Board tuning near boston

[DiZy Kay]

I was wondering if anyone could suggest a good place to get my board tunned and waxed for a good price near boston or near any of the mountains around ma or nh. I just recieved my used board and it def needs a nice tune before the season begins.

[Gleb]

I know everyone will jump on PTC, but for a begining carver, i don't think a $75 tune is worth it. Outside of PTC, i don't know which shop is better than another out here.

After you get your board tuned up (base grind and all), I'll show you how to maintain it, since i got most of the tools we need.

edit: also, check out http://www.swixschool.no/

[bschurman]

Not true. In fact a beginner will benefit more from a proper tune, a la PTC, then a more advanced rider. I can not recommend a PTC tune enough. The board will ride better then new and you can remove the board as a source of problems while you learn. The $75 is the whole ball of wax including base grind done by a master. You do not need to do this too often. Just maintenance after that for a couple of years.

Gleb, have you ridden a PTC tune?

->Ben

[bobdea]

I am not in a high income bracket but I like the PTC tunes enough to drop $400 to get all my boards done

[Gecko]

a good tune provides a starting place from which a skilled amateur can continue for a regular season. These days I take my board in for a base grind about every other year and do the rest myself. But a fresh from the factory board really should have a good tune to start with

[ursle]

A dull tool is a dangerous tool

take gleb with to ptc you so he can pick up an

Arc'teryx jacket :)

[ncermak]

skinners in Sunapee does a nice job.

tell frank Noah sent you, and that you want him to do it...

[dano]

Unless your board it a total POS, PTC is worth it. There is no question that this is the best the board can be. My daily driver Maverick rode LOCKED IN after the ptc tune..big difference. I would have been a better carver sooner if I started with a setup like this. And most carvers start with junk.

I bet you can do the full ptc ( base grind ) on a board one year and then the next season just get the edges/wax done. I assume it would be cost less...but I haven't tried this yet.

Did I mention I am PTC as well? Painfully, Totally, Cheap.

[Gleb]

ben, i have ridden a ptc tune that was fresh enough to cut through my thumb, and I loved it, but it didn't last me long. The reason i say not to do it is because as a beginner, the tune will be dulled down and destroyed very fast since most of the time, you are not on edge correctly compared to when you're a novice. This will be dave's (dizykay) first time on hardboots, even though he was tearing it up nicely on loose softies on my supercross.

Since we're both poor college students, I a ptc should be done maybe midseason after the basic carving is down.

I do understand that having a good tune to ride with will help learn faster, but I think the $75 is better spent later on, especially when there is more snowcoverage and less rocks laying around.

I will be having my board sent right to PTC from Bruce when it comes in, because 90* that only makes sense. Also, i'll be bringing in my 2 F2 Speedsters there, but not till January.

Whats the deal with the loon mountain season pass for tuning? Someone mentioned that last year, but i can't find info on it.

[GeoffV]

Gleb, you must not be deburing your edges. If you diamond stone your edges after every day your tune will last all season. I've actually gotten 2 seasons out of a PTC tune.

[Gleb]

Gleb, you must not be deburing your edges. If you diamond stone your edges after every day your tune will last all season. I've actually gotten 2 seasons out of a PTC tune.

I usually do a few runs with the stones when I get home and I find it didn't help out too much. I must be doing something wrong then. The edges never really stayed even close to as sharp as they were before. Maybe it was all the questionable snow I was riding?

I know that with PTC, the edges get vulcanized because of the way he does it, so the tunes do last longer than a regular tune.

[dano]

Gleb, you must not be deburing your edges. If you diamond stone your edges after every day your tune will last all season. I've actually gotten 2 seasons out of a PTC tune.

My ptc's don't last long either. Could you decribe how you do this exactly and what you use for a stone and where you got the stone?

I drop my boards off in Danvers and they get sent to Mike's other shop so I never actually got to speak with Mike about maintaining. Although I did run into him at a clambake this summer.

The "burs" must be those little metal sticky-outies that show up on the sidewall side of your edge?

[ncermak]

Its easy to keep a ptc tune fresh for 2 seasons: Geoff clearly doesn't ride it enough!

:lol:

[Bordy]

I can't keep a tune for a week in Utah, When I was in waterville training lots of athletes would tune twice aday.

[trailertrash]

My ptc's don't last long either. Could you decribe how you do this exactly and what you use for a stone and where you got the stone?

I drop my boards off in Danvers and they get sent to Mike's other shop so I never actually got to speak with Mike about maintaining. Although I did run into him at a clambake this summer.

