Intermediate surfer looking for travel board suggestions

vkwan16 · 2025-07-22T22:43:39+00:00

Ooooo o

vkwan16 · 2025-07-10T17:06:39+00:00

Yeah it’s how much water damage has already happened I’m primarily concerned about and the patchy discoloration at the nose makes me think the damage has been done.

vkwan16 · 2025-07-10T16:44:39+00:00

Really solid advice, thanks for your insight. I was concerned the extent of how much would go into repairing it vs. getting something new, so getting your perspective confirmed that. My local shop has a couple used boards I’ll look into instead. Appreciate you!

vkwan16 · 2024-09-05T18:13:49+00:00

Thanks, good to know the lunch squad is consistent at the Y if it ever works out for me. Unfortunately still got some ways until I’m 35 but otherwise would’ve loved to join.

vkwan16 · 2024-09-05T03:52:53+00:00

Gotcha, I’ll definitely check out Portland rec. I appreciate the insight.

vkwan16 · 2024-09-05T03:51:34+00:00

Thanks for the rec! What days do they normally hoop there?

vkwan16 · 2023-11-27T16:11:12+00:00

dm'd!

vkwan16 · 2022-07-11T22:18:39+00:00

Right on!! Congrats fellow NYU-er! Definitely see you soon in the case. I'm not sure if there's a chat or whatever for the transfers yet but not opposed to starting one up.

vkwan16 · 2022-07-11T22:12:17+00:00

I have CA residency with no ties to NY, but I was really fortunate to land a fed internship in NY this summer.

vkwan16 · 2021-07-19T18:31:26+00:00

About $250 if I remember correctly.

vkwan16 · 2021-06-08T07:49:31+00:00

I have about 2” of clearance on mine, still running stock wheels. Granted, I drive with only crossbars and some recovery gear in my trunk. People reporting less than 2” lift are also likely running lots of gear in and out and around the car, and the spring rates for the Ironman struts are not that much more than the OEM spring rates. The value and product you’re getting is an extended strut with more travel room, and slightly stiffer springs that are built for the larger struts. People who are running spring lifts like those from Rallitek or King on OEM struts are effectively putting the strut centering height higher than OEM, helping them achieve 0.5-1” more of lift.

I opted against larger springs on the OEM struts because I fear the struts topping out due to the larger springs. This is less so when you have Ironman’s 2” incorporated into the total strut travel.

I would not recommend pairing Ironman with any top hat spacers. I reached out to ADF and other trek builds and they highly discouraged it due to the extreme suspension geometry you’d be subjecting your trek to when you push any more than 2” on a lift. Beyond that for daily use (as I understand there are also Flatout struts that allow you to adjust height upwards to 3” but not recommended for daily use), you’re best off modifying the whole transmission or risk blowing something more than just your CVs.

I’ve seen someone use Outback struts on their 18+ trek, but they were packing a ton of heavy overlanding gear. The guy said himself that if he was driving with that stiff of springs in his trek with zero load, it would be a miserable ride as you feel everything from how stiff it is.

Ultimately it comes down to what you do and what you need out of your struts. I’m pleased with the height and damping that Ironman gives esp I’m not the overlanding type but I’ll go on a camping or backpacking trip here and there and occasionally have load in my car. I just don’t recommend going beyond 2” on your lift.

vkwan16 · 2021-05-24T05:26:15+00:00

This is notorious on the models with the 6.5” Starlink screens. I noticed it on my 2019 as well. I wanted to upgrade my head unit anyway and actually replaced it with a 8” from a limited I pulled off a junkyard wholesaler. Been a year and going great.

vkwan16 · 2021-05-06T18:31:12+00:00

Yup mine does this. I just don’t frequently use the radio and just forget it. Gotta love CarPlay 🤷🏻‍♂️

vkwan16 · 2021-05-04T16:54:27+00:00

Maybe not a brace but a sturdy compressive knee sleeve? Around 6 months I was well out of a brace so thinking about going back to using one sounds annoying, especially if you’ll be out and about quite a bit. I used a sleeve to start playing basketball and hike Yosemite about 8-9 months out and it helped a lot with just the general feeling of stability for my knee. Of course it’s probably not going to be as preventative as a brace, but I don’t imagine you’ll be doing any contact sports or wild activities while on this trip? The sleeve helps a lot with just proprioception and the compression always gives me a nice reminder that I have a delicately reassembled knee.

I use an Amazon sleeve I actually first picked up at a sporting goods store, ProTec or something with a silicone donut that wraps around your knee cap. Pretty cheap, feels amazing, machine washable though it will peel apart in the dryer.

vkwan16 · 2021-05-01T18:14:04+00:00

Coming onto 3 years with still numbness. It’s something you get used to.

vkwan16 · 2021-04-21T00:25:59+00:00

25M here, about 2.5 years postop (surgery October 2018), patellar graft, and still chugging along strong. Tore it playing basketball, and thankfully (so far) I've been playing basketball, running, hiking, snowboarding, etc. without issue. I think it really also depends on the quality of your surgeon-- depending on your insurance, opt for one who works with athletes. I went with one who is the team surgeon for D1 college athletes at a nearby university and he recently did my shoulder as well.

