kinpa Posted December 30, 2009 Report Share Posted December 30, 2009 ... is there anyone on here that doesn't "tinker" with their gear???? I rode with a guy years ago who was trying to get a new board dialed in I guess, and after every run he was making some kind of slight adjustment to something or other. I have a habit of slapping bindings on a board and if it looks right (whatever my perception of "right" is, who knows???) I just step in and try to survive it. Maybe it's because I don't see myself as a feely person. I'm way more visual. BUT would it magically make me a better rider if I somehow figured out a way to get "dialed in"? Just wondering.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bumpyride Posted December 30, 2009 Report Share Posted December 30, 2009 Answer to your question, YES. Started in '95 coming from a hack skiing background. Decided to take the plunge to snowboarding. Read a lot and sought info from the local ski shop. Took their advice and set up the board just like they said. Didn't like it. So being a non believer in so many ways, figured I'd do it myself, so here's what I did. I would take 2 runs down the slope, pull out my screwdrive and change the bindings a couple of notches (6 degrees), and ride another 2 runs. Repeat until it didn't work and then go back to what did. Huge difference. Not small but huge. I'm on angles that I don't think anyone else rides, but I still change once in awhile to see if it's still right. It is unless I go to a wider board. Highly recommended to change till you find what's right for you. You'd be amazed at what another 3 degrees/half inch wider-narrower/3 degree cant can make on your riding. But then agaiin you might have picked the perfect stance for you, but you'll neve know till you try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Prokopiw Posted December 30, 2009 Report Share Posted December 30, 2009 No rules against experimentation.As long as a person can feel the differences and apply that feedback toward positive changes,then by all means, tweak away! ps Was that guy me? :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted December 30, 2009 Report Share Posted December 30, 2009 There are definitely extremes on either end. Some people are quite content to ride (and rip!) with some really sketchy setups, others can feel a grain of rice under their boot sole. I'm firmly in the middle: I'll change stuff if it's causing pain or it's an obvious screw up. Otherwise I tend to leave things be for a few hours to see if I don't like it because it's different or if whatever adjustment just doesn't work for me. There's no wrong answer, though I definitely agree that you need to experiment to see if you can find a better setting than what you're currently using. I do those changes at lunch or in the evening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave ESPI Posted December 31, 2009 Report Share Posted December 31, 2009 Sometimes I get "lucky" and nail it at the first try with stance, angles offset and bias. everyboard is different and every rider has different desires and needs in comfort and style and performance. Park guys like a wide stance, racers like it to be tuck-able and us hardbooters tend to be allover the map with how we set up each board. I tinker, but only out of necessity. Generaly I set up and ride for a few runs, and then after comfortable on it, I start to push the envlope and see what needs to be done to get it to a point of cruising speed with balance to response and ease of turns, and then dial it into that point and leave it like that. HTH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CARV-NY Posted December 31, 2009 Report Share Posted December 31, 2009 I set up each single board differently. my 155 wide is set up with 0 angle on both bindings for teaching/freestyle. my 166 is set up with 15 positive rear and 20 positive front for general cruising/softboot carving. I adjust till comfortable then i leave it. i always set my at the same spacing i just adjust angles/lean etc. but i don't go insane with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDY_2_Carve Posted December 31, 2009 Report Share Posted December 31, 2009 I don't tinker much at all really. I set my stuff up and just ride pretty much for the whole day. I can count maybe 5 times in my entire boarding history that I've changed my settings during an outing. Mostly at lunch. The most I tinkered was when I first started off getting used to steeper binding angles. Once I got comfortable with that it was set and and forget it pretty much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carvedog Posted December 31, 2009 Report Share Posted December 31, 2009 Hey Kinpa, Hope you got a little of that last little front. More on the way maybe. I don't tinker. I set my boots for no overhang, usually put the binders in the middle of the inserts. A little forward for a pure carve stick. A little back for a pow stick and go ride. I had to adjust my binders a little more forward when I got on Burners because they ride better being forward and ........there was something else I had to move the bindings on but it eludes me now. I have 7 boards mounted right now and 12 or so ridable in the quiver so we are not talking about one or two boards. You can micro adjust your way into believing you have the "wrong" something and that is why you can't ride. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kinpa Posted January 1, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 1, 2010 Was that guy me? :) No Steve, it wasn't you. Actually, the guy I was thinking of is John Ianelli who was an examiner back east when I was trying to do my certification exam back in the mid 90s. He was at Hunter Mountain then.... haven't talked to him in a very long time, no idea if he's still around. So, since I'm not able to "feel" what is right, how would I know? Steve, do you think you could tell by watching me ride if those minor adjustments make a difference? I really just don't know how I would be able to tell if adjustments are helping or not. I just got home from two days on the hill.... mostly both days on board - only a few runs on skiis the first day. I wish I had my "big" board (the 156 Hot that Allee gave me). The little Oxygen wasn't quite holding so well. I've got to find someone that can get some pictures for me... and what are the chances that I find a good photographer on a day I'm riding well.... hmmmm..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NateW Posted January 1, 2010 Report Share Posted January 1, 2010 When I get new boards/boots/bindings I tweak them every day I ride, and maybe multiple times per day. Once I get them set to my liking, I leave them. I'm picky, but I'm not fickle. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
two_ravens Posted January 2, 2010 Report Share Posted January 2, 2010 I don't mess around with my setup much. When I started, of course, I didn't have clue. Took a couple of lessons from JG and he completely changed my stance resulting in immediate improvement. Kept it that way until the start of this season - got a new custom board - and so many people (including the board maker) said I should widen my stance (and make various other adjustments along with that) that I went ahead and tried it. Been riding variations of the new stance since Dec 5 - and just couldn't make it work. OK, I'm not very good anyway, but the new set up just torched my quads and that never helps!!!! I found that when I do manage a nice carved turn, it is just as good with the old stance as the new, but I only last half as long on the wider stance.... So I'm back to my old JG stance - much better! Guess I wouldn't have known if I hadn't tried it though. (So - guess I didn't notice better carving - a little different, but not better - just noticed the comfort factor.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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