life of a board

[groovastic]

Hi all!

i wanted to ask if it's really true that Pogo and Virus boards last forever. I mean, we all know that even a custom made board doesn't behave same after 100 or 200 days riding, as it used to on the 2nd week after purchasing it.

so is it worth paying Eur1000 or more for those boards if they really last for years? and does titanal affect it in any way?

thanks

[Pow]

This is a highly opinionated topic, and if youve read any of my postings you can probably guess where I stand. I havnt ridden my pogos long enough to be able to tell you from experience that they last forever, but I can tell you that my longboard (meant for powder) has taken quite the beating this season here on the east coast ice and it still rides with like new characteristics. I have heard of pogo snowboards that have 15+ years of riding on them and still are riding like a 2 week old board (granted they will have needed serious edge work by this time) and the way my board held up i can definately see how that could happen. I find them worth the money. All the expensive materials pogo uses really shows in the performance of the board.

As for Titanal: thats a completely different story... I understand that it helps a lot with dampness, and racers love it, but im not sure how it acts when freecarving. I will be able to tell you in a few months when ive tried out the kessler. 'till then, ill leave it to the guys with the experience.

a lot of people dont think snowboards should cost that much, so they steer clear of the uber high-end gear. Snowboards that arent as expensive are still a blast to ride, and a good rider on mediocre gear can out perform a crappy rider on expensive gear. So basically the decision is up to you, whether or not youre willing to shell out the extra dough for the extra goodies it gets you.

[Buell]

I was hoping for more responses today on this post as I find the topic very interesting and I know there are many exceptions to my thoughts. I am unable to speak about snowboard durability, however, I generally find from other sports (mountain biking, windsurfing, surfing) that quality and durability increase up to a point. At the highest end (price), durability is typically sacrificed for added performance, usually for serious racers.

Keep in mind, the strong Euro skews the cost / quality comparison of boards made in the US or Europe.

I expect the Pogo (Europe) and the Donek Race Olympic (US) I just bought to outlast most other boards I could buy. Time will tell.

If I wanted great boards for the best price however, I would only buy good quality used boards.

Buell

[Neil Gendzwill]

If titanal boards are anything like skis that have metal in them, life will be reduced not increased with the metal. It's hard to keep the laminations together, and the metal can take a set.

[Mike T]

Snowboards that arent as expensive are still a blast to ride, and a good rider on mediocre gear can out perform a crappy rider on expensive gear. So basically the decision is up to you, whether or not youre willing to shell out the extra dough for the extra goodies it gets you.

So true. Many on this site could outcarve me on my nicest toys even if they were on a Costco jibber deck.

However I've found that my nicest toys have made it easier to progress... so that I too can hold my own on a POS rig. (I still say life is too short to ride crappy gear.)

[Mike T]

I expect the Pogo (Europe) and the Donek Race Olympic (US) I just bought to outlast most other boards I could buy. Time will tell.

If I wanted great boards for the best price however, I would only buy good quality used boards.

It took me over 120 days to wear out a Donek Axis. I most certainly abused it after about 60 riding days. I've babied Burton freeride decks and had them go flat after 25 riding days so I suspect your Donek will last well.

The trouble with buying really high end gear used is that with so many shapes, stiffnesses and constructions out there even withi a given manufacturer, it may be tough to find what you really want :)

Certain BOL members like to harp on others as being "cheapskates". I am generally a cheapskate when it comes to getting used gear, not only because I usually don't know its true condition, but at least with decks, it's usually not quite what I am looking for. I am certainly not a cheapskate though as I've spent almost all of my "money for toys" on new Doneks and Coilers for the past 5 years!

[Pow]

If titanal boards are anything like skis that have metal in them, life will be reduced not increased with the metal. It's hard to keep the laminations together, and the metal can take a set.

That seems to be the consensus amung those who have seen or ridden titanal, although im sure it's come a long way since it was first introduced and durrability probably isnt as huge an issue as it was in the past.

And Mike T: I agree, progression seems to come much easier on really nice gear, and I can't think of anything better to spend my extra money on than snowboards.

[LeeW]

Mmmm. Well, on my freestyle boards, I dont expect them to last uber long. I got several of 'em and some of 'em lost its camber and the poppiness over the years. Nevertheless, Im a Lib Tech collector for what it is worth.

HOWEVER, I certainly hope my Madd 158 will last me long time. I honestly can say I dont know, because I have yet to be race training the whole season to even be able to answer that question. I guess Ill have to use my Madd 158 as my guinea pig, tho I cringe at the thought of it.

[Guest Jokke]

I really don`t believe that ANY board will last forever, forever is quite long time eh

I rode my Virus Steath carbon, wich I sold forward last season, up 3 seasons.

That includes about +200 days of riding. After that board had lost 20% from original camber, but it still rode good. So I think 400 days and good old Virus is ready to retire

[LeeW]

FWIW, the snowboards (as well as skis) -DO- have a halflife. so they last forever.

[groovastic]

I have a Coiler RC and I must say that it lost a lot of camber and liveliness in first 50 days. maybe not all Coilers are like this...

But, it shouldn't happen to a Pogo, right?

[Pow]

every board loses camber, but pogo snowboards hold thiers much better than others.

[pokkis]

There is camber and camber :rolleyes:

My old faithfull Virus Nightmare had 350+ riding days on it before i turned it to skateboard It had still almost full camber when measuring it on floor BUT it had lost almost fully it stiffnes so on his final days he was quite unuseable.

But i believe that all modern quality boards will nowadays hit easily 100 days barrier and several 200 days.

For me this is not so big issue cause i try recycle my quiver frequently. Even sometimes classics must go, been selling away 3 Burner 188s, 1 Burner 178, 1 Tanker 200 and 175 Swoard. I miss them all but i felt that they rather like to spend time on slope with new riders than collecting dust on my full board rack.

[Kirk]

"Even sometimes classics must go, been selling away 3 Burner 188s, 1 Burner 178"

Well, I guess if I had two custom Tinklers in my quiver, I could see parting with my Burners ;)

[NateW]

I get the impression (read: I don't have enough hard data to back this claim) that what kills my boards is riding moguls. Lots of carving = no problem. Lots of moguls = no more camber. I haven't noticed stiffness fading, but I have had a few boards go flat on me, and I think it's caused by moguls. Specifically, by riding through the little valleys between moguls, or straight down the back of a steep mogul and onto the face of the moguls below. This decambers the board something fierce, and I think it's what kills 'em.

I suspect that if/when I give up moguls, my boards will last almost forever. If I was really good, I'd ride bumps in such a way that this never happened. But I'm not that good, so I just accept the fact that my boards go flat after a couple years.