Natural or Transcend?

I posted on here a while ago about which board i should buy - player or natural. well i decided that, after tons of thinking and analyzation(bahaha) that out of those two boards id rather have the natural. my dad thinks if i get a new board for christmas that i will be "wasting the $400 wakeboard in my room." if i stay with the transcend, i will be getting new bindings and deeper fins for christmas. soooo, my question to you is, can you get deeper fins for the transcend? and my second question is would you rather have the natural or the transcend. and im not an advanced rider so the transcend slips out('tis why i need deeper fins)

I think that if you stick with the Transcend and the shorter fins, you will teach yourself better edging and have better control in the long run. Just my opinion.

Dang little Dude!

If your slipping out on the Transcend you need to learn to edge properly. By todays standards, the Transcend has some pretty significant fins. The Natural isn't going to be any easier for you to ride, it's probably going to be much more difficult. Keep the board you have, by The Book with the money you save, and work on your fundamentals.

ok. that helps me out alot cliff. what bindings should i get? i was lookin at the fuse and found some pretty good prices

OMFG Get a Natural It will change your life!

i have a severe problem with changing my mind. haha

I can't compare it with the Transcend as I've never ridden it BUT the Natural is the most amazing board I have ridden and the most amazing board any of my buddies who have tried it have ridden.

Whatever your choice I would also recommend not getting deeper fins. I used to feel the same way as you but since going to smaller fins and now riding the Natural (finless) I progress much faster.

(Message edited by joshugan on December 05, 2006)

Stick with the Transcend, buy the Fuse bindings and like Cliff said, purchase The Book. Try to spend more time on the water, work on the basics, ride switch every set and have fun. With time, you will get better and better. Yu have good gear--stick with it--improve yourself, not you set up. Also, if you can , get some lessons---ride with people better than yourself. Good luck

Agreed, keep what you got, get the new Zeus and the book dvd. A new board is not going to help you out at this point.

eh, the older Transcend definitely wasn't a favorite of mine. That said, it's not the board holding you back. I've seen some serious riding go down on that board.

Good luck with your decision. I'd definitely invest the time in a good instructional DVD and see what you pick up from that.

If you're still considering new boards I'd definitely look at the new Transcend, too. IMO, it's worlds better than the old one.

are the zeus better than the fuse?

I like the Fuses better. They are stiffer and more supportive.

What year is the Transcend we're talking about?

05 transcend

are the older ones more slippery than the new ones? the newer ones look pretty sharp.

Yeah, when ridden in the center of the board they are more slippery. They edge about the same, but on landings the old one can feel a bit loose. The new one is totally dialed.

The Zeus' and the Fuses are both sick bindings. I rode the Zeus' last year and the Fuses this year. I actually think I like the Zeus' better. They both have good support, but I love the heal hold down of the Zeus. The Fuses have a bit more ankle support. Definitely personal preference.

natural. 8 molded fins and cuped rails... holds a solid edge but is also loose when you want it to be.... and its figgin chrome.

dude, i just got advice from a pro. IM gonna put both things on my wish list and see what happens. thanks Kaesen

which pro gave you the advice?

I bought a new Natural too late in the season to ride it. Have to wait until next spring to try it out. Going to be a long winter.

The new Transcend performs awesome with NO fins.

haha. it was you Kaesen! ive seen you in wakeboarding magazine a few times.

(Message edited by cwb_fooguitarlz on December 09, 2006)

The Natural performs awesome with NO fins.

(really though. If you get it don't put the center fin on. The center fin was something they probably put on just to make sure they sold to people who won't buy a board without them.)

The Natural tracks great while flat, locks in on edge, breaks loose with no effort for surface tricks, and is extremely forgiving if you don't quite nail a trick right. I am blown away every time I get on it that it incorporates every feature so well.

