RRD Crank LTE
TWINTIP
The 2022 Crank LTE is a brand-new addition to RRD’s board range. It has replaced the Placebo board in the RRD line-up as a beginner-friendly, freeride-oriented twintip. The Crank was made to allow for comfortable riding and easy progression into the sport, and while testing it, we felt incredibly comfortable on the water.
The Crank is a solid, reasonably light twintip with thin rails and a smooth base. The relatively squared design with moderate width on the tips offers loads of surface area for stability and control of the board, without losing any maneuverability. The slight rocker of the board allows the rider to plane early, which is essential not only when learning to kite but also in lighter winds. One of the biggest advantages of the board that we found was its upwind performance, which was improved further by the thin rails. Despite looking on the heavier side at first glance, the Crank surprised us with its playfulness and flexibility on the water, allowing the rider to cut through chop with ease and pop satisfying jumps. It will happily see you through your first jumps and tricks as you crank up your level of riding. We loved the new RAD pads as they felt very comfortable and absorbed the impacts on landing.
With its track channels to set up pads, and simple and efficient design, the new RRD board makes a perfect choice for kiters just getting into the sport. The Crank is also offered in a bigger light wind version and in a tandem model that allows two riders to use the board at the same time, which is great for learners or giving non-kiting friends a taste of the sport. Overall the Crank knows its market and plays to this perfectly. It is an easy, comfortable and playful board for beginner freeride kiters.
Armstrong CF V2 1200 and 950
FOIL TEST 1200
It’s a mark of how far foiling has developed in the last four years, when popular tech focused brands such as Armstrong start revisiting their first release beginner-orientated CF range for a comprehensive second iteration tune up. Armstong’s ingenious modular A+ system has been in place for over a year now with elegant drag-free connection points with the integrated fuse, and all M6 titanium fixings keeping things super tight, corrosion free and lightweight.
As standard in its foil set package the CF V2 system comes with a 700mm titanium fuse, 100mm longer than the standard, and a CF300 V2 tail. This revised tail is quite a carbon sculpture and has a lot of curvature across its span, with a deep anhedral dip in the center and an opposite dihedral flick into the
