Bro Review

[seatosky]

Hey guys, thanks for the input. The guys got the camber a bit high on that last batch. It will drop on the batch about to be pressed. But also, due to it's nature as a wood/glass ski, it will settle down with some mileage and get better in that regard. I will also raise the tips a bit higher (from 53 mm to to like 56 or 58 mm) to enhance that float.
I'd make them wider for you, marshall, but that's a whole new project.

I can attest to this - I've ridden my stiffs (from this year's batch) about 13-14 days so far and the camber has settled down a bit - the tips are diving a lot less.

They were fuckin $$$$$ in Ruby bowl on Blackcomb yesterday.

[marshalolson]

I can attest to this - I've ridden my stiffs (from this year's batch) about 13-14 days so far and the camber has settled down a bit - the tips are diving a lot less.

i kinda figured this would be the case... 10-15 more days and they'll break in nicely.



ps: splat: i figured out the ultimate blem fill in material:
bath & tile silicon caulk.

put a layer on, scraping it smooth w/ metal edge. let dry one day.
after it drys it'll settle, and do it again. let dry 2 more days for total cure.

the material is almost as stiff and tough as epoxy, fills in the space more effectively (easier to push around when soft) and dries better than a thick layer of epoxy, and is maleable enough that it shouldn't crack out like epoxy will...

marshal

[Core Shot]

ps: splat: i figured out the ultimate blem fill in material:
bath & tile silicon caulk.

I dunno.
I vote for JB Weld.
But depends on if you are doing structural or waterproofing.

I got a pair of blems already repaired, but the repair was a bit soft (either too much pigment, or not enough catalyst).
I picked and scraped out the bad parts and went back in with JB Weld.
I think the JB works better than straight resin, since resin is usually more brittle.

the caulk is a nice sealant, but if it is at all a spot where you need strength and bond (like holding the edge teeth on) then I would not go for caulk. If you take an edge hit, the caulk will compress too easily and let the edge compress or rip out.

The grey JB Weld also blends pretty nice with the blue sidewall material. Not invisible, but less noticeable than clear resin.

[splat]

i kinda figured this would be the case... 10-15 more days and they'll break in nicely.



ps: splat: i figured out the ultimate blem fill in material:
bath & tile silicon caulk.

put a layer on, scraping it smooth w/ metal edge. let dry one day.
after it drys it'll settle, and do it again. let dry 2 more days for total cure.

the material is almost as stiff and tough as epoxy, fills in the space more effectively (easier to push around when soft) and dries better than a thick layer of epoxy, and is maleable enough that it shouldn't crack out like epoxy will...

marshal

I gave that a shot last year, marshall, but wasn't completely satisfied. Plus, if I were repairing a massive loss of sidewall like on that pair you got, I would prefer something a little beefier to support the edge. Did you screw and glue some wood in there for that?

[marshalolson]

I gave that a shot last year, marshall, but wasn't completely satisfied. Plus, if I were repairing a massive loss of sidewall like on that pair you got, I would prefer something a little beefier to support the edge. Did you screw and glue some wood in there for that?

the stuff i am using is as hard as plastic when dry - at least as hard and stiff as the sidewall material anyhow... i have used it to repair many other sidewall repairs... i am not worried about folding up the edge, but rather it cracking slowly and eventually folding the edge. if i keep an eye on it, and repair it as it wears, i should get alot of life from the skis.

JB weld, IMHO is good for gluing stuff together, and taking up small amounts of space, but not for taking up uber-space, since it does not dry well when thick

well, the repair has taken 4 days of bumps, small hucks and pillow lines (20-30) and general abuse (see below) and held fine so far... will report back later



on another note: suprised at the duraility. i came skiing down a trail into the trailhead parkinglot WAY to fast, and ripped across the parking lot for ~20 feet. there was maybe 1-2" on top of blacktop. i though i totally trashed the skis and would be sitting w/ a ptex candle for hours. however, the bases are only very minimally scratched.... nothing needing repair anyhow...

very impressive. all the extra waxing and prep=worth it

[PulverSchwein]

my 2005 aspen softs hold 1/2" of camber after 10+ days. Not sure how much they've settled but they were never any huge amount when new.

[wicked_sick]

splat, if you're reading, how thick is the base material on the bros?

[splat]

1.3 mm to start, wicked.

[Core Shot]

Oh, and yeah, Super Stiffs are not too uber stiff. they are juuust right.

Allow me to retract that statement.

Super Stiffs are just right for crushing hardpack, chowder and small children.

In their current incarnation, they are a bit too stiff to float the pow, even with my 215 pounds.
The future models will have less camber and more tip height which will make it an awesome ski.
If you have 2006 Super Stiffs, and would like to ski pow, I would advise mounting further back than the 104.5 cm where I skied them.



Regular Stiff is FKNA awesome.
The regular Stiff Bro is stiff enough to ski at 60mph with full control. It also has enough tip flex to avoid the tip diving issues I had with with the Super Stiff.

Now I see why Pat suggested that even big guys would like the Softs.

[The Dad]

Now I see why Pat suggested that even big guys would like the Softs.

And I'm sooooo happy I didn't let testosterone drive me to stiffs, let alone ubers.

[orygun]

Being 6'5 and 220 lbs I was really worried that the softs were going to be too soft (plus, who wants to ski on a "soft" ski?). But they definitively shouldnt be called "soft", they are stiffer than Pistols, or most other powder boards out there. I am definitively glad I went with the softs, and although a pair of stiffs might be nice, I could see the super stiffs being a little bit overkill unless you weigh at least 300 lbs.