Scrub Wheel Upgrade Alpha Tires Composite Hubs

I thought i might add this as i have done this little mod to my deck , and thought some others out there might be interested in the results .

Having ridden and been very happy with a Scrub Silver Reef for over a year now , not to mention not wanting to part with another 200 quid for a lighter board , i decided to see what can be done with the silver reef as it stands .

What can be taken off to reduce weight ?
Pretty much everything except the deck , and you would be hard pressed to find lighter trucks (possibly this years new trucks ) I started with the tires , those 9 inch strikers may look cool but they weigh a ton and to me felt a little overkill for a kiteboard mostly used on grass or sand .

the bigger tires also had an annoying habbit of when overpowered as opposed to powersliding, they would dig in and lift you onto the two toeside wheels , now this looks cool but isnt very much fun when overpowered and doing 20mph as the face plant is inevitable .

so off with the 9 inchers and on with some brand new 8 inch Primo Alphas .

(ps ATB hubs are in 2 parts DO NOT try and remove the tires they way you would with a bike , either you or your hub will give in before the tire does trust me !!)

The new tires significantly lowered the deck and made it much less prone to "tipping up" and much easier to slide . the ride is bumpier and slower to start , but overall more stable and more lateral grip .

the main issue being the tendancy to slide when overpowered as opposed to flipping you over the front of the board . (at least you land on your A$$ if you get it wrong as opposed to your face!)

Not being content with the new tires , i ordered myself some adapter bearings and the lightweight Primo Hubs , and replaced the old scrub ones .

The result was a much much lighter board , i havent weighed it , but i would say the hub and tire upgrade got rig of the best part of a KG of weight .

The primo hubs allow you to inflate the tires to higher pressures too and fit the smaller tires much better , this translates to more speed due to the Harder tires .

and finally just as a matter of preferance i took the old scrub freeflex bindings off and replaced them with Ground Industries roots bindings (the kidney bean shaped ones like the new flexi footstraps)

this was initially just a matter of looks , but the bindings have proved their worth , they are infinately more adjustable than freeflex bindings , hold your feet tighter and provide more of a feeling of contact with the board. the extra support is noticeable instantly , they just seem to grip hard all the time .

No more turning your toes up hwen edging hard , no more duck feet when jumping , if anything you will complain about not being able to get out of em .

All in all for under £100 the board has been transformed , it doesnt compete with the trampas out there but definately ads more longevity and enjoyment to an already great board.

By : Lofty