Classic Merdel Balance Board Revisited

The Merdel Balance Board came along after the introduction of the original Bongo Board. This balance board never achieved the commercial success the original Bongo Board enjoyed, but the Merdel Balance Board had its own legion of loyal users.

The Merdel Balance Board is a two piece system which used a flat riding deck constructed of plywood and used strips of grip tape at the foot-placement ends of the board for traction. The sub-deck used a rail system, while the roller consisted of 4 individual round disks bandied together with dowels, a block of wood and an axle.

The rollers tended to develop flats spots and shred into sawdust after a fair amount of use because of the soft waffle-like core of the disks. It was considered to be toy-like in its construction, but the Merdel Balance Board found its way into the living rooms of many Americans.

By: Rick Contrata