What’s the deal with Rome’s HotRods? If you don’t know, they’re those strange little bumps beneath the topsheet of many of Rome’s snowboards. Well, we set out to dispell the mystery in these hidden features, and what we found will shock you!
That intro was a bit dramatic, but these HotRods are actually pretty cool. Initially introduced in the early 2010’s on the Mod Rocker (now the Party Mod), two carbon rods were milled into the core that ran from each binding insert area out to each tip of the board. These four carbon rods gave the reverse-cambered Mod Rocker the pop which had been removed as the board’s positive camber had also been removed. Sort of a bait and switch type scenario. The HotRods worked like a charm, making the Mod Rocker an all-mountain machine.
Fast forward a decade, and you’ll find HotRods in a slew of Rome’s boards, even the cambered ones. Rome has since introduced Bamboo HotRods, which add a bit more pop, as well as vibration dampening characteristics. Omega HotRods are also pretty sweet, which are a bamboo or carbon HotRod surmounted in a layer of preformulated carbon, for even more energy.
Rome fashions the HotRods in various arrays, using them to deliver linear power to the tip and tail for more energy transfer on ollies, more support on landings, or as a “V”-shape in the tail (Freaker and Ravine) to drive energy from the back foot out to the contact points of the tail for maximum drive while shredding turns and sending side hits.
For the full run-down on HotRods, pop on over to Rome’s site.
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