By Vali Puscasu, lens Audra Miller
I just got my hands on the new 2014 wood core Trax with the new Helical Rail Design (HDR). The model i tested is the regular fiberglass version. Trax also exists in a full carbon version.
The board is supposed to replace the TX.
A short background on me– I rode the Trax for the past 4-years. Last year, I tried the 2013 TX but it wasn’t my cup of tea. It is a nice board but I think the 2013 Trax is a far superior board, which I was satisfied with.
So I was a little cautious when I got my hands on the 2014 wood core Trax. How similar will it be to the 2013 TX?
Out of the box the board looks really nice. The construction and finish are nice and it is easy and fast to put together. The fin system is the same as previous years. (I hope that F-One will consider offering different fin sizes at some point). The rails are pretty thick.
The board I got to test is size 136. It looks like it has more rocker than the 2013 TX but a little less than the 2013 Trax. There are 3-stance options for the pads. I usually ride the widest stance possible, but as I found out later, the narrow set up worked for me better this time. 
I tested the board for 3-days in wind conditons between 12 to 30 miles per hour and in flat to medium chop.
It goes upwind very easily with minimal spray to the face in medium chop. It likes to be ridden fast and it locks like a train on rails, allowing you very smooth and sharp turns, without losing power in mid-transition. It is better in light wind than both the 2013 TX and 2013 Trax.
The board has nice pop with very smooth landing and for sure out performs the 2013 TX. It likes to be ridden a little bit flatter than the 2013 Trax so it takes time to adjust to the new stance.
I weigh 160-pounds and I felt that the board might be a touch too big for me; so I will go one size smaller.
Overall, I really liked it and am looking forward to trying the carbon version.
