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Field Test - START Grip Tape



 
 
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  #1  
Old March 11th 04, 03:49 PM
John O'Connell
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Default Field Test - START Grip Tape

I know there has been some discussion and conjecture on the newsgroup
in the past about the START Grip Tape. This past week in Sweden I had
a good opportunity to give it a try and I thought I'd let you know my
reaction. First of all it was the "hot product" in the Intersport and
Fliesbergs ski shops in Mora. Lots of buzz about it, people crowding
around the servicemen who were applying it to skis, many questions and
comments. Most centered around "will it work on Sunday" Before I tell
you about my experiences here is a short primer....some of this may be
old for many of you.

It comes in a container that looks like an oversized, enclosed Scotch
tape dispenser. You need to put this on inside on a warm ski. Your
kick zone need to be completely free of wax or wax remover residue.
Start contends that all wax removers have some oils in them that can
leave the base to "greasy" for a strong adherence...not being a
chemist I can't speak to that claim. To that end they sell a wax
remover, base prep liquid that is oil free. I did not buy or use that
due to the difficulties in bringing any kind of solvent back on the
plane. I used some Swix wax removcer that I had obtained to clean the
klister off my skis after the race and then used the hair dryer in the
hotel to try to evaporate any remaing solvent. The top of the
container has a strip of abrasive that you use to aggresively rough up
your kick zone, their instructions suggest this or 100 grit sandpaper.
The recommended kick zone is considerbly shorter than normal. I went
from the back of the ball of my foot forwards to about 3-4cm short of
my nomal wax pocket. The next time I use it I will make it even a
little shorter in the front. Holding the front of the tape on the ski
with your finger you drag the dispenser down the ski (it is recessed
so you use the ridges to insure a very straight application) and tilt
it up and press a cutter button to snip the tape off at the back end
of your zone. Using another part of the dispenser you push the tape
onto the base trying to elimate any air bubbles or crimps in the
application. With a single, smooth pull you remove the tape. Using
some of the tape covering you then re-rub the front and back sections
to "bevel" the open ends. When your done it looks like a thin layer of
red klister applied perfectly smooth and straight. Put your skis out
in the cold for a while and you are ready to go. Each container
contains about 5 ft of tape, enough for two pairs of skis and cost 120
kroner or about $18 US. The suggested temp range on the package is
from -4F to 41F, kinda covers it does'nt it.

I skied for 4 days in conditions ranging from -3F to 28F. Snow was
old, aggressive, heavily transformed, glazed at many times and groomed
nightly. The effect was remakably consistant. Exceptional kick and
decent glide...inside the hard tracks, on fresh groomed cordoroy right
after the groomer had passed, in the shade, in the bright sun, in the
loose granular much later in the day. All the same, great kick and
decent glide. I think my glide would have been improved if I would
have been a little shorter in front. I did about 115K with no
degradation in kick or glide at all. START claims that you can get up
to 300K on a single application....but that was a Marketing guy
talking. When I removed (so I could put clothes in the bag) the tape
using Swix wax remover and a klister paddle it looked like the same
amount came off as went on. The ski shop guy that I talked to said it
is not as effective in falling snow but then the solution is to cover
the tape with a tar based hard wax...he was very insistent that it had
to be a tar based wax. Could be a chemical reaction issue or that
START sells tar based kick waxes, who knows?

I'm think that this is about an 85% soulution. It was not as good as a
perfectly waxed ski in terms of glide but the kick was perfect. Having
one grip wax for all conditions presents some nice options. I can see
using it for training and my instinct tells me that it would be great
for man made snow as that sometimes seems very hard to get decent kick
for and to keep wax on the ski. I also think it would be a great
bailout position if you get to a race and the conditions are rapidly
changing or are expecting a wide range of temps.

I thoughtI was being cutting edge here as I bought three containers to
bring back home and be the only guy on the bloc with the stuff. Greg
Fangel told me last night he was in Finn Sisu in St. Paul and they
just got a shipment in. So I was cutting edge for about three days,
story of my life .

Hope this helps.

John OC
Ads
  #2  
Old March 11th 04, 06:25 PM
Jeff Potter
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Default Field Test - START Grip Tape

Thanks for the report!

I wonder how much your 85% factor would bump up if you'd applied
shorter...

Well, can't really complain. I think I'll try some for my backyard
action! Ah, but what about my big box of discount backyard budget wax?

Based on kits people have given to me and bargains on ebay I have, well,
at least a lifetime supply in many ranges. I'm thinking of my kids'
futures, right? Call em an annuity. "What did he leave you? WAX?!"

