Arbor Spruce - A Breakdown of How It Rides and Who It Is For Review by The Good Ride

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Ethics Statement: The manufacturer doesn’t pay us to write these reviews. We do make money from the “Where To Buy” links, but this is our best attempt at an honest and objective review from an average rider’s perspective.

How This Review Happened: I borrowed this for an extended demo and sent it back.
Days:  4 Days
Conditions: Good Spring Snow
Riders:  James (Size 9, 5’10”, 185-190lbs) and a lot of our crew.
Boots: Burton Kendo
Insoles: Footprint Insole Technology Gamechangers
Boards: Arbor Clovis, Capita Mercury, Jones Mountain Twin,
Jacket: Burton AK Gore-Tex Pro 3L Tusk Jacket, Volcom TDF Infuse 3L Gore-Tex Jacket
Pant: Burton AK Gore-Tex Pro 3L Hover Pant, Burton AK Gore-Tex 2L Swash Pant, Burton Gore-Tex Ballast Pant
Helmet: Smith Maze
Goggle: Smith 4D Mag
Gloves: Burton AK Clutch Mitt, CG Habitats Work Glove, Drop Tahoma Mitt

Similar (but not the same) Bindings: Union STR, Union Flite Pro, Burton Custom

How It Was Tested

I rode the Arbor Spruce with the Jones Mountain Twin & Capita Mercury. On those two boards, I did a lot of same-day comparisons with the Arbor Cypress to see how they compared. I also rode them on the Arbor Coda and I think the Arbor Single.

Weight

2.2 Lbs with the screws and disc per binding. The Arbor Spruce is a bit heavy, but overall, it isn’t that heavy.

Highback Flex

You get a pretty stiff highback with the Arbor Spruce. It doesn’t have much twist or give going back.

Flex Underfoot

The Arbor Spruce does not really have any flex underfoot. There is a lot of solid contact with the board. It makes the board feel stiffer underfoot but it doesn’t flex easy underfoot.

Turn Initiation/Response

The Arbor Spruce has less response, you would think, for his flex, but it is still pretty middle ground.

Shock Absorption

With the Arbor Spruce has a good amount of EVA foam in the heel and a little throughout the foot bed. It runs all the way to the gas pedal. This doesn’t dampen the ride too much because there is soo much contact with the plastic of the base plate and the board.

Boot Support

These straps are great. They are very similar to the Cypress and Hemlock, which is no bad thing.

Ratchets

The Arbor Spruce has decent ratchets for this price point, and they work well.

Adjustability

The Arbor Spruce’s lack of an adjustable heel loop makes it less adjustable than the Cypress and Hemlock. However, it does have an adjustable gas pedal, which really helps.

The full-size disc has a pretty good slide, so you can get the stance width you want.

Conclusion

So I would like to see some foam or rubber or something else on the base plate to dampen the ride and maybe improve the flex underfoot. That being said it’s hard to be critical at this price point.