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#1
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Buying the right board
I'm looking for some advice here. I'm 5'10" 180lbs with size 10 feet. I
do little park riding but do like to get air here and there. I mostly ride on groomed/iced midwest runs, and want a board that manuveurs in tight trees well. Very seldom do I get powder. 20%-30% of my riding is done switch. I do like to try to lay down lines in the snow/ice riding both directions on the board. My last 3 boards have been Burton Customs 156/162. It just seems these are a little (not much) narrow for me. I think I have narrowed my next board down to these two. The Donek Twin 161 and the Prior AMF 159/162. I'm due for some boots too and may not wish to go through the pain of breaking in size 10's again and may get 10.5s or 11. Any suggestions or experiences with these boards will be appreciated. |
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#2
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Buying the right board
chuck wrote:
I'm looking for some advice here. I'm 5'10" 180lbs with size 10 feet. I do little park riding but do like to get air here and there. I mostly ride on groomed/iced midwest runs, and want a board that manuveurs in tight trees well. Very seldom do I get powder. 20%-30% of my riding is done switch. I do like to try to lay down lines in the snow/ice riding both directions on the board. My last 3 boards have been Burton Customs 156/162. It just seems these are a little (not much) narrow for me. I think I have narrowed my next board down to these two. The Donek Twin 161 and the Prior AMF 159/162. I'm due for some boots too and may not wish to go through the pain of breaking in size 10's again and may get 10.5s or 11. Any suggestions or experiences with these boards will be appreciated. Hi Chuck, while I haven't ridden the Donek Twin, I have ridden the Donek Phoenix 156 and the Incline 155. I've also ridden the Prior MFR 158 and the AMF 153. So the Doneks are very good for smooth, hard conditions (groomed/icy) and bite into it with a hard and tenacious grip with a very direct feel for the snow. I'm a little lighter than you (150 lbs at 5'9") and I didn't like that transmission of response into my feet - I found it fatiguing, but all the heavier Donek riders I know don't notice the harshness as much. The Twin is very flexy for a Donek, but I still but it doesn't like been skidded very much, so you better be carving your turns! The sidecut of 8.7 is going to be a little long for tight trees (esp coming from a Burton Custom), not that you won't be able to swing it around, but I think the Twin 161 will like to take a wider, faster arcson big wide groomers. Get the Twin if you are carving on the groomers most of the time (regular or switch). The Priors are designed for more variable conditions, from refrozen slush to wet and bumpy snow and have a more damp feel designed to smooth out the ride. A tradeoff for the smooth ride is a little less edgehold compared to the Donek. Since I'm a lighter rider and I ride in Tahoe where conditions can be more variable (lots of fresh, bumpy snow like at Whistler where Prior is made) I personally like it more. It does have less edgehold, but I found it an acceptable tradeoff as you still feel more comfortable taking it up to speed and not worry about being knocked off balance from a random rut or bump. The shorter SCR of 8 and 8.4 for the 159 and 162 AMFs will make it easier to snake between tight trees. Get if if you like a luxury car ride versus a sports car ride and or like to do tighter, medium speed carves. Tough, tough call between these two boards. On one hand, the Donek has a 30-day guarantee where if you don't love the board, they will refund you your money AND pay to have it shipped back to you. On the otherside there is a slightly used one going for a really good deal for a used AMF on the Prior website. Both will carves regular/switch excellently. The 161 Twin and 162W MFR both have a bit wider waist for you (esp if you go with bigger boots, but I recommend sticker with 10s if you can break them in). Hope this helps |
#3
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Buying the right board
On 2006-09-11, lonerider wrote:
