User:Nibz1967/Timberwolf XtreeM

Summary

The Timberwolf XtreeM is a Caster Board invented, developed and manufactured by T.J. O’Rourke & his son Nathaniel O'Rourke.

The XtreeM was designed from the outset to be a true rider’s board, not just a toy, and this is reflected in the design, materials and components.

Like any caster board, it is self-propelled - the rider can accelerate without putting a foot down.

What's different about the XtreeM -

DESIGN - especially a patent-pending 'Rock & Roll' caster design, that allows the casters to 'rock' and the board to roll in either direction

MATERIALS - light weight and reactive materials (balsa, fibreglass, aluminum and Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene) that make it easier to accelerate and maneuver

COMPONENTS - these are high quality and individually replaceable, giving the board a custom, hand-built feel



Origins of the name ‘Timberwolf XtreeM’

According to T.J. O’Rourke, “Wolf was a given because I have owned several (or should I say I’ve known several that hung out with me) and I have an affinity for them. Timber came from the fact that it [the deck] is made with Maple rather than plastic.

“So as we were messing about with a logo that was a wolf that was also a tree, we accidentally noticed that we could make a kind of hieroglyphic that spelled out the word XtreeM by making one of the wolf's jowls look like an X and the other jowl like an M. So the logo came before the name”

Decks

The decks are made of 7-ply Maple, like a regular skateboard, creating a lively, responsive ride. A new, cold-pressed deck has recently been prototyped and is about to become commercially available that should improve the durability of the deck.

The decks are grip-taped, like a skateboard, with graphics printed on the grip-tape. The graphics were designed to not reduce available grip too much.

Torsion bar

Instead of a regular spring-loaded torsion bar, the XtreeM uses a molded bar of UHMW polyethylene around a rigid fiberglass spindle. This provides more durability and feedback than the conventional cylinder/spring assembly. And it's flat underneath, which is much easier to balance on a rail.

Rockers

Most caster boards are monodirectional, with casters facing forward at an angle molded into the board itself. This creates a fixed nose and tail, making the boards monodirectional.

On the XtreeM, however, the rider can rock, or throw, the casters from one direction to the other while riding, making the symmetrical board completely bi-directional. The ‘throw’ distance of the caster rockers has been kept short, so tricks such as varials and spins are accessible.

Lifters

As well as being able to flip the direction of the casters while riding, you can tune the character of the board by changing the ‘lifters’ (urethane-compound shock-absorbers under the casters).

The ‘number 3’ lifters are denser shocks that keep the casters closer to their swivel axis, an effect that reduces overall top speed but makes the board bounce and spin much faster, giving it more of a ‘trick’ orientation.

The ‘number 1’ lifters, on the other hand, sweep each casters further behind the axis, which gives the board more of a ‘speed’ orientation, with more of the rider’s movement converted into linear acceleration rather than horizontal rotation. This gives appreciably better acceleration and a higher top speed. It also gives the board a more ‘drifty’ riding style, where you can accelerate by moving both decks in the same direction, a movement known as a ‘butter slide’

Overall, the effect of changing lifters is similar to changing gears on a bike, although as you do need to get off and swap them using an Allen key, most Timberwolf riders tend to stay on one type most of the time.

Tricks In general...

"What you can do on a skateboard you can't do on a casterboard?" - Nothing

"What can you do on a caster you can't do on a skateboard?" - Accelerate uphill, drift, and maneuver more quickly without ever setting your foot down while still having the option to

Generally speaking, the Timberwolf's bidirectional casters makes for exciting transitions and spins and the flat underside of the torsion bar makes it easier to balance on rails. The addition of grab-handles enable the rider to perform grab-tricks not usually possible on a casterboard.

Community

Timberwolf tries to promote inclusivity and camaraderie among riders of different makes of board. As T.J.O'Rourke says,

"Liking one should not threaten the other. Let's get our y chromozones under control and not make everything a battle. If you enjoy one, do it. If you try the other and like it, do it as well. If you want to concentrate on one or the other then do so and allow others that same freedom without undue condemnation. Moreover be encouraging".

As well as a presence on the 'CasterAddicts' casterboard community site www.casteraddicts.com, there is also the ‘Wolf Den’ riders’ forum http://wolfden.ning.com/

Team riders

The ‘Wolf Pack’ team currently consists of 6 riders: Nathaniel O’Rourke, Thomas Ellwood, Brandon Pennington http://wolfden.ning.com/video/riding-bowls-on-the-rocks, Michael King, Juanse "lobo", & Cody Waits. http://wolfden.ning.com/video/tour-natos-best-casterboarding-video-ever-best-tricks-biggest

The 'Growlers' team currently consists of 6 riders: Ethan Devries http://wolfden.ning.com/video/video/listForContributor?screenName=2lhy2slv9ntrp, Harry 'nutter' Gilliatt http://wolfden.ning.com/profile/HarryGilliatt, Jake 'Tommo' Thomas http://wolfden.ning.com/video/growlers-sponsored-rider-jake, Simon 'Woots' lane, Mary Moreck, & Steve Miller ('Stevie Wonder' http://wolfden.ning.com/video/stevie-clip-222-wmv).

References