kamran Posted December 7, 2004 Report Share Posted December 7, 2004 I know not many people ride Virus in the states but I'd like to get some information about riding characteristics of VIRUS (please mention the type/model) along with comparisons with other high quality boards. Anyone ? Either email or discussing it here. I appreciate any info in this regard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hans Posted December 7, 2004 Report Share Posted December 7, 2004 I have ridden a VIRUS PSYCHO for about three seasons. The board scared the hell out of me. The speed was too high for me and nothing to use at crowded pists. I only boarded this one when the snow was packed or icy. No board for soft or wet snow, just race and carve. Only for very heavy riders (85 kgs +) I needed too much space to brake or making no collision with other pistusers. Certainly there are more forgiving boards from VIRUS. If you like small boards (14 till 18 cm), have much money to spend (from euro 900.--), like to carve or race and search for a high quality board, the VIRUS is for you. You must certainly be an advanced boarder, nothing for intermediates or beginners. Here you can download some VIRUSmovies: http://www3.tok2.com/home2/norider/snowmain/snowmovie.htm (look for mov with word VIRUS in it). Greets, Hans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Posted December 7, 2004 Report Share Posted December 7, 2004 Originally posted by Hans I have ridden a VIRUS PSYCHO for about three seasons. The board scared the hell out of me. The speed was too high for me and nothing to use at crowded pists. I only boarded this one when the snow was packed or icy. No board for soft or wet snow, just race and carve. Only for very heavy riders (85 kgs +) I needed too much space to brake or making no collision with other pistusers. Certainly there are more forgiving boards from VIRUS. If you like small boards (14 till 18 cm), have much money to spend (from euro 900.--), like to carve or race and search for a high quality board, the VIRUS is for you. You must certainly be an advanced boarder, nothing for intermediates or beginners. Greets, Hans. Hans, yeah the Psycho, 175cm and a 16.2 cm waist… nice and sexy… :D I actually became such a fan of these boards that I changed my (almost) entire quiver. No regrets at all for the money spent (life is short). The most beautiful craftsmanship I have ever seen… Ray Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamran Posted December 7, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 7, 2004 Ray, I'd appreciate it if you'd leave some feedback about these boards too,.. specially since you are completely "infected" ! Hans, vriendelijk bedankt voor je feedback. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tigger Posted December 7, 2004 Report Share Posted December 7, 2004 hi chooblaykhan as i already postet my opinion a vew times you ll get the strg c version;) , i ve spend 3 days testing various virus last year, and it was a blast, the boards cant be compared to the renntiger and they even make my loved pogo look old(it actually is old). my buddy was so convinced he bought the gladiator after he tested it. here are the quotes of myself: ....from"sidecut radius and speed": ...shaped radius!!!! hello there i used to ride the 163 renntieger too but if you want to make high speedcarves on hard slopes the board will chatter a lot, you are out of this boards speedrange (due to the 9mradius) if its faster than a slalomrace. by far the best solution i could test were the virus rocket and lightning, with a shaped radius. you can push these boards like 9m slalom boards and ride them relaxed at high speed on the edge. my guess is that their huge camber helps a lot on ice. cheers tigger from "Virus".. i used the rocket for a day and i loved the board. the edgehold is incredible even on ice, and cannot be compared to other production slalomboards i ve used so far. it reacts very fast and withiout much effort but it can be ridden verry agressive in small SL turns. due to the shaped radius it makes wonderful big ultrafast turns without chattering, at high speeds it really feels like a GS board. ..its the perfect weapon for narrow or crowded and steeep and icy slopes. if you want to go even faster i d recommend the lightning which is also a very versatile board. go for it , you wont regrett ..i visited their small factory and could convince myself of their superior products. and if i get rich i ll buy one for sure:cool: cheers phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Posted December 7, 2004 Report Share Posted December 7, 2004 Originally posted by chooblaykhan Ray, I'd appreciate it if you'd leave some feedback about these boards too,.. specially since you are completely "infected" ! Hans, vriendelijk bedankt voor je feedback. chooblaykhan, i see that i write something up as well... just need to find some time to do... