Ball Review
THE SKINNY ON THE LATEST AND GREATEST
43 Hook 16 Length 14 Breakpoint Shape STORM: RIDE
Manufacturer’s Intent: “The new Ride is designed for drier lanes,” says Storm Technical Director, Steve Kloempken. “Storm incorporates both new and proven technology in this gem. For the cover, we chose the smooth and highly polished pearl Reactor material, which refuses to acknowledge friction in the heads, the first 15 feet of the lane. And the new Cruiser core produces a modest amount of flare potential to help control your ball path as well.”
Core: The symmetric Cruiser core has a high 2.58 RG and a low .021 differential. We saw about 2 inches of flare.
Coverstock: The scarlet red and platinum pearl Reactor Hybrid reactive coverstock was used on the Tropical Breezes (June
2014) and the Fired Up (not reviewed). The RA value is 1.75 and the effective surface grit is 5700. It is infused with the scent of Paradise Punch.
Overview: The Ride needs some friction on the lane to be successful. It was really good on the light house pattern where we could play farther right, as with the Tropical Breezes. The Ride provided a stronger rolling motion when it made its turn through the pocket, with a couple boards less hook and less angularity than the Breezes. On this pattern, carry was good for a weaker designed ball. On the Stone Street pattern, we could get to the pocket from a more direct outside angle. The length and volume of the pattern made carry challenging,
because the Ride hit the breakpoint a little too late for a good entry angle. On our CATS, the breakpoint was at the 46-foot mark around the 8-board. The ball had similar issues on the 2014 USBC Doubles/Singles pattern because of the oil volume. The Ride would be a good choice when the lanes really burn up, and you need to play in the track or burn area. Higher rev rate players will love it, because they can use a weaker ball but not give up any hitting power through the pins. (Weaker balls generally seem to be weaker hitting.) This also will be a great ball for slower speed players, because it glides through the fronts and then has a good, smooth motion on the back. The Ride will fit nicely between a Pitch Black (June 2014) and stronger reactives.
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ////////// April 2015 35
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38