About O'brien

They have good looking product. But, i have not got much information about this brand. Can any body give me some comment or information about it.

O'Brien has been around since the beginning.

The number 1 and 2 riders on the pro tour this year, ride for O'Brien.

You don't hear much about O'Brien because they don't have the Hype that some of the other companys have.

Check them out,
jjakober

I personally love their stuff. I think it all rides very stable and agressive, which is tough to find. I like a board with a little less rocker and a little quicker, which fits many of their boards. I am looking forward to checking out that '44 natural. Check 'em out.

i dont know anything about their boards, but in my opinion their bindings arent that great. every time i land in the flat half my foot comes out the toe hole, i think its because the lower foot has a fixed adjust ment on the systems, there othere bindings look nice, maybe its just this model that sucks balls

i have been riding a obrien vision for the last 3 years and love it.

You said toe hole.

O'brien has been around for years. My first board and all my skis were O'brien. As I continued to progress my boarding, my skis have been left to collect dust. I do, however, slalom every once in a while, and the skis are as solid as when I first bought them. Unfortunately, none of my local shops carry O'brien gear, so I have been unable to get a good feel for its boards.

Buffalow,

I think you will really like the Natural. I am riding the 139 and it is great. It is a very quick board considering it has a 3 stage rocker. To me, it seems just as fast as the Demented or the Valhalla. It also seems really stable, but still explodes off the wake. Let us know what you think if you get a chance to ride it.

Later,
jjakober

jjakober: do u work for obrien? dont take offense. you just seem to be a really big fan if you dont.

Kellan,

Nope, but if I did, I wouldn't be offended!!

Later,
jjakober

JJakober,

Did you find the Natural to be a little lose? Moreover, how/when can I get my hands on some 2006 gear? I'm dying to ride the Demented and Natural to compare the two. Any help is appreciated. Peace be the journey.

Andre,

The Natural actually has really good grip and tracks well. I would say the Natural without fins tracks a little better then the Valhalla without fins, but not as much as the Demented.

I used to ride the Demented and then the Valhalla and I really liked both boards, but there is something about the Natural that really works for me. I know I sound like a dork saying it, but it just feels Natural to ride the Natural. The interesting thing is that it is a three stage board and I have been riding continuous rocker boards for the last 2.5 years.

I got on the Natural and everything clicked and it felt great!

If you make a trip up to Spokane, WA any time soon, you can try out my Demented and Natural. Other then that I guess you will just have to wait for them to show up in stores.

jjakober

JJ--

I appreciate the offer. As much as I'd love to make the trip, I'll likely be grounded in South Texas. The weather is still a cool 90 - 100, so I'm not complaining.

Like you, I've preferred continuous rockers over all the 3-stage boards that I've ridden. I like to ride fast and take everything into the flats but haven't found a 3-stage board that matches my riding style. Though I recently started a thread similar to my next question, I shall ask you directly - have you ridden the Marius? From what I hear, this board gels w/what I'm looking for; however, I'm a little concerned that it may be too bulky. Can you compare this stick to either the Demented or Natural? Thanks again.

Peace be the journey!

Of any of the 06 stuff out thus far, O'brien has been the most impressive looking IMO. Just not sure if anywhere locally demos the stuff. I'd like to try out the Demented, Natural, Vice, and a few of the new bindings.

I'm in the same boat, Stan. None of the board shops around San Antonio carry O'brien, including TSR. I'm jonesin' to check out the Natural and Demented but may be S-O-L and be forced to go w/a CWB or LF that I can demo first. I would imagine that Dallas has a larger market. Please let me know if you find any Obrien products in your area. It may just be worth the trip. Peace!

jjakober is right, the Natural is a great board, I have ridden it and liked it alot. I ride a Vahalla now, but I expect to be adding a Natural to my collection soon! You owe it to yourself to try both boards.

Obrien does not care about wakeskates.

im not knocking obrien in the least, but if you are "forced to go to cwb" you are likely to be happy indeed. Didnt trinitys boardshop used to let you demo a board through her online store if you paid thirty bucks or something?

www.wakecoupons.com

freerider: neither does CWB tho IMO

Matt,

I have an O'Brien Traffic wakeskate and it is just as nice as any other flat wakeskate out there. It's got a nice foam top, a slider bottom for added durability, and nine ply wood construction. I think O'Brien hasn't sunk a bunch into R&D of wakeskates because the market is small and it's not really worth it. The Traffic wakeskate is more then good enough for 99% of the people that wakeskate.

jjakober

what do u mean the market is small....the wakeskate market just exploded....i thought the traffic was ok...but it was the 1st wakeskate i tried....then i tired a catalyst and a bi-level....huge difference...easier to ride and way more pop...but thats just my opinion

Obrien is the best on the maket. I ride a 143 Player and XL Radons. It is the best setup I have ever had hands down.

--JJakober, I agree the traffic is a solid wakeskate I ride it. It easy to do shuvs on. Also don't be so quick to say that Obrien hasnt been doing their R&D on Skates, Rumor has it we will be seeing a Bi-level from O'brien real soon.

Kellan,

Yes you could say that the wakeskate market just exploded, but thats because 3 years ago there wasn't really a wakeskate market and now there is, but in reality, the number of wakeskaters is still small.

Andy,

I shouldn't have said R&D because I know they have done a bunch of R&D on different wakeskate ideas, but in the end they have chosen not to market them. I actually heard that they had a Bi-Level wakeskate design a year before Cassette came out with theirs!

Andy have you had a chance to ride the Natural yet?

jjakober
Later,
jjakober