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hans Posted December 7, 2004 Report Share Posted December 7, 2004 Hi, Ray, Count me in too, I am especially interested in the Gladiator Zylon. Greets, Hans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Posted December 7, 2004 Report Share Posted December 7, 2004 Originally posted by Hans Hi, Ray, Count me in too, I am especially interested in the Gladiator Zylon. Greets, Hans. The Gladiator report has to wait a little longer, have to ride it first... ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfman Posted December 8, 2004 Report Share Posted December 8, 2004 Hi, I have tested the Black Death II a couple of times. The board is somewhat unforgiving, esspecially at slow speed. Yet grip on hardpack or ice is excellent. Once you are up to speed it is stable and it sticks in the turn like a F1 race car. And I also agree these boards are not for crowded slopes. It really lets itself turn in various radius turns if you are up to speed or somewhat build beefy. The rebound also lets you fly into turns, jibbing the board 1 foot of the ground onces you change direction. Fun. Do not hit moguls, good luck. Your knee caps will be launched. They are in a league of their own. Ray, you lucky bastard.:p Hans, leuk om ook een Nederlander op het forum te vinden!:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Morales Posted December 8, 2004 Report Share Posted December 8, 2004 I've seen Ray ride Mammoth on his new Virus and it has taken him to another level . Those boards look like weapons and the craftsmanship is top notch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest chillaxin.nl Posted December 8, 2004 Report Share Posted December 8, 2004 I own a Virus Predator Custom 163 and can say i am not that impressed by the craftmanship. You can definitely see that's hand build. The edges are inserted very well, but the quality of sidewalls and especially the base (had to stone grind it, since i did not absorb any wax) are very poor. I also had problems with water getting under the topsheet via de inserts (had to epoxy it again). For this amount of money one should expect more quality. To be honest; even an F2 has a better quality. About riding characterstics: my Virus is 20 cm wide and feels quite heavy during the turns. I really had to get used to the different radii, since there are several. In my opinion i would rather get a Tomahawk, which is not only better in riding and quality but also a lot cheaper! Furthermore, 80% of all World Cup riders ride a Tomahawk!!! Just my two eurocents.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tigger Posted December 8, 2004 Report Share Posted December 8, 2004 the last worldcup(kronplatz i think) was dominatet by riders on Kesslerboards! .. even more expensive! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tigger Posted December 8, 2004 Report Share Posted December 8, 2004 hey ray, what is the zylon feature in your gladiator? never heard about it:confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest chillaxin.nl Posted December 8, 2004 Report Share Posted December 8, 2004 But Kessler makes good boards! Very good board if i may say so...and completely customizable.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nils Posted December 8, 2004 Report Share Posted December 8, 2004 well i have seen myself a few Virus and can say the quality of craftmanship is among the best there is, so I cannot agree with the comment about the poor quality. If the base did not take wax, it has nothing to do with grinding, but it can be because it was a 4000 electra that takes very little wax ! High density bases are indeed hard to wax! I have also seen a Kessler, and they are really in the same league as Virus for the quality, despite a price that is way higher thu... Be ready to go as much as 1200 euros for a small customization on the kessler!! ( I just read a paper on Isabelle Blanc boards made in Italy by tropical tube, and she pays ( fair price for sure) 650 euros for them ( protos they are each ).. F2 boards are ok quality, but since they use monocap construction, its way easier to maintain a good finish on the sidewalls than on a ABS sandwich board that requires lots of skills! Pogo also are very nice on the alpine boards, i was however disappointed by the overall finish of the swallowtails (that are great boards to ride) N. