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kick zone question



 
 
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  #1  
Old February 25th 05, 06:29 AM
Camilo
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Default kick zone question

Looking at a pair of nice classic skis for my daughter from a reputable shop
and the kick zone ends a couple inches in front of the heel. Ski is an
Atomic RC11 (a ski which I have and am very happy with).

Marked flex is correct for weight (according to mfg. guidelines). More
importantly, "paper test" by competent tech. indicates a good fit for her
weight and skiing ability in terms of 1/2 weight, full weight and weight on
ball of foot. I think this is a decent fit for this ski.

Length of kick zone is about the right length (forget what it is exactly,
but it's not extremely short or anything like that). But I'm a little
uncomfortable because the zone ends a full two inches in front of the heel
of the boot. I've only had a couple of good quality striding skis, and it
seems to me the paper test measured zone ends up right around the heel.
I've adjusted kick zones with on snow testing and sometimes find it pays to
decrease it a little in front of the heel, so that is a little comforting.

Do you think this is strange, or just something to take into account when
waxing?

Cam


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  #2  
Old February 25th 05, 01:53 PM
Kenneth Salzberg
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Default

On Fri, 25 Feb 2005, Camilo wrote:

Marked flex is correct for weight (according to mfg. guidelines). More
importantly, "paper test" by competent tech. indicates a good fit for her
weight and skiing ability in terms of 1/2 weight, full weight and weight on
ball of foot. I think this is a decent fit for this ski.

Length of kick zone is about the right length (forget what it is exactly,
but it's not extremely short or anything like that). But I'm a little
uncomfortable because the zone ends a full two inches in front of the heel
of the boot. I've only had a couple of good quality striding skis, and it


This is fine. Has happened for a couple of my skis as well. My local
shop's experts (the guys at Finn Sisu) told me to take the measured zone
as a guide, not as "written in stone". Wax the whole pocket (be bold, wax
beyond the pocket) with a few layers of hard wax (on a hard wax day), and
then go skiing for a fairly long time. Then look at the wax. If it's
clearly warn off right below the heel, then the pocket for hard wax
probably begins in front of the heel. Likewise for the front of the zone.
-Ken



************************************************** *********
Kenneth Salzberg
Hamline University

School of Law (651) 523-2354
1536 Hewitt Ave.
Sisu Skier - 50K Club St. Paul, MN 55104
************************************************** ****************






  #3  
Old February 25th 05, 02:15 PM
Gene Goldenfeld
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Nothing unusual. I have two pairs like that. My 1996 RCS's are back at
the heel, but they were flexed at 75% of my weight (by Torbjorn's ex
partner) and I only use them for lake races. If you ever see the Bjorn
Daehlie video, his kick waxing starts well up into the foot. You/she
don't need to be 'kicking' from the heel, but just in front of it
(subtalar).

Gene

Camilo wrote:

Looking at a pair of nice classic skis for my daughter from a reputable shop
and the kick zone ends a couple inches in front of the heel. Ski is an
Atomic RC11 (a ski which I have and am very happy with).

Marked flex is correct for weight (according to mfg. guidelines). More
importantly, "paper test" by competent tech. indicates a good fit for her
weight and skiing ability in terms of 1/2 weight, full weight and weight on
ball of foot. I think this is a decent fit for this ski.

Length of kick zone is about the right length (forget what it is exactly,
but it's not extremely short or anything like that). But I'm a little
uncomfortable because the zone ends a full two inches in front of the heel
of the boot. I've only had a couple of good quality striding skis, and it
seems to me the paper test measured zone ends up right around the heel.
I've adjusted kick zones with on snow testing and sometimes find it pays to
decrease it a little in front of the heel, so that is a little comforting.

Do you think this is strange, or just something to take into account when
waxing?

Cam

  #4  
Old February 25th 05, 08:01 PM
Janne G
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Default

This is a intresting subject because i did some test last year on my own
skiis just because i had so damned bad grip and bad glide on my pairs.
The good thing to work at a University is that you have acces to some
wonderfull machines, i have a tensiletesting machine that can put a
regulated force on whatever you chosse to put it on, choosed my skiis.

I found out that one pair had a gripzone that diffed some 5 cm i total
between the skiis and one pair was exact as it should.
Both pairs had the wax pocket 0.1mm gap ending under the heel and the
0.3mm 3-4cm more foreward under the arc of the foot.
The intresting thing with the skiis is that when putting the weight on
the place of the heel then it took 75 kg to close the softer ski but
putting the weight at the "balls" of the foot that is it only took only
40kg to close it.

What does this means: if you lean backwards it makes the gripwax to rise
over the surface and you GLIDE, if you put the weight forward you have
grip to climb the threes. So start using the weight more to manipulate
the glide/grip coffecients to yuor advantage instead of just walking on
skiis.

One reflection to this is if you have big feets and normal weight then
move the bindings forward and vice versa.
One more is that as you move the waxpocket more forward it is more
difficult to "walk" on those skiis and have grip, you have to actively
move your weight forward to get the skiis to close the waxpocket.

So if you are novice on XC the wax backward and start walking on skiis,
if you are professional i don't have to say that you wax forward and use
your weight to tune the grip to your advantage.

This tech thing is something for Roberts to dig into.

Back to the original Atomic RC11 discussion, as a matter of fact i
tested a pair of that type last week and they where wery uniform but the
manufactor marking at the back was all screewed up, the pocked ended
under the heel. The forward markings was nearly ok even a little bit
further forward comparde to the markings.

Gene Goldenfeld wrote:
Nothing unusual. I have two pairs like that. My 1996 RCS's are back at
the heel, but they were flexed at 75% of my weight (by Torbjorn's ex
partner) and I only use them for lake races. If you ever see the Bjorn
Daehlie video, his kick waxing starts well up into the foot. You/she
don't need to be 'kicking' from the heel, but just in front of it
(subtalar).

Gene

Camilo wrote:

Looking at a pair of nice classic skis for my daughter from a reputable shop
and the kick zone ends a couple inches in front of the heel. Ski is an
Atomic RC11 (a ski which I have and am very happy with).

Marked flex is correct for weight (according to mfg. guidelines). More
importantly, "paper test" by competent tech. indicates a good fit for her
weight and skiing ability in terms of 1/2 weight, full weight and weight on
ball of foot. I think this is a decent fit for this ski.

Length of kick zone is about the right length (forget what it is exactly,
but it's not extremely short or anything like that). But I'm a little
uncomfortable because the zone ends a full two inches in front of the heel
of the boot. I've only had a couple of good quality striding skis, and it
seems to me the paper test measured zone ends up right around the heel.
I've adjusted kick zones with on snow testing and sometimes find it pays to
decrease it a little in front of the heel, so that is a little comforting.

Do you think this is strange, or just something to take into account when
waxing?

Cam

  #5  
Old February 25th 05, 09:00 PM
Camilo
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Default

Thank you very much for the information guys. I thought as much, but
appreciate hearing from people who've BTDT.

Cam


 




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