Gene:

Thanks for the detailed response.

The carbonlites in question are classic's.

Just curious, what is "residual camber?

Jon


On Jan 7, 2:15*pm, wrote:
On Thu, 7 Jan 2010 05:40:55 -0800 (PST)

Jon wrote:
I've had a few people want to flex test some Fischer Carbonlite's I'm
selling, in spite of the fact that Fischer gives a specific flex
point.

Just curious if anyone has experience with the manufacturer's numbers
being off?

You didn't say classical or skate, but yes, I read a comment somewhere
to that effect the other day re Fischers and know from my own experience
that the tag numbers are often off a bit. *That's part of why, for
example, Zach Caldwell takes a flex tester on his visits to ski
factories and warehouses when picking skis. *Another reason is that
it's unusual for ski pairs to have matching flexes, although the
manufacturing technology has improved over the years. The person
measuring them also has to know what they are doing re the brand of
ski, since Carbonlite classics (and skates?) have, or have had,
residual camber by design that other skis don't. *

If you're talking about classical skis, the other thing that's very
important (and another thing Zach measures) is the "finish," or closing
flex, i.e., how much pressure it takes to go from a one-leg full-footed
ride to a firm push off from the ball of the foot. *Kris Freeman, for
example, exerts a whole lot more force downward than most of us do, and
since he skis relatively upright, he will likely exert more force down
than another racer with a more forward, classical Norwegian stance
(Odd-Bjorn Hjelmeset comes to mind). *This is why in general
comparisons between the needs of citizen skiers and what elite racers
use, is dicey at best. *And even more so as we age, with muscle power
available seeming to decrease, meaning the need for a relatively or
absolutely softer ski (this is something I've found very few people
selling skis understand, especially younger ones). The closing flex can
be gauged by feel on a board - full foot, paper slides; ball of foot it
doesn't - but more accurately it's measured with a press and digital
meter from the 0.2mm to 0.1mm closure points, at 8cm behind the balance
point (if I've got those numbers right).

Gene