Stainless Posted December 7, 2005 Report Share Posted December 7, 2005 Today I saw that United's December in-flight magazine has a blurb on 'Magne-traction'. Seems the jibbers have learnt to turn a board around corners... http://www.lib-tech.com/tech/magneTraction.htm I don't see how it works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adrian barr Posted December 7, 2005 Report Share Posted December 7, 2005 detuned edges, but still rails on ice dubious to say the least Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobdea Posted December 7, 2005 Report Share Posted December 7, 2005 quite a bit of effective edge, I would like to try one actually. its nice to see new shapes, for awhile the industry was sort of starting to stagnate IMHO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gdboytyler Posted December 8, 2005 Report Share Posted December 8, 2005 My buddy and I were checking out one of the Magne-Traction boards at Wave Rave in Mammoth. I'm pretty skeptical. I'll have to demo the board first before I believe any marketing hype. However, my buddy was ready to buy one immediately, but he resisted the urge. This testimonial from the web page (posted above) cracks me up: "I can't believe how genius you are at LIB. I tried out the Magne-Traction yesterday and couldn't believe how insane the edgehold was. I have never ridden a board that had that kind of railing power. I felt like a hardbooter on a freestyle board! The only problem I can foresee is that I won't ever want to ride a normal edged board again, I'm ruined! OK, maybe i've gone a bit mental on this...but tell everyone at the factory that they have revolutionized snowboarding! -Chris Ankeny, Team Rider Big Mountain Ripper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonerider Posted December 8, 2005 Report Share Posted December 8, 2005 On 11/2/2005 PSR wrote in from 216.66.xxx.xxx:Spencer, the edge serations do work on ice, but are actually 'slow' feeling. Edge grip is good, even predictable, but still less than a few BX/Freeride boards I can think of. I can't imagine trying to tune these and get a 'clean' edge, though I'll leave that discussion to the tuner guys. It's a nifty idea, but I feel that Lib could've done as well by sorting out material choices and making a board that rides 'damp' enough to not chatter (ala the way a Coiler or Madds feels on icy stuff), not that vibration was a big deal in my 10 minutes of riding at Stratton. Thusly, I'm not convinced this isn't a gimmicky selling point, but it prove to be an innovation that needs only some more dialing in. From that post it seems like it isn't entirely a gimmick, but it isn't the beginning of a revolution either. More like a "novel" idea that may not be worth the trouble for the drawbacks... either way I think Libtech should be encouraged to try out new ideas, even if they don't work out completely... top notch materials and fine craftsmanship tends to be the surest way to make a good board... but still it's nice to have some people think out of the box with serrated edge, dual camber cores, etc... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike T Posted December 8, 2005 Report Share Posted December 8, 2005 ... but still it's nice to have some people think out of the box with serrated edge, dual camber cores, etc... Thanks for posting the PSR quote! Speaking of dual camber, seems like Inca is now focus on softbooters exclusively... www.incaempire.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 8, 2005 Report Share Posted December 8, 2005 I was talknig about this with someone who was riding a magnetraction board, and they raved about it. I was incredibly skeptical, and asked why world cup racers weren't using the technology. She said that it had to start out in freestyle because alpine wasn't large enough of a platform to break it out into. I just laughed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey Day Posted December 8, 2005 Report Share Posted December 8, 2005 My question is this: How much of a pain in the arse is this serrated edge going to be to tune? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Gendzwill Posted December 8, 2005 Report Share Posted December 8, 2005 It's not really serated, more wavy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik J Posted December 8, 2005 Report Share Posted December 8, 2005 I would relate the magnatraction to knives. A nice serrated knife cuts really well through everything when it's new but it can't be sharpened well enough. A high quality forged knife when properly taken care of will be MUCH more sharp and will last MUCH MUCH longer than the serrated blade. The serrated blade tends to "rip" through the cut item which when related to a snowboard I think would produce drag. The sharpened, smooth blade of a quality knife slices much more "clean" and effortless (no drag) and can be honed to a literal razors egde. In my opinion: Magnatraction = Ginsu (a gimic that may work but for a short period of time - remember the commercial with the guy cutting through the can and the tomato?) Donek, Madd, Coiler, etc = Forged German, Japanese, etc chef knives (razor sharp, hardened metals that can be resharpened) I've never ridden the magnatraction but would be very interested to. I work with sharp knives every day though and understand what is and is not a good edge. My chef knives, just like my snowboard edges are kept to a mirror polish. I can still cut with a ginsu but they do not inspire confidence as they do not "track" as straight as a smooth blade and tend to give nasty cuts if not careful. Blah, blah, blah.... Just my opinion though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey Day Posted December 8, 2005 Report Share Posted December 8, 2005 I've seen these Lib Tech boards at Summit Ski & Snowboards, where PTC is located, so I know that it's a wavy edge! Imagine the drag if the edges were indeed serrated!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gleb Posted December 8, 2005 Report Share Posted December 8, 2005 I would relate the magnatraction to knives. A nice serrated knife cuts really well through everything when it's new but it can't be sharpened well enough. A high quality forged knife when properly taken care of will be MUCH more sharp and will last MUCH MUCH longer than the serrated blade. The serrated blade tends to "rip" through the cut item which when related to a snowboard I think would produce drag. The sharpened, smooth blade of a quality knife slices much more "clean" and effortless (no drag) and can be honed to a literal razors egde.In my opinion: Magnatraction = Ginsu (a gimic that may work but for a short period of time - remember the commercial with the guy cutting through the can and the tomato?) Donek, Madd, Coiler, etc = Forged German, Japanese, etc chef knives (razor sharp, hardened metals that can be resharpened) I've never ridden the magnatraction but would be very interested to. I work with sharp knives every day though and understand what is and is not a good edge. My chef knives, just like my snowboard