Tkb Review: 2021 DUOTONE Select Freeride

Sizes Available: 132 x 39cm, 135 x 40cm, 138 x 41cm, 141 x 42cm
Sizes Tested: 138 x 41cm

Duotone Says:

Freeriding has come so far in this sport; the Select was one of the first dedicated freeride boards on the market. Speed, response and pop are all qualities this board needs and the team have built that into its very DNA. Anyone who has ridden the Select will testify as to how good it is, if you haven’t ridden it yet, then you need jump on board.

The Carbon Beam and Biax Glass combine with the Torsion Flex Cap to give a medium to soft flex that creates an incredibly forgiving ride with an unbelievably smooth feeling through choppy conditions. The Space Flex tips flick the board off the water when you pop, and the Step Mono Concave base breaks the surface tension of the water for smooth landings. The outline of the board makes it perfect for carving, and if you want to have fun in the waves on a twin tip, this is the board that makes it easy. Early to get planing and with amazing upwind abilities, the Select is fast and responsive every time you slip your feet into the straps. If you are looking for the ultimate freestyle machine then look no further, you have arrived in the right place.

Visit for more info: www.duotonesports.com/kiteboarding/boards/twintips/select/

TKB Says:

While we generally believe giving everyone an award is what is wrong with the world today, we are willing to admit when recognition is due when the test team gravitates back to the same product over and over because it’s just so much fun. And for this year’s test, the Select in the freeride trim was so comfortable and easy to use that we experienced this kind of gravitational force.

Tech: Carbon Beam, Space Flex Tips, Binding Tracks
Fins: FS 5.0 Carbon 30 fins
Bottom: Single concave to single channel in the tips
Flex: Soft to medium

The Select comes in at a nice medium weight, and while we are willing to bet it isn’t as light as you will find it in Duotone’s new ‘SLS’ trim, this version is sporty and responsive enough to be a very compelling purchase for most riders. The Select comes with a single concave bottom that finishes through the tips with a wide single channel. The rocker feels fairly flat through the center section to offer fast acceleration with enough rocker in the tips to cut through the chop cleanly without any tip spray. The flex pattern is soft to medium, which does a great job at smoothing out the bumps while giving you just enough reflex resistance to push the board through more aggressive freeride moves. When the wind dropped, it seemed like the Select was keen to glide through the lulls and didn’t take a ton of power to keep the board’s speed up. In terms of tracking, the outline and rocker work with the smaller fins to generate a nice measured grip that is easy to set a rail and hold onto, but also capable of breaking loose for more playful riding. This combo gave us a good amount of confidence to ride with more power, speed and allowed for long comfortable sessions. The outline in the tips makes carving user-friendly with the transition from rail to rail easy to control while still allowing you to lay into the carve as hard or soft as you like. Overall, the Select falls right in the middle ground of delivering fun performance while staying focused on comfort and intuitive control.

Our Select came with the Entity Ergo footpad system which notably comes in four sizes. Duotone has likely picked the brain of a podiatrist, as they’ve done some serious homework/research on what the bones in your feet actually need. While each Entity footpad has a ton of customization built into the pad itself, the process starts with you measuring your foot size and selecting the frame/footbed that is going to give you the most comfort. From there, you get to play with the placement of the footpad on the Select’s track system for getting not only the perfect stance width but also a ton of duck options. The strap can be adjusted to how it sits over the pad in two dimensions. The snap button enclosure takes a bit to get used to, but once you get it set you have a visual reference for what setting works best for you, and know you can always return to it easily. The straps are all-encompassing with a soft and comfy terry cloth feel over your arch and the pad has tons of cupping around the heel and the arch to give your foot tons of support for a locked-in feel. Overall, the Entity pad system is probably one of the most well thought out and feature-rich pad/strap systems on the market, and once you dial in your settings you will be hard-pressed to find better comfort or a more solid connection to your twin tip board.

Visit for more info: https://www.duotonesports.com/kiteboarding/boards/bindings-boot/entity/