Oh, and the pop is fantastic!

yeah ive heard about the insane pop. thats one reason i was lookin at it. did you see that dude? that was Kaesen Suyderhoud! haha.

jeff,
haha thanks for the kind words, we should ride sometime if we are both in the same area.

but i fell in love with the natural when obrien let me have one of thier first ones they made in summer of 05 cause i rode the player but it was too grippy for me and i wanted something a little looser but still could hold an edge.

its an all around smooth board and the pop isnt too crazy also so i like that.

yeah thatd be awesome! i doubt youre ever west of Indianapolis though. thanks for the advice!

Jeff,

Another sick ride is the Cartel. I have been riding one for about a month, O'brien sent me one cause Naturals were back ordered forever, It is super fast!

Kaesen, you tried one? What did you think? Chris @ Obrien sent me one to do a durability test on, and I am really into it!

i havent got to try it out yet. i want to really bad. ennen says he loves it but the sizes are horrible for me.(135,140,145)
i ride a 139 natural but i like 137 and 38's and i dont want to go over 39 so the closest is the 35 which is really small but it would be fun to try. 140's just feal like tanks to me.

what bindings you sporting?

Right now I am on the New 07 Analogs Chris sent them so that I could test them for him too, For a re-lace binding they are great! The Dry entry is a major plus! I can't believe that there are no more Radons, that boot was ill! What boots you on right now..

Man the Cartel is sick. The Step down rails cut like a knife. I feel you on the size thing. I usually rock a 144 Natural, but the width on the cartel makes up for it being to short. I haven't decided if I will stay on it yet, or go back to the natural.

yeah i want to try it bad.

im on the new xneons
i had the new argons but i got them this summer and they were prototypes so they broke real fast, same with the new natural, that didnt last too long either. haha

the new xenons are the best in my mind though.

I am waiting on some Xenons. I have always wanted to try them, even when I was on Radon. Nothing Like Prototypes. They last a week tops. Last winter I put on a brand new pair of 06 radons, fresh out of the box, I pulled up the lace, and they tore all way down to my ankle. It was awesome!

i had the 05 byerly's and they SUCK. the BOA thing broke. if the byerly's had normal laces they would be so awesome.

same thing happend to me! hahaha thats good i thought i was just really strong! haha

yeah the xenons are the lightest out of the whole fleet. thats why most riders used them over the years, plus they are front lace and a little on the looser side more maximum pokeeg. haha

lol. yeah. i think out of the 06 line the Xenon looked the best too

they look the best for 07' too

i havent really got a good look at the 07s. im gonna go CHECK IT OUT. id say youre showin that dude up in the nukefish grab thread. haha

EDIT: yeah the Ions and the Xenons are pretty sharp

(Message edited by cwb_fooguitarlz on December 10, 2006)

Obrien is coming out with a dry-entry boot?! or am i just late and ive never tried it? Dry-entry would be a major plus for me.

yeah the line this year is neopream inside the boots. you can slip them on dry...well at least the xenons and ions cause you can open them up really far but the ions are the stiff this year.

but what i like about the xenons and argons is that they have the snowboard boot toung cup deal... really comfy! the others just have the older style.

nnniiiccceee. i've heard about Obrien bindings bein' built bad. whats up with that? i hear about Obrien bindings tearing all the time. so for now Im going with some CWB Fuse

I the O'brien products that Kaesen and I a talking about breaking and tearing we prototypes. Most of the stuff that hits the shelves in the stores in rock solid. The toung cup is awesome it sucks your foot to the foot bed.

yeah, it made the boot wayyy lighter than ever too!

but on the subject of breaking...
all bindings break easy. i have broken every single one i have ever used. i break more bindings than boards by far. obriens tend to break easy, yes, but i can say the same thing about cwb. personaly i have never used one of there boots but i have heard of them breaking easy.... all boots break easy, it is mostly wear and tear that does it.

yeah. the only pair of bindings i ever broke was the 05 Byerly's. but it was because of the BOA.

