Corey Posted December 30, 2016 Report Share Posted December 30, 2016 Day 2 on the new-to-me Donek Rev 163. Day 1 was on awful conditions so I didn't get a good feel for it. Well, yesterday let the true character of the board shine through! This could be a one-board quiver for many riders that don't only make huge GS turns. It makes tiny turns when you're up on the nose, big turns when you're on the tail, and anything between. No big surprise; it's designed to do exactly that so it'll cope with any race course. It'll happily finish turns to control speed, or end early so you rocket into the next one. It does prefer an aggressive weighting to start the turn, or it defaults to a big turn. When you're cranking it tight, it's a heck of a cardio workout! It's not happy at very high edge angles (80+ degrees? I don't know) on very firm snow! The board washed out and left marks only from the nose and tail. This is clearly a side effect of the deep sidecut; the only reason I note it is that it grips so very well up to that point and then surprises you when you're skidding on your stomach or hip. So I've discovered that SL boards aren't EC boards... Duh! I took out the Rev first, then hopped on my favorite Coiler EC for about an hour, then went back to the Rev for the rest of the day. It takes something pretty special to usurp the Coiler EC! My verdict: Not for beginners who aren't comfortable starting a turn aggressively, but I'm in love. I think I'm going to put a lot of miles on this board! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Québec man Posted December 30, 2016 Report Share Posted December 30, 2016 Coiler EC... wich one...specs? I will do some comparison... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted December 30, 2016 Report Share Posted December 30, 2016 Yeah that REV sidecut is really sweet. I want to ride my 185 REV more but my hill is too small. (Yes, I can ride it but I prefer to turn more rather than less on these short runs.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted December 30, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2016 The Coiler EC is a 175 with 14/15 sidecut. These two boards are NOT comparable! They complement each other quite well though. Want to drag hips on big turns? EC board. Want to make a million little turns? Rev 163. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted December 30, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2016 I should add that the little Rev transitioned REALLY nicely from that big broadslide on my belly/hip to hooking and standing me up. All I did was back off the board angle and it regained grip. That's pretty cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teach Posted January 2, 2017 Report Share Posted January 2, 2017 Thanks for the review! What stance are you riding? I wonder if the board isn't bending enough between the bindings due to a wider-than-anticipated stance. Do you know the weight it was built for, or was it stock? How does that compare to your weight? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted January 2, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2017 20" wide stance, angles set for no drag at ~85° or so. I really think that the super-high-angle wash-out is just a side effect of the deep sidecut on very hard snow. I'm leaving 0.25" deep trenches when turning very hard. Looking at the marks in the snow after I slid out, I could see the groomer lines left between the nose and tail marks - the center of the board just wasn't touching the snow. I believe it's a stock build from Donek. I'm about 175 lbs and like to bend boards aggressively. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted January 2, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2017 I should add that I spent another 1/2-day on the Rev: Yup, still awesome! Yup, need to find a way to work out my back more as it hurts. Deadlifts aren't cutting it. The Rev is all waxed up for another day today. Also noting that the Ptex topsheet is tough! Had a few lift-exit moments with newbies that didn't even scratch it. Nice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted January 2, 2017 Report Share Posted January 2, 2017 85 degrees! You sure you weren't skiing?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted January 3, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2017 85° of board tilt. The boot angles are set up to allow me to tilt the board almost at a right angle to the slope. The front upper cuff buckles and the rear toe are the limiting factors with UPZ boots in TD3 bindings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted January 23, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2017 I had a great day of riding the Rev yesterday in -2C (28F) weather on firm snow that you could dig about 1" into. The effect I mentioned above of washing out at a certain tipping angle was completely gone, so that was likely due to the unique mix of very hard conditions that still supported grip at very high angles. This little Rev is a monster on icy conditions! There was one patch that the Rev just gripped across while another board had me checking if I forgot to sharpen the edges. This