F-ONE Kiteboarding Trax 4 136 x 40cm 2009
Reviews / Twin Tips
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At a Glance
The Trax has been a part of the F-One line up for some time now, it is their performance freeride board aimed at the kiter looking for speed, comfort and performance in an easy to ride package. Last year the Trax 3 was very popular and having seen the Trax 4 and ridden it we would say that once again it looks set to be a winner. The graphics are rather mellow compared to the Acid also in the test! There is a fair bit of technology going on with the Trax 4, it has a very thin wood core at its heart which enables the team at F-One to develop a very thin core which is then laminated in fibreglass, new for this year is a Twist Carbon Control section, which helps to control the lateral twist of the board. The concave and step down the centre of the board is back and the rails have been inverted to help with rail to rail carving. The footpads and straps are excellent and the new mounting system makes it a breeze to put the pads on the board.
On the Water
The Trax of past years has always been a favourite due to its smooth forgiving ride, and once again the Trax 4 feels very surefooted and easy to control, even in the heaviest of chop. The flex ensures the board soaks up most of the bumps and the channel and concave help smooth out the rest of the ride. Whilst the board is smooth and easy it also has a darker side. Power up the edge and drive some speed into the Trax 4 and you will find it is able to carry an impressive turn of pace. Once again even at speed the board feels easy to control and perfectly poised. The 136 sounds like a big size, but with the straps set up wide you don’t really notice the length. Anyone over 6 foot tall would get a lot out of the 136, even if it sounds bigger than your normal ride. The pop and jumping is impressive, although the tips lean towards a more freeride profile they still displace enough water to get you well and truly airborne. Landing on the 40cm wide base is easy too and the concave also helps soak up some of the shock meaning powered tricks can be landed at speed with ease. The 136 is very early to get going, aided by the channel it also flies upwind with ease. Once again we expect this to be a very popular freeride board in 2009.
For
Classic styling, wood core, very fast and easy to control, great for jumping and for doing powered freestyle moves and very quick upwind.
Against
We struggled to find any gripes with the Trax, it works and works really well.
Overall
If you want a freeride board that gives a good turn of performance, is forgiving and easy to ride then the Trax 4 will fit that bill.
This review was in Issue 15 of IKSURFMAG.
For more information visit F-ONE KiteboardingRelated
By Rou Chater
Rou has been kiting since the sports inception and has been working as an editor and tester for magazines since 2004. He started IKSURFMAG with his brother in 2006 and has tested hundreds of different kites and travelled all over the world to kitesurf. He's a walking encyclopedia of all things kite and is just as passionate about the sport today as he was when he first started!
