I rode the Korua Shapes Café Racer in a 156cm, with Union Strata bindings. More info: koruashapes.co... It's a full camber, fairly stiff board that is stable at speed, holds a good edge and turns very nicely.
great video, if you can you should try a steeper back foot angle, the board really came alive for me when i pushed my back foot to 15 degrees. been riding a 164 cafe racer for two seasons now and love it.
@@SnowboardRobot i thought it did at first. definitely helps it engage faster, but i ended up dialing it back a bunch. i have my highback set to the natural angle of my boot spine now. i found more than that became a crutch for bad heelside carve technique and stopped me from getting better
Some of the best reviews on RU-vid. Keep up the great work! I'm 5'7 190lbs, authetic/fit build. I've been riding the Jones Frontier 156 and Kazu 157 this season. Looking to buy a Cafe Racer next season but I'm torn between the 156 and 159. What would you recommend?
Thanks! I think I would still stick to the quicker turning feel of the 156, unless you really know you want a big wider board. If you are going to spend more time carving, or on groomed runs, the 156 will still be a big step up from those two boards, especially with the crazy stiff tail. If you do want a big change though, and more float in powder, the 159 is quite a step wider than the 156.
I’m considering this in the 164 I have a jones ultra mind expander which needs to be edged and ridden hard, this looks like a great board but softer than my jones 158❤
I haven't ridden the Ultra Mind Expander so I can't compare directly, but the tail of the Cafe Racer is pretty stiff, so it might even be a step up from the Jones
I've tried CR and it's a magnificent board, even freecarver 9000 didn’t make that impression on me. but my size is sold out... is there something similar in Nitro snowboards in dampness, carvability or just have similar ride?
Hi. Thanks for the awesome review. Do you feel the 156 is the right size for you. Or you would get the 159 if you where to buy it. Thanks I'm 5.5" 180bls size 9 boots and I'm looking at this and the dart 156
It would be good to try the 159 to properly compare, though as a guess the 10mm extra width on the 159 compared to the 156 will probably take away a few of the things I liked about it. Mainly the quick turning/edge to edge feel. Unless you are going to ride tons of powder, or are really set on the shape, I think the Cafe Racer will be a whole lot more fun than the Dart for riding on groomers/regular snow.
hey mate sick video What do you think about the Cafe Racer compared to the Salomon Dancehaul? I currently own the DH and I was thinking in stteping up to something more stiffer to go quicker and harder carves. Do you think the cafe racer would be much different in this aspect? Cheers,
Thanks! It is a monster step up from the DH to the Cafe Racer. It will be a huge change in the speed and how aggressively you can turn the Cafe Racer. Much stiffer, faster, but less forgiving.
@@SnowboardRobot thanks for replying. I own a DH on 152 and I love it but I’m buying new board to go to Japan in Myoko and now I’m between some Korua or the Jones stratos. Do you think stratos is better over the korua to carving and hit side jumps and bit of powder?
@@fabdatasolutions You can't go wrong with the Stratos, but something like the Korua Shapes Transition finder would be a great option for carving, side hits and powder, though you will have to get used to it, and it takes a bit more work.
Think it'll do well with lo back Burton step ons and medium to stiff boots? Idk about going full soft boot, but I'm very interested in that info. Buying one before next season most definitely with step ons
Great video. I’m here watching it again as I wait for our season to start. I weigh 88kg do you think the 159 is going to be too much of a board for a lower intermediate wanting to focus on turns in Aussie resorts (so can be icy and end up choppy before the end of the day). Thanks!
Thanks! Nah 159 will be fine, once you get used to it it will just cut through everything without an issue. There still will be a learning curve as they are quite a different feel to most boards, but it is definitely do-able
Great review. Im trying to decide between the Cafe Racer, the Dart or the Yes Optimistic as a little more slashy and carvy alternative to my Jones Flagship riding piste. I like full posi stance riding fast, mixing short and long turns. It sounds like the CR might be a good choice. What music did you use for this video? And btw the levels are spot on. Many people crank it up too much. Good job.
It's been a while since I have ridden the Dart, but to me it wasn't anywhere near as quick to turn and slashy as the Cafe Racer. I think it would be the best choice, though I haven't ridden the Optimistic yet either. I pretty much always use ELFL songs, which I get from Epidemic Sound, but is also on Spotify.
