REVIEW: 2011 Down Countdown 4 (2014 Down Countdown 102)

**Piggity** · 03-11-2019, 12:26 PM

Tuning:

They came from auvgeek in great shape - with 10 light skiing days on the factory tune. I was tempted to take them out as is, but I had the time to get them on the bench.

I don't know if this is still the case, but there was no base bevel and what appeared to be a 1 degree side bevel.

My SVST (1 degree) base bevel tool doesn't remove material once you've set a bevel, and I found myself removing material (adding bevel). The side edges cleaned up evenly when I lightly hit them with my 1 degree SVST side bevel guide.

I mention this because some of you underestimate your responses to various tunes, and you are likely used to skiing with some bottom bevel. Don't assume that the tune is right for you.

I always start with an "over tune" and progressively detune until I find what works for me. The 102's have a relatively long effective edge, and I detuned very lightly to about 5cm behind the wide (tip taper) point.

While my GPO's and Billy Goats are detuned to their tip taper points, this is 15-20 cm further back than the current detuning point on the 102's.

The skis feel very similar to how the GPO's felt before their "final" detune, actually having slightly less of a "sticky" feel on turn initiation than the GPO's did. I'll report back on detuning - possibly not this year. I have no doubts that this is a detuning issue as it's consistent with every ski I've dialed in.

^Sounds very similar to trying out a factory tune on CD104’s yesterday. Tips were hooking and felt grabby. Did you dial in the tune? i had to drive these hard or else they’d hook and not much room for error with greasing a turn, gonna try to detune tips/tails.

**galibier_numero_un** · 03-11-2019, 05:32 PM

Definitely detune to the contact points (beginning of tip/tail taper).

If you bought used, I'd assume nothing about the tune. They could have taken them in for a grind.

I added some 182 114s to the quiver this year, and they scale up from the 104s as I had hoped. The 114s work better for me than the Praxis Qs I referenced above, and I sold the Qs (see the "Get Down ..." thread).

... Thom

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**margotron** · 03-11-2019, 07:33 PM

Originally Posted by Piggity

^Sounds very similar to trying out a factory tune on CD104’s yesterday. Tips were hooking and felt grabby. Did you dial in the tune? i had to drive these hard or else they’d hook and not much room for error with greasing a turn, gonna try to detune tips/tails.

Detune like crazy unless you are running gates with them. that means take a stone to the tips and tails 2" past the contact points. Not a gummy stone, a real stone, like a diamond stone or fine file. Do about 10 swipes per section at perpendicular to the corner of the right angle.

If you are on this forum, odds are that sharp edges are not your friend.

**galibier_numero_un** · 03-12-2019, 07:44 AM

Originally Posted by margotron

Detune like crazy unless you are running gates with them. that means take a stone to the tips and tails 2" past the contact points. Not a gummy stone, a real stone, like a diamond stone or fine file. Do about 10 swipes per section at perpendicular to the corner of the right angle.

If you are on this forum, odds are that sharp edges are not your friend.

Better stated than I did.

Yup, I file 'em round with a file and begin feathering lightly as I approach the contact pounts, continuing an inch or two past that, switching to a stone/diamond file when I begin to feather (if it's handy).

... Thom

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**Piggity** · 03-15-2019, 09:47 PM

Originally Posted by margotron

Detune like crazy unless you are running gates with them. that means take a stone to the tips and tails 2" past the contact points. Not a gummy stone, a real stone, like a diamond stone or fine file. Do about 10 swipes per section at perpendicular to the corner of the right angle.

If you are on this forum, odds are that sharp edges are not your friend.

Great info and exactly what i was hoping to hear