I agree with this guy. I've been saying for a long time that rocker isn't really a beginner profile and that camber offers more support to the rider than rocker. The fuck up was that rocker was marketed as a beginner friendly profile, when in actuality, (imho) it's pros and cons are better suited for a more competent and complete rider that can get the benefits while dealing with the limitations.
The messaging of reverse being easier when it's often harder with the flip being that camber is actually easier in the majority of situations has led to everyone saying camber is better because maybe they struggled with downsides of reverse and found camber easier, thus they think they're really more advanced and so... camber is good because I'm good ...and rocker is lameo for beginners.... which I'm totally not bc I ride camber. bruh.
It's all a bit backwards. No doubt camber offers more support than reverse to the rider... but that doesn't mean a rider is better if they ride camber.
The Official Mervin Manufacturing Thread
Re: The Official Mervin Manufacturing Thread
This is a great breakdown. As always, Lars kills it with the nerdy gear stuff.
I don't think he said anything too controversial, though. His explanation of why rocker is not great for beginners is interesting, and it explains why I've always felt that the parabolic rocker Arbor makes, with extra contact points, feels better to ride casually than other types of center rocker profiles.
I think anyone who works in a shop, or has interest in, as he said, adding nuance to their understanding of boards, should watch this video.
Re: The Official Mervin Manufacturing Thread
Hey! I rode a 159 Banked Country all last season. The board can charge for sure and lay down carves. I haven’t ridden the Lib Rig but the base is a sintered OP+ and I was hoping it would be as fast as the Banked Country if well tuned often. Any one have any insight?
The tail on the BC is only slightly tapered compared to the nose whereas on the rig the nose is a little wider and has more taper in the tail than the BC. I find the tail on the BC slightly catchy in tight trees and steep terrain where you need to get the tail around fast. I am wondering if that would be less so on the Rig since it has more taper.
I really like the BC overall but am wondering if the Rig would hold up stability and speed wise to the BC when riding fast. If anyone has ridden both boards or has good insight I appreciate it.
The tail on the BC is only slightly tapered compared to the nose whereas on the rig the nose is a little wider and has more taper in the tail than the BC. I find the tail on the BC slightly catchy in tight trees and steep terrain where you need to get the tail around fast. I am wondering if that would be less so on the Rig since it has more taper.
I really like the BC overall but am wondering if the Rig would hold up stability and speed wise to the BC when riding fast. If anyone has ridden both boards or has good insight I appreciate it.
Re: The Official Mervin Manufacturing Thread
I just got the Lib Rig out for a session in the dome in Oslo. It's a very fun board. Super poppy, not too stiff. Still has the characteristic Mervin damp feeling. The magne traction is barely visible or noticeable when riding. When looking from a certain angle I can see that it is set back a little, not in the same way as the Pro-Mag on the Banked country but the middle bump on the edge is a good bit back from the middle of the board.
For my nerds: Effective edge is 121cm on the 159.
I could butter and press it but it is stable riding fast. Felt great on the small and medium kickers. There is maybe 5cm of rocker in the nose and 3cm in the tail so it has a nice slashy feel while still having a mostly camber temperament. I had a good look at the 2025 model (mine is 2024) in a shop and although the Lib catalog/website claims all new camber profiles and not C3, it is exactly the same. Only the graphics have changed.
For comparison the Banked Country is stiffer, especially outside the inserts. The longer sidecut radius is noticeable too. As is the longer camber. The Rig is just more playful but can still charge.
The Rig has some of the things I love about the Banked Country, just toned down a bit. The base felt comparable in terms of glide. It's a flip flop die cut on the Rig and I got the black one. For me however, the Banked is just it's own particular thing: elegant, smooth, powerful. The only thing I've ridden that came close in terms of feel was the Gnu Mullair. For manoeuvrability @Beau-Tom and having the tail come around easy, it's the Lib Rig all day. The Banked is specifically designed so the tail is absolutely locked. That is kind of it's defining feature.
For my nerds: Effective edge is 121cm on the 159.
I could butter and press it but it is stable riding fast. Felt great on the small and medium kickers. There is maybe 5cm of rocker in the nose and 3cm in the tail so it has a nice slashy feel while still having a mostly camber temperament. I had a good look at the 2025 model (mine is 2024) in a shop and although the Lib catalog/website claims all new camber profiles and not C3, it is exactly the same. Only the graphics have changed.
For comparison the Banked Country is stiffer, especially outside the inserts. The longer sidecut radius is noticeable too. As is the longer camber. The Rig is just more playful but can still charge.
The Rig has some of the things I love about the Banked Country, just toned down a bit. The base felt comparable in terms of glide. It's a flip flop die cut on the Rig and I got the black one. For me however, the Banked is just it's own particular thing: elegant, smooth, powerful. The only thing I've ridden that came close in terms of feel was the Gnu Mullair. For manoeuvrability @Beau-Tom and having the tail come around easy, it's the Lib Rig all day. The Banked is specifically designed so the tail is absolutely locked. That is kind of it's defining feature.
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Re: The Official Mervin Manufacturing Thread
Where do you get 121 from? I don't not-believe you, but they are not providing that number. Actual measurement? And how so?
- a big nerd
- a big nerd
Re: The Official Mervin Manufacturing Thread
I’m measuring from the widest points of the board, along the curve of the edge. With a flexible wooden ruler so it’s not including the extra length of the magne traction waves. Mervin list contact length which is geometrically unrelated to EE and is a measurement of the base contour. To get super-nerdy, the contact length has an impact on how effective the effective edge actually is. The BC and the Rig have the same EE size for size but the shorter contact length on the Rig means that in real terms the EE is less ‘effective’. In simple terms the Rig has more early rise at the tips and contact length listing makes it possible to get an idea of how it will ride.
Re: The Official Mervin Manufacturing Thread
Looking at board's shape on picture this seem plausible to me, although contact points seem to be extremely mellow, so by changing EE definition you can get very different results, but from widest point to widest point seems correct, thanks @Kevington!
Re: The Official Mervin Manufacturing Thread
It's probably a bit short of the widest point on modern boards, so it doesn't hang up in turns, and no need to detune like before. But, I know there are exceptions..
Re: The Official Mervin Manufacturing Thread
Just to go full nerd on this for absolute clarity. I was doubting my measurement after riding as it did indeed feel shorter.
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Re: The Official Mervin Manufacturing Thread
Thanks for the response Kevington. I messaged Mervin and they wrote back:
Both the Banked Country and Lib Rig have sintered bases so they should have the same glide/speed.
The Lib Rig has a lot of “early rise” in the tips so the contact length is considerably shorter than a like sized Banked Country. The idea with the Lib Rig is to have a cambered board that still floats in powder and is nimble, all due to that shorter contact length. The Banked Country should be more stable (than Lib Rig) with having less taper, more contact length, and shallower sidecut.
I ended up getting a 2024 Lib Tech Chris Rasman 159 on sale. Sounds like it’ll be a damp board with a little taper that can still haul ass.
Both the Banked Country and Lib Rig have sintered bases so they should have the same glide/speed.
The Lib Rig has a lot of “early rise” in the tips so the contact length is considerably shorter than a like sized Banked Country. The idea with the Lib Rig is to have a cambered board that still floats in powder and is nimble, all due to that shorter contact length. The Banked Country should be more stable (than Lib Rig) with having less taper, more contact length, and shallower sidecut.
I ended up getting a 2024 Lib Tech Chris Rasman 159 on sale. Sounds like it’ll be a damp board with a little taper that can still haul ass.