Roadrunner

[rodman]

Okay, it's time for me to give some props to this mold. I have bought a bunch of discs and enjoyed trying different long distance drivers. The 2 that I've settled on is the Roadrunner and the Sabre.

I probably own 12-15 different drivers and these 2 stand out for my style. I play on wooded courses (we all play on courses like these) and need straight drives 80% of the time with very little room for error. For practice i take all the drivers out in a field and practice on where I mark the 300 foot mark to give me perspective. The roadrunner is always the one disc i can throw the lowest (on a line) with NO left turn and the distance is about 10% longer than all the others after the perdictable skip at the end.

I am most consistent with this disc and it has now become my #1 driver over the XL, Sidewinder (not broken in yet), Cyclone, cyclone 2, valkryie, beast, Tee bird L (although this one is still in the running but a bit shorter).

The roadrunner's flight ratings show that it should go Right durning the high speed part of flight but evidently i'm not getting enough spin on it because it is straight as an arrow for me with no high speed turn or low speed fade. I'm loving this one.

I actually use my Sabre for slightly right turning shots between 250-280. The roadrunner is for 280-330. That's the furthest that i can throw right now and i've done it 3 times with the roadrunner. 3 times a week i try all those other discs but i can never get that extra distance from them. Actually I can throw the leopard just as long as all my other drivers but it goes right now that it is broken in.

this is the end of my ode to my roadrunner speach. Try one. They are great discs.

[Solty]

i know that with my roadrunner....a hyzer throw with the RR will fly straight...but when thrown flat....will anhyzer nicely


mike

[rodman]

I've not gotten to the point to where I can throw a hyzer shot and get it to fly straight. maybe i'm inexperienced, maybe my discs aren't broken in... maybe i stink.... but I actually throw this disc flat and she holds that line. It almost never moves right.

[Bradley Walker]

I've not gotten to the point to where I can throw a hyzer shot and get it to fly straight. maybe i'm inexperienced, maybe my discs aren't broken in... maybe i stink.... but I actually throw this disc flat and she holds that line. It almost never moves right.

I am not surprised by this at all.

I have two CE roadrunners. One is a 174, and it is very stable. I have thrown high roller trajectories that never rolled, instead the disc would flatten out before it hit the ground (unless into a good wind).

The other one is a 163. I is simply unpredictable. Could do anything.

My guess is that you have a high weight version. It is very believable that this disc might be a good flier, it is similar to the Sidewinder afterall.

The Roadrunner is supposed to be a turnover disc. I would suggest avoiding the "good plastic" if you want a roller.

Once you go the stiff CE plastic or the Star plastic the disc is simply more stable. The charts no longer are completely true.

[twmccoy]

I like the roadrunner too. If you have no wind and a good open hole, this disc will get the job done. I throw mine with a little hyzer angle and let it flatten out and glide for big yardage. I like this disc a bit better than the sidewinder because it just seems faster and fades less at the end. I can get my RR out to about 400' on flat ground.

[rodman]

I actually use this one on tight holes too. Because it has a predictable line that is straight and it doesnt need a lot of height to get it's yardage, it's the perfect driver for me in the wooded parts of the course. I also have a sidewinder and it still turns left a bit more than the roadrunner but i'm working thru that. It's getting straighter for me as I get more experience with it.

[Blake_T]

roadrunners will all basically end up flying like dx leopards that are about 4g heavier than the rr after they smack a few trees.
e.g. a 171g rr will fly like a new 175g dx leopard after the first couple of major tree hits.

they are stable when new, but they were not designed to be that way.

i will warn about falling in love with discs that have very little fade tendencies when new: they are inherently unpredictable. they also breed some bad habits, such as throwing straight at targets rather than aiming slightly to the right of the target and compensating for skips, slides, curls, fades, etc.

[Jwt4412]

Blake,

I'm not understanding your last comment.

If the disc allows you to reach distances you haven't reached before routinely - how can it be bad?

As these disc "break-in" what will it start doing - so I know what to look for.

I have been throwing my two RoadRunners almost every day for about 6 weeks now.

What will this disc start doing? And if I like what a RoadRunner does before it breaks bad on me - what disc mimics the RoadRunner when the RoadRunner is in its sweet spot?

[Blake_T]

If the disc allows you to reach distances you haven't reached before routinely - how can it be bad?

if a disc does not teach the fundamentals needed to throw better (better != just lower scores), then it doesn't do much for you if your goal is to become a better player in the long run.

i see certain discs as being like hybrid iron/woods in golf. while people may find these easier to succeed with, it is not an excuse for being weak with your irons. but this is frisbee. the first 600' throw was performed in 1987 with a lightning #2 hookshot. it shouldn't take a re-invention of the wheel to have distance that is sufficient for 85% of holes on 95% of courses.

also, accuracy and predictability is (nearly) always greater than distance (unless you are throwing say, over a river). if i had to play a round with 2 discs, 1 disc being a putter and my choice for the 2nd disc, it would either be a dx roc or a d cyclone, depending upon the course length and relative tightness of fairways, with the roc being the choice for shorter courses and tighter courses. that being said, distance really takes a back seat.

