dano Posted December 6, 2006 Report Share Posted December 6, 2006 I realized this year that I live minutes from a drop off PTC tuning location. I was planning on going the full boat ptc tune on my FP 173. ( yeah I know "Burton" stated with same distaste as "Newman", but for now it's my best morning cord slice and dice board ) But I was thinking of just getting "normal" tunes done to my freecarve/freeride boards. Do you guys think it's worth it to do the full ptc tune on all mountain/freecarve oriented boards?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobdea Posted December 6, 2006 Report Share Posted December 6, 2006 I though you had pure carve or something??? I'd say it's worth it if you ride them allot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dano Posted December 6, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 6, 2006 Thanks for responding, Bob. Yeah my other non race boards are a purecarve maverick 175 and a burton coil 173 that I picked up as a backup if I break the mav as a daily driver. I never got a PTC tune before...I thought lots more people would chime in with how great they were on all boards and what a difference it made. Maybe it's not my tune, my riding sucks... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willywhit Posted December 6, 2006 Report Share Posted December 6, 2006 I'll tune your board for a 12 pack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dano Posted December 6, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 6, 2006 I have a file holder and files, I usually get 1 shop tune a year, from a shop I don't trust then clean up the edges and wax the base myself for the rest of the season. I want to see what all the fuss with PTC was about. I'd like to feel what a "real pro" tune feels like. Maybe they fell from grace and nobody told me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobdea Posted December 6, 2006 Report Share Posted December 6, 2006 the ****, honestly, as long as your board still has some life as far as flex goes PTC will make it feel new again I'm alright with a file in hand, better than most shops but PTC is on another level Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike T Posted December 6, 2006 Report Share Posted December 6, 2006 the ****, honestly, as long as your board still has some life as far as flex goes PTC will make it feel new again I'm alright with a file in hand, better than most shops but PTC is on another level Same here. My Donek FC 175 handles WAAAAYYYYYY better than new after a PTC tune. I took it out with the factory tune - knew it needed a better tune - that was back when the Donek factory tune was 0/0. Did my own tune 3/1 - big improvement. Got a PTC tune over the summer - amazing. The PTC tune vs my own was not as big a difference as my own tune vs stock, but I *really* don't like 0/0... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MUD Posted December 6, 2006 Report Share Posted December 6, 2006 I was going to post some sarcastic remark about a $100 tune-up........ But I may have to give it a try. You guys think it really makes a difference? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDY_2_Carve Posted December 6, 2006 Report Share Posted December 6, 2006 Local stone grinds cost $45-50 so $100 isn't really that bad considering the person doing the work is "known-good". And when I say "known-good" I mean pretty much all of the North American pro's are getting PTC tunes... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wavechaser Posted December 6, 2006 Report Share Posted December 6, 2006 I don't know if mike raised his prices this year, but last year it $85 for the "World Cup" tune - which makes it even closer to the $50 you can pay a shop to wreck your board for good. I'm not understating this either. Last year I bought a demo Hot Blast 178 and the place I bought it from offered to do a tune on it for free since it had been ridden a few times - I stupidly said OK. The board had scallops in the edges all over the place and was severely base-high. The shop I bought it from refused to take it back saying "all demo sales are final" and told me their shop people were "professionals" and that I must have done the damage myself or at another shop. They were in Canada to boot, so with the shipping and brokerage fees and return shipping etc. i would have lost a ton of $$ anyway. But - I figured if anyone could fix it Mike could. He looked at it when I broughtit in and made a lot of scary faces as he eyeballed the situation, but said it was salvageable. He was able to get the base back to "0" flat and go 1/3 on the edges, but to do this he had to take so much p-tex off it that you can start to see through the colored area about a foot from the tail. This was in March just before USASA Nationals so I of course rode the board and it performed beautifully - it just won't survive another grind probably. The TD-1's rear binding heel bumper cracked and depressed the topsheet on it late last season anyway, so it's a training ride now. But - lessons learned...trying to save money on a regular shop tune, unless you know the rep of the person doing it, could end up ruining your board, for only $35 less than you'd pay Mike to make it perfect. And once he does, he'll tell you how to keep it that way which is WAYYY less work than you might think. I'd say it is totally worth it if you have the extra $$, and almost mandatory (or by someone of similar caliber - of which there are few) if you are going to race seriously, even in USASA age groups. