I think I'm going to have some difficulty getting to meets from here on.  I work 7 AM to 4 PM on weekends now, and few or no days off because I need to save money for a journey to California.  Good luck guys!

It would have been wide* to at least give an approximation of her weight.

*wise  (Freud chuckles)

In dollars, the 2008 price is about 480 and the classic model is 340 or so.  That's just for comparison.

WARNING:  IT IS VERY DIFFICULT!  I am normally a very strong hiker and go very fast, but when I did it on bocks, I could hardly keep up with a hiking noob in mediocre/bad shape with bad knees.  Getting up steep rocky parts is complicated and requires a lot of dexterity and strength.  I also ruined both hooves, although they were almost dead anyway.  They would probably not have torn apart the way they did if they were newer.  I went up Mt. Percival, which is not an easy hike to begin with, though.

The description sounds nice, though.  Rock slabs are easier than dirt to get up, unless they're really steep.  Little rocks are the tricky ones.  I'd be happy to go, but I'd like to make it clear that you should not underestimate the amount of water you'll drink.

I'll post pictures of my dead hooves when I find my camera, they're kinda interesting.

EDIT: found my camera.  If your hooves aren't nearly gone already, this probably won't happen, but it will violently pull the last breath out of them.  And yes, I walked about two thirds of a mile with the hooves looking like that.

Thanks guys.  When I get new Poweriser hooves, I'll continue to abuse my current springs until I kill them, then try some FL springs.

By the way XS, I'd be delighted to go on a bock hike with you and whomever else you can drag up.

I have the Poweriser 2008 model and I've definitely put them through their paces.  On the level of completely tearing apart their hooves trying to scale a mountain with them on.  I need new hooves now, and I think I'm going to get Poweriser hooves because they don't scuff.  If you think the replaceable rubber part on Flying Locust hooves would be cheaper overall and worth the inevitable scuffing, you can let me know, but what I'm most concerned about are the springs.  My 7090s are still going strong, so the replacement will be a way off, but the energy loss prevents me from running as far and fast as I'd like to on them.  I've heard here and there that new FL springs are actually better than Poweriser springs; more responsive is what people say, but I'm not entirely sure what that means.  It feels so weird after months of explaining "Powerizers are crap", but would it be wise to replace my current springs with...  Flying Locust springs?  And what does "more responsive" mean, anyway?

And then the question of weight category.  I am very content with the power of my 7090s (I weigh 72kg or so), but a little more would not be unappreciated.  I've heard that FL springs are a little on the soft side.  Would M90s be an adequate replacement if I were to go through with this?

And don't point me to 7leagueboots because I'm in the USA and I don't have the money.  Counting the shipping fee, I could get a whole new pair of bocks for the same price as a pair of S-Rex type R springs, which I would get if I could afford them.

You know, it might be a good idea to have a separate category f0or question threads.  It would be easier for noobs to find information in old question threads instead of repeating the same old stuff, and there are enough such threads that they could definitely fill their own category.

7090 springs will be fine for you, although they will be hard to use at first.  Until you break them in, they will be very stiff and hard to get much height out of.  However, I suggest you do not get the 5070s for an easier experience.  5070 springs would be much too soft.  You would never get much height out of them and they would be more likely to break.

The general consensus is that Powerizer springs are too soft, rather than Poweriser springs being too stiff.  However, new Powerizer springs are higher quality than Poweriser springs.

And it's a question of how old the stilts are, not which vendor they're coming from.

In case you didn't know, Powerizer, Powerstrider, Flyjumper, and Pro-Jump are all identical products from the Flying Locust company in china.  It doesn't matter which vendor they're coming from, they're all the same.

Comparatively, I run a lot and bock about three times a week.  Mine were pretty sturdy road tires and lasted a month or so.

Good God, this is getting off topic and the subject is getting very prickly...

I was not particularly trying to offend anyone, and neither was I really joking.  I was putting up a theory as to why the engineer put the axle for the footplate behind most people's center of balance.  Asian people being a little smaller and having smaller feet than Caucasians is one of those stereotypes that happen to have a real basis in fact.  With modern changes in diet, the difference is not as large as it was a few decades ago, but it is still noticeable.  I have two Chinese friends who grew up in the USA, and they are both short, and I know four people (both my parents have gone on several trips, and my girlfriend, and my best friend have gone on year-long foreign exchange trips to Japan and Taiwan, respectively) who have spent considerable time in one or another part of Asia and all of them can back me up on this.

I probably would have said it differently if I were not irritable and having a very bad day when I wrote it, and the "underfed" thing was going too far and in bad taste.  However, I'm rather annoyed to see how quick people are to crucify me over something like that.  One out-of-taste comment and half the site jumps all over me...  The actual point of the thread is lost now and things seem to be drifting to the subject of gayness.  For the record, I don't give a damn who wants to hobnob with whom, as long as they don't do it in the streets.  I also think the "Sprog is gay" joke is immature.  "Sprog is a fireman" made me laugh, but I'd rather see everyone just quit pestering the man.
Speaking of Sprog,

Agreed, but it is hard in an environment like this to interpret things correctly. There is no pronunciation or facial expression to accompany the text, so it is sometimes hard to notice a joke.

That's a very good point.  People, including me, should word things carefully, but also the reader should keep this in mind and not throw serious insults around over half a sentence in one post that came off as mean.  I have a very hard time not taking being called a racist seriously.

I was not being racist.  Perhaps it would have been polite to omit the word underfed, but Asian people do tend to be smaller.  You can point at Yao Ming, but he's one in a few billion.  All of the Asian people I know are fairly small.  A small body has small feet, and smaller feet have the ankle joint closer to the back of the footplate when strapped in to bocks, possibly placing the center of balance on or a little behind the axle of the footplate.

Since the factory is in China, this does not seem like an unlikely explanation for the issue at hand.  If they had larger-footed test subjects on hand, the axle would probably be a few millimeters forward from its current position.  The difference between stable and difficult to deal with seems like it would be very, very small.

Of course, the engineer could also just be stupid or lazy and this flaw could be from lack of any research at all...

I know this question isn't for me, but I can't help it...

You can always increase the max height by brute force (extra-stiff spring) i.e. Poweriser springs, which seem to be the lowest in quality after FL came out with their new springs.  A high-quality spring is not necessary to get up high, as long as it isn't so inefficient that the bocker cannot overcompensate for the lost energy.   I'd expect that the mystery springs could give nice height for their weight class because of the "turbo" and their very good efficiency, plus he's offering to sell ridiculously powerful springs if you're willing to pay extra, but their advantages in character are much greater.  Soft at the top for easy walking and jogging and soft landings, but lots of power at the bottom for good jump height.  I'd imagine it would feel more natural and comfortable that way as well.

I, for one, have no idea what's so new and improved about them.  You would probably be better served by the Poweriser Classics.  The Powerstrider may have pivoting footplates, but I've heard that Flying Locust does not make the pivoting footplates right.

It seems to me that the only good pivoting footplate is on the Powerskip Pro.

Yeah, drill some holes and lock it.  If you feel like getting the running advantage from them, then you can unlock them later, but it seems that they've misplaced the axle.

They probably have it placed for little underfed Chinese people's feet...