F-ONE Big One
Sizes Available: 160cm x 45cm, 164cm x 48cm
Sizes Tested: 160cm x 45cm
F-ONE Says:
The BIG ONE is the newest addition to the F-ONE twin-tip range and is the perfect lightwind board. Its extra length with moderate width provides very easy and very early sustentation and keeps edging control. The parabolic outline makes the board very intuitive and easy to control even in the chop. With its deep double concave on the bottom, the BIG ONE offers great planing sensations and a smooth ride in all conditions.
The moderate flex allows the board to bend slightly under load. This increases the comfort and makes the board more manageable and less physical to ride. The fin positions are offset to get the best grip for easy upwind performance. The board gets on the plane at very low speed and has a very predictable behavior. The rider can focus on his kite handling, the board will provide the support and edging needed.
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Tkb Says:
The Big One was the biggest light wind board in our test and offers up the most secure low-end ride that will keep you mowing lines long after the cows have come home. The 160cm outline makes use of a parabolic reverse rail in the mid-section which trends into a hip and then pulls back into the tips gently rounded corners with fairly tight thin rails all the way around. The Big One sports a substantial bottom shape with a quad concave bottom that creates three spines running down the length of the board. When you hold the Big One on the beach, it looks like it has a ton of rocker for a light wind board, but when you get it on the water it feels fast and efficient like your typical door. As you often see with light wind specialty boards, the 50mm unibox fins are offset and located closer to the heelside edge rail to maximize grip when the board is edging.
The Big One is a very specific board which offers the rider the ultimate early planing surface area with super grippy and reliable footing for light wind sessions. The Big One has really solid tracking with a rail that bites into the water on upwind tacks. Its significant bottom shape works with the fins to give you a really locked-in feel that keeps the Big One on track. At 160cm in length, the Big One has to work harder to cut through chop but its extra rocker and pulled in tips seem to lessen the chaos of pounding through rougher water. With its heavy bottom shape, the Big One doesn’t feel quite as skatey fast as other boards, instead, it focuses on grip and control, providing a super stable carpet ride that gives you the largest surface area of our test for extreme light wind riding. If you compare the Big One to high-end carbon boards you will notice its middle of the road weight and when coupled with its larger size it requires a bit more work to pull off jumps or carves. The Big One is a highly specific design that focuses on providing riders a super stable upwind platform that will push through lulls and the lightest conditions while offering up a super locked-in feeling that allows you to wring as much grunty power out of your kite while keeping the show on the upwind road. We’d recommend the Big One for beginner riders and larger riders who need some extra help earning their upwind wings and for those that want a super reliable low-wind platform that will get them out twin tipping in just about anything.
The Big One comes with three insert options for adjusting duck stance width (not lined up on center) and a plastic handle. We rode the Big One with F-One’s Platinum3 bindings which offer a number of different options for dialing in duck stance. The Platinum comes in two sizes, S/M and M/L, with the M/L being the best option for our male test crew. The footbeds feature a smooth rubbery footbed that has a fair amount of cupping around the heel and a substantial amount of contour, with a subtle toe bar that keeps your foot engaged in the strap. The footpad feels fairly dense and the grip isn’t as aggressive as some other strap systems. The strap is a single Velcro overlap strap that offers simple adjustment, while the strap mounting point can be moved forward and back over the footbed to get the perfect fit. Testers commented on the Platinum3 binding’s very straightforward and easy adjustments and generally found them to be comfortable and adequate for keeping their feet planted on the board.
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