I saw that episode!  In the USA it was retitled Junkyard Wars, but when I saw that guy I always wanted to make a pair for myself.  That's why bocks interested me so much when I found them on Youtube.

Don't forget that, although a metal spring would lose very little energy, it would probably be quite heavy.  I think beryllium is pretty light and makes high-quality springs, but pure carbon fiber would probably be better.

This would be much better if you could do two questions for each user: first what brand they have the most experience with, and then how long that brand usually lasts before parts start wearing out.  Since I don't think you can make a two-part poll on this website, perhaps people should post this information here and then everyone's testimonials can be analyzed.

Not Oregon, but I'm pretty close to Portland, Maine...

   

Hey don't give up, especially if you're walking.  I walked 12 miles on mine one day and I had only had about six hours of prior experience.  I was pretty much dead by the end of the day, but I did a good deal of running and jumping too and my muscles weren't ready for it yet.  At a walking pace the bocks don't need much extra energy because they swing forward like a pendulum, but running is very draining because you actually have to pull the ten pounds forward with every stride, much faster than they swing normally.  Once you get the right musculature, it shouldn't be much harder than normal walking, especially given the somewhat greater distance per stride.  A pair with pivoting footplates would make this easier, though.  I have only ever used the same model you have, but if you can find some PoweriZer pivoting footplates as spare parts, it would probably be worth the money to see if they fit on the Poweriser frame, which they probably do.

Good luck!

Well, for comfort you want Poweriser Advanced with the calf cuff instead of the knee bar.  The best brands for the money seem to be Poweriser and 7leagueboots.  Powerskip is generally considered to be the best, but is very expensive.  Velocity Stilts are another very high-quality brand, and they have calf cuffs, but they are modified Powewerskips and it would be cheaper to buy Powerskips and then but calf cuffs from Poweriser.  The cheapest brand uses several names: Pro-jump, PoweriZer, Kangaroo Boots, Flyjumper, and a few more that I forgot.  They are all the same company, Flying Locust, and all their stilts are identical.  They are the lowest quality, but not as bad as they used to be.

You can find a lot more information on the different brands if you read through the Knowledge section.

It would probably be good to sell some other gear for other extreme sports (pads, good helmets, maybe some skateboards or something), because the market for bocks would probably start off pretty slim.

As for the original question, the only one I know of is in central California, and I only know that because it's on the list of links or something.

Anyone into D&D?

"Boots of Speed"
Running and walking speed is doubled, but the wearer incurs a -1 penalty to dexterity and becomes fatigued twice as quickly. [/stupidity]

Hmmm... interesting.  Maybe cling wrap is a good idea.  Perhaps the tape would be more likely to slide a bit instead of ripping on impact, I don't know.

I have noticed some people complaining about unscrupulous websites, and it seems to me that it would be a good idea to have those websites listed, particularly for potential buyers.  Post here if you know of a website that has stolen any of your pictures or movies without your consent.  Leave a link to the offending site in your post.  If it's on Youtube, leave the channel name.

Current list of offenders:

www.flyjumper.com
           http://www.flyjumper.com/htm/pictures3.html
           Flyjumper.com has been listed several times.  Shame on them!

www.chinagoldeneagle.com/products.asp?selfclass2_id=1704&m_id=22128

http://gnarba.skyrock.com/

www.gadgettoday.co.uk

http://www.gumtree.com.au/sydney/89/22392489.html

http://www.fobon.com/windows/b0.htm

http://upwing.en.alibaba.com/
               http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/206174287/power_strider.html
               http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/202470861/power_strider.html

Offending Youtube channels:
 cngecc
 williamkpchan

Kinda sad that people still behave like that in a country where they clearly do not need to commit crime to avoid starving.

I suppose a knife or gun would count as a "partner" for those purposes... If you really want to scare such people off, bolt a sharpened spike to the hoof.  Maybe not the most practical idea, but it would look pretty bad_ss.

Hmmm... The weirdest thing I've done on bocks is talk to a midget about them.  Naturally, she was quite interested.

TraXeH lives up to his avatar...

Hmmm... Seems like it would be good for chest, back, hips and butt, OK for shoulders, but you need something with some give for the other joints because they get so much pressure on such a small area.

Err... What is it really for?

Spring mattresses work.  I've seen a couple movies on Youtube of people using them in their back yards to practice flips.  You can land at awkward angles and maybe get a bruise behind, but not much more (use helmets and some pads).  They're a little small, but better than most cheap alternatives.  I'd like to see how a futon fares, though.  My worry is that they would be too firm and feel like landing on dirt, but my opinion is probably biased.  The only futon I come in contact with is the one I've been sleeping on for eight years, so it's pretty flat and solid compared with a new one (whine whine whine).