chuck wrote: I'm looking for some advice here. I'm 5'10" 180lbs with size 10 feet. I do little park riding but do like to get air here and there. I mostly ride on groomed/iced midwest runs, and want a board that manuveurs in tight trees well. Very seldom do I get powder. 20%-30% of my riding is done switch. I do like to try to lay down lines in the snow/ice riding both directions on the board. My last 3 boards have been Burton Customs 156/162. It just seems these are a little (not much) narrow for me. I think I have narrowed my next board down to these two. The Donek Twin 161 and the Prior AMF 159/162. I'm due for some boots too and may not wish to go through the pain of breaking in size 10's again and may get 10.5s or 11. Any suggestions or experiences with these boards will be appreciated. Hi Chuck, while I haven't ridden the Donek Twin, I have ridden the Donek Phoenix 156 and the Incline 155. I've also ridden the Prior MFR 158 and the AMF 153. So the Doneks are very good for smooth, hard conditions (groomed/icy) and bite into it with a hard and tenacious grip with a very direct feel for the snow. I'm a little lighter than you (150 lbs at 5'9") and I didn't like that transmission of response into my feet - I found it fatiguing, but all the heavier Donek riders I know don't notice the harshness as much. The Twin is very flexy for a Donek, but I still but it doesn't like been skidded very much, so you better be carving your turns! The sidecut of 8.7 is going to be a little long for tight trees (esp coming from a Burton Custom), not that you won't be able to swing it around, but I think the Twin 161 will like to take a wider, faster arcson big wide groomers. Get the Twin if you are carving on the groomers most of the time (regular or switch). The Priors are designed for more variable conditions, from refrozen slush to wet and bumpy snow and have a more damp feel designed to smooth out the ride. A tradeoff for the smooth ride is a little less edgehold compared to the Donek. Since I'm a lighter rider and I ride in Tahoe where conditions can be more variable (lots of fresh, bumpy snow like at Whistler where Prior is made) I personally like it more. It does have less edgehold, but I found it an acceptable tradeoff as you still feel more comfortable taking it up to speed and not worry about being knocked off balance from a random rut or bump. The shorter SCR of 8 and 8.4 for the 159 and 162 AMFs will make it easier to snake between tight trees. Get if if you like a luxury car ride versus a sports car ride and or like to do tighter, medium speed carves. Tough, tough call between these two boards. On one hand, the Donek has a 30-day guarantee where if you don't love the board, they will refund you your money AND pay to have it shipped back to you. On the otherside there is a slightly used one going for a really good deal for a used AMF on the Prior website. Both will carves regular/switch excellently. The 161 Twin and 162W MFR both have a bit wider waist for you (esp if you go with bigger boots, but I recommend sticker with 10s if you can break them in). Hope this helps Thanks for the reply. The more I've looked into it, I'm thinking the Donek Pheonix may be an option too. I really want a board that that can be ridden switch almost the same as regular. That being said, I had no problems switch on my Customs and sometimes felt better toeside switch on it. I'm not sure a twin tip is really needed and I'm not sure about the flex of the twin. Also, even though I ride alot of switch, I can't get used to a duck foot stance and ride at +18/+6 angles. I guess what I'm really looking for is an all around board that leans towards the freeride end of the spectrum. What I don't want is spending my money on graphics and marketing. |
#4
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Buying the right board
chuck wrote: Thanks for the reply. The more I've looked into it, I'm thinking the Donek Pheonix may be an option too. I really want a board that that can be ridden switch almost the same as regular. That being said, I had no problems switch on my Customs and sometimes felt better toeside switch on it. I'm not sure a twin tip is really needed and I'm not sure about the flex of the twin. Also, even though I ride alot of switch, I can't get used to a duck foot stance and ride at +18/+6 angles. I guess what I'm really looking for is an all around board that leans towards the freeride end of the spectrum. What I don't want is spending my money on graphics and marketing. I agree the Donek Phoenix 163W is probably a better option to the Twin 161 - it is a little bit stiffer though as the Twin is ultra-soft for jibbing. Nearly any freeride board will carve switch just fine so long as you setup back isn't drastic. There is also no need to ride duck-footed for switch riding - it makes it easier to learn and do, but if you know hot to ride switch, you can ride it with any angles (I repeat - *any* angles). You should search Google groups for Phoenix and there is someone else about your height and weight with a Phoenix (in addition to me). If you search my posts, you will also see my current favorite all-around board is the Madd Twin 158. Talk about a board company that definitely zero money on graphics (they are pretty infamous for their lack of thought in their graphics) and and zero money on marketing (word of mouth marketing and a really crappy website). But, man can their boards rip. The Twin Tip 158 is a really, really nice board - www.maddmikes.com (email Joe Franklin and he will give you lots of info). The Madd will absorb a lot more vibrations and