Korua Cafe' Racer Written Review Review by The Good Ride

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You have arrived at the Korua Cafe’ Racer Snowboard Review from average riders who celebrate snowboard gear polyamory to the fullest!

Ethics Statement: We don’t get paid by the manufacturer 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.

A Break Down of How it rides and who it’s for

How This Review Happened:  We borrowed this for an extended demo and then returned it.
Size: 159
Days: 10+
Conditions: Some pretty firm to hard snow, some good groomers, less than a foot of powder, and good waist-deep powder with some early morning backcountry runs on the Drift Boards.
Riders: Only Peter and I are in the review, but almost all of the crew got on it.  James (Size 9, 5’10” 185-190lbs), Peter (Size 8, 5’11” 185lbs),Grant (Size 11 6’ 160lbs), Zobel (Size 11.5, 6’ 180lbs), Nick (Size 10, 160lbs, 5’8”), Jimbo (Size 11, 5’11” 160lbs)
Boots: Adidas Tactical ADV, Adidas Tactical Lexicon ADV, Adidas Acerra 3ST
Insoles: Sandsole Custom Insoles,  Footprint Insole Technology Gameghangers Low Profile
Bindings: Union Atlas, Union Strata, Flux XF

Similar Boards (but not the same): Gentemstick Mantaray 156, Korua Dart, Korua Pencil, Weston Backwoods, Jones Hovercraft

Set-Up: 21 to 21.75” Wide. 27 front +9 back. Close to Reference and Set all the way back.

Approximate Weight

Feels normal to a touch on the heavy side.

Sizing

So 10-11 is probably the sweet spot for this board, but Peter and I didn’t notice with our size 8.5-9 boots. The weight felt fine, though. Korua is one of those brands that make all their boards feel like they work for all of our boot sizes and specs from size 8 to 12. That usually isn’t the case and the Korua Cafe’ Racer is no exception here.

Camber/On Snow Feel/Ability Level/Skidded Turns

The Korua Cafe Racer has a pretty locked in and not an easy board to skid your turns. It rides pretty far back on the tail but really tracks well and doesn’t feel tail light unless you get some decent air. There is a wider feel underfoot than the Pencil, even though they have the same width in the tip, waist, and tail. It tracks well, one foot well, and has a consistent feel underfoot in all conditions.

Flex/Pop/Buttering

The Korua Cafe’ Racer is medium stiff, bordering on stiff. It isn’t easy to butter or ollie, but when you pick up speed, there is a powerful spring out of the turn.

Speed

Powerful and damp. The base glides well and is on the upper end. It’s not as fast as the Plus line or many boards with similar bases, but it keeps its speed well. The Korua Cafe’ Racer can point it pretty well, but where it shines is in higher speed carves. It just feels a little more stable than the Pencil when turning at higher speeds, but just a touch. Neither are slouches, though.

Uneven Terrain

Very good at powering over bumpy groomers or tracked-up powder. It’s a chunder buster and doesn’t buck much.

Edge Hold

There is no visible disruption in the Korua Cafe’ Racer’s sidecut, but it still grips like a champ.

Turn Initiation

Kind of slow, and we found the Dart and Pencil to turn better at slower speeds and turn quicker. The Korua Cafe’ Racer likes to pick up a little speed before it feels receptive to a turn. It was easy enough in powder to turn quickly but not so much on groomers.

Turning Experience/Carving

The Korua Cafe’ Racer really loves a wide high speed across the groomer turn. It just builds into each turn and springs you into the next. Korua makes boards that turn well, and this is no exception.

Powder

Even with a little more camber, the Korua Cafe’ Racer floats like a champ and could almost be a dedicated pow board. It has a lot of setbacks on board (Approximately 7″ from the center at a 21.75″ stance width), a ton of taper (about 3cm), and even a little early rise in the nose. That is a lot of directional float, and I felt it did its job in almost waist-deep powder.

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