This is a very true statement that Kaesen is making, I have never stopped using a pair of boots for any other reason than them breaking. The simple fact is when you use something everyday several times they just brerak down.

Hey Kaesen, if you're looking for a killer board in a 138 you ought to give the Transcend a try. I'd say it's a perfect size matrix for you.







Ha, ha, ha.... Just had to toss some CWB props in here, right in the middle of the O'brien love fest.

BTW, while I agree that all bindings break (and I've ridden a lot that have only lasted weeks), the last year's Zeus' are rock solid. I rode them for a full year and never broke a single part (oh, and they were prototypes too that I got in Nov. of '05). That and you can definitly put them on dry with the hinge. Killer for cable parks where easy in/out is key. Not sure about the '07s though. We'll have to see how the re-coil works out. Jeff, the new Fuses' are dope. The new toe piece is super comfy. I kinda miss the hinge, though and I may go back to the Zeus'.

Alright, back to the O'brien love fest. Kaesen, I'll have to get your autograph the next time I see you, now that I know your famous. Andy, I'd get yours too, but I don't get out east too often.

Later guys.

Ya, shame on us Evan. We should have known better than to possibly suggest that another manufacturer is as good as CWB. If I buy a new Transcend (PLATINUM! ) with Zueses (HINGE-TECH! ) can I join in the CWB love-fest on the other half of the threads on WW?

Yeah, dammmm.... the Transcend and Zeus' is gonna be like the Parks set up of '03.





Only difference is that it's actually a good working combo for the average rider. LOL.

Take it easy Josh... I'm just baggin' these guys for the fun of it. We're all here reppin' the companies that support us. I'll be the first to admit that there are a lot of great companies out there with great products. Just happens CWB has taken great care of me (and I'd say a few others if you look at how popular they've become lately). O'Briens been the hook up for Kaesen and Andy. When you see people on here praising product it's usually for a good reason. At least that way you know the rep's are looking to take good care of the their riders.

And I'm just baggin' you for the fun of it. ( hence the )

I know most the CWBers on here get hookups from CWB, otherise you wouldn't call yourselves C.I.E. = CWB Is Everything.

ha, ha, ha... That's awsome. I hadn't though of that one yet.

haha what obrien reps? no more in califonia at least. stait factory now.. hahaha

Seriously, wow.... I always wondered about O'brien. I always thought the product was pretty underated. It just kind of seemed like there wasn't much of a push from the factory, but the gear always looked dope. They were doing some stylie boots when HL and CWB were still stuck in hoopty rubber overlay days.

Good to hear they're still taking care of you though, Kaesen.

Yes sir, straight factor rules!

I think that O'brien stuff is really underated. They are really making some amazing gear!

Then why aren't they building the system of getting it out there on a larger scale? I remember a few years back CWB was starting to make legit shapes/boots and now they have made it happen. Is O'Brien content on selling a ton in Oz? If their gear is so great then get it to market!! We want sweet gear too! Its like they skipped that free market, build yourself of Business 101 and are content dragging ass...

obrien was one of the first ski companies made, and then on to wakeboards as well. it was hurb obriens creation...before hyperlite and jstar and ronix and all the ski companies. Obrien now is more of fun company that doesnt try to take it so damn big because i know exactly what factorys look like and when you start selling more and more the product keeps getting cheeper and cheeper.
obrien is a real big company, espesially over seas..but they dont change their product paise. obrien is about the team trips and making good quality product rather than barley making enough product in time for the year and half assing the stuff like HL had to do last year. obriens product sells its self for the quality and thats why you dont see them out trying so hard... they kinda let people come to it. (as dumb as that sounds) hahaha... i dont think i did a great job explaining myself on that one... haha but yeahhh

If O'Briens making money then that's cool but I've also wondered why they aren't repping as hard? I think my local shop dropped them because they weren't selling enough of their stuff. HL and LF have such big name brand recognition but that's probably pretty expensive to do.

