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This is a subject close to my heart at the moment.

I'd say chances aren't that good.

There are a lot of skateboards and longboards on sale here, but nothing really new. Mountainboards were available last year but not this year - prices were slashed by 80% before they disappeared.

There are a few small resellers of Dirtsurfers, Freebords and 4-wheeled mountainboards here, and a guy was selling Outbacks from home last year.

The problem would be differentiating the Carveboard from all the others, and explaining to the customer where they could use it. That, and safety, are the biggest problems to overcome. None of the other makers seem to have even tried addressing these issues. Setting up a local manufacturer with their own promotion department would probably give better results.

If you want more in depth info, how about shipping me a board gratis? I'll check it out and get back to you. (How much are they anyway - the site was NOT forthcoming about price). My mail address is poxfroth@yahoo.com.

So this is a different one to that dirtdude or whatever it was called Ocean was talking about the other day. How many of these things are there?

Yeah oo, it's different. The Dirtsurfer and T-Board have both got 2 wheels, the Carveboard has 4. There's all sorts of whacky stuff out there. Check out this one; http://www.onshoreboards.com/Products.html
Differentiation is the problem, but the Carveboard's minimum wa,nkiness should help.

Thanks for your comments.

The thing that differentiates the carveboard from other boards on the market is the amount of suspension on the board. The board can literally carve from side to side better than anything else on the market simulating the effects of both surfing or snowboarding.

It is used on smooth concrete surfaces unlike mountainboards which have tires for offroad purposes.

I will be looking at all aspects involved with marketing the carveboard in Japan including safety and distribution. (Thanks for your input, these are important considerations).

Can you please tell me about the overall geography of Japan, specifically if there are places with alot of hills that would be ideal riding conditions for the carveboard and the name of the cities close to such regions.

As far as sending you a free board, I would like to help, but I am not an employee of carveboard, just a starving student doing a project on a product I find interesting.

The cost of the carveboard in the states is approx. $ 300 USD.

Your continued feedback is appreciated, as secondary research for my project.

If you have any questions let me know.

"The thing that differentiates the carveboard from other boards on the market is the amount of suspension on the board. The board can literally carve from side to side better than anything else on the market simulating the effects of both surfing or snowboarding." - That's what they all say, more or less, so that isn't differentiation. Also the price doesn't differentiate the product - they all cost about $300.

All of Japan is hilly, most of it extremely so. I'm looking at boards to buy at the moment, and my main concerns are where I can ride, and ability to stop. Although you can find hills everywhere that would otherwise be great for riding, nearly all of them are unsuitable due to traffic. The sidewalk is a concept barely understood in Japan, and what few there are are generally inadequate. If you do find a hill road with few cars on it, they will be going like the blazes and won't be expecting to meet somebody carving across it on a novel sort of board.

I was looking at Tierney Rides' T-Board, but that too is a concrete only board, with no brakes. So that would limit me to about one location, a local road, that might just be safe enough. But with the Dirtsurfer, I'll be able to go to any number of places around here, including quite a few roads (stopping power makes that possible). In a very uncommon development in Japan, a skate park is being built in the neighbouring town (Chino), but seeing as I may move at any time, I want a board I can ride anywhere.

The only way to differentiate a product that is undifferentiated, is through different marketing. Below are a few ideas;

Market the board as a set with branded helmet and protectors. (Japan is 'safety country' - anzen daichi, bollocks of course, but that's what they like to think.) Sets generally sell very well.

Consider distributing to and through resorts and what skateparks there are. Many resorts run their lifts throughout the year, and some have paved mountain roads running through them. Check out http://www.indescent.com/, Services, for something similar.

Get celebrated snowboarders, skateboarders etc. to promote the board. Tierney Rides are boasting that the US Olympic snowboard team uses their board for off-season training, quite an endorsement.

You need a fully Japanese website run by Japanese people, probably broad and narrow band versions, with photos and movies of Japanese people riding the board. A forum would be good too. The site would explain where to buy the board, and where to ride it.

Go for broke with a TV ad.

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Keep us posted with your progress now!

[This message has been edited by Ocean11 (edited 23 April 2002).]

Nobody seems interested in this thread but me. Oh well.

The movies of the Carveboard show that it truly is a cool piece of kit. But I can't help noticing that most roads in Japan are half as narrow and half as steep again.

But nothing quite as steep as the board itself.

For comparison;
Dirtsurfer - 49,800 yen
T-Board - 32,280 yen
Carveboard - 57,186 yen
(Prices include shipping and necessary options)

Carveboard have 'cut ties' with their Japanese distributor, and when they find another, their Japanese price will rise by another $100, making their board the most overpriced and undesirable bit of kit anywhere. Marketing it at that price will surely be impossible.

I was going to write a reply about doing that kind of biz here but i can't be stuffed!

Oh go on, write something...

I would say that you - being the srfnbadger - should come to Japan for a couple of days and check out where the majority of consumers live, where they have acess to, what they do in their spare time etc., do a demographic on the place and I think you will have a fair idea of just how unsucessful the carve board would be.

Hate to be downer, but hold onto your money while you got it.

You really think that guy is still reading the forum mogski?

I've dug this thread up on a search.
Santa's going to bring me a carveboard! I can't believe this was nearly 4 years ago. They are relatively new in Australia. Or is it just the one I'm getting that's new?

I'm getting a 43" 8 ply with pump up wheels. I had a few rides of one and I was hooked. As for terrain. There is a deserted old mountain highway not far away from here. I'm going to check it out tomorrow

Heheh, good stuff. The Stik from the same company is a really nice ride.

Remember to sit by the fire on Christmas Eve with your gaff in hand, because those Carveboards are big and Santa may get stuck.

I've been invited to review a Flexboard but I'm torn between my loyalties at the moment.

I bought a noSno mountain board this year which I have used far less than I've wanted to, mostly owing to injury but also the lack of suitable terrain around where I live. Unfortunately next year I'm probably moving further south (Kent - England) and the terrain will get even more bland, though I will have beaches to play around on if I buy myself a foil kite. noSno boards incorperate snowboard bindings and boots, which I really like and despite the lack of actual use, I'm still pretty glad I bought that particular product (Though it is my first off-road board).

Kent and that area may not be any good, but whenever I go back to Bristol, Gloucester, and London where my family are, I drool at the wheelboarding opportunities the whole landscape presents.

Japan is unfortunately either perilously steep, or deathly flat, with none of those rolling slopes that put a twinkle in the wheelboarder's eye.

noSno look like serious boards - no bailing, and very hot feet.

Like this isn't just a big advertisement for the carveboard!

The first post had all the look of a plug, but so what? Some of us like to discuss commercial products.

I know bugger all about this, I'm learning as I go. I had half a dozen rides on a 43"Carveboard and now I want one. So these are just assumptions.
I assume the carve board with pneumatic tyres gives a better ride than other models with eurothane wheels for 2 reasons
1-The pneumatic tyres grip the road better, therefore allowing you to lay into the turns more.
2-The ride is smoother because the tyres absorb a lot of the bumps, stones, twigs ect.

My mate that owns a few surf shops said he can't sell Carveboards due to the price. At $600 Aus. you can understand why. Carveboard has refused to shift it's manufacturing base from the USA to china. It's probably the reason why they haven't taken of here yet.
Once someone producing a cheaper 'made in China' version. They are bound to go ballistic here.

Does spending $600 on a skateboard when you hit 40 qualify as a mid life crisis ?????