It is vital to any rider that their respective snowboard set-up reflects the type of riding they are doing.

At United Cycle, the fit of your gear to your body and riding preference is our foremost concern. Though the following guidelines are a good start to picking out the proper set-up, they are no substitute for coming down to United Cycle for some real professional advice.

• Read the buyer’s guides and product reviews to see what the experts are saying about the new models. The more you know the better choice you will make.
• Be honest about your ability. Make sure that the gear you choose is suited to your level of skill and riding style.
• The long and short of it: size matters. A professional gear fitter will recommend a board length based on your riding style, height and weight. Your particular style and skill level may dictate a different size: freeriders usually prefer longer boards while fun park freestylers go shorter. Otherwise, stick with the size which is suited to your individual style.
• You don’t want your toes or heels tripping you up so make sure the width is not too narrow. A wider board may provide more floatation and increased stability for freeriding however that is not without sacrifice as they tend to be slower edge to edge.
• The better you are the stiffer you may want your board to be. The flex of a board varies from model to model so, once again, your riding style and level of ability is an important factor in determining how much flex you should have.
• Lastly, remember that just because it looks cool doesn’t mean that you should be on it. Don’t choose a board based on wicked graphics, make sure that the gear you end up on is the gear you need to be the best and safest boarder you can be.