The funny thing about my local shop dropping them is that I got a Natural right after they did. I can honestly say, and in my humble opinion, that nothing HL currently makes holds a candle to the Natural. Obviously different riders like different aspects of boards based on their style but I just cannot believe that you could make such a high performance and user friendly shape in one board. I'd really like to demo some of the top of the line LF and CWB shapes to see how they compare.

I mean So Cal is one of the bigger markets for wakeboards & one can barely find their boards anywhere. Even if you are trying to stay small you definately make an effort to push yourself where it will be seen. I'm not saying So-cal is some sort of mecca or better than anywhere else but I know its one of the largest markets in the country. Kaesen, you are the only rider in CA I have seen on an O'brien. I'm not dissing your skills when I ask, did you get hooked up through your dad? Was he a skier for them?

You also mentioned Herb O'brien, wasn't O'brien skis the company he got busted for shipping drugs with? He had to sell it to pay legal fees or something? I may be WAY off on this one. Clearly this has nothing to do with the modern O'brien company we are speaking of. I too would like to try their stuff, if I could only find it...

hahaha yeah obrien is the company he was dealing drugs with but i know herb personaly and he didnt start the company for that reason. but i know for a fact that he did not sell the company for legal fees...he just lost it. but when he was done surving his time he started HO.

and... no my dad didnt have anything to do with me on obrien. i was a team rider for double up and when that company fell through i was introduced by the team manager for obrien at the time when i was compeating at boardstock in 05'...he put me on the national team and hooked me up big time... he no longer works for them but i still stayed on the team beacause of how nice they were to me and how much i loved the product.
if my dad was to help me out i would be on team ronix with herb and paul cause my dad has been designing and been friends with them for a life time, but i dont want that..its too major corperated and i love obrien. it doesnt mean i dont like ronix though... there stuff looks incredible.

and yeah my dad use to ski for them back in the wooden ski days. hahah it was his first major ski sponcership when he was young... and its kinda cool that it is the same for me.

wow that was long...sorry guys. hahaha

O'brien is HUGE in minnesota, and in the midwest. The House Board Shop, www.the-house.com, sells an insane amount of O'brien gear. I don't know if selling the most gear is a measure of how "good" a company is. I hate these company battles, its like arguing over what car or truck is better. I like Ford you like GMC, its pointless. But Clearly I am correct Ford is better.

josh, I agree with you, I think that a lot of people would be amazed with the Natural. Its by far one of the best boards that I have shreded!

They are definitely doing something right. And you have to hand it to their team too.

I'm not saying that LF, CWB, or any other company is better because they sell more. I just wonder if there's more O'Brien can do because, again, the Natural is in a different league with most boards and although I ride Nice bindings O'Brien's are great too. My point is that they're not lacking in technology so it's a shame that my local shop doesn't carry them anymore and that not as many people seemingly have access to them.

But if they're making money, are happy, and they keep putting out greats products then I'm happy because I'll be buying their stuff.

Oh, and I completely agree J-Rod. O'Brien has a killer team. Watkins, Sanders, Bret V, Sean O'Brien. They're certainly not lacking in comp skill or unique style.

I am not saying a company is judged by how much it is selling. I just wish it was more accessible around here. From my experience, in CA O'brien is not incredibly well represented. Which is a shame because from what i can tell their shapes have come a long way. Many on here know I support CWB, I look at O'brien kinda in the same light. Really stepping up and finally meeting their potential, the only difference is that I have easy access to one and can't find the other to save my life. I really am not dissing at all, I seriously just want O'brien to be more available.

