transcend or absolute for beginer

i have been wake boarding probably 10 times a year for 5 years due to boat problems. this year i bought a new sanger v215 and want to get serious on wakeboarding. i have no instruction and basically what i learned on my own is what the people that ride with me know which is only how to cross the wake. my old HL parks board is finally spliting apart and i want a new board that i can ride on and learn new tricks. should i go absolute or transcend or a different board also does the platinum model make a big enough difference for the $100? i have old LF transit bindings are these still a good binding i think mine are 5 years old?

Well hey there I ride last years CWB Absolute Plat. and love it .....the best board I have owned so far...real good pop, does not weigh anything,,,but very high cost$$ I have rode Hyperlite, LF, Obrien and more .......if you are just still learning you may want to ger a cont. rocker board something that is not 3 stage and is more predictable and smooth.....with a little deeper fins.....once you get better you may want very short fins and or maybe ride with no fins like I ride now.....feels like snowboard style I like it that way......As far as the bindings go the two best and or most relaxing well fit ones I have ever used are the Parks / Hyperlite bindings....2 and or 3 yrs ago version......and the ones I have now the new Ronix One closed toe bindings they are sweet....no weight to them and great response but maybe an overkill for you.....they are high end and cost alot.....and if you are just still learning may want to upgrade later just get something low cost that feel good now used ones or new..........I have owned the Hyperlite Parks board by the way before too......great pop but other then that not a great board....... Are you local we live in the Livermore , CA area.....if you ever need in help on learning anything that we can help you with......we are always willing to help out.... Tobin

the transcend is a very loose skate-like feel. if youre a beginner, it will be hard to learn on...the absolute(if you include the bolt-on center fin) tracks very well....I would also suggest looking into Obrien. I ride the Obrien Player and it is the best board i have ever been on. im barely an intermediate rider and i dont use the bolt on fin...if you put the bolt-on fin on the player it would be a great beginner board. Stick some Obrien Argons on there and youre good to go..youll never need a new setup

CWB Absolute, Pure, Kink, Faction all great boards for beginner and up.

thanks for the input. so other things are i'm 6'2 and 195lbs. but trying to loose some weight this summer. i am still a beginner but would like a board i can keep for a while lilke i did with my parks. i believe now that i have a real wake i will progress fastly. i also bought "the Book" so i can get some advise. that being said i really want a good all around board. also i near bremerton washington

i will look at the obriens. what about the difference between plat and regular?

I would disagree with Jeff. Don't get me wrong, I love the board, but the absolute is a slower board (more drag). I wish someone would have put me on a fast board like the Transcend when I was learning. A looser board will also create less edge catching opportunities and force proper edging technique early on.

The Platinum would probably be a waste for a beginner in my opinion.

"what about the difference between plat and regular?"

About a pound lighter, but a few pounds heavier on the wallet. Plat's are made with some different materials. The Absolute is a better beginner board, but the Tranny is sic to rollout, if you got your basics down. Either board is greatness waiting to happen....

if you are going to spend 400, screw the beginner mentality. get the transcend, no doubt. it has been the most popular board this year, and some say the best ever. everyone is different, but i hate a slow board. im with J-Rod in thinking that it'd be better to have a lose / fast board early. it can only help, even if the first few rides are awkward.

with either board, $ wise, there is no upgrade. i'd either buy a couple year old good used board to try, then upgrade later, or go straight for the transcend.

how does the obrien natural compare to the cwb absolute

also compared to the transcend? also why would the transcend be hard to learn on al though i'm not learing i just can't do tricks yet i know how t ocut very well but only on heelside. toeside is still awkward and hard to make it across the wake?

Charman covered it.

"get the transcend, no doubt. it has been the most popular board this year, and some say the best ever."

The best ever!

ok so i should get the transcend even though i can only jump the wake. the transcend will help me more than it will hurt me correct?

It took me a long time to give cwb a chance, but i can honestly say im glad i did.. ive been riding different boards every year for the past few years and will say the transcend is the only board i jumped on and felt really comfortable! TRY THE TRANSCEND, there is a reason everyone loves it..

i guess i oughta try out the new transcend. My opinion of the transcend comes from the 2005 transcend. i just found it very hard to progress on.

