Landy Evo

Well I finally got my hands on the legendary Evo. My friend recently purchased it from Black Diamond Sports and he had it setup with 42/52 grizzlies and red khiros. His wheels are clear kyrptos (the shitty kind).

The first thing I noticed was how heavy this board was. Damn! Well, I guess I am kinda small, but this is one heavy board. Of course, it is meant to be ridden and not carried, but this board seems pretty sturdy and big. This is the first drop through I have ridden, so it did take a little bit of time for me to get used to it. But once I did get used to the Evo it was pretty stable. The thing I liked most was how I could push off on my back foot. I was able to force my weight onto the front trucks, thus keeping the wobbles away. Well, not like I was getting any wobbles in the first place. This board has a low center of gravity, so it was pretty much the most stable feeling board I have every felt. Plus, the drop down design kept me feet locked in.

However, I did not like everything about this board. First off, it was pretty slow, but that was because of the wheels. The clear kyrptos were not smooth or able to roll very far. On the trails I did, I was forced to push, something I didn’t have to do with the Hellcat or Avenger. But, like I said before, it was probably the wheels. The board was also extremely heavy compared. At times it felt awkward and clumsy. This was especially true at the lower cruising speeds. Also, being a dropthrough, the board wasn’t as good at turning and I ended up drifting corners instead. Lighter boarders should probably check out the 9 ply Evo, which is a bit lighter.

Overall I will probably stick with the Hellcat because the Hellcat is so much more manueverable and lighter. The Evo is a bit more stable than the Hellcat, but experience will erase some of that stability difference. The Hellcat is also a better carver, especially after I added the Jimz Bushings to my crails.

However, the Evo is the winningest board in history so certainly it is a good board. It just isn’t my type of board.