Ride Back Talk 2020-2021 Women's Snowboard Review - Whitelines Snowboarding

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Ride Back Talk 2020-2021 Women’s Snowboard Review

  • Price: $470, £400, €470
  • Category: Park/Jib
  • Ability Level: Intermediate, Advanced
  • Sizes: 138, 142, 146, 150
  • Flex: 8/10
  • Profile: CamRock
  • Shape: True Twin
  • Base: Sintered

Why we chose the Ride Back Talk Snowboard: It’s at the forefront of the female driven freestyle scene, making waves and stirring pots all day long.

Coming in hot after receiving critical acclaim its inaugural season the Ride Back Talk is an aggressive freestyle snowboard built for discerning lady shredders. If you’re a hard charging, fierce ripping, balls to the wall kind of girl then the Back Talk is a board that’s gonna keep you on your toes and always have your back. Strap in and let your riding do the talking.

Jill Perkins is one of the smoothest operators we’ve seen on a snowboard in a long time, her technical skill is only matched by her smoother than sin style. Ride designed the Back Talk with Jill’s high octane riding in mind and it’s her go to snowboard for any and all conditions.

“Cue Ride’s signature Carbon Array 5, a series of carbon stringers underfoot that channel your movement out to the contact points”

When you’re operating in a high stakes environment, like filming video parts in the streets, then you need a board with lightning fast reaction times to allow you to micro adjust your movements as they’re happening. Cue Ride’s signature Carbon Array 5, a series of carbon stringers underfoot that channel your movement out to the contact points. This keeps the board responsive without becoming twitchy, and allows for some extra torsional feel without messing with the overall flex.

One of the most interesting features of the Ride Back Talk is its asymmetric twin outline. They’ve tightened up the sidecut on the heelside in order to counteract your body’s biomechanical inefficiencies. You’re able to put way more power through your toes due to the way that your body is made, so by making it easier for you to rip through your heel turns, the Back Talk has evened out your ride for a more balanced overall feel.

Riding urban assaults means your board is in for taking a beating, concrete wall rides, janky hand rails and clapped out landings are the norm when you take it into the streets. To keep you riding longer and harder Ride have beefed up the Back Talk with Double Impact Plates. These two plates, sit directly underfoot and help the board to compress as you’re riding so as not to ruin the core. These can also help to prevent your bindings from ripping out during particularly heavy landings, because as hip and cool as one footed freestyle is, no one wants to be surprised by it.

Carbon Slimewalls sit down either edge from the middle of the insert pack out to the contact points in the nose and tail. These channel rider input down the board directly from the heel and toe for a mega responsive and explosive feel. Urethane sidewalls soak up some of the chop and chatter for a more damp experience and as a bonus are tough as all hell.

“These channel rider input down the board directly from the heel and toe for a mega responsive and explosive feel”

The Back Talk opts for a camber body transitioning into rocker tip and tail for a versatile and smooth ride. The three magic p’s: power, precision and pop coming in droves from the dominant posi camber and early rise rocker to smooth out turn initiation and give a bit more forgiveness and leeway into landings.

The Back Talk is the most aggressive board in Ride’s women’s line up, the stiffer flex keeps the board stable during high speed in-runs and big landings, and will stop you getting bucked around so much if you inadvertently cross paths with a janky cat track. It also means this isn’t a board for beginners, the barrier to entry is high, but for those who can handle the sauce, the Back Talk is gonna spit white hot heaters. This is for the girls with an ‘anything you can do, I can do better’ attitude to the boys, who need kit that’s as good as, if not better than its male counterpart. This is the new normal.

Tester Verdict 2020/21

Joy Dutch – Wordsmith, Whitelines

I was pretty amped to try out the Backtalk as Jill Perkins is one of my favourite riders. Straight off the bat, I found it a bit heavy and cumbersome if I’m honest. It’s slightly stiffer than what I’d usually ride as well, so initially I was a bit bummed out with it.

After a few laps and after getting put right on my arse mid-way through a fat heelside turn, I adjusted my riding to match up with the asym sidecut. After that it was a different ball game. The power coming through the heelside is effortless, and it’s worth taking the time to really work it out.

“It’s something different and pushed me out of my comfort zone in a good way”

You can pick up some real speed on this thing when you’re on the in run or just going buck wild on piste. It’s poppy as all hell, and though you have to work for it, it’s worth it for the pay-out. It’s not super soft in the nose and tail but it’s really responsive without feeling twitchy.

Despite my initial drawbacks, I ended up really liking the Backtalk, it’s something different and pushed me out of my comfort zone in a good way. It’s a bit weird getting used to it, especially as I was riding it bigger than I’d choose to. I’d recommend this more for an aggressive rider, who wants to hammer bigger features and really push their riding.

Trade Secrets

Jonny Russel – Ride UK Rep

“Jill Perkin’s board of choice, this high performance snowboard is designed with freestyle excellence in mind. Hybrid camber combined with an asymmetrical twin shape makes it responsive and poppy. Carbon stringers and Slimewalls deliver precision and control to stomp any trick you care to shout about.”

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Topics:

Advanced 2020/21 Buyers Guide 2020/21 Buyers Guide 2020/21 Snowboards Freestyle 2020/21 Intermediate 2020/21 Ride Ride Reviews 2020/21 The Whitelines 100 2020/21 The Whitelines 100 2020/21 Snowboards True Twin 2020/21 Women's 2020/21

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