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Skwal Riders General Discussion


mikel45

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Best wishes Tufty, for a speedy return to snow.

So for all of youse narrow-stance aficionados, I just took 2cm out of the stance on my Donek Skwal. I'm down to 15 7/8" now and will commit to riding this way for a few days. If I think I can take it, I might try going narrower, but we'll have to see. I agree that front lift should be small, with more lift in the back. The "weight on the heel of the front foot" advice is good, and having more lift in back to promote a weight-forward stance works for me. I'd venture to say that one should be able to ride and maneuver down a gentle slope with only the front foot in.

Here's my "Fernando Lamas" turn. It looks a lot better than it felt.

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Been riding the CODA quite a bit lately. A few days ago I was prepared to say that production imperfections were long forgotten and acknowledge to the forum that my skwal riding has improved immensely with the softer flex and the 10m sidecut since receiving the CODA - which it has.

The most recent problem, my CODA 4x4 insert hole pattern is off kilter not allowing binding screws to sit properly within my CATEK lower plate 4x4 pattern. Also, the insert depth below the surface of the board is so great that it will not allow one to obtain a three full thread turn engagement. Last night I discovered two of my front binding insert screws were totally loose. I consider myself lucky that I only lost an elastomer and that the front binding itself didn't tear completely off the board.

Edited by mikel45
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For the most part my complete skwal kit is budget oriented. With this perspective I decided to go the DIY route with a make-shift booster strap for my Raichle 324's boots. Here in Canada we have MEC which carries reasonably priced ($9) heavy-duty cinch straps that has a nice rubberized buckle protector. For our southern brethren the product is Sherpak based out of Seattle. After a couple weeks usege I'm happy with the performance. CHEERS! Mike

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Been riding the CODA quite a bit lately. A few days ago I was prepared to say that production imperfections were long forgotten and acknowledge to the forum that my skwal riding has improved immensely with the softer flex and the 10m sidecut since receiving the CODA - which it has. Unfortunately additional and more serious production imperfections trump any enhancement in riding.

The most recent problem, my CODA 4x4 insert hole pattern is off kilter not allowing binding screws to sit properly within my CATEK lower plate 4x4 pattern. Also, the insert depth below the surface of the board is so great that it will not allow one to obtain a three full thread turn engagement. Last night I discovered two of my front binding insert screws were totally loose. I consider myself lucky that I only lost an elastomer and that the front binding itself didn't tear completely off the board. Couple this with initially receiving the board with one insert cross-threaded, I can't recommend anyone purchasing a CODA.

The Catek elastomers compress some after the initial mounting and as such need to be checked before riding until fully "seated in". I would buy screws a little longer to be sure of maximum engagement. I've always found his 4X4 pattern to be dead on. They are placed/drilled by CNC so I don't know what could have happened there. As far as the cross threaded insert, it came that way from the Mfgr. Just run a bottom tap in and it will clean-up just fine.

I'm sorry that the Coda isn't working out for you. For most the Coda is a I love it/I hate it board. It is a different board than anything else on the market. As a result it is ridden different than "traditional" boards. A Coda rides best with a neutral stance, weight centered, on the board. Also the higher the edge angle the better it carves. The Coda doesn't ride casually very well. It is designed to be ridden aggressively. It seems the harder you ride it the better it performs. I have a Coda MonoSki that rocks. Yes there's some Mfg. imperfections but that doesn't affect the performance.

I would suggest that you contact Chad with your concerns. He's a good guy and stands behind his products.

Don

Feed the addiction...

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What a riot ! Detoured close roads past smashed up cop car and huge drifts to ride my 300 ft. bump. Skwal made the trip worth it. Lactic acid made me feel mortal. It's a whole new bunch of muscles for sure but I rode for 2.5 hrs. without falling. No pics. today as blizzard conditions didn't allow for much visibility. T bar was a new challenge but no problems. If you find your local bump is getting boring find a Skwal and wake up some new muscles. Thanks Monodude ! I felt 30 years younger earlier today. (feeling 30 years older now). Back at it tomorrow. :biggthump

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I would buy screws a little longer to be sure of maximum engagement. I've always found his 4X4 pattern to be dead on. They are placed/drilled by CNC so I don't know what could have happened there.

Hi Don, you were correct - the CODA 4x4 pattern is dead-on - I suspect the problem lies with the Catek
. Still researching the problem. In the meantime, I would like to apologize for reaching a hasty conclusion regarding 4x4 pattern. Looking into sourcing longer screws. CHEERS! Mike

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What a riot ! Detoured close roads past smashed up cop car and huge drifts to ride my 300 ft. bump. Skwal made the trip worth it. Lactic acid made me feel mortal. It's a whole new bunch of muscles for sure but I rode for 2.5 hrs. without falling. No pics. today as blizzard conditions didn't allow for much visibility. T bar was a new challenge but no problems. If you find your local bump is getting boring find a Skwal and wake up some new muscles. Thanks Monodude ! I felt 30 years younger earlier today. (feeling 30 years older now). Back at it tomorrow. :biggthump

Welcome to the club! Sounds like you had a great time on the board. I can perfectly relate to your lactic acid and unused muscles syndrome. Going to pick up my Thias next week. What board did you get? What happened on your second day out?

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Got the short Thias . Second day was packed and groomed vs previous day 8 in. powder. Much easier on groomed and once you can attain a certain speed everything was much easier. Muscles were well used and by wed. it felt like lactic acid had eaten away half my leg. Felt much better last nite and after 4 hrs. today I don't limp anymore.:lol: Haven't fallen except when standing lock in, not much support with the 125mm waist on the Skwal. Lots of interest from others but no one willing to try it (Yet). Well set groom today and speed is your friend. Haven't scared myself yet as I had on numerous times with my Alpine board but tomorrow is another day.

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Got the short Thias . Second day was packed and groomed vs previous day 8 in. powder. Much easier on groomed and once you can attain a certain speed everything was much easier. Muscles were well used and by wed. it felt like lactic acid had eaten away half my leg. Felt much better last nite and after 4 hrs. today I don't limp anymore.:lol: Haven't fallen except when standing lock in, not much support with the 125mm waist on the Skwal. Lots of interest from others but no one willing to try it (Yet). Well set groom today and speed is your friend. Haven't scared myself yet as I had on numerous times with my Alpine board but tomorrow is another day.

Lowrider, if you're not afraid of skwal newb on your toy, i'd love to try it.

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So the Thias Easy Access (thanks again Monodude) made its debut today under the guidance of KarverKai. He commented that it is a different kind of fun than his alpine boards. He will definately ride it more but said the majority of his riding will take place on his Virus 137 GS JR.

He is set up about 84f and 81r, just enough difference to allow his rear binding to be released for front foot skating and lift riding. Oh yea, he did real well and it was a beautiful day for sliding.

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Ink

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I've only ridden it once, and that was on soft snow. I'll make a point to take it out soon on a good carving day. I mostly bought it just so I could have a device to torture the other local hardbooters with by making them try it. In other news I've been riding the 15 7/8" stance on Mr. Flaccid and have gotten used to it. I'm not sure if I can go narrower, however. I also noted that the default stance on Oxess skwals is 40cm (15.75") as per their spec sheet.

Fourteen inches? I might pee my pants if I go that narrow.

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Edited by ExcelsiorTheFathead
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