bumps than the Donek at the cost for a bit loss of "feel" for the snow that some people like. Edgehold is excellent, maybe better than the Doneks, but I felt like the response was more progressive, where as the Doneks have a very quick response once you get it up on edge. Again that's just my personal opinion. I sold my Phoenix to my friend because I didn't like the 8m sidecut (I prefer a longer sidecut), if I were to do it again I would have gotten the 160 with the 8.5m sidecut and I think I would have been happier. Still I also like the ride of the Madds - very, very damp, incredibly edgehold on firm/icy slopes (mellower edge transition than the Doneks), light swing weight in the trees (Phoenix also has very good swing weight as it is incredibly light), really fast race base (really nice to have for jumps), great on jumps, rails, pipe (as is the Phoenix). |
#5
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Buying the right board
On 2006-09-11, lonerider wrote:
chuck wrote: Thanks for the reply. The more I've looked into it, I'm thinking the Donek Pheonix may be an option too. I really want a board that that can be ridden switch almost the same as regular. That being said, I had no problems switch on my Customs and sometimes felt better toeside switch on it. I'm not sure a twin tip is really needed and I'm not sure about the flex of the twin. Also, even though I ride alot of switch, I can't get used to a duck foot stance and ride at +18/+6 angles. I guess what I'm really looking for is an all around board that leans towards the freeride end of the spectrum. What I don't want is spending my money on graphics and marketing. I agree the Donek Phoenix 163W is probably a better option to the Twin 161 - it is a little bit stiffer though as the Twin is ultra-soft for jibbing. Nearly any freeride board will carve switch just fine so long as you setup back isn't drastic. There is also no need to ride duck-footed for switch riding - it makes it easier to learn and do, but if you know hot to ride switch, you can ride it with any angles (I repeat - *any* angles). You should search Google groups for Phoenix and there is someone else about your height and weight with a Phoenix (in addition to me). If you search my posts, you will also see my current favorite all-around board is the Madd Twin 158. Talk about a board company that definitely zero money on graphics (they are pretty infamous for their lack of thought in their graphics) and and zero money on marketing (word of mouth marketing and a really crappy website). But, man can their boards rip. The Twin Tip 158 is a really, really nice board - www.maddmikes.com (email Joe Franklin and he will give you lots of info). The Madd will absorb a lot more vibrations and bumps than the Donek at the cost for a bit loss of "feel" for the snow that some people like. Edgehold is excellent, maybe better than the Doneks, but I felt like the response was more progressive, where as the Doneks have a very quick response once you get it up on edge. Again that's just my personal opinion. I sold my Phoenix to my friend because I didn't like the 8m sidecut (I prefer a longer sidecut), if I were to do it again I would have gotten the 160 with the 8.5m sidecut and I think I would have been happier. Still I also like the ride of the Madds - very, very damp, incredibly edgehold on firm/icy slopes (mellower edge transition than the Doneks), light swing weight in the trees (Phoenix also has very good swing weight as it is incredibly light), really fast race base (really nice to have for jumps), great on jumps, rails, pipe (as is the Phoenix). Decisions....decisions? I'm sorta afraid of a *wide* model board at my 10-11 boot size and my weight. Now I wonder if the 165 would be wide enough without going to a wide model. My Custom is a 162, so I don't think I'd notice too much difference. I would think the weight would be close. I just want to go wide enough without going too wide. Floatation isn't and issue...not with 99% of my riding in the midwest. I'm really leaning towards a Donek. |
#6
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Buying the right board
chuck wrote: On 2006-09-11, lonerider wrote: Decisions....decisions? I'm sorta afraid of a *wide* model board at my 10-11 boot size and my weight. Now I wonder if the 165 would be wide enough without going to a wide model. My Custom is a 162, so I don't think I'd notice too much difference. I would think the weight would be close. I just want to go wide enough without going too wide. Floatation isn't and issue...not with 99% of my riding in the midwest. I'm really leaning towards a Donek. For width, in addition to floatation, you need wider boards to avoid boot drag. It sounds like you are already getting some boot drag problem with you 24.9cm waisted Burton 162. I would recommend going up to 26cm myself, but if its only a little bit of a problem 25.5 might work since you snow is flat and firm. I don't think the Phoenix 163W is too wide for you, but if you really want to stay with a "normal" board, go with the 165. The Phoenix line is very lightweight and you won't notice the size difference much. My 156cm board actually felt really light and I think I would have preferred the 160cm model more. In comparison with my Madd 158, in an ideal world I would actually go 2-3 cm shorter if I could keep the stiffness and the sidecut radius. |
