Ripstik

The Ripstik is a recreational caster board, manufactured by Razor, a recreational product designer. Because of the way the boards move by the X-axis, it is very similar to The Wave, though the Ripstik has a longer torsion bar and smaller boards. The price ranges from $75 to $129, with approximately $70 million in sales through September 2007. [Sortal, Nick C. [http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/lifestyle/sfl-flliripstiknbsep30155021,0,6311281.story "Hybrid boards offer a new wave of street surfing"] , "South Florida Sun-Sentinel", September 30, 2007. Accessed September 29, 2007. "RipStiks ($75-$129) have done $72 million in business since their introduction late last year, much of it for children ages 7 to 14, says RipStik's Tracy Garcia."] Sales of the Ripstik and the Wave, in particular, accelerated in 2007, and in 2008 a new board, called the Blade Board, was made. This new caster board has the ability to go backwards as well as forward, so a few tricks can be added to its arsenal. It has been estimated that roughly one million units will be sold during the 2007 holiday season, becoming one of the most sought after gifts during that year's season. Customers can find the items in retail stores like Wal-mart, Target, and other large retailers or online at Amazon.com. Throughout much of the holiday season, it remained at the top of the Best Seller's List within Amazon.com's Sporting Goods and Toys setions. Many toy industry insiders believe that its popularity will continue to grow into 2008 in the toys market, and start to gain additionally in the sporting market.

Wheels generally wear after a 2-3 month period depending on the terrain in which the board is used and the skill of the rider. The rear wheel always wears faster than the front, as the majority of forward propulsion is rendered by the sideways motion of the rear caster. RipStik wheels are 76mm in diameter and are made of polyurethane. The stock wheel bearings for the standard RipStiks are rated ABEC-5, and DLX models have ABEC-7 bearings. The DLX is more expensive, because it has the aluminum torsion bar, as well as ABEC-7 bearings.

Uses

The Ripstik has multiple purposes: transportation, sport, core stability/muscle conditioning, and cardiovascular endurance, among others. There are many ways to propel the Ripstik forward. The first method is by placing the main pressure on your back foot and pivoting it around your front. The front foot is used primarily for steering, while the back foot is used for sideways motion - and thus, forward movement. The second method is achieved by rotating your hips back and forth, while maintaining a constant position of the feet. This moves both ends of the board from side to side evenly. These movements cause a repeating change in the circle of motion the Ripstik is rolling in. These repeated circles propel the Ripstik forward in a wave-like motion. Many of the common tricks performed on a caster board such as the Ripstik are borrowed from the skateboarding industry. The official Ripstik website contains [http://www.ripstikusa.com/videos/ tutorial videos] that display how RipStik Team Rider Ali Kermani performs a number of established skateboard tricks, including the kickflip, body varial, and 360 spin.

There has not been any testing on the benefits of muscle conditioning compared to other sports, but riding the board requires considerable balance, similar to standing on a fitness ball. It often brings muscle pain to the bottom of the feet or the upper calf muscle to more unfit or new riders. An official sport involving caster boards, including the Ripstik, is not established. There have been some attempts however to focus the attention away from tricks and towards enduranced based events, similar to how established endurance sports such as cycling, running, and adventure racing have developed. The [http://www.bonebodies.com/RipstikRace/ripstikrace.html Ripstik Ultimate Endurance Race] , set for September 2008, is one such event. Others have even played regular sports such as basketball and hockey on the Ripstik.

Controversy

Razor has often been accused of copying the design of The Wave, a highly similar competitor offered by Street Surfing. Even the Ripstik's warranty is nearly the same as The Wave's. Also, a "combination of surfing, snowboarding and skateboarding" is used by both competitors, as well as the term "carving." The Ripstik and the Wave are both newer versions of the original ESS Board that was originally sold in Korea, starting in 2003. [http://www.essboard.com/eng/company/sub02.htm] Both caster boards have a license to the U.S Patent Number 7,195,259 B2 owned by the Korean Company Slovie. [http://www.uspto.gov/patft/index.html] The Wave was copyrighted and first sold in 2004, while the Ripstik trademark was issued on September 25, 2007, and developed in 2006 [September 25, 2007 Registration number 298027 [http://www.uspto.gov/main/trademarks.htm] ] . The Ripstik is more widely known because it has been advertised nationally on cable networks and broadcast channels such as The Sharper Image, Wal-Mart, Sky Mall, or other related stores.

Differences

As the Ripstik and The Wave are both highly popular competing products, controversy between enthusiasts at both ends is perpetually generated. Some differences can be easily found by examining both boards. The Wave's torsion bar is slightly shorter than the rubber-sleeved equivalent on the Ripstik. This rubber sleeve, offered on the standard models of the Ripstik (i.e., excluding DLX models), prevents such maneuvers as grinding. A newer model, the Ripstik G, employs a rotating aluminum tube to facilitate grinding. The Ripstik has also been noted for smoother riding (i.e. solid turns and less rattle during skating) than the Wave. The angle at which the caster is mounted to the board also differs between models. The Ripstik's casters are mounted at a slightly steeper angle than the Wave. Ideally, this should provide a higher amount forward movement per x amount of sideways motion. The Wave boards and Ripstiks are both incredibly maneuverable, but the Wave can make tighter turns due to it's smaller size. The real-life dynamics of this aspect, however, is beyond the scope of this article, and both boards seem to yield similar speeds.

References

External links

* [http://www.thewave.com/ The Wave Website]
* [http://www.ripstikusa.com/ RipStik website]
* [http://www.street-surfers.co.uk/ RipStik fansite]