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest chillaxin.nl Posted December 8, 2004 Report Share Posted December 8, 2004 Nils, When i got the virus, i could see that the sidewalls did not close to the tail (small space between tail and end of sidewall), furthermore, the drilling of the insert holes were not neatly done either. When you pay over 1000 euros for a snowboard, it must be the best qualiity. Unfortunately, in my case it wasn't! I even had water between the topsheet via the inserts. Okay, if i buy a board for 100,- euros one cannot expect too much, but with this....i am still pissed about it! Regarding the base: i have waxed the base 10 times but after only 1 run, yes...1 run...the base turned white. Even with 4000 electra this should not happen. Also, the hairs were still on the base when i received the board and i could not get them removed with a scraper. I had to stone grind the base and put a structure in it to have i absorb wax better and have the hairs removed. For me...never a Virus again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamran Posted December 8, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2004 chillaxin, I am to say the least "shocked" by your comments about the virus. You may indeed got a bad board, but for a board (as you say over 1000 euros)that expensive, why didn't you just send it back? It has a full warranty and Germany is right next door to you (assuming you live in The Netherlands because of .nl ). Thanks everybody for the comments about the Virus, please keep them coming as I am very serious about one and still studying which one it may gonna be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest chillaxin.nl Posted December 8, 2004 Report Share Posted December 8, 2004 I have done several things to increase the quality of the base and repair the inserts that i am too fed up with it to send it back. Furthermore, the board is quite heavy (own fault since i choose a wooden topsheet), so returning it won't help.... I might just pin it to the wall instead of a painting, since the topsheet looks quite nice. www.chillaxin.nl/virus.gif shows the board. Besides....i am currently working with a friend on building an own snowboard...completely made out of carbon, kevlar and with titanium edges...it will cost a bit regarding materials, but it will be something different from the mass... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamran Posted December 8, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2004 chillaxin, Erg jammer, thanks for the picture though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest chillaxin.nl Posted December 8, 2004 Report Share Posted December 8, 2004 yeah...maybe i am that one-out-of-a-million who gets the bad board...who knows... Oh well, n=1 so i am just a person with an opinion...just do with it what you like... :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamran Posted December 8, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2004 Ray, thanks for your feedback. I am looking at tantalus and psycho,...looks like gladiator could be a nice candidate too, though I couldn't find info on virus site about gladiator. I think I am going to double check their site. anyways, I am looking for something in the 170+ area that can carry a 185lbs weight with ease. How much do they charge for shipping from factory to US? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamran Posted December 8, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2004 NOTE: Fin was kind enough to change my handle fom "chooblaykhan" to my first name " kamran",..so it's just me again. thanks Fin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Posted December 8, 2004 Report Share Posted December 8, 2004 Originally posted by kamran Ray, thanks for your feedback. I am looking at tantalus and psycho,...looks like gladiator could be a nice candidate too, though I couldn't find info on virus site about gladiator. I think I am going to double check their site. anyways, I am looking for something in the 170+ area that can carry a 185lbs weight with ease. How much do they charge for shipping from factory to US? Great, Tantalus, Psycho and Gladiator are all 175cm. The Psycho has a 16.2cm waist. Depending on your boot size the angles "might" get to steep. I ride a M25 shell and get about 63/60 with the 17.1 waist. Some of the boards are not on the website. Just email Frank@ VIRUS-Snowboards@t-online.de and tell him what you are looking for, he will help you. Shipping is about 90 Euros i guess. Ray Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tigger Posted December 8, 2004 Report Share Posted December 8, 2004 zylon looks really hightech, will it be in the topsheet? youd get a gladiator with a golden fabric on top, that would look awesome . you ll need a save to lock it at lunchtime. one strange thing i found about this material is that it expands in the cold:confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Posted December 8, 2004 Report Share Posted December 8, 2004 Originally posted by tigger one strange thing i found about this material is that it expands in the cold:confused: ... the colder, the longer it gets... that makes the 175 ride like a 185 LOL. They built a view of em already... and work very well as far as I know...let's hope. yes, as the top sheet... looks really darn cool... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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