Dirt surfer
A dirt surfer (also known as an inline board) is a piece of sports equipment that can be used in many ways. The sport is a combination of surfing , snowboarding and skateboarding . A dirt surfer consists of a continuous or three-part tubular aluminum frame, a deck made of laminated wood or fiberglass-reinforced plastic, a front frame and rear frame, a mechanical disc brake and two 20-inch or 16-inch bicycle wheels. In addition, there are foot straps that are attached to the deck to give the rider more control over the board.
How it works and uses
The dirt surfer has a patented control geometry in which the front wheel is suspended in front of and under the wheel axle by means of a swing arm. Due to the weight of the rider and the follower principle, the front wheel levels off automatically and gives the inline board stability and safety.
You can ride on almost all surfaces on and off the road and in combination with a kite , also known as a wing .
history
The dirt surfer was invented in 1997 in Australia by Greame Attey. Originally, the dirt surfer was primarily intended for driving on the beach and therefore didn't have a brake. However, it quickly turned out that a dirt surfer inline board is ideal for higher speeds and also for other surfaces. Therefore, bicycle shoe brakes were initially integrated. In the meantime, dirt surfers are almost exclusively equipped with disc brakes. The sport has spread particularly in the last few years (since around 2002) in the USA and Europe. Many of the riders are “boarders” (skateboarders, snowboarders or longboarders), but you don't have to have any board sports experience to ride a dirt surfer.
Important races
Since 2002 races have been held in various disciplines. Since 2005 dirt surfing inline boarding has also been an official competition discipline of the International Gravity Sports Association (IGSA).