--

Jeff Potter
****
*Out Your Backdoor * http://www.outyourbackdoor.com
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  #4  
Old March 11th 04, 10:57 PM
Terje Henriksen
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Posts: n/a
Default Field Test - START Grip Tape


"Greg Fangel" skrev i melding
om...
(John O'Connell) wrote in message

. com...
I know there has been some discussion and conjecture on the newsgroup
in the past about the START Grip Tape. This past week in Sweden I had
a good opportunity to give it a try and I thought I'd let you know my
reaction. First of all it was the "hot product" in the Intersport and
Fliesbergs ski shops in Mora. Lots of buzz about it, people crowding

snip

John was nice enough to give me a container of this Start grip tape
that he obtained in Sverige for my trip to Norge. I'm leaving in a few
hours.

I talked to Armen at Finn Sisu ski shop in St. Paul, Minnesota and he
told me that the Start grip tape appears to be the same type of
product as Rex Power grip. That would be some sort of a polymer.

Last weekend I finally got the chance to make Rex Powergrip work for
me. I put it on VERY thin. It worked great in conditions from -1C to
+2C, 2cm of new snow over hard packed snow and some ice. My wife was
having a hard time with regular hard wax.

So if it's like Powergrip, then the Start tape might just work well in
near freezing and variable conditions.


Tried the Start Tape today on wet and fine-grained snow. Used too short
kick-zone so it was not successfull. Will try again tomorrow with longer
kick-zone. Bad glide. These conditions sucks. 3-4 degrees C.

But where have the yellow klister gone, the one normally used for wet,
newfallen snow? I couldn't find it in the shop.

--
Terje Henriksen
Kirkenes



  #5  
Old March 12th 04, 01:14 AM
Gary Jacobson
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Posts: n/a
Default Field Test - START Grip Tape

Wouldn't a well defined, highish at 50% weight camber type ski be a good
match. Maybe a klister ski, or the new Fischer classic model. It would be
interesting to experiment with different skis.

Maybe this will get skaters who don't like classic because of the waxing, to
START classic skiing.

Gary Jacobson
Rosendale, NY


"Terje Henriksen" wrote in message
...

"Greg Fangel" skrev i melding
om...
(John O'Connell) wrote in message

. com...
I know there has been some discussion and conjecture on the newsgroup
in the past about the START Grip Tape. This past week in Sweden I had
a good opportunity to give it a try and I thought I'd let you know my
reaction. First of all it was the "hot product" in the Intersport and
Fliesbergs ski shops in Mora. Lots of buzz about it, people crowding

snip

John was nice enough to give me a container of this Start grip tape
that he obtained in Sverige for my trip to Norge. I'm leaving in a few
hours.

I talked to Armen at Finn Sisu ski shop in St. Paul, Minnesota and he
told me that the Start grip tape appears to be the same type of
product as Rex Power grip. That would be some sort of a polymer.

Last weekend I finally got the chance to make Rex Powergrip work for
me. I put it on VERY thin. It worked great in conditions from -1C to
+2C, 2cm of new snow over hard packed snow and some ice. My wife was
having a hard time with regular hard wax.

So if it's like Powergrip, then the Start tape might just work well in
near freezing and variable conditions.


Tried the Start Tape today on wet and fine-grained snow. Used too short
kick-zone so it was not successfull. Will try again tomorrow with longer
kick-zone. Bad glide. These conditions sucks. 3-4 degrees C.

But where have the yellow klister gone, the one normally used for wet,
newfallen snow? I couldn't find it in the shop.

--
Terje Henriksen
Kirkenes





  #6  
Old March 12th 04, 02:28 AM
Mitch Collinsworth
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Posts: n/a
Default Field Test - START Grip Tape


On Thu, 11 Mar 2004, Jeff Potter wrote:

Based on kits people have given to me and bargains on ebay I have, well,
at least a lifetime supply in many ranges. I'm thinking of my kids'
futures, right? Call em an annuity. "What did he leave you? WAX?!"


Yeah. Wax for those ancient *plastic* skis. Sheesh. Who would
be caught dead on those dogs now that we have [insert here whatever
the hot new technology our kids will be skiing on] ? :-)

-Mitch




  #7  
Old March 14th 04, 10:49 AM
Terje Henriksen
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Posts: n/a
Default Field Test - START Grip Tape


"Greg Fangel" skrev i melding
om...

Last weekend I finally got the chance to make Rex Powergrip work for
me. I put it on VERY thin. It worked great in conditions from -1C to
+2C, 2cm of new snow over hard packed snow and some ice. My wife was
having a hard time with regular hard wax.

So if it's like Powergrip, then the Start tape might just work well in
near freezing and variable conditions.


It doesn't work on ice; too slippery and the "wax" is disappearing very fast
and will not last 200 km. In fact, it did not last 8 km, although some still
remains in the center of the ski.