The "burs" must be those little metal sticky-outies that show up on the sidewall side of your edge?

dano, the danvers store sells the blue stones. last year they had some longer than the normal ones, they seemed easier to handle. just take that blue stone and run it down the edges. you can use a guide but most just do it free hand. you can also use the magic marker trick to color the edges to see where you are hitting. ive also gotten the ptc tune to last 2 years riding about 30 days a season over 3-4 boards. the grind will def last 2 years, the edges not so much. you are just taking the burs off, not changing the edge angle with the stone.

btw, mike only has one shop. he rents space in the other summit store.

john

[GeoffV]

The "burs" must be those little metal sticky-outies that show up on the sidewall side of your edge?

Yep, Dano that is what I'm referring to as burs. If you are up in Beverly, I highly recommend making the trip down to Mikes shop in Framingham so he can walk you through edge maintance and using the wax wizard (which is awesome by the way).

I use a red or blue diamond stone and put light pressure on it and run it along the edges until they feel smooth. Clean the stone with rubbing alcohol once and a while. But again having Mike show you this in person will be FAR more benefical, he has some great tips and you will get a great education on board tuning.

I could see paying $75 for a base grid and tuning to seem expensive (if you have never talked to Mike about your tuning), but after having Mike educate you and walk you through his process, you'll undstand :D

If you took two identical boards with a factory tune and Mikes PTC tune and rode them, I guarantee you would feel a noticable difference.

[GeoffV]

Its easy to keep a ptc tune fresh for 2 seasons: Geoff clearly doesn't ride it enough!

:lol:

:lol: Yeah, I guess I should preference that I only ride 15 days a year and split that over 3-4 boards.

Billy, yeah you'll destroy a board and edge in one day

[willywhit]

:lol: Yeah, I guess I should preference that I only ride 15 days a year and split that over 3-4 boards.

Billy, yeah you'll destory a board and edge in one day

when you say....destory....you mean, wear out , use up,

carve the crizzAP out of...? soory, confoosed

[DiZy Kay]

Thanks for all the suggestions, this means gleb we are taking a ride to framingham in the next 2 weeks lol. there goes another $75 that i don't have. Gleb let me know when you are ready i can make the trip almost any day.

[tex1230]

as good as PTC may be, you should also consider Startingate in Bondville, VT - base of Stratton - they do great work on all of my boards, and turn stuff around pretty quick. Plus you should support the shops that are keeping alpine alive on the east coast

[bobdea]

with PTC tunes are the structure and the guy can get boards flat that most wouldn't, couldn't or would even try to.

boards that have been sitting around along time tend to get wavy, mike is the man when it comes to fixing this.

[dirk109]

Thanks Tex! With all this slobbering over PTC, One would think that Mike was running a Asian Massage Parlor......

[carvedog]

I can't keep a tune for a week in Utah, When I was in waterville training lots of athletes would tune twice aday.

Its cause of all that extra hard compressed Utah powder that will just rack your edges. :lol:

But seriously folks, if you think that you are doing a great job freehanding to debur you are joking yourself. You ARE either making it sharper or dulling the edge. If you use a guide tool, you will know that you are making it sharper ( and smoother ), if you are freehanding you ARE almost certainly making the edge duller and the edges smoother.

Not that you are completely confused. I carry a diamond stone for emergency deburring, but I never touch the edges of my carve sticks without the edge guide. PARTICULARLY when doing the final on the side. Your stone is out there wobbling around in air without much to line up on.

I use a edge bevel guide (91 degree usually works great) and I think it makes a huge difference.

Smooth is good.

Sharp is better.

Sharp and smooth is best.

"Once you can sharpen the edge with your tongue you have arrived Grasshopper."

[Bordy]

Its cause of all that extra hard compressed Utah powder that will just rack your edges. :lol:

But seriously folks, if you think that you are doing a great job freehanding to debur you are joking yourself. You ARE either making it sharper or dulling the edge. If you use a guide tool, you will know that you are making it sharper ( and smoother ), if you are freehanding you ARE almost certainly making the edge duller and the edges smoother.

Not that you are completely confused. I carry a diamond stone for emergency deburring, but I never touch the edges of my carve sticks without the edge guide. PARTICULARLY when doing the final on the side. Your stone is out there wobbling around in air without much to line up on.

I use a edge bevel guide (91 degree usually works great) and I think it makes a huge difference.

Smooth is good.

Sharp is better.

Sharp and smooth is best.

"Once you can sharpen the edge with your tongue you have arrived Grasshopper."

I got back up carvedog here but also point out if you are using a guide and any set of stones ot "deburr" your edges I think you may as well admit to your self that you are tuning your board. You may not be cutting your edge angle but you are maintaining the edge.

All you need to do is throw a wax in them pores when they need it and you can get by only having your edges cut when needed. But still if you have the guide learn to cut, then you only need the shop to Major base work.

I run different bevels for different boards and and some times snow. But only on race days. I am alot more lax when just out freeriding.

I also only use the stone free hand to deburr noncontact sections and in on hill repairs that I may need to recut later. Also maybe lightly to remove rust in a pinch.