Boyaryn Posted March 1, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2008 Heh, I had the same dilemma last year! FC vs Blade and then which length. I think you get a little more versatility going slowly with the FC than with the Blade, tighter turning too, but not as good for extreme carving. Fastskiguy, is your FCII 171 the Olymic Upgrade? If not have you tried one? Or vice versa? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike T Posted March 1, 2008 Report Share Posted March 1, 2008 I've ridden many Doneks, several standard and several Olympic. In general I find the Olympic gripper than the standard, quieter ride on ice, and less likely to bounce around on poor grooming. I seem to notice the Olympic construction benefits more on shorter boards. The differences to me are obvious if you do back to back runs, and not so obvious if you were to say compare on different days. The last two Doneks I bought were both Olympics... Worth the $$$??? They were to me, but I had the money to spend... In the interest of full disclosure I do find the difference between titanal boards and Donek Olympic to be much, much larger than the difference between Donek Olympic and Donek standard. The difference is obvious even when not doing back to back runs. I sold my two Donek Olympics and replaced them titanal boards - a Coiler and a Prior. The folks who bought the two Doneks from me actually got rather good deals on them, it's not just me who is ga-ga over titanal these days... Worth the $$$??? Without question. BTW I'm told that Donek had a titanal prototype at SES, which makes me happy 'cause I can't imagine buying anything but titanal alpine boards from now on - until something even better comes along. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boyaryn Posted March 1, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2008 In the interest of full disclosure I do find the difference between titanal boards and Donek Olympic to be much, much larger than the difference between Donek Olympic and Donek standard. Mike T, I need a lesson...what's a titanal board?? And, are you saying that both the Olympics and titanals are worth spending the coin? I just went to the Prior web site and looked at the World Cup Race boards. The price is actually cheaper than a Donek Olympic. I was headed toward a FCII but now I'm wondering...is Prior the way to go?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fastskiguy Posted March 1, 2008 Report Share Posted March 1, 2008 Fastskiguy, is your FCII 171 the Olymic Upgrade? If not have you tried one? Or vice versa? Nope, not Olympic, haven't ridden one either...but would like to! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike T Posted March 1, 2008 Report Share Posted March 1, 2008 Mike T, I need a lesson...what's a titanal board??And, are you saying that both the Olympics and titanals are worth spending the coin? Titanal is the aluminum alloy that several board makers - Kessler, Coiler, Prior, SG, Tomahawk, Madd, and probably others than I am forgetting - are using to provide a super grippy, super friendly ride. When one speaks of a "metal board" on this forum, one is usually referring to one of these decks which contains one or two sheets of titanal. Titanal decks are somewhat easier to damage than standard decks, much like a Ferrari might be easier to damage than an F-150. In terms of worth spending the coin... my personal opinion is that the titanal boards are most definitely worth spending the coin. The Donek Olympics are nice too, but I wouldn't spend $880 on one when I can get a titanal deck from Coiler or Prior somewhere in the same neighborhood, because I strongly prefer the performance characteristics of the titanal boards from these two manufacturers to the Donek Olympic - even if it means making some sacrifices in terms of durability. One thing to keep in mind - if you are planning on owning a single board, durability is a higher priority than in my case - I own many boards. If something happens to one of them, I have others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boyaryn Posted March 1, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2008 The Donek Olympics are nice too, but I wouldn't spend $880 on one when I can get a titanal deck from Coiler or Prior somewhere in the same neighborhood, because I strongly prefer the performance characteristics of the titanal boards from these two manufacturers to the Donek Olympic - even if it means making some sacrifices in terms of durability. Thanks for the lesson... What performance characteristics are you referring to? What makes them better? I found a Prior World Cup Race 171 with a good price - this isn't a titanal is it? World Cup Race Metal is a titanal - correct? How would the World Cup Race 171 compare with a FC 175 Olympic? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike T Posted March 1, 2008 Report Share Posted March 1, 2008 The performance characteristics I am referring to is the grippiness on hardpack, and the ease with which the metal boards can bent into tighter turns. I should mentyion that the metal boards are not as snappy as most standard boards... but since I am pushing myself constantly I prefer grippy and easy :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boyaryn Posted March 1, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2008 I've ridden many Doneks, several standard and several Olympic. In general I find the Olympic gripper than the standard, quieter ride on ice, and less likely to bounce around on poor grooming. I seem to notice the Olympic construction benefits more on shorter boards. Mike T, above you refer to the Olympic construction benefiting more on shorter boards. Would a Donek FC 175 fall under that category or is it right in the middle as has been elluded to before. Thx!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gdboytyler Posted March 1, 2008 Report Share Posted March 1, 2008 For more info on the glass vs metal, read post #172 by Bruce V (Mr. Coiler): http://www.bomberonline.com/VBulletin/showthread.php?p=173832#post173832 I went through a similar thought process a few years ago. Donek FCII or Swoard. I started with the 161 FCII, then went to an Olympic construction 165 custom Donek (which was similar to the Swoard) for EC and sold my FCII. Back then, only Kessler and Tomahawk were doing titanal boards. There are a number of carvers that go to Big Bear. Post on the ride board if you go locally or to Mammoth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boyaryn Posted March 4, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2008 Okay, I've done it. Ordered 175 FC II Std, Catek OS2's and Head boots. I decided on the Std rather than Olympic because I know I'm going to jump light years ahead of what I have now and I'll see if it's enough. I didn't know which bindings to go with but neither Bomber nor Donek had TD2's so I went with Catek. The Head boots because of width. Thanks to All for your input. I can't wait to try to everything out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fastskiguy Posted March 4, 2008 Report Share Posted March 4, 2008 Sounds really nice, you're gonna love it! Congrats! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BadBrad Posted March 4, 2008 Report Share Posted March 4, 2008 Yes, you should love that board. I demo'd a 167 FCII (good size for me) at SES and really liked it. Lively, responsive, held an edge very well yet was still forgiving enough in the crud. Just a really fun board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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