Hey! I’m looking at getting a new board. Currently riding a Yes Hel Yes (146). I’m seriously interested in the Korua Shapes Cafe Racer and Transition Finder. I’m looking for essentially a board that can do pow but also do anything else on the mountain, and really help elevate my riding to the next level. Getting into carving but also little jumps and kickers. I’ve heard amazing things about Korua shapes. My issue is the size… I’m 56kg or 123lbs. 5ft3 tall and have US women’s size 5 feet (men’s size 3). I’d be looking at the 150 in both the Koruas, or 144 in the Cafe Racer. What do you recommend? Will these boards just be too big for me?
I would look at the 144 Cafe Racer, it will definitely be the most manageable, even compared to the 150 Transition Finder. Expect a big change from the Hel Yes, but in a good way. It is a much more aggressive and more serious board, but it will help you push your carving a huge amount.
Have you tried the pencil? I’ve been looking into more “expert” carving boards since I’ve been getting lower and lower with my carves. Almost able to pull off an eurocarve. Looking at this or the pencil for long drawn out aggressive, with the ability to do quick rhythmic carves.
I have ridden the pencil but it was just a long time ago, and in the 164. You probably can't go wrong with either, but I would think that the Pencil will be better for big drawn out turns, and the Cafe Racer much better at tight/quick carve. There is a big difference in the sizes I rode from the small Cafe Racer to the big Pencil, so if you went a size in the middle like 159 it would probably even them both out.
Thinking about this board. I'm 220 lbs, size 11 boot and 6 ft tall. So thinking the 164. Your thoughts? Any other board I should consider for mostly groomers?
Thats a solid choice, though I would still even keep the 159 as an option. The smaller 159 is also still very wide, so completely fine with those boots. Go smaller if you want to make tighter turns, or if you want bigger drawn out turns for the the 164. Realistically you could look at any of the Korua boards if you like their shape, but the Cafe Racer was the standout for me for mainly groomers.
When would you suggest the Cafe Racer and when would you lean to the Tranny Finder? Cant decide which one to get. And do you prefer one over the other? (How much better is the TF in pow?) Great video as always! :)
Thanks! I also spent a few days on the Pin Tonic, but haven't edited that one yet. The Cafe Racer is a whole lot easier to turn, so if you wanted to spend more time carving groomed runs, I would lean towards that. The Tranny Finder is still nice on groomers, but for me I like it much more in chopped up snow or powder, I find that it is so capable it lets me ride faster and just smash through everything, without getting thrown around. I guess it will all depend on what sort of conditions you ride in the most, and what sort of things you want the board to help you get better at.
@@SnowboardRobot Korua boards overlap a lot in different sizes (I’ve owned a couple, kept the Cafe 164). If you look at the specs the Tranny Finder 157 (it gets updated this year with less taper) has the same geometry as the Cafe 159. Cafe 156 = TF 153. And like you’ve said in the review - the camber profiles are almost exactly the same so hard to tell the difference here as well. Basically the only difference is the chopped square nose and more upkick in the tail (past contact points) in the TF vs CR
I’m deciding on cafe 56 and transition finder 54. I’m almost about ur stats: 6’ tall, 160-165 lbs, wearing US 9 boots. I feel like I’m an intermediate high, can carve pretty well on my all mountain board (Yes Standard) right now. Trying to improve my carves and just get lower with a stiffer camber profile. Which one would you recommend?
I would go for the Cafe Racer 100%, it turns so much easier, and at that size it is wide enough but still really quick edge to edge. It will be a world of difference from the Yes Standard.
@@SnowboardRobot thank you for replying to me, just today I learned that “softboot” carving board doesn’t mean soft boots LOL, will get stiff boots for sure
Even though it was pretty short compared to the bigger Pin Tonic 164 and Pencil, it still stayed stable. No doubt though the 159 would be a good notch better for me.
its no wonder that this 156 CR felt easier and less effort to ride than the Tranny of same length. It is not as wide and has hess less effective edge. I wonder why this Cafe Racer is always praised for Carving as Tranny and Dart have both more effective ede and being wider than Cafe Racer. I rode the biggest one, CR 164 and compared it to the Ride Mtnpig 164W. Mtnpig did everything on Piste better. That was really surprising me. Was expecting some carving magic due to the hype (wasn't bad but far from magic).. Mtnpig was beating it in carving performance and edge hold. Rome Stalefish 157 was beating it regarding carving fun and agility. And I guess the Cafe Racer 156 or 160 will have too less edge hold. Anyways I neededto test the Cafe Racer, did not regret the test, but was a bit disappointed it did not live up to the hype. From Korua the Tranny is the better choice for Carving, also the Dart although it is a bit less stable than the Cafe Racer.
@@tribalart88 either the 156 or the 159. 156 will be super fast to turn, and still plenty of board for your weight, the tail is super stiff. Decent jump up in width for the 159, so aim for that if you want much deeper carves
