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frunobulax

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Everything posted by frunobulax

  1. Hi Aracan, AFAIK it would be quite complicated to fit BTS to the UPZ boots. There is the Rabanser spring system. My brother's got one, but it takes some time to get one and my brother says it's too stiff, at least with stock springs. Already tried softer tongues? That should be enough.. my wife's got an RC8 with red tongues, and she never complained about it being too stiff. I'm sure you can call Wolfgang for softer tongues or or just drop in in Lambach and get some.
  2. One of the unsolved enigmas in our sport.. how some of us can ride low angles without drag and some can't. Talking about me: Size MP 29.5, I need 21 cm for the same angles. One explanation could be that some (NSR) boards have a lot of taper and wider radii towards the tail.. therefore you have more trouble to run low angles on the rear foot than with classical shapes. The Tant has some taper (specs above), more than the Silberpfeil with its more classical shape, so I'd say that on the SP which is also 1 cm wider you can run lower angles than on the Tantalus. edit: metal, yes.
  3. I don't see any chance to run 58-60° on neither Tantalus (width 17) nor Silberpfeil (18). We're talking about 65-75 depending on your skills/inclination and shoetype/size. Twice the price...what do you mean? Not enough? 1:4 would be more suitable? You cannot compare the two.. If you're buying a Virus you pay the price and eradicate it from your memory immediately afterwards. You fall in love with it, and maybe after a couple of seasons you sell it for twice the price of a non-custom. If it's worth it nobody can tell you because nobody has bought one for sensible reasons.
  4. That's true, Frank doesn't say anything about the SCR of his boards. The Tantalus was always the allround-carver in his lineup, suitable for nearly everyone. I have ridden the Tantalus II for a couple of hours, and I'd guess that the SCR is somewhere around 13-14 m but that's just a rough guess. It's a modern shape (some "NSR" features), not too much camber, a bit of decambered nose, variable sidecut. I have to admit that it was not my kinda board, since I am a tall and heavy rider and prefer wider and faster boards. But the grip level is exactly what you expect of Virus boards. If you like narrow boards it could be just what you are looking for, and definitely top notch. Virus alterntives: If money is not important, you could also have a look at the Gladiator Zylon (same shape), and a lot of people around here are very impressed by the new Black Death III, which is significantly narrower. Faster: UFC narrow and Stingray. Easier: Lightning. Wider: UFC, Scalpel
  5. Guessing from your selection you're looking for board with more or less 18 cm waist width. So I'd say that the UFC narrow would be more suitable than the normal UFC. But keep in mind that the narrow version would probably not float in powder as good as the wide one. The UFC is for sure the faster and more demanding board, compared to the Tantalus. You know that there's a new Tantalus out, with a completely new shape? So the correct label would probably be "Tantalus II Evo III". I rode the new one last year, but cannot compare it to the old shape. As I was told the new shape is significantly faster, with a wider SCR. Great stuff for those who like narrow boards.
  6. UPZ RC8. 4 buckle medium stiffness boot. According to UPZ cheaper shell plastics, but same material as Deeluxe (should not be as resistant against stiffness changes with changing temperatures as the ATB and the RC10). Good boot, can easily be made stiffer and softer with red, black oder grey tongues. Don't know where to buy it in the US.
  7. Liners have been changed a lot throughout the years, but AFAIK the 2011 liners were the same in ATB, RC8 and RC10, so the fit shout be the same in all three because the shell design is more or less the same, too. Maybe a bit more comfy in the softer shells. Tight heels, wider forefoot in comparison to e.g. Deeluxe boot. Wolfgang is constantly working on the design.. maybe there's some changes for next year, esp. concerning the tongue and the fit for bigger calves.
  8. Not in english... I can provide french http://www.extremecarving.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7999&highlight=atb italian http://www.extremecarving.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8518&highlight=atb and german http://www.frozen-backside.de/wbb312/index.php?page=Thread&threadID=3644
  9. Old board, traditional pants, new pic:
  10. My sister-in law has got some ATBs and AFAIK she's very happy with them. Very comfy boots, good craftsmanship. Couple of interesting options, such as heel and toe blocks for touring ski bindings, and cushioned heel blocks. Talked to Wolfgang Aigner (head of UPZ) a lot about them. Actually he designed them for off piste use, and was quite surprised that esp the eurocarvers showed that much interest. The performance of the guy in the vid is impressing. The UFC needs a lot of control, so personally I would prefer to ride it with a stiffer boot. The ATB is really soft, for a hardboot. Using stiffer tongues doesn't make much sense since the shell itself is so soft. The RC10 is quite stiff on the contrary. Good compromise would be the RC8, which is a medium stiffness boot and you can adapt the stiffness with different tongues.
