lordmetroland Posted February 19, 2016 Report Share Posted February 19, 2016 Intellectually, I think I’ve always understood the “power of the tune.” However, a recent experience has driven home the point in a vivid and more real way. I recently picked up a used Prior Spearhead as a change of pace board from the big, dumb freeride boards I’ve fallen in love with. With its prominent nose, the Spearhead is billed as a powder board, but I thought I’d also use it for softie carving and bump riding too. The board allegedly had one demo day in its history. The base had a lovely structure and the edges were razor sharp. I mounted that sucker up with Power Plates and stiff softies and took it out on the hill last Friday. It was a fright. The board alternated between twitchiness and stubbornness. It was slow to accelerate, but at speed, the toe side edge was catchy while the heel side felt sluggish, making for a wholly unpredictable and scary ride. At first, I chalked it up to board shape some Prior "magic" I was unfamiliar with. When I got home, I ran a 1-degree file over each edge and found some weirdness. When I took it into Denver Sports Lab, things got really weird: the owner found a 3-degree bevel on one side (starting 1/4" into the base. Why stop at the metal when you can have some plastic with it?) and 1-degree or no bevel on the other side, depending on where you looked. The structure was also "meant for slow acceleration, but a high top end," for what purpose, I can't imagine. Evidently this is what comes from mixing prescription drugs and base grinding machines. I asked for 1-degree on the base with 1.5 on the sides and a not-stupid structure. I detuned the tip and tail, and took it out yesterday, and what a different a tune makes. The Spearhead was totally predictable and got up - and stayed up - on edge with no difficulty. It behaved like a completely different board. I never thought a tune could make THAT much difference but apparently those guys bustling around World Cup tuning tables are doing something helpful. For people moving from softie setups to alpine rides with significantly tighter tolerances, I'd imagine the tune could make the difference between a rewarding experience and chucking the sport altogether. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www.oldsnowboards.com Posted February 19, 2016 Report Share Posted February 19, 2016 Yes indeed. Night and day!! I can tell you that many of the older boards that have been cast aside will come to life and blow your mind with a good full tune!!! I have also seen so so boards do really well at Demos due to the excellent tune they were given. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Brammer aka PSR Posted February 19, 2016 Report Share Posted February 19, 2016 This is SO TRUE!! My beloved Reto 156 got a 'Stratton Tunes special' two years ago (it was being prepped for a former student of mine, whose Coach wouldn't let use Hardboots to race with! WTF?!) . They took about 3 years of hard riding outa the base, left it edge-high, and managed to be .30" deeper in the middle than the tip/tail areas. The edge angle (spec'd at 2* acute) is actually 1* acute ONLY IN THE MIDDLE. I'd sell her as she is now, but she's only got 2-3 machine tunes left in her. Anyhow, while now 'sharp' and fairly crisp, this board now rides worse than it did a decade ago, and it's not because it's 'OLD' !! I've rode it since, and each time have hand-tuned the edges to 'repair' it a tad. It's good for carving, but lost it's playfulness as a free-ride/jib/pipe board. I also (sniff, sniff, whimper, sniff) recall how Curt finally bribed my Original Madds 170 from me (well, he bought, fair+square, but damn that was MY board!) in '97, only to find that a tuner at the store he worked at put it on the GRINDRITE belt for WAY too many passes, taking at least 10-15 years off that indestructible base and edges. Damn fool (not Curt, the other dude) pretty much sucked away $800 worth of the board by his negligence, and ruined the way it rode forever. I still miss that board... So, when you DO get that righteous Tune, tip well !! And note who/what tuned that board ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slopestar Posted February 22, 2016 Report Share Posted February 22, 2016 (edited) I don't let anyone touch my gear. Maybe a base grind If absolutely necessary. "Don't touch the edges. Don't wax it." I recently received a new board that was a blem and required some over the normal care. In addressing the blem, I neglected to take the base edge bevel to 1* and the board was soooo twitchy, I was disappointed it wouldn't work for me. Put it back on the bench and checked everything and put that 1* on the base and viola! The board rode amazing and predictable. Amazing how twitchy an "edge high" base will ride. I always tune myself and often. That way, you know what you have. You can buy a pawn shop board and practice practice practice. It makes sense to own the tools and know how to use them. Edited February 22, 2016 by slopestar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lordmetroland Posted February 22, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2016 I don't let anyone touch my gear. Maybe a base grind If absolutely necessary. "Don't touch the edges. Don't wax it." 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slopestar Posted February 22, 2016 Report Share Posted February 22, 2016 Yes, all of my boards go to 11 as well 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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