An Un-Paid, Un-Biased Breakdown Of How the Stranda Biru Rides And Who It Is For Review by The Good Ride

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Stranda Biru Written Review

How It Was Tested:

I liked the Stranda Biru so much that I asked if Davey could keep it. If I had a 150, I would have asked for it, too. (I only do this with favorites.)

We were not paid to do this review, and this comes from an honest, objective perspective with no brand oversight.

Size: 154 for James and 157 For Davey
Days: 11+
Conditions:Pretty much almost every kind of conditions and even a few different pow days between Davey and I. 
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10”, 185-190lbs). I’ve tested and compared 800+ boards
Davey (Size 12, 240lbs, 6’4”)
Boots: Ride Deadbolt, Bataleon Acid BOA,  Burton Ion
Insoles: F.I.T. Gamechangers
Bindings: Union Atlas, Union Force
Redundancy: Strapins in case boots or bindings break.
Jacket: Jones Mtn Surf Anorak, Skyline Fuse Jacket
Pant: Jones Mountain Surf Pant, Burton AK Gore-Tex Pro 3L Hover Pant, Skyline Faze Pant, Burton AK Gore-Tex 2L Swash Pant
Helmet: Smith Method, Smith Scout, Smith Maze
Goggle: Smith 4D Mag
Gloves: Burton AK Clutch Mitt, Burton AK Tech Leather Glove, Drop Tahoma Mitt,

James’s Set Up: 21.5” Wide. Stance Angles +18/-3, +18/+3, +24/+6, +27/+9 back. Close to Reference on groomers and Set all the way back in powder.

Similar Boards We Like (but not the same):

Jones Hovercraft, Gnu Gremlin, Ride Psychocandy, Korua Transition Finder, K2 Excavator, Nidecker Mellow, Amplid Surfari,

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

Sizing

Our measurements were a touch-off vs. Stranda’s, but it’s super close. Go with Stranda’s official measurements. They know better than me, eyeing it. I felt the 154 was a bit big for me. Even though it’s a short wide that is meant to be ridden much wider than I should for size 9’s I felt this was just a little too wide for me to control in all conditions. If I were going to buy a board the 150 would be the one I’d want to own. And I for sure would like to own this. The 154 was fun when conditions were clean though.

For Davey, he thought he was on a 161+ board. These ride bigger

Sizing is all about balancing what fits your boot size and your weight for how you like to ride. If your boot is too wide, you can’t turn it; if it’s too narrow, you get the dreaded Toe & Heel Drag. Your weight is a close second to boot size because it determines how the board will feel under your foot.  Height comes in a distant 3^rd. Some prefer control, so matching the boot size is the priority. Others prefer dampness over control and like to size up.

Here are some ideal US boot sizes for these boards, but you can for sure go smaller if you want to
150:9-10
154: 10-12
157: 11-13

Stranda’s recommended weight ranges are conservative. If it comes down to boot size or weight, I would ensure it fits your boot first and then your weight a close second.

Shape

There is a little taper, but not a ton. 12mm for the 154 and 13mm for the 157. It’s not super set back on sidecut and moderately set back on board if you set it all the way back. It has a much more centered feel than it looks.

Camber/On Snow Feel/Ability Level

This is almost full camber, and there is only a little early rise before the long nose. While the flex isn’t all that aggressive, the camber is pretty catchy and technical for average riders. It tracks very well, though.

Edge Hold

The Stranda Biru has a nice disruption in the sidecut that doesn’t make it a full-on ice specialist, but it’s very competent in hard snow. I felt very comfortable committing my edge on a carve on a day with many snowment areas.

Flex Personality

The Stranda Biru’s flex is on the medium side of medium/stiff, with a nose much softer than the tail. It isn’t super gnarly or stiff, and while it’s not super easy to butter off the tail, it’s pretty easy in the nose. It pops pretty well for this type of flex.

Uneven Snow

I was pretty impressed with how well the Stranda Biru absorbs chatter in uneven snow. For a short width, you can power over chunder and track up snow very well, and they keep a nice balance between being poppy and damp. If I sized this right, it would turn pretty well for a wide board in messy snow.

Speed

The Stranda Biru has a very turny sidecut but doesn’t seem to have a hooky feel.

Base Glide

Stranda has incredibly fast bases. They are made at the same factory as Gentemstick and use the same bases. Gentemstick has some of the best easy gliding bases we have ever tried. So, even though this base has a die-cut, it is super fast. Go first on the traverse!

Turning Experience/Carving

The turn initiation was pretty slow for me, but it would have been a bit faster on a 150. Davey was surprised at its medium-ish turn initiation as well. Once the edge is fully engaged, you hit that shorter sidecut radius, and it shines when it comes across the groomer to circle carves. Davey and I both absolutely loved the Biru for carving.

Powder

I thought all this camber wouldn’t do well in powder, but the Stranda Biru did much better than expected. The long nose and a little bit of early rise before the nose helped.

You can get it with a 21.5″ Stance width set all the way back on the 157 and 154. You can get -4.5″ back from the center of the board. That isn’t a super setback, but it’s further back than many of its peers that are more in the -3.5″ to -4.25″ category. I love the 7×2 inserts per foot, and I think that is why it has that extra setback. Love it.

Final Thoughts

I was really impressed with the overall ride of this hard-carving, fast-base Stranda Biru. I would love to own a 150, and Davey loves his 157. This also stood out for us in the short/wide category.

Ethics Statement: This review has zero brand oversight. This is our best effort at an honest, objective review to help you, the consumer.
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