that being said, imo, any players that aren't desperate to add D (throwing 320+) will flip the roadrunner and the rr will hold a turn without fading out, making it a great turnover driver. however, for players that still have D that is easily attainable (D under 350' assuming a moderately healthy male age 16-40) i do not believe a re-invention of the wheel is necessary to obtain that either. if players work their way up to 350' with slower discs, learning how to hit lines, make discs work, etc. then hopping up to the latest and greatest will almost ensure 400' of D whereas skipping that step does not.

this may be a purist attitude speaking, but in disc golf (and ball golf where applicable), long term success is best achieved in the ways it always has been: lots of hyzers, tight approach game, course management, hitting fairways, and solid putting = wins.

similarly, in football, while people may buy into the run & shoot, west coast offenses, single back sets, cover 2 defenses, ultra-athletic qb's, marquee receivers, etc., it is solid swarming defense and pounding the ball on the ground that builds dynasties. if your running backs always get 3.5 yards per carry, you are unstoppable. if your defense always holds opposing running backs to less than 3.33 yards per carry, you are golden.

As these disc "break-in" what will it start doing - so I know what to look for.

it will turn and hold a slow turn that pans from left to right and falls out of the air at the farthest right point when thrown flat.

And if I like what a RoadRunner does before it breaks bad on me - what disc mimics the RoadRunner when the RoadRunner is in its sweet spot?

first answer is... since the roadrunner and leopard don't really mimic 99% of golf discs, i wouldn't suggest falling in love with either of them for straight drives. for turnovers, they are excellent.

second answer is the TL is probably the disc that is closest in its straightness but still has something that resembles predictable fade, especially in star plastic (i can easily say this is my favorite star disc so far).

btw, if you did get a freakish RR that is true stable/overstable, i wouldn't count on them staying that way.

[Jwt4412]

Thanks.

That makes sense.

[Blake_T]

btw, if it works for you, i can't stop you from using it

the stuff i'm saying is just from a standpoint of the percentages and base fundamentals.

i can't argue with what works, just that it may be settling in too early.

[Jwt4412]

Blake,

I am looking at getting a Star TL to throw to compare to my Roadrunners...

Are you as high on the Star SL as the TL for a longer throw?

If I use the same release, release points, and power what should each of these discs do? The RoadRunner, the Star TL and the Star SL?

I got a Star Wraith at 168 as part of a tourney pack - this disc goes straight and fast for a good portion of time for me then it goes very hard left and down hard into the ground - it has then been skipping at a 45 degree angle to the left for another 15 to 20 feet after it hits the ground.

Would I be better served by a Star TL and a Star SL?

[rodman]

Well i'm not an expert at much of anything in this sport except making trees bleed sap but i have all 3 of these discs and I can render a little info here.

The TL is probably the straightest with very little (if any) right movement and very very minor low speed fade. It seems a bit slower than the other 2 and much more controllable. I'd rank this one as the more consistent of the 3 and is probably the shortest all else equal.

The road runner is supposed to have some right turn in high speed but I'm not getting that and mine is broken in pretty well. I am a bit more inconsistent with this but I'd say it's because I usually try to really rip it. I get 30-50 more feet from this one over the TL. I use the TL and the road runner more than any disc I own. The RR will move a bit left at the end but not much more. For me the flight pattern of the RR and TL is very close to identical with the RR being faster, longer and less predictable but still not to bad for a fast driver. I love both.

The SL on the other hand is supposed to be longer than the other two. It is fast and I can see that it's going to be a good disc for me but I still cant throw this one. It is a bit faster than the RR (fastest of the 3) and is supposed to have a staightish flight with slight right and slight left fade at the end but what I get is a slightly left path at high speed and then big fade. I am probably not throwing this one correctly yet because the reviews are great. I'm going to keep practicing on this one and I'll update when I get more reliable info.

The SL stays in my closet while the RR and TL are my #1 and #1A drivers in my bag. Plus I know Blake likes the TL.

[sleepy]

Well i'm not an expert at much of anything in this sport except making trees bleed sap

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!

That's great. I laugh, only because I can relate. Around here, we call that a 'lumberjack'.


sleepy

[cschwab]

Blake,

I am looking at getting a Star TL to throw to compare to my Roadrunners...

Are you as high on the Star SL as the TL for a longer throw?

If I use the same release, release points, and power what should each of these discs do? The RoadRunner, the Star TL and the Star SL?

I got a Star Wraith at 168 as part of a tourney pack - this disc goes straight and fast for a good portion of time for me then it goes very hard left and down hard into the ground - it has then been skipping at a 45 degree angle to the left for another 15 to 20 feet after it hits the ground.

Would I be better served by a Star TL and a Star SL?

I have never thrown an SL but I were to guess I would guess that the TL would be the best disc for you of the three. As Blake stated earlier the flight characteristics of the roadrunner make it good for anhyzers but that it is dissimilar to most golf discs. The SL is a very fast driver and since the speed is similar to the wraith it might not fly as it was optimally designed to fly for you. The TL is a slower disc that is easier to throw and more controllable.

I might be be biased though since the TL is possibly my favorite driver.