold Brew.


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## Searchin4thapow (Nov 26, 2011)

I know this is an old thread but what is your opinion on a Dynamo vs a Hot knife for East Coast riding? I want a board to ride switch hit jumps and trees and goof around with my kids. I have a Custom X 154 for bombing. I'm 5'7 160 and have a Dynamo 153 that I got at the end of the season but see a 156 Hot Knife for sale and thinking about getting it. Thanks.. 

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## Rip154 (Sep 23, 2017)

Well you’d get something in between the boards you have and probably end up liking it more on groomers, so custom x is left as the jump/pipe/slush board?


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## Luffe (Apr 5, 2021)

Kevington said:


> It definitely feels directional (a bit of rocker in the nose, which is significantly bigger than the tail). Not sure if 3mm of taper is even noticeable to be honest, but there's a lot of boards with 3-5mm these days. Many boards that are good in powder have a softer tail for easy turning and a stiffer nose to blast through tracked out and uneven snow. It also means you can lean forward a bit and make deep powerful carves or lean back and slash it up.
> 
> If you want something VERY directional and totally different from your twin, this is not the board. Look at the vids from Libtech, Austen Sweetin wrecking pillow lines and big heli-access terrain but also Phil Hansen doing 720s and hitting rails in the park. Its the sort of board that aims to be versatile and work as the only board you need. Closest board from Lib that is more directional is the BRD. Similar profile and flex but more taper and rocker in the nose. Same nice black textured topsheet.
> 
> Or just get a Korua and forget about your twin after one run


Any long therm update on the Dynamo? Eyeing it down, but not that much information on it online.


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## Kevington (Feb 8, 2018)

Luffe said:


> Any long therm update on the Dynamo? Eyeing it down, but not that much information on it online.


I sold it. It is a great board but I didn't like the magne traction on what is basically a full camber deck. There is such a thing as too much grip. It a real shame as I liked everything else about it. I'm actually kind of searching for the closest thing to a non-magne version of this. Any ideas?


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## Luffe (Apr 5, 2021)

Kevington said:


> I sold it. It is a great board but I didn't like the magne traction on what is basically a full camber deck. There is such a thing as too much grip. It a real shame as I liked everything else about it. I'm actually kind of searching for the closest thing to a non-magne version of this. Any ideas?


Would it help to detune the edges? Haven’t ridden it, so got nothing to compare it to. But I’ve also been looking at the K2 Instrument which seems to be in the same category, but likely with less nollie power due to the S-rocker.

I’m looking for that all mountain directional board that can be ridden all day everywhere except park. Dynamo seems to fit that bill, but people seems divided on the magnetraction.


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## Kevington (Feb 8, 2018)

Luffe said:


> Would it help to detune the edges? Haven’t ridden it, so got nothing to compare it to. But I’ve also been looking at the K2 Instrument which seems to be in the same category, but likely with less nollie power due to the S-rocker.
> 
> I’m looking for that all mountain directional board that can be ridden all day everywhere except park. Dynamo seems to fit that bill, but people seems divided on the magnetraction.


Some like it some don't. I suppose you could get used to it but I don't have time for that when there are hundreds of other boards with edges that engage in a predictable way. Its a technology that made sense when lots of people rode rocker boards. On camber boards its unneccesary. I think people that regularly ride proper ice get a more immediate and secure feeling of grip with magne-traction but that can be acheived on a regular edge too if you commit and angle the board a bit more. The grippiest board I have is a Vimana. Medium flex, full camber (not 'modern camber') and 0/89 edge angles. 

I rode my friend's Rome Ravine last week and it was LOTS of fun. Softer than I would usually ride but I had such a great time on it. Kind of made me reconsider my priorities. I could probably ride it every day. Not amazing at blasting though/over messed up snow but I realised I could just slow down lol. I'm looking for that type of board too. A bit directional but with a medium flex and a fun sidecut. A lot of those type of boards are a bit stiff and have longer sidecuts for big moves on big terrain. I'm not doing that on a daily basis.


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## Demi9OD (Dec 23, 2014)

Kevington said:


> Some like it some don't. I suppose you could get used to it but I don't have time for that when there are hundreds of other boards with edges that engage in a predictable way. Its a technology that made sense when lots of people rode rocker boards. On camber boards its unneccesary. I think people that regularly ride proper ice get a more immediate and secure feeling of grip with magne-traction but that can be acheived on a regular edge too if you commit and angle the board a bit more. The grippiest board I have is a Vimana. Medium flex, full camber (not 'modern camber') and 0/89 edge angles.
> 
> I rode my friend's Rome Ravine last week and it was LOTS of fun. Softer than I would usually ride but I had such a great time on it. Kind of made me reconsider my priorities. I could probably ride it every day. Not amazing at blasting though/over messed up snow but I realised I could just slow down lol. I'm looking for that type of board too. A bit directional but with a medium flex and a fun sidecut. A lot of those type of boards are a bit stiff and have longer sidecuts for big moves on big terrain. I'm not doing that on a daily basis.


