Dirtsurfer Hits the Slopes in Canada

Jeremy from Dirtsurfer Canada sends us this report of another ski slope opening up to Dirtsurfer. Congratulations, Jeremy!

“Rabbit Hill has been a popular spot for skiers and boarders for the past 50 years and now it is offering the only lifted serviced bike park in the Capital region. Besides offering amazing terrain and trails for mountain bikers, Rabbit Hill is committed to providing the ultimate destination for inline boarders! With construction of a massive new terrain park underway that will include both wooden and dirt features, inline boarders will be able to get their fill of big air this season! Add to that winding runs designed and manicured to Dirtsurfer specifications as well as chairlift access and you have the makings of the ideal playground!

Located just 20 minutes south of Edmonton, Rabbit Hill will cater to both mountain bikers and inline boarders, offering rentals as well as basic through advanced lessons and courses. Keep an eye on this news page for more information on the inline boarding program as the season approaches! Mountain bike info can be found on Rabbit’s new website at www.rabbithill.com.

OPENING DAY IS JUNE 17, 2006 and the season will run through October 1.” – Jeremy, Dirtsurfer Canada

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High Speed Road in Germany

2005 World Champion Dirtsurfer Nihat Uysal sends us his favorite place to ride and practice his high speed maneuvers.

Hi Brian, and happy Easter to all.

This road (2.8 mg) in the centerline of Black Forest is one of the fastest and most dangerous spot we ever ride in all the years. It’s our home run and we go there if we can.

It’s in the axle of Strasbourg and Stuttgart (exactly in the middle). The start is in “Zuflucht” and ends in “Oppenau”. Zuflucht is 1 Km away from the “Schwarzwaldhochstrasse” (Black Forrest High Road) near “Kniebis”… one of the most beautiful roads of Germany. Here’s a secret tip… the Black Forrest has the cleanest air in this country, because just trees and no industry and no highways there.

Schol and I try to reach speeds of 105.1 kph as often as we can. It’s very dangerous because there are a lot of motorcycles and heavy traffic in summer at good weather. This road, called Oppenauer Steige is also a favorite moutain road from “Porsche-Travel-Team” every Sunday.

The road is about 8 kilometers long with 18% grade and has many turns by turn the whole run. Just the first 2 kilometers is straight with maybe 21-22% grade. In the animated gif you just see this fast section, after this part begins the ( Im shure) most pretentious and most dangerous road in Germany for riding Dirtsurfer. It’s not possible to ride with a longboard in the traffic, because you have to brake before all turns. Very steep and fast turn by turn.

The tourism-director of Oppenau asked me for two years to make an event there, but we haven’t enough riders. The safety measures are very high and needs a lot of helping hands and money. But we can make a Topspeed-Callenge in the fast section with less work, but to use just Dirtsurfers is too few. I think we should include luge and gravity-bike, maybe standup also. The last 300 meters of the asphalt is little bad, the rest is brand new. I’ll look for more pics of this Road. I have tons of videos since started Inline-Boarding and documented all sessions by me.

I look for geocard.
Cheers, Nihat
www.nixed.de

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How To Modify Your Dirtsurfer for Top Speeds

Dirtsurfer speed demon Schol of Freiburg, Germany offers these modifications to increase your board’s performance for maximum speed. His pics and comments were originally posted on the Australian Dirtsurfer forum.

The aluminum base plate increases the pressure to the front foot and makes higher rates of turn possible.

(You can also see where he has added extra griptape in the area that is typically empty space on the GP. I’m not sure if he has actually added aluminum plate in the empty space between the two foot plates.)

Underbody fairing for better aerodynamics and a higher weight.

(Click on this picture and look closely at the underbody fairing detail just in front of the rear wheel. You can see how the smooth surface can reduce turbulence and friction. I would also recommend experimenting with a front wheel fairing to give the Dirtsurfer a bullet shape for greater aerodynamics.)

Fiberglass wheel cover for improved aerodynamics.

Reset spring.

(This is one of my favorite modifications. It definitely improves performance by immediately releasing pressure on the brakes. This is one modification I would like to see made available as an option on future Dirtsurfers.)

Brake lever made of aluminium. It is more rigid than the plastic lever and provides for a better brake point.

(You have to hand it to Graeme Attey at Dirtsurfer HQ. He listens to his riders and makes design improvements based on comments and suggestions. Here is one example. Schol did a nice job making this metal brake lever but the new 2006 models all come standard with this feature. Plus, the 2006’s also allow the rider to adjust the brake lever tilt for a better fit and greater control.)

Altogether maximum speed increase of about 10km/h results from all changes as well as race leather and an aerodynamic helmet.

weight about 12Kg

Odyssey Frequency G 1.85 tires

Thanks, Schol. Excellent tips for riders wanting to compete.

Be sure to check out U.S. Dirtsurfer competitor Tom Whalen’s suggestions on re-packing the bearings with lighter grease for improved wheel performance.

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