  11. If you decide not to do it, give the UPZ ATBs a try. Quite heavy in comparison to real AT boots, but soft flex (much softer than all the Deeluxes), comfy liners, walk mode, short sole length, good craftsmanship, step in possible. Wouldn't recommend them for on piste skiing though (too soft). edit: sorry, didn't read your last post.
  12. I remember Frank telling me there's two versions. The carbon topsheet version's got only one titanal layer at the base, the titanal topsheet version's got a second one.
  13. Single Titanal layer? AFAIK there's another layer on the base side. The Donek has more than one layer on the top side?
  14. Very interesting review, thanks, Ladia. That's what I wanted to know all winter. So it seems like the 163 and the 183 are quite similar in character (length difference taken into account), and this would be good evidence for the 173 being just the same. Surprising combination of 1. absolutely top notch EC Board with incredible ice grip for the experienced rider and 2. at least fairly good offpiste board. BTW I would recommend at least some sort of dampening layer between binding and board, e.g. I wouldn't attach a F2 Titanium without a dampening plate (simple but fairly good looking plates are offered by virus at reasonable price, but bomber e rings like in TD2 oder TD3 should be sufficient).
  15. I doubt the UFC would be the right board for you. It's a very good EC board for experts, and provides more edge grip than any other board I know, but it needs a lot of experience and it's too fast for you. The Scalpel should be the best Virus for you, since it is known as the most forgiving wide Virus. A testride would be a good idea though.
  16. I bought the UFC 183 after two testrides. I've had 5 days on it now (in everything from ice, hardpack, fresh snow and warm soft snow, but no deep powder). It's not an easy ride since the board is rather wide (21.4cm) and torsionally stiff, and the scr is quite long (similar to Men's GS). The board likes to be tilted to the max, so you'd prefer to ride it Euro style or race style with much angulation. It's nothing for the faint of heart and will punish the rider for every sign of tentativeness. But once you get the clue it's really a blast. The grip on every surface is just incredible - beyond everything I've experienced before. It's perfect for fast laydowns. No skidding, no chatter, no folding the nose, it just goes round and round.. it cuts through piles of snow like a plough and trenches blue ice like a chainsaw. Like a 1000cc GSXR - the faster you go, the lighter it feels. If you do fast racestyle turns it even gets springy. Unfortunately I had no chance to ride it in deep pow so far - only in 10-20cm of fresh snow where it behaved quite enjoyable. In my opinion the ultimate weapon for the designated high-speed-eurocarver who knows what he's doing or who's had some experience with wider boards. As an alternative there is a narrow (18cm) version out now. edit: don't try it with softboots..
  17. @Hans: http://www.louis.de/_10f6ad76fb918287286ed396b2ad9782e1/index.php?topic=artnr_gr&article_context=detail&grwgr=120&wgr=900&list_total=54&anzeige=0&page=4&artnr_gr=208921 http://www.louis.de/_10f6ad76fb918287286ed396b2ad9782e1/index.php?topic=artnr_gr&article_context=detail&grwgr=120&wgr=900&list_total=54&anzeige=0&page=5&artnr_gr=208917 https://www.polo-motorrad.de/de/magnetic-protektorenweste.html there's also some mcdavid stuff if i'm right. you could also use rib vests for Kart drivers which are usually very cheap and protective but also quite warm and not very fashionable. if it's a fresh injury that still hurts i could lend you my Karting vest for a couple of weeks..
  18. @buell: same to you! Hey Eric.. got a headache today? Concerning your and pogokoenig's ass.. maybe I will spare the time and kick both of them simultaneously this winter. @bola: I remember that time when the first carving skis came out.. that was a revolution. I tested them and then I sent my whole family to the store to buy new skis. Including my old mother. Carving skis were at that time an improvement for everyone (Nevermind that my mum had some typical carving-ski-beginner-crashes which left some ugly bruises in her face.. she was not very happy with me after that). But evidently not every technical innovation is of the same quality. Think of the Swingbo, the monoski, the rotary engine (in which I believe until today), the zeppelin, the personal helicopter and non-alcoholic beer... NSR is IMO not like the carving ski revolution. As you're pointing out, there are different aspects of NSR one has to set apart. Some are good for everyone, some may only be an improvement for special target groups. As for the new progressive SCR shapes.. yes they are amazing. But I haven't made the experience that they are good for the beginner since they make turns wider and faster when you shift your weight rearwards (which a beginner tends to do when he gets uncomfortable with increasing speed) and which get snappy and quickly turning if you shift your weight to the front, e.g. on a bump in soft snow, which can lead to painful crashes. So I bought a board with progressive SCR because I liked the additional fun and thought I could cope with the additional challenges. But would I recommend doing the same for the medium rider? Guess not..
