This Roxy Sugar Banana Snowboard Review will rate the Sugar Banana as a freestyle snowboard.
This review was last updated for the 2016 model
The Sugar Banana (SB) will be assessed on a number of difference performance categories and be given a score out of 100 that represents the SB’s ability as a womens freestyle snowboard.
Overall Rating
Board: Roxy Sugar Banana
Price: $349 (USD recommended retail)
Style: Freestyle
Flex: Soft (2/10)
Rating Score: 76.1/100
Compared to other Women’s Freestyle Boards
Of the 19 women’s freestyle boards I looked at overall:
- The average score was 79.9
- The highest score was 94.4
- The lowest score was 69.4
- The Sugar Banana ranked 15th out of 19
Of the 7 women’s freestyle snowboards that cost less then $350 that I looked at:
- The average score was 75.6
- The highest score was 78.3
- The lowest score was 69.4
- The Sugar Banana ranked 4th out of 7
Overview of the Sugar Banana’s Specs
Check out the specs and available sizes for the SB in the tables below.
Specs
| Style | Freestyle | Flex | Soft (2 out of 10) |
| Ability Level | Beginner to Intermediate | Feel | Loose |
| Weight | Normal | Turn Initiation | Very Easy |
| Camber Profile | flat/rocker/flat | Shape | True Twin |
| Stance Setback | Centered | Edge-hold | Medium-to-soft snow |
| Price | $349(USD) | Base | Extruded |
Sizing
| Size (Length) | 138 | 142 | 146 | 149 | 152 |
| Waist Width (mm) | 225 | 232 | 235 | 237 | 238 |
| Weight Range (kgs) | 23 – 59 | 27 – 68 | 32 – 77 | 34 – 77 | 36 – 82 |
| Weight Range (lbs) | 50 – 130 | 60 – 150 | 70 – 170 | 75 – 170 | 80 – 180 |
Who is the Sugar Banana Most Suited to?
The SB is best suited to women who ride freestyle, mostly in the park and who like a soft flexing board. It’s suited to small tricks and would be best suited to the freestyler who likes to ride in small parks or who is just starting out with freestyle riding.
The SB would also be a good option for those who are just starting out riding, though I think there are better boards for beginners at a similar price.
The Sugar Banana in More Detail
O.k. let’s get in to some of the details and then we’ll take a look at the breakdown of the final score.
Powder, Carving & Speed
This isn’t what the SB is made for so I wasn’t expecting too much here.
It does have some rocker in the profile which helps somewhat in powder but the centered stance means it won’t float that well.
The soft flex (amongst other things) prevents it from being a great carver and the extruded base and soft flex means it will never be a super-fast board.
Switch
This board has a true twin shape and will feel the same going either way down the mountain (depending on your binding angle setup).
Jumps
The SB is really good at landing those small jumps where it gives you plenty of forgiveness on the landing. However, I wouldn’t be so confident trying anything too large.
Great for small jumps in the park and small natural hits but not the best for large jumps.
Jibbing
The SB holds its own pretty well on the jibs. It’s not spectacular but that soft flex and the rocker in the middle of the board make it pretty easy to jib with. It lacks a bit of pop when it comes to ollying onto anything but otherwise its pretty good on boxes, rails etc.
Pipe
It’s too soft for the pipe really and too slow. Not really made for the pipe and there are definitely better decks for pipe riding.
The Final Verdict and Score Breakdown
Check out he score breakdown and my verdict on the SB as a freestyle deck.
| FACTOR | RATING (OUT OF 5) | CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE |
| Powder: | 3.0 | 3/5 |
| Carving: | 2.0 | 2/5 |
| Speed: | 2.0 | 2/5 |
| Uneven Terrain: | 5.0 | 10/10 |
| Switch: | 4.5 | 22.5/25 |
| Jumps: | 3.0 | 15/25 |
| Jibbing: | 3.0 | 12/20 |
| Pipe: | 2.0 | 2/5 |
| TOTAL after normalizing | 76.1/100 |
Overall the Sugar Banana isn’t a bad freestyle deck for it’s price. As far as anything less than $350 goes it holds its own but overall there are much better decks for riding freestyle and for beginners, in my opinion.
Check out the two posts below for some other freestyle and beginner options.
