Hey John Posted April 29, 2010 Report Share Posted April 29, 2010 Don't know if this has made the rounds yet but I just found it in my YouTube recommended list. Without having much in the way of an engineering background, I don't know what this would accomplish on the board, but it look interesting, if not a bit precarious. Definitely using with new TD3s. <object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=746j644zQfY&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=746j644zQfY&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object> <object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZNE55ue2HE&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZNE55ue2HE&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Istvan Posted April 29, 2010 Report Share Posted April 29, 2010 Looks like a new hydraulic super fancy bling bling plate system. I want one! The thing in the middle looks like a motorcycle steering damper. In that case this is gonna be costly.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miltie Posted April 29, 2010 Report Share Posted April 29, 2010 Hey John, Hope your season was good at Mammoth. Only made it there one trip this year and was unable to make the planned SnowPerformance camp. Looks like SNES was a blast except for George getting hurt. This plate is made by a company in Japan called Winter Tree. They are also the Bomber Distributor in Japan so that is why a set of TD3s are mounted on top of the plate. Link to their website below: http://www.wintertree.info/index.html Look under the "User" for more info on the plates and their rider Manabu Kobayashi who races the World Cup circuit on M-Flex, Bomber and SG Snowboards. He rips - BTW. Winter Tree has offered a simpler design of M-Flex plates for the last few years here in Japan (see website). My understanding is the D1 plate in the You Tube video is a prototype. Have not tried either version. Had a chance to look at the earlier plates at a local shop and was impressed with their design and quality. See you next season at Mammoth. Take care, Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heroshmero Posted April 29, 2010 Report Share Posted April 29, 2010 What's up with the fancy orange TD3s? I thought they only came in red. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack M Posted April 29, 2010 Report Share Posted April 29, 2010 What's up with the fancy orange TD3s? I thought they only came in red. Camera error. Very cool looking from a gizmo point of view, but looks heavy. I think the Apex plate looks like a simpler solution to eliminating binding footprint and allowing natural board flex. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobdea Posted April 29, 2010 Report Share Posted April 29, 2010 I tend to go for some level of simplicity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pokkis Posted April 29, 2010 Report Share Posted April 29, 2010 Agree with Jack, colors due different video systems and conversion. System is super Bling, but technically i would also go rather with Apex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kieran Posted April 29, 2010 Report Share Posted April 29, 2010 Camera error.possibly not ... their website shows a kinda gold finish, as well as the normal red. glad i checked it out though, they have BTS' in stock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Istvan Posted April 29, 2010 Report Share Posted April 29, 2010 I agree with the comments that emphasize simplicity. However I think the idea to include a hydraulic dampening mechanism is new and revolutionary. As I said it reminds me of a steering damper we use on our speedbikes. In case I'm right those also come in adjustable versions. Just imagine that you could adjust dampening without any tool, quickly, easily..... I know, some will immediately say "Snowstix".... but trust me, a hydraulic dampening system is different.... Otherwise I had snowstix on my speedbike.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pokkis Posted April 29, 2010 Report Share Posted April 29, 2010 I would say Snowstix, specially cause Istavan asked But another issue is, that this will change only center stifness of board not only independent nose/tail side stiffness like Snowsticks does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
west carven Posted April 29, 2010 Report Share Posted April 29, 2010 howdy so what happens when snow and ice builds up? not for normal riding, yes? maybe good for 1 run on a course, then defrost... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arclite Posted April 30, 2010 Report Share Posted April 30, 2010 reminds me of our old contraption, the HFP. :rolleyes: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pow4ever Posted April 30, 2010 Report Share Posted April 30, 2010 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magneto_rheological_damper if some one can retro fit magnetic ride control to the plate system. Just need to carry a 12 volt battery in the back pack. or some sort of capacitor system that get charge from the vibration. variable damping based on condition. talk about ride like caddy. -- David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Istvan Posted April 30, 2010 Report Share Posted April 30, 2010 @ Pokkis: you're right, a damper in the middle section will not have an impact on the nose / tail. After all, it's all about try and error, right? If the new M-Flex is a good thing overall, we'll see it all over the place. If it does not work as expected, it will go into the archive files of those inventions that never made it to racing.