Lhasa Pow 186 Edge

[crashburn4ever]

Hey Guys, This my first post here on teton gravity. I just got a pair of beautiful lhasa 186 pow skis. I cant wait to get on them this season. I was looking at the edges of the ski where the graphics are and it looks like it will be easily fractured/ need more reinforcement. Has anybody observed this on there Lhasa pow ski or is it just my set?

Thanks

[SkiNowWorkLater]

Are you talking about the edges of the topsheets? If so, yes- my Llasa's topsheets chipped very easily. According to Splat, it helps if you file down the topsheet edges to round them out a bit. This should help (but not totally solve) the problem.

[SkiNowWorkLater]

Oh- and this should be in Tech Talk.

[splat]

Since I made them, I can assure you that the nylon topsheet does not fracture and chips much less than the PBT topsheets on many other skis and most snowboards. In addition, we hand bevel where the topsheet meets the sidewall to lessen the potential for edges to slice the nylon or chip at the carbon and fiberglass beneath it. Nylon tends to shave rather than chip like PBT. I don't think they chip or shave anymore than any other indie ski out there and this is mostly dependent on, like most skis, how often you click the edges on the opposing skis topsheet.

Also, tech questions are best posted in tech talk.

[time2clmb]

I also find found that they chip easily. Just put some epoxy on where they chip and it's not really a big deal. They ski awesome though.

[crashburn4ever]

THanks guys, sorry for the placement issue of this thread. Thanks for your input. I planned on putting a layer of epoxy on the edges where they would tend to chip most. Has anyone actually done it?

[El Chupacabra]

I took a belt sander to the edges of the topsheets on mine.

[UTpowder]

Just ski the damn things. I had a friend that was so worried about scratching his skis that missed out on alot of good snow. Yes take care of them but don't be so damn anal that you can't enjoy them.

Splat will be glad to make you a new pair when its time for new ones

[givethepigeye]

tools, not jewels

[Velillen]

Bases and egdes are all that matters. Topsheet i sjust cosmetic so who cares over dings

[crashburn4ever]

Does any body have pics of the edges (new) ? I would like to compare them to mine. I know I am seeming picky but just want to make sure they look like other peoples. Mine came out of the box with a slight chip already.

[irul&ublo]

Keep your feet apart...

[khyber.pass]

Ski first. Sand/epoxy only if issues develop. I found the Lhasa nylon topsheets more durable than, say, Surface, which chipped outright.

[splat]

Does any body have pics of the edges (new) ? I would like to compare them to mine. I know I am seeming picky but just want to make sure they look like other peoples. Mine came out of the box with a slight chip already.

yo, cb4e....we hand bevel the topsheet where it meets the sidewall to lessen the effects of your edges chipping chunks out of the topsheet. The carbon and glass are so freakin hard in that area, we have to change the razor blades in the knife constantly to ensure a nice smooth bevel because the razor blades actually chip while doing this, sometimes causing a chipping effect along the bevel. The alternative is to not put that bevel on the tops and allow your skis edges to take off chips that will possibly be even bigger. Sometimes my crew doesn't change blades often enough and a little chip and, sometimes a lot of little chips, will occur along that bevel.

We could deliver them without the bevel, but put it on because it will preserve that topsheet edge far longer than not doing it and has shown to preserve the topsheet far longer than skis that are not beveled, especially skis made with lighter weight PBT plastic material topsheets as opposed the the nylon tops we use. It's the difference between delivering a ski that looks perfect out of the box or one that will last longer when your skis edges slam into the tops of the other ski. We tend to favor the ski-preserving function of the bevel over the perfect out of the box visual. We have tried to develop a dremel and a finish router with a jig that will make a cleaner bevel in that area but we have failed to find a setup that will do it perfectly clean. So we do it by hand. If you would prefer a pair that have not been beveled, we'd be more than happy to trade those up for another pair minus the bevel.

[mwthomsen]

Crash,

I have a novel idea for you. If you believe you have a problem with your Lhasa's take a picture of the suspected issue and send it to Pat with a description of what you are seeing. If there is a problem, Pat is very easy to deal with. Atleast with a company like PMGear you can contact the person that made them directly, do that then report back.

And your welcome, the above advise will get you a long way in life.

[mwthomsen]

Damn that Splat is quick to post in any thread about PMGear that hits the first page.

[farmer]

This is a major issue and you should probably just ship them to me so that you never have to deal with it. Trust me, its not worth your hassle. I'll even split the shipping costs with you.

[crashburn4ever]

Thanks all who post out of kindness. I am sure that if you guys were conscerned with a product you bought and spent a good chunk of the money you had you would do the same... Its not like I am bashing this ski... In fact the reason I bought the ski was because after hours and hours of research on the net, this is supposed to be the BEST ski of all time pretty much and not to mention I prefer hand made to ANY Manufactured ski because I know the craftmenship put into anything hand made (my dad is a LONG time entrepeneur of hand making custom guitars) and not to mention MADE IN THE USA BABY!!! . I love the ski and how it looks and most importantly how it is going to ski. My objective out of this post was to prolong the life of my ski by exploring any problems others may have had... Its not a sin... Thank you Pat for your reassurance and I do NOT doubt it. I am sure you can see where I am coming from.

[mortimer]

Thanks all who blah blah

just post a picture of your skis

[time2clmb]

For the amount they charge for skis, you should be damned picky. Nothing wrong with that.

[splat]

time2climb is right. This is a tough decision for me - to trim that edge and preserve the ski or deliver out of the box visuals people will be charmed with. It boils down to the very thing I told my crew - That bevel is not serving us well if it is not aesthetically pleasing when a customer lays their eyes on it. The quandry for me is someone thinking it doesn't look clean enough vs the chipping that can occur without it. I left my 191s unbeveled just to see the difference. After two seasons, I noticed that the edge sliced into the topsheet more than it does on a beveled ski. I have been beating my brains out to develop a way to slope the topsheet down at that point to put the brunt of the ski edge impact onto the topsheet much like the top end brands do, but without the costs of developing an expensive mold that would drive the costs of the skis up. It would be prohibitively expensive to make those molds for the limited number of skis we produce, so I have to get innovative.

Making skis in a small factory in the US with the materials and layups we use costs far more than a small shop in China or a large established factory making millions of skis in Europe. But in the end, what you say is right, time2climb. And cb4e - no hard feelings whatsoever. Please let me know what you think after you ski them and evaluate how that bevel performed.

[time2clmb]

Long term durability trumps visual asthetics for sure (imo), given that there is nothing unasthetic about those saucy looking Lhasa's in the first place.

[crashburn4ever]

Thanks splat! That is what I wanted to hear. I just wanted to know that it just wasnt my skis... and the reason.I am absolutly stoked about getting on these this season. I will certainly leave a review but i am sure that it will be just like the rest of them.... GREAT!