So what happens when a company takes a board that’s been “the standard” and continues to bastardize it and remove it from its place at the top of the food chain? Well that my friends is what you get with the new Burton Custom V-Rocker check out my take on a board that’s been around for ages and continues to not fit into the mold that it created.
Board: Burton Custom
Size: 154
Camber Option: V-Rocker, three stage rocker so v between the feet then even more in the tips.
Bindings: Non EST Infidels
Stance: 22.5
Angles: 18 negative 15
Boots: K2 T1 DB
My Weight: 165
Resort: Loveland
Conditions: Sunny bluebird with a bit of crispness
Preconceived Notions: The custom the most bastardized board in the Burton line up, once the staple of all mountain versatility now this thing, but hey at least it has V-Rocker so it has potential to be fun.
Flex: Somewhere between plank and door.
Stability: V-Rocker gives a looser feel so in the tips you get a little bit of chatter but nothing that’ll kill an experienced rider.
Ollies/Pop: Blah this thing is about as flat as that Crystal Clear Pepsi I ordered off ebay.
Butterability: V-Rocker does allow for more playful tips and tails but the flex definitely negates the full use you could get from this board.
Cruising: You can go edge to edge no problem but that dead feeling just makes this board so blah.
Jibbing: Flex isn’t the greatest for this but the V-Rocker helps just like any alternate camber would for jibbing.
Rider in Mind: Someone that buys the Burton bullshit and would think this is the board that will do it all and give them a rub and tug afterwards. Or the guy that has repeatedly bought the Custom for the last two decades.
Personal Thoughts: Every time I ride this board I get disappointed, sure you’re saying I’m just a hater. Truth be told favorite deck I owned growing up was an old 99/00 Custom. That was a board I progressed a ton on and had a lot of fun with. This is however not that, it’s a bastardized board with a rocker in it that tries to lure you in to being more fun, for the price save the cash and go look at another company.
What They Say: We’ve remixed the master with the game-changing feel and effortless control of V-Rocker. Add souped up edges, a softer flex, and slightly wider waist width and you get a stick that’s precisely engineered to crank unbelievable turns, land more tricks, and add amplitude to your ollies. From jumpers to jibbers, pow slashers to cruisers-this is the without a doubt one board that everyone will blast on.
Binding Compatibility: Retrofitted Infidels with the 2 hole disk.
Binding Adjustability: Well it’s 2 screws and 4 turn knobs so if we had a problem here I think the guy manning the booth would be retarded. But alas it went together well and is easy enough even a one handed cave dweller could do it.
Straps: Didn’t hurt my ankle as much as the other Burton straps out there. Cushy enough to not cause pressure points but not so soft you fold through them.
Highbacks: These have those new fangled wings that were around when I was a kid years ago. Do they do anything, nothing that I noticed whether I was driving into a turn or getting into a nose or tail press. I say we take a page from bHappy’s Cole Atencio and reverse the highbacks so the wings are on the inside and get pressy.
Binding Flex: Somewhere in that mid flexing all mountain park spectrum.
Ratchets: Yep they do their trick.
Rider in Mind: Probably more for the jib kid that believes with wings he’ll press and fly away, but I say anyone looking to do some all mountain could do it.
Personal Thoughts: Not overly impressed with these, they did their job but nothing I’d rant and rave about.
What They Say: Going at it with hacksaws, drills, and lasers, the R&D crew set out with Keegan and Mikkel to mastermind an all-new park experience. Bringing old school thinking full circle, Keegan’s winged hi-back joins forces with a NEW Asym Superstrap for more controlled presses, spins, and butters. Underfoot we increased the cushioning with the NEW FullBED, giving you yet another reason to always seek the flattest landing possible.
Popularity: 33% [?]
19 Responses
I’ve ridden a 01 custom for the last couple years (I had several of them and didn’t ride in some years) and I loved it. Now it’s time to get a new board and at first, I was not convinced of the v-rocker. Then I read so many reviews calling the custom v-rocker “the best board this winter”, “super fun” etc. that I thought this might be interesting. Your review seems to be different… Could you explain a little bit what you mean with “dead feeling” and “bastardized”. Unfortunately, I don’t have the possibility to demo, and I absolutely don’t know if I would like the rocker, especially in the custom which I liked the way it was.
Posted on December 6th, 2009 at 3:22 pm
Of course my reviews are different I call it how I see it with no fear of pissing people off. Most of those people that are claiming it the best board of the winter are fucking idiots that have never ridden anything other than Burton, hell chances are they couldn’t tell the difference if you put a K2 board with a Burton graphic and vice versa. And if the review is from a magazine do you really think a magazine would slam the biggest company in snowboarding that has the biggest amount of money to dump into advertising?
Well what is something that is dead? That would mean it’s lifeless and therefore just there doing nothing special. As far as it being bastardized you rode the old custom a board I loved a board that truthfully was the standard at the time in what a snowboard should be. Now that shape is on the Air or something like that can’t really remember nor do I care. The new Custom is just some hodge podge from Burton that doesn’t fit in the category it created it’s just some pile of shit that doesn’t flex and the only reason it sells is because of its name.