Rev has become a new favorite for mellow runs, and is versatile enough to ride steeps if I'm feeling energetic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigwavedave Posted January 23, 2017 Report Share Posted January 23, 2017 Hey Corey, how does the Rev163 compare with your Angrry160. I've been talking with Bruce about building a SL type board, but with a near radial scr. I used to have an SG163 FullRace (a very similar ride to the Rev) and want something similar, but that doesn't want to send me down the fall line with that 7-12scr. As much fun as that board was, it required constant attention and effort if you wanted to keep turns tight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted January 23, 2017 Report Share Posted January 23, 2017 3 minutes ago, bigwavedave said: Hey Corey, how does the Rev163 compare with your Angrry160. I've been talking with Bruce about building a SL type board, but with a near radial scr. I used to have an SG163 FullRace (a very similar ride to the Rev) and want something similar, but that doesn't want to send me down the fall line with that 7-12scr. As much fun as that board was, it required constant attention and effort if you wanted to keep turns tight. Screw tight... feel that REV sidecut... SPEED! ZOOM!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted January 23, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2017 8 minutes ago, bigwavedave said: Hey Corey, how does the Rev163 compare with your Angrry160. The Angry turns a lot tighter no matter what. I'd say the Angry is more 'playful' and eager like a puppy, while the Rev is a serious machine. It's truly freecarve vs. race. Like your experience with the SG, you do need to stay on top of the Rev to control speed, but at the same time a subtle fore-aft weight shift is all the difference between a full C-carve and a minimal speed loss (-carve. I demo'ed a Rev 163 last year in Aspen, and I thought it'd only like zipper-line type stuff but what surprised me was the variety of turn shapes available if you have the space. I seem to recall Gary (maybe not, can't remember) rode a Kessler SL for all of SES a couple of years ago, and I wondered why he'd do that. But now I get it! The modern SL boards are amazingly versatile. I fear you'd lose some of that with a near-radial sidecut, but I'd just tell Bruce what you want and he'll figure out how to get there. ;) Another observation is that the Rev didn't like push-pull style, or at least I didn't figure it out yet. Why would a board care how it was loaded? I don't get it, but the results were obvious. The Angry was happy with whatever, giving lots of energy back at the end of the turn to rocket you into the next turn. The Rev really came to life with downweighting to start the turn and keeping the shoulders truly level to the slope, rocketing you down the slope. Basically emulate the racer style with the arms out high and upper body upright. My back/obliques really hurt today, between the riding these whippy little decks (160 Angry, 163 Rev, and 167 VSR) yesterday and heavy squats this morning. Ugh... Now I need to get on a MK at ATC. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueB Posted January 24, 2017 Report Share Posted January 24, 2017 Corey, is that Rev on slightly stiff side for you? Just asking because of the comment on unwillingness to push-pull... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigwavedave Posted January 24, 2017 Report Share Posted January 24, 2017 Thanks Corey. I enjoy the process of creating a board with Bruce. I know this is a Rev review, so sorry for diverting the conversation a bit. I love my custom Rev too! and the contrast between the rides. Different animals for sure. I had the same thought that a modern SL race board is a great all around the mountain carver. I felt like I could do anything on it. One thing I've noticed is that race boards in general, and "beefier" boards like the Rev & SG in particular, are not as great on Aspen soft packed powder as on harder and icy surfaces. Whereas I feel that Coilers have more in common with a Kessler (at least the black ones from a few years ago) feeling a bit mellower and maybe more forgiving of soft snow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted January 24, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2017 38 minutes ago, BlueB said: Corey, is that Rev on slightly stiff side for you? Just asking because of the comment on unwillingness to push-pull... Maybe. It's a used board: http://forums.bomberonline.com/index.php?/topic/43877-donek-rev-163-yellow/ It felt fantasic otherwise. Dave, I guess I'll see, though I really loved the demo Rev at ATC. Then again, I was 40 lbs heavier too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueB Posted January 24, 2017 Report Share Posted January 24, 2017 I love modern SL boards too! I wish they made them with mildly rounded/upturned tail, like Prior used to. I had a great day at Whistler, yesterday, riding the OES SL. Steeps, flats, hero hardpack, ice, chopped stuff and small moguls, even a bit of park :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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