  19. Now we're pretty much on the same page. May I add that in Europe there's still not many Titanal-decambered freecarve boards on the market (but getting more nearly every day) so if you want to buy such a board here chances are high that you will end up with a GS raceboard. And I would only reluctantly suggest a GS raceboard to a carving beginner. And yes, I made some ambivalent experience with soft nosed partially decambered boards. Great grip on ice, but also somewhat awe-inspiring when it comes to going fast on softer snow. Maybe it's all a matter of personal experience.
  20. I don't want to make any masochistic suggestions. I just don't agree that NSR boards have no downsides and are generally easier to ride. I've been riding metal boards for 5 years now. And I love the smooth feeling they give me. I agree that smoothness if not dampness can be of great value even for the beginner. But maybe more so for the advanced rider because he goes faster. After all IMO it is a question of personal preference, not of quality. This goes even more for the other NSR features. There is some positive aspects to say e.g. about decambered noses, and for most of us these benefits may outweigh the downsides. But I believe that there are riders who learn faster on classic shapes because they need the guidance a classic noseshape offers. And there will be riders who don't like decambered tails because they prefer the snappiness of the classic tail. I have ridden 5 different NSR boards last year, and none of these boards I would describe as "easy to ride". Buell, you made positive experience with NSR and therefore you like it . No problem with that. I just bought an NSR board myself. But are you sure that Helvetico is the same type of rider as you are? Or as I am? edit: just seen that you've edited your post. I'm with you when you say there's no need to use an old or outdated board for learning. but I still doubt that titanal and decambered solves all our problems just because its titanal and decambered. and i doubt that wider and softer board are always the right choice for the beginner.
  21. +1 on pogokoenig. Titanal and decambered nose don't make a good board out of a bad one. And covering technique flaws with board construction sounds like changing the weather with yellow sunglasses. Don't get me wrong, there's no need for buying an outdated board or a simple and cheap board. A high end board can bring more fun into your snowboarding. But so far there's no reason to believe non-titanal and non-decambered boards are outdated as a whole and for every target group.
  22. Even if money doesn't matter I would not recommend buying anything too special before you've had the chance to testride it. Of course you're allowed to spend loads of money on new custom gear, it's yours after all. And if you don't like it, you can always resell it without difficulty and without losing too much money on the deal. But I would at least recommend a versatile board that may be a top notch carving machine but doesn't overcharge you on the first day. Talking about Virus the "classical" Virus on piste carving board (like a Lightning or Tantalus) is quite narrow and springy. You would have to change your binding angles quite much. Since you've ridden wide boards so far I'd rather go for a >20cm board like Scalpel or Extremecarver. Give the factory a call and follow Frank's advice. You can also try Oxess' RG line which is known to be quite forgiving yet provides great edgehold and fun. I wouldn't recommend a GS raceboard without a testride. Maybe it's the right thing for you, but some of these boards are also fast and demanding. You should try this before you buy. It's not only the money, it's also about fun and health. Have a look at www dot frozen-backside dot de and check the "börse" section, there's a lot of used Viruses on sale right now.
  23. @ear dragger: esp the second buckle (starting from the toes) was badly placed on the old RX8.. from what wolfgang told me the upcoming RC8 will have this buckle placed nearer to the ankle which will make the heel fit better. but the RC8 will also have the cheaper shell material compared to the RC10 and ATB which is less resistant to temperature change (if I got him right).
  24. Wolfgang Aigner from UPZ was at the Carving Masters in Sölden this year and showed us the ned ATB and told us about the new RC8. We had the chance to give him a lot of feedback concerning his boots and he seemed to be very interested and very willing to make some changes following our suggestions. He was also surprised that the Eurocarvers among us were quite interested in the ATB which he originally designed as a Freeride Hardboot for off-piste purposes only. Note that the ATB is a very soft boot, softer than any other hardboot on the market, but at the same time on the same level as the RC10 speaking of design and technical features. According to him there will be new liners for the upcoming season and the RC8 will be significantly improved compared to its predecessor RX8. Let's see..
  25. Cannot say anything about the Donek, but I'd prefer the PB Bastard (162 or 168 coming for this season) to the #2 in 164 cm. I've ridden the 164 #2 and the 162 Bastard, and IMO the Bastard is the smoother and easier ride. The #2 in the 164 lenght is very stiff and wide thus you need to be careful with weight distribution. Additionally there's quite a bit of righting momentum (is this the correct expression?). The #2 in 158 cm is not so stiff and also easier to ride. The Bastard is also not that stiff, and more finely tuned. Very good board overall.
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