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr D Posted April 30, 2010 Report Share Posted April 30, 2010 And I thought my set up was heavy! looks cool but not sure the weight gain is a fair trade off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr D Posted April 30, 2010 Report Share Posted April 30, 2010 can the hydraulic dampener be that much more efficient than say a metal board? lots weight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heroshmero Posted April 30, 2010 Report Share Posted April 30, 2010 I agree with the comments that emphasize simplicity. However I think the idea to include a hydraulic dampening mechanism is new and revolutionary. As I said it reminds me of a steering damper we use on our speedbikes. Yeah, I'd say it looks exactly like a motorcycle steering damper. While heavy I bet it works well in that application. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heroshmero Posted April 30, 2010 Report Share Posted April 30, 2010 possibly not ... their website shows a kinda gold finish, as well as the normal red. Yeah, definitely orange or gold anodized TD3s on their website. What's the deal Fin? Are you sending secret gold product to Japan? ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowman Posted April 30, 2010 Report Share Posted April 30, 2010 can the hydraulic dampener be that much more efficient than say a metal board? lots weight. And keep in mind that its mounted on a SG which is already incredibly damp. Just add sidewiders and you wont feel a thing. Gheessh! You will need an attendant to hual it up the mountain for ya! Where does it end, toys an contraptions, its going over board. Think Snow! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingCrimson Posted April 30, 2010 Report Share Posted April 30, 2010 They have be modding stuff. Their center discs have slots like a Softboot or Raceplate center disc, not the sets of holes like normal TD2/3 bindings. I can't imagine Fin is making these changes for only one market. But then again..He does have the self respect to keep some stuff hidden! ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowman Posted April 30, 2010 Report Share Posted April 30, 2010 They have be modding stuff. Their center discs have slots like a Softboot or Raceplate center disc, not the sets of holes like TD3s. Not positive but I believe all TD3 center disk come this way now. And the gold anodize was customer spec. You order enough you can spec gold too. They do look nice! Think Snow! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingCrimson Posted April 30, 2010 Report Share Posted April 30, 2010 Not positive but I believe all TD3 center disk come this way now. And the gold anodize was customer spec. You order enough you can spec gold too. They do look nice!Think Snow! Thanks for the info Mark, I looked closely at the SW picture and it reflects that. All the other binding pictures do not show this, but I would be surprised if Fin is producing 2 different 4x4 plates. However, I'm very good at being wrong as I've demonstrated many times. Threadjack...Next time I'm in CO we need to meet up, I want to see some of that old racestock gear! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowman Posted April 30, 2010 Report Share Posted April 30, 2010 Threadjack...Next time I'm in CO we need to meet up, I want to see some of that old racestock gear! You bet, there is an amazing amount of gear in a very small radius in Colorado. Chances are, if you can think of it me or someone close to me has it. Lots of old vintage stuff and all the new stuff you can imagine. Its a privledge to have access to such a large amount of quality equipment. Think Snow! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inkaholic Posted May 3, 2010 Report Share Posted May 3, 2010 You bet, there is an amazing amount of gear in a very small radius in Colorado. Chances are, if you can think of it me or someone close to me has it. Lots of old vintage stuff and all the new stuff you can imagine. Its a privledge to have access to such a large amount of quality equipment.Think Snow! Heck, Bola's shop has a ton of new goodies along with quite a bit of old stuff crammed into corners that the employees don't even know about. It is fun having access to the shop and checking out all the nooks and crannies for old gear. I also have some old custom race stock which Big Mario won't even try to flex. Ink Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjvircks Posted December 12, 2010 Report Share Posted December 12, 2010 Any further word on what is going on with the M-Flex development? The concept of float under each foot is an interesting divergence from our present mindset that seems to have locked our perspective. With the M-Flex approach you could implement a solid top plate or a 2 piece top plate linked by a slider/damper. Full pedaling could be allowed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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