179 Stiff Bro mini-review

[arild@optonline.net]

ok, that's my ski.

could you PM me telerob's e-mail?

[beb42000]

what about the "very stiffs", are the tails getting soft reviews also. Splat, after much deliberation (& believe me, I've had time since I'm 2 monthes into ACL rehab) I've decided to make the Bros my first handmade ski. I was going to wait till next year for the new models, but all this talk about "no profits" scares me! Should I buy now? PM Gear's website implies they are collectors items and may not be made again. If you are going to be around, what's in store for next year?

and for stebed, graphics...shmraphics, you could put a picture of a grandmother on those skis and jo-public would buy it if the right people are riding them. Think back to how many ugly things you bought because it was the new hottness!

[splat]

Smoke em if ya got em.
The future is uncertain.
There will be a few pair made with maple stringers towards the end.
I expect them to be quite stiff(er).
The price could go up next year.
Live now. Now is good.


TH - md9 just got his, so yours should be hitting the door about.......................NOW!

[meatdrink9]

I must say I'm pretty stoked to take these babies for a ride. They look solid. I'm a soft ski kind of guy so these things feel awesome to me. I've got my binders. I'm going to wax them a couple of times tomorrow and then drop them off to be mounted. I'll post my thoughts after a day of skiing.

[splat]

Have them ground on the stone, too, md.

Gotta do it to ski propa.

[beb42000]

not sure if I'm catching you right, splat...these skis with the maple will be stiffer than the "very stiffs"?? And of course I wish I could live now...but now dosen't include skiing and if you are going to have some new hottness next year, of course I want to be skiing on next year's model next year. Which is the soonest I'll be skiing again, not to flip or anything, but I definately want to support your cause...just a matter of when.?!

[assgasorgrass]

I definately want to support your cause...just a matter of when.?!

Carpe Diem

[splat]

not sure if I'm catching you right, splat...these skis with the maple will be stiffer than the "very stiffs"?? And of course I wish I could live now...but now dosen't include skiing and if you are going to have some new hottness next year, of course I want to be skiing on next year's model next year. Which is the soonest I'll be skiing again, not to flip or anything, but I definately want to support your cause...just a matter of when.?!

Don't worry about it. The 179s are already next year's ski. We tweak as we go. There are no superstiffs in 179, but we're putting in some maple stringers to see how it affects the performance on a very limited experimental basis because the stiffs are not all that stiff.

edited - stupidity on my part

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

agorg - Carpe Diem? That's a first for us. Is there something I've done to make you unhappy? We pride ourselves on taking care of everyone, so I'm at a loss with that.

splatter - Carpe Diem = "Seize the Day" (more or less). I think agorg (heh, I like that) was saying why wait, seize the day, and buy the skis now. (I think). Haven't you seen Dead Poet's Society?

[splat]

Man, am I losing the Latin......thought it was something else.

[mday]

agorg - Carpe Diem? That's a first for us. Is there something I've done to make you unhappy? We pride ourselves on taking care of everyone, so I'm at a loss with that.

If I remember my Dead's Poet Society 101 correctly, it's latin for 'Seize the Day'? My interpretation is agorg is saying get off the can and buy them today (albeit in an obtuse way)

Edit Doh! Tyrone's faster than me by two minutes. He probably can also jump off cliffs in a single bound.

[assgasorgrass]

What they said.

I am sure everyone is sick and tired of Bro reviews. I've been skiing them and I have been fukkin' loving them. I asked another mag about trimming skins to fit two pairs of skis, the Bros being the wider of the two. The reply "Trim 'em wall to wall for the Bros, cuz that's all you're goin' ski anyway[sic]". Things that make you go "hmmmmmmm".

So, as I paraphrase, seize the motherfucking day and order Bros now! Stick them in front of you while you are rehabbing. Use the Bros, Luk.....errrr
Beb42000.............

[splat]

Sorry, Long week and I started celebrating early............

[Core Shot]

Man, am I losing the Latin......thought it was something else.

Illigetimi non Santorum??

[marshalolson]

Man, am I losing the Latin......thought it was something else.

Liberate tutemet ex infernis?

[Trackhead]

Just skied the "Super Stiff" 179 Bro's today.

Stats: 195 pounds 6' 0"
Bindings: Dynafit Comfort
Snow: Super sloggy Wasatch glop.


My dog found them interesting.


First impressions: These are much softer than my Dynafit FR10 187cm skis.
They seem to weigh about the same. No difference in weight by feel. Didn't put them on the scale.

Dimensions of Dynafit FR10=187cm. 122mm tip, 88mm waist. The Bro 179's have a wider waist and tip. My first concern was the loss of surface area from the length. Later to be proved wrong.

