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PLEASE tell your superiors (and ANYONE that will listen) there are a lot of us out there that LOVE these poles. Just as soon as they started to become popular, you discontinued them. Smith i IMPLORE you to PLEASE bring them back. PRETTY PLEASE??? I scour EVERY where for a pair from 50"-54" in the long shot hope of hopes that maybe JUST maybe i will find that elusive pole hidden somewhere. PLEASE bring them back!!!
yeah. honestly. people are still clinging to old, haggard pairs of these. This is very much a P18/Flexon type scenario where nothing else really skis the same once you're used to them and they are getting hard to find.
I will share a tip though: If you're down to 1 z-bend pole and can't find another pair you can always carefully bend a pair of aluminum poles to match the profile. I've done that and it worked well.
I broke one once and hung onto the other one forever. Never did find ones to replace them. Maybe its it the rafters...not sure. It's stupid but i really liked those poles.
MF
I lucked out a couple of years ago, when my well loved pair were faiding on me I found a cherry pair for $10 at the local swap. I now have a 2 pair, but the grips are looking kinda sad (worn down to nothing). Bring em' back please...
Yes bring them back since a few weeks ago mine were stolen by some douche at Alta!!!
Agreed. Great poles. My Dad still has a pair that are mint, I am tempted to put them on a FS thread and see how many people respond. That might make for a good case study for Smith to see the demand for the poles. The analogy of the Flexons and P-18's was great, it is frustrating that the ski industry seems to not understand the idea of giving the consumer what they want. I guess there is an upside to that also though. Big Business Skiing's ineptitude allows for small companies like Full Tilt, DPS, Praxis, Moment, etc to come in and fill the void. So, maybe the answer is to quit complaining on the internet and buy the rights to Z Bends from Smith and just start making the pole. That would actually be a really cool maggot company.
Are (or were) the Z-Bends really all that much better/different than a decent pair of poles with a regular GS bend? I never used Z-Bends, but I began using regular GS bent poles years ago and have never really given it a thought (but I never gave much thought to my poles before then, either). I do remember the Z-Bend hook having something to do with changing the angle or position of your plant, but does that really make much difference?
Currently use Scott GS poles and I'm on at least my fifth or sixth season with the same pair--they look beaten up, but haven't shown any sign of breaking. Only cost about $40 new, too.
You know how I know you're gay?
not only do you use z-bends, but you whine and cry for them to come back.
You don't hear me whining about bringing back the lurk or the strapless thumb breaking pole grips, do ya?
There were 2 Z-Bend poles made. One set was aluminum and as others state can be matched with quite a bit of effort with some other aluminum poles custom bent. The grips and baskets maybe would not be the same but the basic bend could be matched. Smith also had a Z-Bend pole series that was composite (like the Goode but not pencil thin at the top) carbon fiber or fiberglass (not 100% sure- I'd have to look at mine) that were very light weight yet strong. I have a pair that I still use - one basket has broken, but otherwise other than a few scratches they are still good. I treat them like gold though- don't use them all the time.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dexter Rutecki
Ebay from time to time has a pair or 2 - mostly short ones and used, sometimes abused.
Bring them back, please.
i've got a pair i'm hoarding as well. i think a more realistic approach would be to see if another pole company (scott, leki, etc) could reinvent the z bend. smith seems to be out of the pole business for good.
anyone have any extra powder baskets laying around?
Not if you have the composite series....Quote:
Originally Posted by YetiMan
Smith rep gave me a pair of the composites the first year they came out ('93 or '94?) and they are still going strong. Replaced a few baskets over the years but the grips and shafts are money.
Z-Bends are good for tucking down grass Dex. :fm:Quote:
Originally Posted by Dexter Rutecki
Do you know if baskets are still available for these? I've got the composite z-bends and one is missing a basket.Quote:
Originally Posted by sar13
Some on here have discussed using the Scott or Black Diamond replacement baskets. Not sure if they are for both the composite and the aluminum poles and work with both or not- a search would pull up the thread.Quote:
Originally Posted by wicked_sick
http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...hlight=baskets
Not sure if there are options for the race baskets or not.
What's so great about these poles? I had some and got rid of them because I never used them and they look stupid. Don't even try to tell me they make you ski better.
Sweet poles but they are FRAGILE, at least the aluminum ones. I gave up on them after breaking like three in one season. I don't ski as hard anymore though and fall way less so they kinda work for me now. I've got 2 1/2 beat-up pairs left. Two courtesy of Otter, wouldn't even take any beer for for 'em. :yourock:
I've gone to Scott Dispatch poles now, heavier but WAY stronger.
Oh and Dex, top of the line Scott poles, GS included, are about $130 retail.
In other news I've got a pair of Ice USA carbon poles that have held up to 10 hard seasons of abuse. $$$$ Love'em.