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted December 7, 2006 Report Share Posted December 7, 2006 One more vote of confidence for PTC. One very low-snow season a few years ago, I was on my Arbor freeride deck at Bachelor when they got 8 inches of snow or so. I got all excited and rode off-piste most of the day, braving the barely-buried rocks, stumps and branches. (Yes, I know better than to do that, but it was pretty much the only powder I'd seen that season and I got carried away.) By the end of the day, I got the predictable result: deep base damage creating so much drag that the board was unrideable, and some pretty significant edge dings. In a similar situation, a friend paid $50 to a local shop for a patch job that fell out the next time he went to the mountain. (He took his board to US Outdoor - don't know what he was thinking.) I paid $100 at PTC and got back a work of art. I can't even see where the patches went in, and the board rides like a charm. Structure holds wax really well, etc. etc. That was a $500 board that I don't think I could have gotten fixed around here, but PTC brought it back from the dead. Highly recommended! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike T Posted December 7, 2006 Report Share Posted December 7, 2006 I was going to post some sarcastic remark about a $100 tune-up........But I may have to give it a try. You guys think it really makes a difference? My personal experience tells me a great tune makes a difference on hardpack. PTC does a great tune. The only other great tune I've ever experienced is Startingate... the Madd 158 I bought from dirk109 has a great tune as well. I'm not sure how much Startingate charges but that's the only way I know of to compare. Every other shop I've tried (a few in the Bay Area, Mt Hood Meadows and Portland) did poor to good tunes on my decks. Even the good tunes, I always wound up redoing the side bevel myself because they failed to do what I asked for (2/1 or 3/1). I've had two freeride decks ruined by two different shops in the PDX area by incomptenet stone grinder operators. If I've spent $800+ on a deck (like my two Donek Olympics) I am going to pay Mike ~$100 because I trust him and I know I won't have to do any post-op on it at home. If Startingate is cheaper (dirk109?) I would probably trust them with one of my babies based on the shape that Madd 158 was in when I received it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neuffy Posted December 7, 2006 Report Share Posted December 7, 2006 ...does anyone have any suggestions for a decent base grind/tune in Alberta? Preferably Edmonton, of course, but if there's a place that'll do overnights or evenings in Banff/Jasper I can make a trip out. I ... really don't trust SportChek or somewhere like that. And considering I really can't afford to replace my (essentially) only board, I'd rather not ruin it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vandalrob08 Posted December 7, 2006 Report Share Posted December 7, 2006 Mike, have you ever been to the Fifth Season in Mount Shasta? Have you ever been to Mount Shasta? Well there head shop guy is a tuning god. His name is Vinnie Poch and about four years ago he was one of the head ski mechanics for the U.S. Ski Team. He has since retired to Mount Shasta were we have tons of Alpine snowboarders, He has definitely got the Alpine board tune down. Also he has some of the best tuning euquipment that the U.S. Team uses. The Fifth Season was also one of the Top tune shops rated in Ski Magazine last year. You should come down and ride for a couple days and try out his tune. It's worth it! OH YA, Go PTC TUNE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike T Posted December 7, 2006 Report Share Posted December 7, 2006 Mike, have you ever been to the Fifth Season in Mount Shasta? Have you ever been to Mount Shasta? Well there head shop guy is a tuning god. His name is Vinnie Poch and about four years ago he was one of the head ski mechanics for the U.S. Ski Team. He has since retired to Mount Shasta were we have tons of Alpine snowboarders, He has definitely got the Alpine board tune down. Also he has some of the best tuning euquipment that the U.S. Team uses. The Fifth Season was also one of the Top tune shops rated in Ski Magazine last year. You should come down and ride for a couple days and try out his tune. It's worth it! OH YA, Go PTC TUNE Never beed to Shasta. I'll have to come down some