Skinning: Nice and light. The shorter length makes for easy kick turns on steeper terrain. Also shorter on the back when booting. Don't hit as much brush when you bushwack.

Skiing: I mounted them perhaps 1-2mm back of where Splat marked them. Not because I wanted to, just because that's where they ended up.

Turns: Snow was heavy glop. On my Dynafit FR10, I would be sinking in, cussing, tearing ACL's. On the Bro 179, I was floating, having a good time, making short radius turns through tight, steep trees.

Steep-soft: Got on some nice 45 degree sections and the shorter lenght comes around alot easier than the 187cm Dyna's. Again, I like the shorter length.

Overall: Haven't skied them on steep, icy stuff yet. Will do that soon. But what I have skied them on, I really enjoyed them. Truly the best BC ski I have been on. Light, short, fun. Minimal, if any, compromise.

[mojorisin]

Now that we have trackhead's seal of approval, everyone should flock to pmgearusa.com and get a pair for themselves

splat, out of curiousity, did you guys sell out the 50 pair of 179s that you originally planned on making?

also, i think a lot of people would be interested in the final weight of your setup, TH. 179 bros + dynafits =

[Trackhead]

I did my crude weight ananlysis on my analog scale.

Method:Stand on scale then pick up a pair the 179's, then pick up the Dyna FR10.

The Bro 179 is definitely a lighter ski, by a pound? Like I said, my method is crude. But the Bro's were lighter on the scale after five tests.

So to me, you get a lighter, shorter, better floating ski, that weighs less. Easy answer.

Let's see how they do on the steep ice.

[splat]

Now that we have trackhead's seal of approval, everyone should flock to pmgearusa.com and get a pair for themselves

splat, out of curiousity, did you guys sell out the 50 pair of 179s that you originally planned on making?

also, i think a lot of people would be interested in the final weight of your setup, TH. 179 bros + dynafits =

I had another 20 pair made because I knew the reviews like this would be coming, so we still have some stiffs (those are just the Stiffs, TH). The Bros evolved a lot in the proto stage when we did the 188s, but the 179s allow us to tweak them to perfection. I knew TH would be stoked. TH - let me know how that mount point feels when you get on the hard stuff, ie, if you feel you are carving off the tails. The soft 179s are going to be a cream your jeans powder ski for anyone from 120 lbs. to 195 lbs. They should be coming and shipping soon.

[Meathelmet]

Splat, are you serious that the 179s might not be built next year..or ever?

I mean, should we gimps and poor-asses fetch the money now,and get em?

I mean, you might have the perfect ski and...umm...i´d like to have em.

[splat]

Some people probably think I'm just pushing for sales now when I say we don't know what we'll be doing for next year, but that's not the case. As I've stated before, we have had to bite a hard bullet for two years because the skis have cost us as much to make them as we have sold them for. We keep going because we know we can drive the production cost down - but only if we get more control over production and quit relying on manufacturers who keep increasing our costs to double the initial quotes. Right now, we are on the brink of gaining that control, but only if we sell 20 pair in the next ten days.

After 150 pair sold this year, we are just starting to creep out of a very big financial hole. We are still 30K in the red - just for this year. That's because 50 pair of the first 100 were unsalvageable blems. Dealing with a manufacturer who had no wherewithal to make up for his mistakes, we had to eat that, pushing the cost of the first batch to $600/pair, plus the cost of me spending three months in Quebec to salvage what was already a complete disaster. We sold the Bros for less than what they cost because we believe we have a great product and can overcome the production problems. Our goal - to maintain a mutually beneficial relationship with our core support group by maintaining an open line of communication and involvement and being the best possible ski company in the world. We have learned a whole lot about the business, it's ups and downs, hazards and intracacies, and we're ready to take it to the next level. Even amidst a string of unfortunate events, we persevere.

We have little capital on hand, but we have the opportunity to get a press, the molds, cores, and bases and make them ourselves. This opportunity expires very soon. If we are unable to capture the opportunity, I can't say where we'll be next year. But I know if we are in control of production, we can make skis profitably and grow this company the way we have visualized it would grow just by virtue of the fact this community will guide and support us into the future, telling us what we need to build and supporting our efforts.
We have a number of maggots we want to bring on board with the company as we grow. This is a crucial time for PM Gear. We thank everyone who has helped us get to this point and we will do our best to keep it going.

Maggots -

[beb42000]

well in that case...what are the chances of my gimpy ass getting a pair of 188 very stiffs?

[splat]

We should have some available within about 15 days.

[Core Shot]

Best of luck.
The Bro ski needs to live on. Otherwise, someday mine will die and I will be lost without a replacement.
I would buy another pair now if I could.


Enjoy the ride on the Merry go Round of life.

[Astar]

Splat
I don't need em but I want a pair of 179 softs. Will they count toward the 20 you need to unload in the next 10 days?