#7
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Buying the right board
Decisions....decisions? I'm sorta afraid of a *wide* model board at my 10-11 boot size and my weight. Now I wonder if the 165 would be wide enough without going to a wide model. My Custom is a 162, so I don't think I'd notice too much difference. I would think the weight would be close. I just want to go wide enough without going too wide. Floatation isn't and issue...not with 99% of my riding in the midwest. I'm really leaning towards a Donek. I know you said that you don't like paying for marketing, etc.. but you might also want to look at the Burton Triumph. I am riding the 160 with a 254 waist width and a 8.05 m sidecut. I have a 10.5 boot size and don't get any drag. It is a mid wide and has a decent set back of 25 if you want it. I ride it on crud/soft/ice in the midwest and get good edge hold as well as take it out west for a mix. A good all purpose board. Now for powder...... I have a Fish for when the going really gets fun! |
#8
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Buying the right board
On 2006-09-12, tg wrote:
Decisions....decisions? I'm sorta afraid of a *wide* model board at my 10-11 boot size and my weight. Now I wonder if the 165 would be wide enough without going to a wide model. My Custom is a 162, so I don't think I'd notice too much difference. I would think the weight would be close. I just want to go wide enough without going too wide. Floatation isn't and issue...not with 99% of my riding in the midwest. I'm really leaning towards a Donek. I know you said that you don't like paying for marketing, etc.. but you might also want to look at the Burton Triumph. I am riding the 160 with a 254 waist width and a 8.05 m sidecut. I have a 10.5 boot size and don't get any drag. It is a mid wide and has a decent set back of 25 if you want it. I ride it on crud/soft/ice in the midwest and get good edge hold as well as take it out west for a mix. A good all purpose board. Now for powder...... I have a Fish for when the going really gets fun! If the boards are similair in quality and price, I'd rather give my money to a "mom & pop" company. The heck with Wal-Marts; give me the family corner store (I'm showing my age) anyday. I also emailed Sean at Donek and he replied the same day asking more questions to help me pick the right board. That being said, I've liked my past 3 Customs. Actually 4 Customs, Burton gave me a new warranty board after I rode one a whole year due to a peeling topsheet. Being in business for myself, bidding against companies selling cheap Chinese/imported goods with American brand names on them, I know try to buy goods that are made in the USA from manufacterers that support their local economies. This excludes autos where Ford/GM make cheap disposable crap and conitinually ship jobs to Mexico. |
#9
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Buying the right board
On 2006-09-12, tg wrote:
Decisions....decisions? I'm sorta afraid of a *wide* model board at my 10-11 boot size and my weight. Now I wonder if the 165 would be wide enough without going to a wide model. My Custom is a 162, so I don't think I'd notice too much difference. I would think the weight would be close. I just want to go wide enough without going too wide. Floatation isn't and issue...not with 99% of my riding in the midwest. I'm really leaning towards a Donek. I know you said that you don't like paying for marketing, etc.. but you might also want to look at the Burton Triumph. I am riding the 160 with a 254 waist width and a 8.05 m sidecut. I have a 10.5 boot size and don't get any drag. It is a mid wide and has a decent set back of 25 if you want it. I ride it on crud/soft/ice in the midwest and get good edge hold as well as take it out west for a mix. A good all purpose board. Now for powder...... I have a Fish for when the going really gets fun! Well, a buddy of mine made up my mind for me. He had a Nitro Pantera Wide that was ridden on 3 times and it was too narrow for his size 15 boots. For $200 I couldn't pass. It seems like a decent board and for that price I can just trash it for a year. Thanks for all the advice everyone. Next year I will get the Phoenix though. This way I also have the spare cash for a new bicycle this spring without the wife reaming me out for spending on boards *and* bikes. If only I could find a deal on a used Trek 520....I'd be set till next fall. |
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