Hey guys,
The time has come to look for a new board!
Currently I have a Nobile 666 board 132cm which has served me very well!

Mainly I ride freestyle and bit of old-school in semi flat water, after a board thats got good pop, very light but also not too harsh on the knees on big landings!

Im looking at a Cabrinha 2014 xcaliber and a Xenon Infra at the moment.

So what do you guys recommend?

Thanks

That sounds like a custom made request for a Shinn Monk to me.
New model due for release shortly - with the original Gorilla making a huge comeback for 2015 - YEAH.
We have several 2014's about to be relegated to superseded class - give us a call. 0430 966 397.

If you are looking for a Xride that outperforms many freestyle boards but with huge in-built comfort as an all-rounder then thats the reason the Monk won board of the year twice - unmatched performance with versatility.
Free demos available Aust wide.

Shinn Monk
Axis Limited or Vanguard
Crazyfly Pro Limited
Cabrinha XCal

All would be great options with slight differences in aggressiveness and comfort. The Monk is a really cool board and may fit the bill. It is slightly softer in flex than what you have suggested but it's a lot of fun and great for jumping plus it's very light. I think the Infra is too square for what you want and doesn't have enough rocker. I would consider the Axis boards for sure as they have slightly more rocker, great pop, and the channels make for very soft landings with great grip for takeoff (the Limited is lighter). I rode the XCal all last season and can't speak highly enough about it. If you want light though you'd be looking at the carbon version.

I can recommend the Monk too, but you can handle a bigger monk than your usual ride.
they are a bit power hungry. you could prob go 135x42.
they feel like a much smaller board under foot.
I was going to sell mine, but finding it hard to part with as its so damn good when powered up.
not the biggest fan of the pads tho. I find it hard to keep them on my feet through jumps so have moved to other brands.

Great thanks for the replies, has anyone tried the Axis Nuskools?

@kitingaddict

Yes I have ridden the 138x42 and the 135x41 and they are very very good! It has a more subtle bottom shape than the Vanguard and Limited but has an incredible feel to it. It straddles the free/wakestyle and freeride markets very well with enough pop to feel comfortable doing passes but also good carving and boosting ability. The graphics are pretty polarising but I definitely like the looks!

@Drury
Thanks for that, What size would you suggest for the nuskool or an xcal I'm 175cm and 70kg?

If you're coming off of small boards then 135 would be the safe bet but you could easily ride the 138 in straps. You'll get a bit more pop out of the larger size. On the flip side it's easier to hold your edge for boosting high on a slightly smaller board. If you're more prone to boosting than load and pop go for the 135! We have those sizes in both boards at kp. Drop me a PM if you want any more info!

How was the xcal in a bit of chop regarding spray to the face?

Ive got a North Select, love it and meets all your desires, worth a demo...

Not sure of the age of your nobile board but mark shinn used to be employed by them, and are still using some of his older designs, I love my shinn monk , I've rode some sweet boards but for me the monks the go, super fast, grips , slashes, sprayless ride, decent pop, eats the chop, soft absorbed landings, and that magic carpet ride, however I'd look at the shinn street/ ultrasonic/ ADHD/ in the range for that more aggressive pop, the is a great video of Alex bourney called identity putting the shinn street through its paces in most disciplines, the xenons are worth a look too, kiteworldmag/gear reviews are worth looking at, just read up on what independent pro riders say, good reading

monk

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pattiecannon said..
monk

yeh great but not if you need that extra pop, too flexible imo which is great for certain conditions, also type of kite is relevant, ie a good loading kite doesn't show how a board pops, ride something like a reo or a neo with a monk or a altrasonic, it becomes apparent which board has good pop and which not, if you stiffened the monk to create amazing pop itd lose most of its stand out attributes, the laluz is a good combination, but still not as good as the monk, styles, weight ,kite are all important in an allround board selection

Does anyone know the difference between the 2013 Xcal's and the 2014 xcals?

Hey not sure on the difference but let us know how your new board goes. Recently upgraded to a cab custom but i find it super skatey harder to go upwind and much more underpowered then my old flat crazyfly even though i went up a size. Im thinking about selling both and going somewhere between custom and a flat board might try a few more sessions tho to try get used to the custom. I think i shoulda gone more freestyle then wakestyle

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kitingaddict said..
Does anyone know the difference between the 2013 Xcal's and the 2014 xcals?

The 2014 is much better than the 2013 by a fair bit. The entire board had a profile, channel, tip, and flex update. I really enjoyed both the standard and signature versions of the 2014, however the increased rocker in the new 2015 model make the landings much softer and the board a lot more forgiving overall. If you are a very competent kiter and you feel that your board skills are quite high - go for the signature, otherwise stick with the regular version as it will be easier to progress on.

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cauncy said..

pattiecannon said..
monk

yeh great but not if you need that extra pop, too flexible imo which is great for certain conditions, also type of kite is relevant, ie a good loading kite doesn't show how a board pops, ride something like a reo or a neo with a monk or a altrasonic, it becomes apparent which board has good pop and which not, if you stiffened the monk to create amazing pop itd lose most of its stand out attributes, the laluz is a good combination, but still not as good as the monk, styles, weight ,kite are all important in an allround board selection

Hey cauncy, take your word for it on the laluz m8.
I suggested monk due to it's radness and it's smoothness on the knee's.
All the boy's down here are on them, post their tronic's, custom's, caliber's, motion's and all like them better & say, "much smoother!".
We are in the surf but...
Defo better on the knee's than the Cab's, no question there.

Crazy Fly Carbon