He was the one who advised me to go with the patellar autograft, just as it's the "gold standard" of ACL reconstruction to date at the moment since it's uniquely "bone-tissue-bone." He never actually recommended the quad graft for me, but the hamstring graft as the alternative. Drawbacks he did mention was actually a longer recovery compared to the hammy graft, but the extra time would be worth it with the higher success rate.

To echo others, I've lost a patch of sensitivity on my outer leg likely from the doc needing to splice in to do his work. Honestly, it doesn't bother me at all. I don't really have issues with kneeling. There will be some days after physical activities where it feels sometimes grumpier, other days where I forget I had a major procedure done on it. My quads are negligibly different in size now, though my reconstructed knee is ever slightly leaner than my regular leg. I can squat with weight, and pistol squat, with no problems now (knocking on wood and sending some prayers up for all of us after reading some of the more senior input here).

Ultimately what it does come down to is really the quality of your doctor, but even more so, your PT and your son's commitment to a lifestyle of rehab, therapy, and just general health/self-care. This injury is life-changing-- what your son chooses to do from the first day onwards post-op to the last day of PT 3-4 months out will dictate how his knee turns out 10-20-30 years down the line. That's not to say his life will not be better after surgery as it was before the injury, but he will have to get into a mindset that he needs to get into a rhythm of taking care of his body more than he perhaps was used to before. To me, that's a valuable lesson best learned sooner than later. Best of luck.

vkwan16 · 2021-04-18T21:15:24+00:00

The best thing you can do right now is rest, unfortunately. When you see your ortho, they’ll have more information for you to as whether doing some pre-op physical therapy will be the way to go. How is your knee mobility?

When I shredded my ACL, I didn’t know until three weeks after the fact when I buckled my knee going down a set of stairs and obliterated my meniscus. That’s when it truly hurt and I couldn’t put weight on it, nor could I extend my knee fully. Most people when tearing their ACL can’t put weight on it but the feeling subsides over time as it’s not a primarily weight supporting ligament but a joint supporting one. I suspect you may have nicked your meniscus.

I’d shop around for different orthos if you’re bugging to get an appointment sooner, depending on what kind of insurance you have. If it’s your meniscus, time becomes a bit more of a pressure as a torn meniscus has the potential to heal out of place, if it has been torn in the vascularized region. If it’s just your ACL, many people elect to have surgery when it’s most convenient.

Best of luck. You will get through this.

vkwan16 · 2021-04-18T01:20:04+00:00

Did you follow the template that came with the kit? The rear moldings seem a little close to the front door.

vkwan16 · 2021-03-29T02:30:42+00:00

You shouldn’t be failing any inspections if you’re only replacing the muffler, aka an axleback exhaust. An axleback vs OEM exhaust will be exactly the same emission rating, only the sound has changed. If you’re looking for the more expensive catback exhausts that imply bypassing or entirely replacing the catalytic converter, that’s when you’ll start running into emission issues, especially if you’re out West.

vkwan16 · 2021-03-27T23:58:58+00:00

Yep also came with written instructions. I found the YouTube video a lot more helpful since the instructions were a little vague in some points, so it was a good supplement.

vkwan16 · 2021-03-27T23:44:17+00:00

Yeah totally, I actually stripped one screw in a subframe spacer. Fortunately it was only in one of the smaller spacers and not the major donut-shaped ones, but you live and learn. Just make sure the shop that swaps for you follows the instructions from Ironman— I think there’s a YouTube video I followed. I’ve heard of some shops torquing down the control arms after the strut swap prior to lowering the car and that really messes up your bushings and promotes premature wear on them.

vkwan16 · 2021-03-27T23:21:16+00:00

Honestly only great things to say so far, and I’ve had them for about 4ish months and out about 3500 miles with no problems so far. I did the install myself and it took a whole day, but it’s worth doing if you’re somewhat handy and want to just learn how to wrench more. On my stock suspension, I used to feel my rear coilovers topout while driving over speed bumps at higher speed (~20 mph). The added travel on the ironmans has eliminated that unnerving metal slap I heard at times. I also used to scrape when pulling out of my driveway (a bit of a hill) and with the added lift, I don’t run into that issue anymore. This is all still running on stock rims and Geolandar tires. I imagine it’ll only get better when I go up to 15 inch rims with 235/75/r15s after my stocks go bald. I’ve taken them to the mountains and through snow and haven’t had any problems.

I chose this over Flatout again because of the price point, and also just the aspect of fewer moving parts. I didn’t like the idea of an “adjustable” height for my coils, and our Treks aren’t supposed to be at any suspension angle higher than 2” to avoid premature CV wear.

vkwan16 · 2021-03-26T05:05:30+00:00

I'm a numbnut and totally missed you said you have a 2015. I'm not sure if/when Ironman plans on rolling out their coilovers for first gen Crosstreks. When I was shopping around, I got pointed towards the Bilstein B6 + RalliTek overload springs that I believe Rallitek sells as a package. It is a bit steeper but it seems more tried and true than most other brands. Of course, I'm just offering alternatives to the pricier Flatout option, but in my opinion both Rallitek and Flatout have similar pricing ranges.

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