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Hi to all.
I'm writing because i would know if this board is excellent how seems to be...
I tried the monk II and is very good board.
I'm weight 75kg and i tried the 132, but i think that 134x42 was better for light wind condition and pop..., but i read that this year the new monk forever is better, stiff and for my weight seem to be good the 132x41...it's correct?
I love the ghrapich of the board in white version...very good job Mark...
I told with a friend of mine, that is in PKRA for SLingshot...Erik Volpe, and i said me that talke with Mark, and he said that this year they haven't monk forever in wharehouse because they sold all the boards and now they have to produce again...
Wow!!! Is possible that this board it's so fantastic???
I'm a freestyle i go unhoked and i'm tryng blindjudge now and 313...you think that this board is good for me? I kite with 11 and 8 cabrinha switchblade 2013 from 12 until 30 knots.
What do you think? Somebody has tried in right Way??
Thanks a lot
Aloha

I am 84kg and ride the 134cm monk forever. It's a good board. At your weight I would go for the 134cm/42cm. For a monk forever I would ride 2cm bigger than you usually use, If in doubt go slightly bigger as they have a fair rocker and are very flexible:

The good: Fairly fast board, but not the fastest out there. Decent in chop and most conditions. Goes up wind very well. Excellent pop and jumping ability. I love the sneaker x footpads, very comfy.

The bad: This is not a very tough board, they are not the most robust out there. The bottom end on the 134cm is very average. You need some power to get up on the plane.

I rate this board 8/10

Monk forever is a great board, swallows up chop and holds loads of power, best ridden full on. If 'pop' is your thing though, the Shinn street or super Shinn may be better. The street is midway between super and monk. Shinn are very honest in their descriptions, they bear out in real life.

Had a chance to try the Monk 135 (don't know the width) against my 133X41 Brunotti Riva-L and in all honesty I didn't like the Monk. Nor I succeeded in figuring out what the fuss is all about - absolutely nothing special. If anything - I found that at 135 it has a lot worse low-end than my 133, and despite only a 2cm difference in length, the Monk's tips are waaaay too sticky. On the positive note it's light and nimble (in the air), really liked the color scheme.

Conditions were: a solid, direct-onshore 18-22, occasionally dropping to 15. Chop+small waves/kickers. Was nicely powered on my 10m. I'm ~200lbs, a typical dangler who's into occasional, non-wonky tricks.

Try the Speedball before you buy the Monk....

mdipalma wrote:Hi to all.
I'm writing because i would know if this board is excellent how seems to be...
I tried the monk II and is very good board.
I'm weight 75kg and i tried the 132, but i think that 134x42 was better for light wind condition and pop..., but i read that this year the new monk forever is better, stiff and for my weight seem to be good the 132x41...it's correct?
I love the ghrapich of the board in white version...very good job Mark...
I told with a friend of mine, that is in PKRA for SLingshot...Erik Volpe, and i said me that talke with Mark, and he said that this year they haven't monk forever in wharehouse because they sold all the boards and now they have to produce again...
Wow!!! Is possible that this board it's so fantastic???
I'm a freestyle i go unhoked and i'm tryng blindjudge now and 313...you think that this board is good for me? I kite with 11 and 8 cabrinha switchblade 2013 from 12 until 30 knots.
What do you think? Somebody has tried in right Way??
Thanks a lot
Aloha

That sound like a supershinn or a street to me. not a monk.

Make sure you demo a lot of boards. I agree with some of these comments, its a bloody good board but I feel it is not as good as the hype is and there are some great alternatives out there. .

mdipalma wrote:Hi to all.
I'm writing because i would know if this board is excellent how seems to be...
I tried the monk II and is very good board.
I'm weight 75kg and i tried the 132, but i think that 134x42 was better for light wind condition and pop..., but i read that this year the new monk forever is better, stiff and for my weight seem to be good the 132x41...it's correct?
I love the ghrapich of the board in white version...very good job Mark...
I told with a friend of mine, that is in PKRA for SLingshot...Erik Volpe, and i said me that talke with Mark, and he said that this year they haven't monk forever in wharehouse because they sold all the boards and now they have to produce again...
Wow!!! Is possible that this board it's so fantastic???
I'm a freestyle i go unhoked and i'm tryng blindjudge now and 313...you think that this board is good for me? I kite with 11 and 8 cabrinha switchblade 2013 from 12 until 30 knots.
What do you think? Somebody has tried in right Way??
Thanks a lot
Aloha

For a 75kg kiter who is doing the tricks you are doing, the Supershinn 135X41 or Street.
The Wainman Joke 134 or 138 is also aimed right at what you are doing, and they are built very well, and really smooth in chop, landings are smooth with the rocker line and the Wainman "bubble".

Yep the wainmen joke worth a look for sure. More skatey than the shinns but you might like that, althougnthemsmall small Finns on the supershinn also free it up a bit.

Another is the crazy fly raptor 136 by 41, had a crack on one yesterday, really nice board with heaps of pop' and full carbon, light as. But pricey man .

The Monk is an excellent board, but if your style doesn't suit it, it doesn't matter how many people tell you it's the best board in the world, it won't make any difference to you personally. It's not as if Shinn doesn't know this - it's why he makes a lot of other boards too, and they are are all subtly different.

If you want an impartial viewpoint, go pick up a copy of kiteworld this month, issue 63. There is a test in there on the Monk Forever, that I would suggest should be read, just to balance the pro / against debate...

There are softer, more locked in boards like the RED - this is a really lovely board...
There are more compact, agile and tactile boards like the Dundee
There are lightwind / heavyweight boards Like the new W18 Speedball
There are freestyle boards like Supershinn / Street
..the list goes on...

That said, kiteboarding has a huge variety of styles, sizes and abilities. It's hard to excel in EVERY single area, and with every single rider, but I have no doubt that he tries!

alexeyga wrote:Had a chance to try the Monk 135 (don't know the width) against my 133X41 Brunotti Riva-L and in all honesty I didn't like the Monk. Nor I succeeded in figuring out what the fuss is all about - absolutely nothing special. If anything - I found that at 135 it has a lot worse low-end than my 133, and despite only a 2cm difference in length, the Monk's tips are waaaay too sticky. On the positive note it's light and nimble (in the air), really liked the color scheme.

Conditions were: a solid, direct-onshore 18-22, occasionally dropping to 15. Chop+small waves/kickers. Was nicely powered on my 10m. I'm ~200lbs, a typical dangler who's into occasional, non-wonky tricks.

That sounds like you were on the 2011 Monk which came in 135 by either 44 or 42 cm. It wasn't great at early planing and best ridden powered.

The Monk Forever is 136 by 44 or 134 by 42 or 132 by 41 cm and was tweaked to (I read) give earlier planing and better upwind without losing anything.

I have the 2011 and you wouldn't get excited over its low end.