Why ride a RIKT? Because you’re gonna surf better. Unlike the kick tail on a traction pad which is really not designed to stand on, a RIKT kick tail supports your entire foot and is angled at 33.25 degrees – the perfect angle for surfing and they’re wider than your foot so you have 100% connection to your board. Power carves and explosive snaps with a RIKT are much easier because your back foot has a ramp to push against. Kind of like having a skateboard ramp on your surfboard. Click here to watch an in depth video explaining why RIKTs work better than traditional traction pads.
In the video below you can see in 90 seconds how easy it is to attach and remove a RIKT kick tail.
In the photos below, none of the kick tails or mounting plates are shown waxed up. In practice you would wax the ramp on the kick tail and the tongue portion of the mounting plate (which acts as an arch support) along with the rest of your board. And yes, we’ve thoroughly tested RIKTs with wax for grip and they stick to your feet as good or better than an EVA foam traction pad!
You’re gonna surf better with a RIKT than with a traditional traction pad because with your back foot planted on the ramp. you can tell you’re not going to slip off the back of your board, so you surf more aggressively with more confidence and can pull off more difficult maneuvers with better control. Installing a RIKT is an inexpensive, effective way to increase the performance of any surfboard and improve your surfing.
RIKT kick tails are super light weight, made from cutting-edge plastic technology that handle UV rays well, are very durable and are interchangeable. Just like you can change fins on a surfboard, now you can change kick tails. One RIKT can take the place of 100 traction pads on your next 100 surfboards. If you like our color options, even if you bought all six variations, those six kick tails would replace traction pads on every surfboard you own or will purchase in the future.
You’ll need to buy mounting plates for each board, but that’s it, and the mounting plates are inexpensive compared to an EVA foam traction pad. Once you have RIKT mounting plates on your boards, you can easily switch kick tails to whatever board you want to surf on that day.
Another perk with RIKTs is that they look super cool! In the pic at the top of this page we have a lit Clear Vertical Rise 33 Kick Tail. All of our clear and translucent kick tails can light up. Small LED lights go inside the kick tail when mounting onto your board and last for 4-5 days. In a wave pool night session this kick tail would turn heads for the look AND performance. RIKT LED lights are available at our online shop.
Even in the future surfers will appreciate saving money which is why after you’ve purchased your first RIKT and mounting plate, setting up additional boards for a RIKT will cost a lot less than what you’d spend for a traction pad.
A RIKT uses wax for grip so there’s no need for any foam on your deck. If you’re using your RIKT correctly, when carving or executing a snap you aren’t standing on the deck of your surfboard. Your foot should be resting firmly on the ramp of your RIKT. For this reason a traction pad on the deck of your board becomes unnecessary.
But some of you are so used to the feel of EVA foam you’re gonna want that option so we’ve designed a pad that goes in front of a RIKT so you can have the power of a RIKT along with the familiar feel of foam under your feet.
Our recommendation is to try a RIKT with no pad and wax for grip first. And then if you still feel you need a pad, spring for our front pad. Our bet is that most of you will find that surfing barefoot or with booties, wax and a RIKT get the job done, and you’ll be saving money.