Cardiff Lynx Snowboard Review

Cardiff Lynx Written Review Review by The Good Ride

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You have arrived at an in-depth Cardiff Lynx Snowboard Review from groomers to pow. 

Ethics Statement: We don’t get paid by the manufacturer to write these reviews and this is our unfiltered opinion. 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 riders’ perspective.

Cardiff Lynx Snowboard Review- How it rides and who it is for

How This Review Happened:

Borrowed this for an extended demo and sent it back but would love to own one.
Size: 159
Days: 4
Conditions: Pretty great early winter conditions. Deceptively hard but still fun groomers, soft perfect groomers, Thick uneven steep terrain, and some good but not great pow.  
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10” 185-190lbs)
Boots: Burton Kendo, ThirtyTwo TM3-XD
Insoles: F.I.T. Gamechangers
Bindings: Union Atlas
Jacket: Burton AK Gore-Tex Pro 3L Tusk Jacket, Volcom Guide Jacket, Burton Gore-Tex 3L Treeline Jacket, Jones Peak Bagger 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 Guide Glove, Burton AK Clutch Mitt, Drop Tahoma Mitt

Similar Boards (but not the same): Lib Tech Terrain Wrecker, Capita Mercury, Endeavor Pioneer, Jones Mountain Twin, Endeavor Ranger, Jones Frontier, Ride Algorythm, Borealis Tundra, Tahoe Labs Directional Twin, Yes Basic Uninc,

Set-Up: 21.5” Wide. Sance Angles +18/-9, +15/-15. Close to Reference and Set all the way back.

Approximate Weight

The Cardiff Lynx doesn’t feel heavy or light. Just normal for its size/width.

(We don’t put in the exact weight because with wood cores there is no consistency in a boards weight)

Sizing

So Cardiff changed up their normal sizing with the Cardiff Lynx and it messed with my head in the review. They often have a 158 ad a 155 or 154 in the smaller size. They changed it up with 156 and 159. I thought I wanted the 156 but Cardiff talked me into the 159. It is a good bit wider than what I would normally do a 159 with my size 9 boots but it worked. It wasn’t super fast and I’m still wondering about that 156 but it was way faster than most 159’s with a 26.4cm waist. Maybe it is because the nose/tail are a bit narrower than you would think for a board this width and more like what usually matches up well for my size 9 boots. It’s hard to say why this works so well with any certainty but this was great for my 185lbs and 5’10” frame.

Here are some ideal US boot sizes for the Cardiff Lynx. You can of course go bigger or smaller but these work best for not turning the board slower than it should be and not having the dreaded Toe & Heel Drag. I would ride this a little wider than you normally ride and I would even size up if you plan to ride a lot of powder.
152: 8-9
156: 9-10
159: 10-11
162- 11-12

For weight I would stay close to the Brands recommended weight ranges. If it comes down to boot size or weight, I would make sure you don’t have toe/heel drag first but I would factor in weight recommendations from Cardiff more than you normally would with other boards.

Shape/Camber/On Snow Feel/Ability Level

The Cardiff Lynx has a shape that looks almost like a true twin with a long tip/tail but it does have 5mm of taper. That can feel washy for some boards but with the Lynx it was hard to tell it had any until you got it off groomers and into powder. It really has a mountain freestyle feel that allows you to set back and get a little set back and surfy if you want to in powder. It has a very unique feel for this much taper. You can skid a turn pretty easy and still have a very stable feel underfoot in all conditions.

Flex Personality

The Cardiff Lynx has a medium soft nose, medium tail and medium-stiff flex between the feet. The nose and to a lesser extent the tail can chatter a bit but it quiets down quickly as you get between the feet. There is pretty good pop for such a damp rubbery flex underfoot as well.

Speed/Base Glide

I was surprised at how damp it was for having such a mellow flex.

The Base glide isn’t there with the higher price point Cardiff snowboards but it is very competent when well waxed.

Edge Hold

So the Cardiff Lynx has great grip for a board with such a mellow disruption in the sidecut. I found it held in hard snow almost as well as boards that have a much more disrupted sidecut.

Turning Experience/Carving

The turn initiation of the Cardiff Lynx was much quicker edge to edge for a 26.4cm waist width. Still not lightning quick but way better than expected. It really skidded a turn easy in steeper terrain which was greatly appreciated. When you get this over on edge the turning experience leans on the turny side but also is very balanced if you want longer down the line/more drawn out narrow turns as well. The spring out of the turn isn’t all time but very satisfying.

Powder

So if you set the Cardiff Lynx back all the way you can get -2.875” back from center of board at a 22.4” stance width.

Switch/Pipe/Jumps

So doable switch and it seems like it would be great for jumps and pipe as well. You really have a mountain freestyle twin feel here despite having 5mm of taper.

Conclusion

So overall, the Cardiff Lynx is a really versatile, fun easy riding board that does a lot of things well without being boring. I didn’t think this board would work for me and my specs but it sure did.

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