Bataleon: Which board?

Hey guys so I am looking to add a second board to my quiver. So far I run a Libtech 160cm 2012 Lando Phoenix which has been super fun but it’s stiffness and length limit me (5’11, 155lbs) in park, buttering and freestyle.

I want something a bit flexier and shorter that I can take around a park, play around on thats a bit more agile and can still be used on the rest of the mountain (would swap to the Lando for charging and POW though).

I have been looking at Bataleon boards but can’t really decide on what to get (or what length). So far the Evil Twin, Boss or Global warmer seem to be the most likely. Any suggestions would be great and I am completely open to considering other brands.

Cheers.

Welcome to Boardworld, @Yenoh!

At your weight, you can definitely go significantly shorter than the 160 you’re currently riding. I can certainly understand why you feel it’s holding back your freestyle progression.

A few questions before I get to specific suggestions…

What size boots do you wear?

Where are you riding mainly? Australia? Overseas?

What is it about the Bataleon boards that has piqued your interest? Is it their Triple Base Technology (3BT)?

Will you be keeping your Lib Tech board for freeriding/pow? It sounds like you are. Or do you think you might eventually get rid of it (and need this new board to be versatile)?

Hey there thanks for the welcome.

Size 10 K2 Darkos.

Mainly Australia but I try to do a few weeks in Japan or NZ every year (definitely do my best riding there).

TBT is definitely interesting and people have described it as a skatey feel which appeals to me as I am primarily a skater. I also generally hear nothing but good things about Bataleon.

Yeah I definitely will be, I mainly want this to try out some park but have it flexible enough I can use it to screw around anywhere on the mountain and not have it so dedicated I can’t leave the park.

After some more looking around I am really considering getting an Evil Twin 154 but I am a bit worried it will be too narrow to fit my boots.

Which bindings are you using and what size? Generally, you should be fine on a 251mm waist with size 10 boots. Also, you’re fairly tall for your weight, so you will most likely have a wider stance (which gives you waist width to play with). What angles do you generally have on your bindings? This will also affect how much waist width you need. You wouldn’t want to step up to the 156W… it’s too wide for you.

Let me ask you: when you go to Japan, is this the one board you would take or would you take your Lib Tech as well? I think this is an important question to answer before we can truly know which board/size is going to be best for your needs.

You could also consider something like the Lobster Halldor Pro Model 156. Lobster is pretty much an off-shoot of Bataleon and made in the same factory. Their boards also use 3BT. The Halldor is pretty sick because it’s an asymmetrical twin. It also has a 253mm waist width which would give you just a bit more playing room. Soft/medium flex so it’s going to be quite playful. Just an option…

I’m running Union Force M-L but I will probably buy something new for this board. I run -8 and +18-21 usually but I’d probably run it symmetrical for park.

I’d definitely take both boards and use each depending on what I wanted to do for the day/conditions.

I’m a bit sceptical on the asym but Lobster looks really solid, main concern with branching out to other boards is whether I am going to be able to get a good deal. Currently have solid deals on the Bataleon Evil Twin but I will definitely give anything consideration if I can find a comparable price.

Any suggestions on some bindings and what angles to run them on?

I’ll talk about binding angles first. The most important thing to consider is comfort—you need your stance to feel comfortable on your hips, knees, and ankles. This goes for both stance width and binding angles. Play around with your stance and find what works best for you. Personally, I ride 15, -15 on all my boards. I like feeling symmetrical and I want my board to ride switch as well as regular. 15, -15 is a good starting point if you want to experiment with equal angles.

What makes you sceptical about an asym shape? Not trying to push you towards it, but if you have any questions about it let me know.

With size 10 boots, my first binding recommendation would be the Now Pilot. I’m a big fan of Now’s Skate-Tech, and the Pilot has a wider heelcup than their other models, to accommodate larger sizes in the medium binding. Essentially, you could get the medium with your size 10 boots—which is a lot better than stepping up to the largest size binding (in Nows or otherwise). The Pilot is a fantastic binding. I was actually riding it all of this past season in Canada. Best bindings I’ve ever owned. Another freestyle binding I’m really stoked on is the Flux DS.

Here are a couple options for suitable freestyle boards that we have on sale, offering value for money.

2016 Rome Agent Rocker 153
This is a great freestyle board, versatile, 252mm waist, sintered base, MtnPop 2.0 profile performs really well—playful and stable. This would be my top recommendation.

2016 YES. Public 154
Super fun board, wider in the waist with 254mm, flat between the feet / rocker nose and tail, this would be a great board for progressing your flatgound tricks—butters, presses, boxes/rails. Generally, just a really fun freestyle board that is easy to progress on. Lifetime warranty.

Also worth considering…

2017 Zion Contra 153
Zion is a new brand we’re carrying on Boardworld. Established in 2000 and based on the west coast of Canada, we’re stoked to have these available. The reason I’m mentioning this board is its value for money. The Contra is another fun freestyle board that’s great to learn on.

Anyway, check them out and see if they appeal to you.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Hey @Yenoh ,

The Lando is a sick board, good charger for your size. Good decision keeping it for pow.

I’m 5’9 and 165lb so pretty close size to you, I ride the whole Bataleon range extensively.

From what you described to want in your board, the Evil Twin is on the money. The GW is softer and would suit if you want to do a lot of rails as well, while the Boss is stiffer than the ET and pretty similar to your Lando in flex, but with full camber so demands more energy to ride (ie charge fast go big full time). The ET is a happy medium for jibbing and jumping, no one is ever disappointed with that board.

The Lobster Halldor Pro mentioned above is a very similar board, slightly different carbon layup but the same core, base, TBT width. The Asym is only a longer flatbase under the heels / more TBT under the toes, but he sidecut remains the same both sides. I enjoy riding either board but notice the benefit from the asym in some ways.

Sizewise, I ride both the 154 and 157 ET, GW or Boss, the shorter more for mini park shred, and the longer for mountain, carving, freeriding, pow, park kickers. I spend 70% of the time on my 157 but I’m 5kg+ heavier than you. This should help you decide which size you prefer.

Hope this helps mate. Support a local Aussie store!