You can't go wrong with the 07 transcend, it is different from all the previous models (thank god). I currently ride the 07 trans plat, rode 06 trans plat last year, and 05 abs. plat year before that. The 07 transcend is one of the best boards IMO for a beginner on up. It is real consistant and pushs up from the legs rather then the center or ends like the absolute does. If you put the large fin extensions in it tracks really tight. Last years was alot slower/heavier and was very loose with no adjustability. I like loose track though but the weight and slowness kinda blew.

Tried a new watson last night and took a nasty fall on it last night and came out of my shane bindings for the first time. That board is wicked fast, light and short and pops totally different. Wouldn't recommend it.

Not saying the Transcend is not a great board thats what I ride and Its my favorite board of all time, if you can demo one I would say go for it and see what you think.
Another board I think you should demo is the CWB Faction, the board rides fast, sets a good edge and has great pop and great landings and then there are the Kink and Pure, I also think that both of those boards are great shapes and you would progress on either.
Coming from an old Parks Board, I think you could ride any of the boards mentioned and progress.

i could get a new 06 transcend for $228 but its a 138. but i could save $200. is this a bad idea since i'm 6'2" and 195lbs. also its and 06

The 06 and 07 Transcends are different shapes, get an 07 Transcend 142cm

07 Transcend 142 here - absolutely love the board! It's not for everyone though, I came from an '05 CWB Sol and always rode it finless because I couldn't stand the center mount fins. My buddy's have tried the Transcend and aren't comfortable on it. You have to be comfortable with your edging, it is a loose and fast board. It also pops like a mofo! My first jump on the board scared me because I had never come close to jumping as high as I did.

So, do you ride without fins and like it? If the answer is yes, you will love the board IMO.

07 transcend is great. I'm getting a lot more consistent pop, and going further into the flats than I ever did with my absolute. Both are great boards though, I just find the transcend easier to ride...

DON'T GET 06 TRANSCEND

I have this board, it is really slow and heavy. The 07 is a totally different shape - think of it as a totally different board.

Not sure I'd call the 07 transcend fast. Faster than 06 though.

Get on a watson, thats fast.

The 06 is the same weight as the 07, but they are different shapes.
07 specs: 142.00 cm/55.91 in.
Mid width: 43.23 cm/17.02 in.
Tip width: 24.66 cm/9.71 in.
Surface Area: N/A
Weight: 3.54 kg/7.80 lbs
Rocker: 7.67 cm/3.02 in.
Rocker type: Subtle three-stage


06 Specs: 142.00 cm/55.91 in.
Mid width: 42.72 cm/16.82 in.
Tip width: 24.28 cm/9.56 in.
Surface Area: 2,110.74 cm/831.00 in.
Weight: 3.54 kg/7.80 lbs
Rocker: 8.12 cm/3.20 in.
Rocker type: Subtle three-stage
MSRP: $419.99 USD

Go demo the boards that everyone is talking about and then make an informed decision. Dont buy anything by word of mouth, especially when you have the availability to ride the various boards. Each individual will look at these boards differently. It all depends on what you are used to. My .02

There are alot of boards with close to the same dimensions but doesn't mean they ride even close to each other.

It says it's the same weight but it isn't. 06zues+06trans plat is about 3lbs heavier then the 07zues+07trans plat. Now my 06 trans plat may have been a little heavier since it was replaced with a stronger one because the other one broke in half. Nevertheless it was really slow and very loose. The 07 has tons more adjustability on the tracking.

Never said they ride the same, I dident like the 06 and the 07 is my favorite shape of all time.

if your not dying to get one today you could wait till like august and get it for half price when they go on sale.

aye. it'd be tough to fork out 600-700 for a setup right now and see it fall to 400-500 in a short amount of time. that being said, the summer is running along quickly. get on the water!

I have a 05' absolute 141 for sale. Same shape as the 06' and 07' Hit me up if you want it. ethan31@gmail.com

I also have a 05 absolute 141 platty for sale.
Got a new 2007 platty so I can let the old one go. Great condition. Pm me