Posted on December 6th, 2009 at 11:25 pm
Just for background’s sake…
What was your take on the UnIncs while they were around?
Posted on December 7th, 2009 at 11:54 am
Check this out
Posted on December 7th, 2009 at 10:03 pm
hahaha…. i totally loved the custom vrocker (first custom that i’ve liked since about 02ish as you noted above)… felt the flex was right and (gasp) think i like it better than the easy living flving v (double gasp)
Posted on December 20th, 2009 at 7:42 am
wow, the review really goes against anything else I could find on the web. I am very glad I found it. I am shopping for my first board, and obviously the Custom is among the boards under scrutiny because as you write I think it could be “a board I progressed a ton on and had a lot of fun with.”, but after reading this I wonder if also the normal Custom is bastardized or not…
So the boards I am considering are: Nitro Team 159 (but then I read your review of the Gullwing…), K2 Podium 159 (I read your review saying it’s super fast, but I Ignore how it compares in this group), Burton Custom 158 (I’d also buy the EST Burton binding, which I understood cannot use with other boards…), Ride Machete (and the Concept, even though I dont think I understood the differences between the UL and TMS).
Any light you might shed…highly appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Posted on January 31st, 2010 at 2:20 pm
You’re all over the place with the decks you’re looking at and what you want. Stop over analyzing it sit back and say to yourself what do I want a board to be good at and you’ll find the answer.
Posted on January 31st, 2010 at 9:12 pm
thanks a lot. I am looking for a board which -being reliable and durable- would allow me to improve fast, carve precisely, be stable while fast on the flat and wherever, link fast and tight turns, enjoy a lot of powder and off piste, enjoy some trick on the flat or while on the piste, and enter the park from time to time.
Have always rented my gear, both the board and boots were salomon, 157 the board. I am 1,81m (5’11’‘) and between 69-73 kg.
Posted on February 1st, 2010 at 9:37 am
Hey Angry,
I’m kind of interested to see why you hated this board so much, but loved the joystick. It seems like your main problem is that the custom is dumbed down, but then the specs seem to line up right with the joystick, which you liked. What’s the difference?
Thanks.
– Don
Posted on February 3rd, 2010 at 8:48 pm
The custom sucks balls that’s all anyone needs to know. The board is a mismarketed pile of shit that rides like a dead plank that shouldn’t even be classified into the category they put it. The Joystick is lively, poppy, and fun, the custom is not and probably never will be.
Posted on February 3rd, 2010 at 9:57 pm
You wrote: “Truth be told favorite deck I owned growing up was an old 99/00 Custom. That was a board I progressed a ton on and had a lot of fun with”.
If you were to buy a board today, a board to work as your old Custom did, which one would you buy since Custom is not the same anymore?
Posted on February 26th, 2010 at 11:33 pm
There is none and never will be.
Posted on February 27th, 2010 at 12:02 am
OMG! i didnt expect such kind of reply! if it’s something missing in the actual market, board producers are a bit silly for not doing it. Anyhow, which one is the board you would pick to progress and learn and keep for few years? Not working like the magic custom, but at least a substitute?
Posted on February 27th, 2010 at 8:28 am
I don’t keep boards for years.
Posted on February 27th, 2010 at 9:03 am
ok i see thanks. I didn’t want to get on your nerve, sorry.I understand you dont want or you cant suggest an all mountain versatile board. Each and every retail suggests the Custom because it is known to be the best, then I found your review saying this is not true anymore, so I was asking which board I could get instead. That’s it. Thanks.
Posted on February 27th, 2010 at 9:32 am
I rode a 2007 Custom Wide 162 and currently own a 2009 as well. I am 180 lb. 5’10″.
The 2007 was med stiff and you good just squeeze out a tic tac. The 2009 is very stiff and could not flex a tic tac at all. I run razor sharp edge tip to tail and ride and carve at max speed. I am a strong rider and can kick a$$ on the 2009 in free ride. I just sold my Rome artifact because it has too much flex and the bronze edge are weak. Full opposite extreme for handling compared to custom (of course you cant bang the mount aggressively it is a jib stick).
I just bought a v-rocker 159 at a good price. Purpose is so that I can mix it up in the park and all mountain natural features (add some flex and pop, maintain a level of handling). I considered a libtech T Rice C2 BTX but they are over priced for end of seson and near out of stock. I rode the lib and it met that criteria across the mountain.
I do not believe your review. Your stiff as a plank comment makes no sense. Your language indicates you have an axe to grind. Burton may be a fast growing company but they are not that stupid. I will chime in and give a REAL review next week when the board arrives.
Posted on March 4th, 2010 at 2:23 pm
Don’t believe it but you might want to learn how to make comprehensive sentences when describing something there buddy. Might want to go read my Joystick review then if you think I have a real axe to grind with Burton.
Posted on March 4th, 2010 at 8:30 pm
Read your last sentence dill weed
Posted on March 4th, 2010 at 8:53 pm
Is someone butt hurt that I don’t share the same opinion as you on a product thats mismarketed and has changed so much it doesn’t fit into the category it single handedly created? Last sentence made perfect sense but your original rambling leaves more to be desired.
Posted on March 4th, 2010 at 10:00 pm
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