I mean take it from my perspective, yeah, clearly they have a legit team, clearly they have what look to be good shapes. But clearly I can't get on one to ride. I know its not like this for everyone but being in California I would expect a wakeboard brand to be a little more available. Not to talk crap on Minnesnowta but I think our market is a little larger here, why aren't they all over it? It really comes down to simple business/demographic/marketing philosophy and from my perspective here, O'brien is not delivering to me. Andy, I'm not trying to say which one is better. I could care less, I have my reasons, you have yours, end of story. I just have a hard time getting behind a company with ZERO local representation. Hell, I'm sure CWB has places that they do not cover, I'm sure the people there don't ride too much of 'em either.

Kaesen, props for sticking with those that support you, it is commendable. Like I said, no disrespect, I was just wondering. Coming from a water ski family I recognized the name... Come down south sometime to ride Nacimiento, we got a crew of rippers that would push you for sure. We also come to Shasta as a 50+ person crew once a year in September. Last, I dig the song in your video, one of my favorites. When I saw Damien w/ Ben Harper that was by far my favorite moment, Damien killing "Road to Zion".

thanks man! yeah that video is kinda lame but thank you... it is all footage from like last year and like 2 days this year. it doesnt even have any of my big stuff or styly/ signiture stuff either... its like its almost an INT contest pass... but like 5 minuts long hahaha.

but.... on the subject....
obrien can be found all over CA. west marine is a huge dealer in so-cal, and BARTS catologs are HUGE with obiren...but you are totally right, you dont see them much in CA...cause everyone here cares about partying on the lake and having a cool board with sweet graphics on it..or something that says hyperlite on the bottom.
not dissing on CA people cause im a born and raised lake shasta kid but from what i see its all about drinking and women. haha AKA boardstock.
but... drive up north to the north west and you wont see hardly any CWB or LF or HL... its like all obrien cause they were a washington company...

yeah and andy... everyone knows that chevys are better. HAHAHA im just kidding.

all about drinking and women? not dissin' you at all, kaesen, but i spent most of my life in cali, and spent some time in the northwest and i think it's more about drinking and women in seattle than it is down here. and i saw more hyperlite and saw about as many o'briens as i did cwb and lf up there.

I think the amount of O'brien representation in catalogs has a lot to do with the fact that they don't have any local reps. Local reps support local shops and riders. When everything is distributed by the factory there isn't going to be a lot of love for local events. Even at the boat shows Kaesen always ends up chilling in the corner somewhere by himself. LOL, sorry Kaesen.

I definitely think they could step it up. A couple years back I really wanted to ride a Demented, but couldn't find one anywhere. I think more people would be on their product if it was around.

But, since it isn't...... CWB all they way. LOL

Evan "Cwb. Is. Everything." out.....

I have been riding O'Brien boards since '97, started out on the Crow!

I can tell you from experience that MARKETING is not something O'Brien does very well!!

What they do well is make great boards and now there bindings are also sick!!

The Natural is on a different level than any other board. The Demented is also a board that is exceptional and now it's being sold as one of their entry level boards!!

You also have to remember that brother BOB has his hands on HL, LF, CWB, and OB. It would be really easy for him to control who gets to push what and how hard. Think about it, if you hold all the cards then it's easy to stack the deck anyway you want!

Later,
jjakober

Long live then big O !!

PS: Mr. Johnson, U R the best!!!

Yes Mr. C.Johnson is a good fellow, who makes a damn nice wakeboard!

Stephan (Big Heavy) Okay, not to get into an arguement about State demographics, but here are some Boating and Historical facts. Minnesota has the 4th largest number of registered recreational boats in the U.S. http://fishing.about.com/library/weekly/news/blnews021218boat.htm granted Cali beats MN out but let’s look at populations of each state. http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0004986.html Cali has 36.1 million people in it and 957,463 registered boats, MN has a 5.1 million people and 826,048 registered boats. So some quick math tells us that in Cali there are 36 people to every registered boat, while in MN there are 6 people to every boat. This is the land of 10,000 lakes, water skiing was invented here, http://inventors.about.com/od/wstartinventions/a/waterskiing.htm . I have lived in both CA, and MN, and still do spend most of the winter in CA. I can tell you first had, watersports are bigger in MN than in CA. Maybe its cause there is nothing else to do, or because there are some many freaking lakes, or maybe I have not lived in the areas of CA that are more boating oriented. I don't even really know what I am arguing about; I just wanted to make a point that Minnesota has a much large boating population than Cali does per-capita. Just want my little home town state to get the respect that it deserves when it comes to watersports. Our lakes are lined with houses, docks, and jibs. This is the land of Cabins on lakes, as Hamms Beer says 'the land of sky blue waters.' I am going to extend an open invitation to anyone who wants to come and ride in MN to stay with me in the summer and ride! Out lakes are the best around. Plus there is no annoying Coast Guard making sure we have a spotter, are wearing a life jacket, and have a flag for when the rider falls.

