All about longboard footstops and the new Riptipe Slab

In freeride and downhill, the aim is for your deck to respond to your every move. As with many board sports, knowing how to manage and proportion your support is as much a question of posture as it is of mass transfer. In longskate, the faster you go, the more inaccurate your support can be. So we're looking to establish physical reference points that will enable us to keep our feet in an "ideal standard posture" that we can quickly find again. This is where the use of a footstop comes into its own.

The idea of a footstop is to provide support both lengthways and sideways, to prevent the foot from slipping out of position. Some are adjustable, or even reversible, to suit as many different postures and riders as possible. Personally, I've made them in different shapes and materials to try and find the ideal solution for my riding style.

When an aftermarket brand develops footstops, there are rarely more than two or three different shapes. Apart from the beautiful metal models from Scythe Gear, it's hardly surprising that Riptide has developed several different models to suit all tastes.

Here's a full test of the brand new Riptide Slab footstop, developed in conjunction with the excellent French rider Ambroise Trauet.

The Slab is a taller footstop (H = 30 mm x W = 70 mm) than the rest of the Riptide range. It has just one side, unlike the 'In and Out' and 'Mini I/O' models, which have up to 3 different sides depending on their orientation.

The Slab's shape is hollow, so it can hook onto the rim of your trainer and adapt to different angles of support. Like all Riptides, it has vertical fins for added grip. The flexibility of the Riptide offers a certain degree of shape adaptation and a less firm hook than some models from other brands, in metal for example, which also allows the foot to come out easily at the top in the event of a fall.

It should be noted that it is not adjustable in 'length', having only a single circular hole. One of the holes in the truck to match your ideal mounting position, or alternatively drill a new hole in your deck in the position of your choice.

As far as I'm concerned, they've found their place on the frontmost hole, on the little toe side, which is vertical to the axis of the wheels.

The Slab footstop is supplied with a long screw, a nylestop nut, a steel washer and three Delrin riser discs, which can be used singly or in combination to vary the overall height. Without the extension, the toe stop will be held firmly in place on the deck thanks to the griptapeWith a Delrin washer, however, it will rotate without friction.

Tip: if you want to raise the toe stop but prevent it from rotating, simply glue a piece of griptape on one side of each riser to recreate friction when tightening!

To test the Slab in different configurations, I mounted one on my downhill board, raised by 9 mm and non-rotatable, and one on my slalom board, raised by 8 mm and free to rotate. In practice, it turned out to be very well designed, the shape corresponds to various scenarios (toe wedge or lateral foot wedge), the height adjustment can be useful depending on whether the board has a drop or not. deck the drop or not. At first glance, I have to admit that the malleable, almost 'sticky' feel of the material was a little disconcerting: once you've got the toe in place, it's harder to adjust the position of the foot. It took me a few tries to find the right movement to get it right the first time. After that, it doesn't move!

Positioned obliquely, it provides very high support and ensures that your foot doesn't move forward and remains stable during your most committed fronts. In the back, the foot can always pivot slightly on the heel if necessary, before returning to its original position.

I liked Riptide's idea of the Mini I/O, based on a small, longitudinally adjustable, three-sided footrest, for its multi-tasking aspect. Here we've got maximum simplicity for maximum efficiency.

The Slab is designed more for downhill riding and heavy support, but once it's placed in the exact spot on your bike, it'll do its job indiscriminately. deck it will do its job unfailingly. On the deck slalom, the forces on the front foot are even greater, as this foot literally pulls the whole of the rider's pendulum swing. The pressure on the footstop is greater and more permanent, both forwards and sideways. The footstop is virtually indispensable in this discipline, and the Slab is perfectly suited to it, its rotational aspect allowing it to remain in optimal contact with the foot at all times.

All in all, it's hard not to be seduced by the Riptide Slab, a useful little object. Its initial height, which is already very effective, its clever raising system and its versatile shape are undeniable assets. It's also worth noting that, despite its protuberance, the material used means there's little risk of injury to the rider, and the price remains affordable. I'd have liked to have tested it in Duro 85D like the other Riptide models, but I think that's more a question of taste and personal preference.