time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik J Posted December 7, 2006 Report Share Posted December 7, 2006 The PTC tune is the most beautiful tune I have ever seen. Just by looking at it you "just know". It has turned my boards into FAST, smooth boards. They glide like nothing I've ever felt. When you point it for speed it seems to accelerate REALLY fast. Edge grip is just ridiculous and smooth. The tune also lasts longer than other tunes I've had. Just an opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dano Posted February 1, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2007 I got my PureCarve Maverick 175 and FP 173 back from Mike. OMFG! Both boards look/feel better than new! I rode the Mav last Sunday and it's even better than it was. Crazy fast and UNREAL edge hold at mach speeds. The sensation is totally GINSU KNIFE-LIKE. I had one of my best carving sessions ever! I felt invincible.Totally in the "ZONE" on both sides. I haven't had a chance to try the FP yet but hopefully soon. I'm a believer in PTC! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trailertrash Posted February 1, 2007 Report Share Posted February 1, 2007 its pretty nice that they ship the boards to and from danvers. i had a board tuned by mike 2 years ago and its still in pretty good shape. the price may be high compared to others but it is very worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sierra Posted February 2, 2007 Report Share Posted February 2, 2007 A PTC tune is a no-brainer. I was there today and it's still $85. I gave Mike 2 boards that had un-rideable "factory tunes" and he turned them into superstars. Eric J. hits the nail on the head - you get speed, the edge grip is ridiculous and the PTC tune lasts waaayyy longer than any other. Easily the best money I spend all year.... Disclaimer: I have no association with PTC and pay full price just like every other bloke off the street. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike T Posted February 2, 2007 Report Share Posted February 2, 2007 Gotta say, my FC175 is my best-behaved board halfway through the season, the only one with the PTC tune, My wife noticed the different on her deck right away. She's an intermediate carver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abakker Posted February 2, 2007 Report Share Posted February 2, 2007 Startingate in VT is a truly great tune. i started using them when i took lessons with PSR there a few years ago, and i just kept going back. now i am out at college though in washington and have been doing my own tunes for the most part, but i have a few new boards that need a pro tune soon. Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirk109 Posted February 4, 2007 Report Share Posted February 4, 2007 I am not going to say who is right and who is wrong. I have spoken to Mike D. and I definitely think he knows his stuff. I am not going to put PTC on a pedestal like some of you, But it will give it to you that he is a great tuner. Is he as good as Gary at the Startingate in Bondville, VT or Graham at Edgewise in Stowe, VT, Sure. Is he better, NO WAY. As for the original question, "Is a PTC tune worth it?" It sure is. But so is a Gate or Edgewise tune as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin A. Posted February 4, 2007 Report Share Posted February 4, 2007 I am not going to say who is right and who is wrong. I have spoken to Mike D. and I definitely think he knows his stuff. I am not going to put PTC on a pedestal like some of you, But it will give it to you that he is a great tuner. Is he as good as Gary at the Startingate in Bondville, VT or Graham at Edgewise in Stowe, VT, Sure. Is he better, NO WAY. As for the original question, "Is a PTC tune worth it?" It sure is. But so is a Gate or Edgewise tune as well. Gary taught me how to do my boards...which I thought was very very professional of him seeing as after that they lost my business... I would say that everyone at the Startingate is freaking amazing. Their bootfitters are the best I've ever seen especially....I can't remember his name right now...he's about 5'10, maybe like...45 or so, used to sell shoes...damn. Can't remember his name. But anyway, the Gate is the best shop I've ever been to. To prove it I drive almost 4 hours once or twice a year for their service and products. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEJ Posted February 4, 2007 Report Share Posted February 4, 2007 How do you get a PTC tune? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bschurman Posted February 4, 2007 Report Share Posted February 4, 2007 How do you get a PTC tune? I see you are in the SF Bay area so to get one you'll need to mail your board to Summit Ski and Snowboard in Framingham, MA. You can call and talk to Mike about what your needs are and then send it on in. You won't regret it. More info here: http://www.summitskishop.com/ptcmailorder.php?page=PTC ->Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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