scrapster Posted February 16, 2011 Report Share Posted February 16, 2011 I've been through a lot of boards with a surprisingly varied number of sidecut combinations. That got me thinking. Why not gather some collective Bomber wisdom that could help future board buyers? So, what sidecut combos have you liked (or do you like a simple radial cut)? Do they have advantages for certain conditions or riding styles? How did they feel to ride? I've run into the following over the years. (Feel free to add the correct mathematical terms if you know them.): 1. Radial (obviously) 2. Tight in the nose, long in the tail (seems like a common, alpine VSR combo) 3. Long in the nose, tight in the tail (this appears to be the old, Oxygen SBX formula-which is a board that many people seem to like.) 4. Tight in the nose, long in middle, moderate at the tail (I think Donek has been playing with this lately--adding a nice "kick" at the end of a turn.) 6. Equally tight in the nose and tail, long in the middle (I think the Atomic freeride boards used this approach.) 7. Equally long in the nose and tail, tight in the middle (My Arbor A-Frame used to have this. Really fun. Lean it a little and it carved long and strong. Tip it up and it really whipped you around.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tex1230 Posted February 16, 2011 Report Share Posted February 16, 2011 You forgot the Kemper Screamer "Infinite Sidecut" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
molekulo Posted February 16, 2011 Report Share Posted February 16, 2011 Long in the nose, tight under foots, long in the tail - Virus boards Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted February 16, 2011 Report Share Posted February 16, 2011 From what I've heard it's very important to match the flex pattern to a given sidecut and the amount of camber/decamber. Talk to Bruce for a while and realize how interconnected this stuff is! Kessler's patent was floating around the net for a while, it gave quite detailed specifications of their sidecuts, flex patterns, and nose/tail decamber shapes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrapster Posted February 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2011 From what I've heard it's very important to match the flex pattern to a given sidecut and the amount of camber/decamber. Talk to Bruce for a while and realize how interconnected this stuff is! Kessler's patent was floating around the net for a while, it gave quite detailed specifications of their sidecuts, flex patterns, and nose/tail decamber shapes. Very good point, Corey. Maybe I should have asked what the sidecut is/was on peoples' favorite boards, and what those boards were, which would add some of the context you speak of. One of my main reasons for starting this thread was the apparently growing popularity of VSR's over single radius boards for alpine riding. Thinking back, most of my previous freeride and freestyle boards were VSR's more than ten years ago. Just curious why the change seemed slower for alpine, and how the different configurations are working out for people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philw Posted February 16, 2011 Report Share Posted February 16, 2011 Kessler's patent was floating around the net for a while, it gave quite detailed specifications of their sidecuts, flex patterns, and nose/tail decamber shapes. It's still there - theirs are clothoids. Like road junctions, gradually changing radius with linear distance. So that's sort of as per the OP's categories except the change is continuous, with no transitions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted February 16, 2011 Report Share Posted February 16, 2011 Maybe I should have asked what the sidecut is/was on peoples' favorite boards, and what those boards were, which would add some of the context you speak of. Ahh, I see. My favorite boards right now: 167 Coiler VSR AM XT BBQ WTF (ok, the BBQ WTF isn't really there ;)) Average 10.5m radius. I think this has a tight nose, long center, and mid rear section. Bruce cooked up something special in this one and it rails on ice, does better than you'd think in soft chop, and has a higher upper speed limit than a '10.5m' sidecut would suggest. 182 Coiler Monster The old standard 14m front, 15m rear with the unique Monster flex pattern. This board can be bent into tight arcs if you have a little speed, it's pretty mellow overall and can handle higher speeds than I'm comfortable going. The flex pattern means it scrubs speed in turns - good if you are having a hard time controlling speed on steeps, not so good if you're on blues and trying to keep up your speed. 185 SG Full Race No idea, but it's full of awesomesauce! It's a big race board that turns just slightly larger arcs than my Monster. I felt right at home on it two turns in. Unfortunately it was just a demo at SES and I didn't bring it home with me. :( On order after a test ride in Alberta (thanks again Greg!): 182 Coiler NSR 13.7m front, 17m rear. Totally different feel to the Monster. This one demands aggression and good snow, mix those two together and it's very fun. It carries speed VERY well out of turns, you've got to complete your turns across the fall line to keep your speed down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flywalker Posted February 16, 2011 Report Share Posted February 16, 2011 l have a Kessler. 10/14/12M VSR. We are still getting to know each other but l am really liking the side cut blend so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sultan Guy Posted February 16, 2011 Report Share Posted February 16, 2011 Limited experience so far(riding only 6 different alpine boards) but my fav so far is a 12-14 VSR from Donek on my FC 179. This alows me to carve a lot of different size arcs. A lot of what sidecut people prefer is what fits on their hill. My mountain does not have many wide long runs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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