And I have pairs of skis that used to retail for $1000+, but I usually find them one season later for $400 or less. Every spring for the past six or seven years Reliable Racing has had Scott WC poles for about $40--I've posted about it here, as have a few other people (that's how I found them at first--mighta been 13 who first posted about 'em). Right now Reliable Racing only has Swix poles, but I imagine they're basically the same and I think they're about $57. I would guess that at the end of the season whatever poles they have will go for around $40.Quote:
Originally Posted by beaterdit
Retail?? You're doing it wrong.
And I'd agree with you that Scott poles (aluminum) seem to be quite durable.
Didn't Smith ditch the whole pole program entirely?
I had heard, a few years ago, that the Z-bends almost bankrupt Smith, due to the cost of an composite GS bend. I don't know if it's true....Quote:
Originally Posted by rideit
I've had a couple pairs, and LOVED them. its all about the swing weight and the GS bend on the composites are real stiff and durable. believe it or not the bend does make a difference, both with how "inside" you can keep your hands, and with how they reach forward and away from your ski tips on your pole plants. if that's your thing:wink:
Yeah, they plant in a different place per hand position. So if you're used to feeling your pole touch down in a certain place it's nice to keep that familiarity. Not that you can't just get other poles and adapt...but when you like something you like it.
Full Tilt is owned by K2.Quote:
Originally Posted by cpj.slc
Well, it's not the Z bend, but Kerma did bring back the "corrective angle" pole from years ago this season.
http://www.dynastar.com/#/products/dd91310-inferno
I know a LOT of guys who just buy a bent GS pole and throw powder baskets on them
"Almost bankrupted" is a little strong, but (according to a housemate who is a former Smith employee) the company did lose millions on the pole program.Quote:
Originally Posted by My Pet Powder Goat
I like my Z bends but won't go nuts looking for new ones when they break.
Reliable Racing does have Swix WC SL poles on closeout for $29.95. Heck of a deal even with shipping. Mine got swiped this week (paid more than that for them on a pro deal last year) so this was a less painful way to replace them. Basic 7075 aluminum pole with a great grip. Reliable Racing also sells the (very nice) powder baskets (and other replacement parts) for Swix poles.
Well I paid $44 for my last pair. Just saying, your average Joe skier can't just walk into the local shop and score top of the line Scotts for $40. Deals can be found if you're persistent though.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dexter Rutecki
The Flexon/TT binding analogy is indeed a very good one. For those of us who have used they poles, many have fallen in "pole love" with them and a regular pole just doesn't feel right. It is kind of like the sleepy stranger grip when you are pulling it, yeah, it kinda feels alright, but damned if it gets you off the same was as Rosie does, it just isn't the same pleasurable experience
Just pointing out something here which many of you already know, but I keep seeing it pop up in this post. Please note, The Smith poles were not a GS bend. A GS bend is designed to go around your body when tucked. The Smith poles actually went the other way. They were designed to give you a longer reaching pole plant. Same sort of idea as old Kermas and Lekis and even current Scott grips. Just pointing this out to people that dont realize the difference.
Could you just rotate the grip on a GS bent to achieve the same thing?
Rotating a GS pole doesnt do the same thing. A GS pole is designed to be a "straight" pole with a bend in it. So the grip should be directly over the basket when the pole is straight up and down. The Smiths had a bend in them to move the basket farther downhill from the grip. The theory is it gives you a better pole plant and gets your weight more forward than a standard pole.
DH poles are built that way but GS/SG poles aren't. GS poles place the basket behind the grip when held vertically.Quote:
Originally Posted by Professor
Does anyone happen to have a pic of these poles handy? Google doesn't seem to be able to dig anything up.
Bump since the Rev's gonna kill his Z-bend thread.
Here is a deposit of [some of] the Z-bend love around here.
Also, I got my Z-bends out yesterday and yeah, I still really like them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by beaterdit
if you want something similar to the Z-bend but in a bombproof almost unbreakable (6 seasons for me, after breaking at least a pole a season prior to that)
try to find a Dynastar/Rossignol/Kerma CFK gs pole (the bends are almost identical to the smith....
carbon fiber goodness, a little more $$$ but when they don't break what's the big deal?
Dont you know you should NEVER say things like this. Willing to bet a beer that these will now break within a month. Not rooting against you, just the way it seems to work :eek:Quote:
Originally Posted by waxman
careful, it's not like i said "this is the last run...."
These are both closed auctions, I believe, so no worries about sniping.Quote:
Originally Posted by unpossible
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=STRK:MEWAX:IT
probably should have bid and gotten these just for the parts- too short for my needs, but the price was right and shipping reasonable.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=STRK:MEWAX:IT
second shot is not of the full poles just the tops...
I don't know about the nearly identical bend (but I have not seen the CFK poles in person only on Ebay or internet shopping sites. They look much like the Atomic GS poles (and Swix too)Quote:
Originally Posted by waxman
There are 2 distinct Z-Bend poles we are talking about- the Z-Bends in aluminum are not as radical of a bend afaik as the carbon models. If I get a chance I'll shoot an actual photo of my carbon models.
BUMP!
I was moving last week and came across a pair of Smith powder baskets.
Any local SLC mags want 'em they're yours for a sixer.
If I don't get a response here I'll put 'em up for grabs in gear swap.