edges are kept to a mirror polish. I can still cut with a ginsu but they do not inspire confidence as they do not "track" as straight as a smooth blade and tend to give nasty cuts if not careful. Blah, blah, blah.... Just my opinion though. or you get a cutco knife and those would kick any knife's ass:eplus2: (and yes, I am one of "those" people) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik J Posted December 8, 2005 Report Share Posted December 8, 2005 Sorry Gleb, I've put Cutco up against my Henckel, Shun and Globals and they aint sh!t. They are sharp right out of the box but the longevity isn't there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Posted December 8, 2005 Report Share Posted December 8, 2005 Sorry Gleb, I've put Cutco up against my Henckel, Shun and Globals and they aint sh!t. They are sharp right out of the box but the longevity isn't there. No way, I am with Gleb. I have compared Cutco to the same brands and many more and the Cutco was way better. My parents have had theirs for 40 years and they are still in perfect condition. The exception being about three knives which they had to send back for resharpening. Cutco has a special edge that looks serrated but is not. It is a special grind that the company says that only a few people are trained to put on it. Therefore, you have to send the knives back and get them resharpened if they ever need it (for a nominal shipping charge). That being said, are we going to have to send these boards back to Lib to get them sharpened?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpinegirl Posted December 8, 2005 Report Share Posted December 8, 2005 it's a wavy edge with differing radii that change based on where the "wave" is on the board. one of my co-workers has been raving about it's edge hold. someone demoed it and claimed that he couldn't get it to blow out of a turn. anyway, it's owner loves it. he's also one of those "tune wizards" and definitely fielded that question well when asked. i guess that the actually curviness of the edge's waves is not too extreme to get a normal tuner in. he said it took a little bit more time, but was readily done with normal tools. this whole magnetraction thing is in another thread somewhere. look it up, there were some other good discussions about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik J Posted December 8, 2005 Report Share Posted December 8, 2005 Cutco, blah, blah, blah. I'm happy that you have had positive experiences with these knives. The needs of a cook at home are very different from the needs of a restaurant chef. Many home cooks only use their Cutco to slice a turkey once a year. Spend 14 hours with a knife in your hand and you may see things differently. I could go into the importance of a clean slice in relation to cell structure when butchering fish (you can SEE the difference after ONE DAY), or the difference in shelf life of a vegetable cut with a serrated knife vs a smooth blade. That's all boring technical stuff that I'm happy to share but unfortunately would take up a lot of space. I hope I'm not coming off as condescending or mean spirited. If this does it's certainly not meant as that. I'd rather stick to snowboarding. I was simply relating my personal experience with knives as it relates to a snowboard edge. Whether that's right or wrong, I have no idea - that's just how my brain worked out this one. Gotta go, I need to open a can of paint with my Cutco. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Posted December 8, 2005 Report Share Posted December 8, 2005 Gotta go, I need to open a can of paint with my Cutco. :D No wonder you question their longevity.:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik J Posted December 8, 2005 Report Share Posted December 8, 2005 ................:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeW Posted December 8, 2005 Report Share Posted December 8, 2005 its not bad. i liked it. interesting responses. Need to spend more time on 'em. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike T Posted December 8, 2005 Report Share Posted December 8, 2005 ... just to satisfy my curiosity. I keep my Donek Wide 161 well tuned, and I would definitely bring it and my softies to the hill and back-to-back with a MagneTraction board. I get awesome ice performance out of the Donek, helps to be a big guy who can flex it hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gleb Posted December 8, 2005 Report Share Posted December 8, 2005 u prolly never sent in ur knives to get sharpened. anyways. my guess about the board is that the serrades provide more edge to carve on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpinegirl Posted December 8, 2005 Report Share Posted December 8, 2005 the points are supposed to concentrate force, spreading it over a smaller surface area. as opposed to having all of your force being spread across say a 134 cm effective edge (bs number pulled out of nowhere), that same force is supposedly spread over 7 points that are some length, say 5 cms, which means that overall the area that is directly in contact with the snow is only 35 cms. so say your mass is 150 and you are just standing on the edge. it ends up being like ~4.3 lbs/cm instead of 1.1. i think that's the concept. the math is all made up. the sidecut radius is the same as any other board, in that all the waves are set along a typical side cut. the boys at mervin are having fun. kudos to them for trying something different. now if only they'd come up with some fairy dust that will make me go even faster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy T. Posted December 8, 2005 Report Share Posted December 8, 2005 This thing won the good wood award. LOL... There is some info here about it being a park board: http://www.lib-tech.com/subHype/goodWood/goodWood.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philistine Posted December 8, 2005 Report Share Posted December 8, 2005 If an engineering breakthrough is the only thing that can improve my riding, well, I should just give up now. It seems as though Lib Tech is promoting expensive equipment in place of proper technique. While I believe it's important to push the limits and think out of the box, I think this particular product is a marketing gimmick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest toddflyingdog Posted December 8, 2005 Report Share Posted December 8, 2005 There is no way Lib Tech would put this into production if it plain didn't work. As a jib/park board it probably isn't really intended to be tuned! But I have seen one run through a grind rite edger just fine. No doubt about it though, if it worked better, Kessler or someone way smarter would be doing it to the world cup boards the Swiss are dominating on! But one thing is for sure, a smooth edge runs through the snow clean, this doesn't seem like it would be fast at all. How about the Lib Tech ad campaign to submit your own revolutionary design? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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