Try a Yes Y!


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## Luffe (Apr 5, 2021)

Demi9OD said:


> Try a Yes Y!


Isn’t the sidecut very tight?


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## Demi9OD (Dec 23, 2014)

Luffe said:


> Isn’t the sidecut very tight?


Yeah I thought that's what Kev was talking about. Softer with a tight sidecut.


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## nt973 (10 mo ago)

Luffe said:


> Would it help to detune the edges? Haven’t ridden it, so got nothing to compare it to. But I’ve also been looking at the K2 Instrument which seems to be in the same category, but likely with less nollie power due to the S-rocker.
> 
> I’m looking for that all mountain directional board that can be ridden all day everywhere except park. Dynamo seems to fit that bill, but people seems divided on the magnetraction.


Both of these are excellent choices. I've ridden both the 156 Dynamo and 154 Instrument, and while I do notice the mag, it gives me a little more confidence on those really icy / bumpy days and probably contributes to the dampness the dynamo has. It also has pretty solid pop. 

The Instrument does feel smoother on edge and still grips exceptionally well, which impressed me considering it has no special edge tech.


You can’t really go wrong with either IMO but maybe lean more towards the terrain you’ll be riding


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## flapjack (Mar 12, 2011)

I got the Dynamo in a 156 wide. 175 lbs / size 12, I love it for smaller east coast resorts. I wanted a camber board with lots of grip but not too stiff and this works for me. Almost got the 159 and glad I didn't. (Thanks to Kevington's post) The 156 is stable enough and still fun to rip around on. Too much grip? Not possible in NY.


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## ridethecliche (Feb 27, 2019)

flapjack said:


> I got the Dynamo in a 156 wide. 175 lbs / size 12, I love it for smaller east coast resorts. I wanted a camber board with lots of grip but not too stiff and this works for me. Almost got the 159 and glad I didn't. (Thanks to Kevington's post) The 156 is stable enough and still fun to rip around on. Too much grip? Not possible in NY.


Spot on. Mag is great on the east coast, especially if you have another board for better days!


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## Luffe (Apr 5, 2021)

nt973 said:


> Both of these are excellent choices. I've ridden both the 156 Dynamo and 154 Instrument, and while I do notice the mag, it gives me a little more confidence on those really icy / bumpy days and probably contributes to the dampness the dynamo has. It also has pretty solid pop.
> 
> The Instrument does feel smoother on edge and still grips exceptionally well, which impressed me considering it has no special edge tech.
> 
> ...


I don’t think the bad conditions I encouter are as bad as the east coast. It’s more that the top layer get braked away during the day on multiple parts of the hill where everyone hits the brakes. How does the Instrument nollie? And ollie for that matter? I’ve had experience with rocker nose boards that almost doesn’t nollie at all.


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## nt973 (10 mo ago)

Luffe said:


> I don’t think the bad conditions I encouter are as bad as the east coast. It’s more that the top layer get braked away during the day on multiple parts of the hill where everyone hits the brakes. How does the Instrument nollie? And ollie for that matter? I’ve had experience with rocker nose boards that almost doesn’t nollie at all.


It was good enough for me and it was surprisingly easy to access, however I 
more focus on carving and speed than Ollie power so I’m not sure my standards are the same as yours. Sorry I can’t help further lol


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## Luffe (Apr 5, 2021)

nt973 said:


> It was good enough for me and it was surprisingly easy to access, however I
> more focus on carving and speed than Ollie power so I’m not sure my standards are the same as yours. Sorry I can’t help further lol


What sizes did you ride, and what do you think about the flex and tortional flex of the Dynamo and the Instrument?

I like to just ride everything but park, really. Jumping of rollers, carving, powder in trees, sidehits, cruising etc. Really just looking for that board I can ride all day and not worry about it.


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## nt973 (10 mo ago)

Luffe said:


> What sizes did you ride, and what do you think about the flex and tortional flex of the Dynamo and the Instrument?
> 
> I like to just ride everything but park, really. Jumping of rollers, carving, powder in trees, sidehits, cruising etc. Really just looking for that board I can ride all day and not worry about it.


I rode the 156 Dynamo and the 154 Instrument. I'm about 155lbs and a size 9 boot. I felt the Dynamo was a little stiffer (both tip to tail and torsionally), slightly damper, carved a bit harder, and popped off the small jumps in the park a bit better than the Instrument. The Instrument was slightly quicker edge to edge, carved smoother, and had more play in the tips and tail. Didn't get to ride the Instrument in any powder but got the Dynamo in about 5 inches and it kept afloat but there are better boards for powder. The sintered and structured base will probably help the Instrument out in this scenario.

Both are daily driver material and an incredible bang for your buck. 

Angry Snowboarder's review of each aligned with my experiences so I would watch his reviews on each.


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