--
Terje Henriksen
Kirkenes


  #8  
Old March 15th 04, 12:58 PM
Anders Lustig
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Posts: n/a
Default Field Test - START Grip Tape

"Terje Henriksen" wrote in message ...

It doesn't work on ice; too slippery and the "wax" is disappearing very fast
and will not last 200 km. In fact, it did not last 8 km, although some still
remains in the center of the ski.


I don´t want to make a "you didn´t clean´and abrade well
enough or press the air out properly"-argument, but I´ve
had no problems with either grip or durability on dark,
glassy, frozen overnight icy tracks - so could it be your
"on ice" above refers to a condition I haven´t had to
deal with?


Anders
  #9  
Old March 15th 04, 01:36 PM
Anders Lustig
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Posts: n/a
Default Field Test - START Grip Tape

(John O'Connell) wrote in message . com...

(...)
Start contends that all wax removers have some oils in them that can
leave the base to "greasy" for a strong adherence...not being a
chemist I can't speak to that claim. To that end they sell a wax
remover, base prep liquid that is oil free.


If they can sell the grip tape *and* a wax remover (in
a small spray bottle), why wouldn´t they warn against
using other brands?:-)



(...) I went from the back of the ball of my foot forwards to about
3-4cm short of my nomal wax pocket. The next time I use it I will make
it even a little shorter in the front.


As much as 10 cm shorter may be required to get the least
interference with glide. As some sort of rule: apply it
where you´d put your klister on, and see what happens when
you cut it shorter, beginning from the front.

"A dick´s length" was the measure used by one skier...




(...) Each container contains about 5 ft of tape, enough for two pairs of
skis and cost 120 kroner or about $18 US.


Apparently the price included a Vasaloppet premium or
the demand is higher than the supply. Here the price
is 9.90 or $12. (BTW Start doubled its workforce from
18 to 37 to meet the demand.)

BTW since anything longer than a foot is excessive for
experienced skiers, one should easily get 4-5 pairs,
rather than the 2-3 three promised by the manufacturer.


(...) I did about 115K with no degradation in kick or glide at all.
START claims that you can get up to 300K on a single application...
but that was a Marketing guy talking.


In print the figure used has been either 250 or 200 -
and since I´m currently up to 140km with the glide "as
good as new" I´ll fully expect to break the 0.2K mark:-)


When I removed (so I could put clothes in the bag) the tape
using Swix wax remover and a klister paddle it looked like the same
amount came off as went on.


I received a tip not to throw about the strips of paper...


The ski shop guy that I talked to said it is not as effective in falling
snow but then the solution is to cover the tape with a tar based hard
wax...he was very insistent that it had to be a tar based wax. Could be
a chemical reaction issue or that START sells tar based kick waxes, who
knows?


Tar is the traditional solution when icing is an issue,
it is supposedly "chemically temperature insensitive"
it does work, provided you apply it outside and cork
well).

Rex Powergrip can be problematic in falling snow, but
you can apply straight (blue) hard wax on top of it.
(BTW Powergrip is stickier, as in "collects debris",
no matter how thingly I´ve applied it.)

I have no idea - and no expecience with new or falling
snow, either. (And the hearsay is only that falling
snow stuck on it "but so that kind of snow would´ve
done on anything you might have used".)


Anders
  #10  
Old March 16th 04, 11:13 AM
Terje Henriksen
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Posts: n/a
Default Field Test - START Grip Tape


"Anders Lustig" skrev i melding
om...
"Terje Henriksen" wrote in message

...

It doesn't work on ice; too slippery and the "wax" is disappearing very

fast
and will not last 200 km. In fact, it did not last 8 km, although some

still
remains in the center of the ski.


I don´t want to make a "you didn´t clean´and abrade well
enough or press the air out properly"-argument,


I did.

but I´ve
had no problems with either grip or durability on dark,
glassy, frozen overnight icy tracks -


Maybe I have to put the tape on more than 50 cm of the ski?

so could it be your
"on ice" above refers to a condition I haven´t had to
deal with?


Course and glassy ice, and dangerous downhills where you have to plough to
come down alive. It was probably there most of the tape-wax disappeared. The
rest of the wax was sticking very hard to the skis when I was removing it.

It was conditions where you normally use green klister in the bottom, blue
above and violet on top and still it is a little slippery and half of the
klister is gone when you come home. BTW the track machine has not been there
since last week. It could have improved the conditions since it is still a
lot of snow.

Now it is 3 degrees C outside and 2 cm of newfallen snow on top of the ice
and all the klister has to be removed again.

--
Terje Henriksen
Kirkenes



 




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