Wasn’t this a thread about what board to ride anyway?

Sorry for going off on a tangent, just wanna big ups my hometown, my territory, my state!

O'brien makes great gear so does CWB, at the end of the day I think that it all comes down to personal pregerence anyway.

Nice reply and supporting evidence Andy. I started boarding on the obrien evil twin and haven't bought another brand since. The Natural is definitely in a class of its own.

Props to Obrien for not following the hype (no pun intended). Besides, it is kind of cool to ride a board very few people do.

I live in MSP now, so if you ever have some free time this summer Andy riding on some of our fine lakes is definitely in order.

"Prince lives here, we got 10,000 lakes" -Atmosphere

"Big ups my hometown, my territory, my state."

-atmosphere

Thats funny, when I wrote Minnesnowta I was thinking of Atmosphere's song "Say Shhh" too. "Minnesota is, dope if only simply, for not what we have but what we don't". RESPECT!

Atmosphere, I cannot believe how big they have gotten!! I remeber going to shows in like 97 with 10 people in the crowd. I have gotten to know the Rhyme Sayers crew pretty good over the years. I always trips me out to hear people in other states and countries digging them! If dont know who Atmosphere is go to www.rhymesayers.com at get updated.

Atmosphere has definitely gotten pretty big. Even all the way down here in Texas he can fill up sizable venues. Was at an awesome show not to long ago down here.

The natural is a pretty cool water skiing device too.

Andy, I'd be curious to look at the number of wake related boats versus the general boat registration number. I'm not discounting your post though. It really doesn't matter to me who has the most riders. Riders are riders and we all care about our pulls and equipment just the same.

It sounds like there are a lot of O'brien riders that feel the same way about the Natural that I feel about the Transcend. IMO the new Transcend is untouchable. I've never felt that way about a board. Every other board has some type of compromise. Glad to hear there are some other boards out there that people are super stoked about.

LOL @ Andy......

We both live in the midwest and cali right?

Midwest is where its born, Cali is where it flourishes.

joe,
not a diss... no worries. haha
i see where you are coming from but im going to have to re-phrase myself...''the WEST COAST is basically all about drinking and women'' hahahaha.
but everytime im up there i see more obrien than anything.... not saying i dont see a lot of the rest, but i just see obrien a little more than everything ellse up there.

evan,
hahaha! dude yeah my booth always gets shoved in the corner!...but you have seen me at a boat show...im never in my booth! haha im always runnin around like a 5 year old!

but.... at expo this year, we (obrien) had the biggest booth and the best location. i just think most people dont realize how big obrien is with over sea's and all the major watersports catologs. anyways... i love that not alot of people ride obrien cause it helps riders like me have more of a chance to get a name and i like supporting the underdogs cause i hate big corperations... the bigger they get the less the quality and curtesy is.

yeah, obrien is really big on slalom and stuff too.

so is connelly.

the natural is amazing. I've never ridden a transcend so i can't say...but the natural is one hell of a deck.

i ride it finless and it edges very well, a really nice roll edge to edge..and i can cut the thing loose really easy when i want to. and it carries a ••••••••• of speed into the wake.

hope u have a good christmas