WOndering if anyone waxes a new board. Specifically, if u use a temp specific wax if you know you are venturing out into extreme conditions with a new board. i have a new board i'll be taking to Revy in a week and temps are (at times) looking like -15. wondering if my factory will hold. Not too worried though as I don think i'll be hitting many ice patches like we get out east.
It is generally recommended to wax a new board as most manufacturers only put a crappy rub on wax on. If you know you're conditions, it never hurts to use appropriate wax.
Factory wax on my NS was crap. If you're going on a trip I'd wax it before leaving, unless you can wax it there if need be...
I use all temp wax without a problem. Cold temps wax is usually harder and will last longer in East Coast condition. I don't think Revy's snow will be as harsh.
NS (and almost everyone else) does not hot wax a board in the factory. They mannually apply a rub-on liquid (in just seconds). I wouldn't ride on an old board with only that wax job. I certainly wouldn't ride on a new ($500+) one that way either.
I am not knocking them either. It is a light base coating. Even they would tell you to wax it before actually using it.
Yea, I highly doubt any company does an actual hand wax job (that's what she said). Machine waxes. I call out Burton because they have excellent bases. Their sintered bases run pretty fast even with little wax on it. I find Burton boards to ride better new compared to competitors.
I'm not against waxing new boards. I just think most of those concerned with it don't actually do enough to get that much of a performance difference.
If you're just resort riding, my guess is that you're going to be fine riding factory. But like I said, there are brands that do suck factory waxed, I don't argue that.
If you're going on a trip without a waxing kit, then I would wax then too. I just don't paint all factory wax with a broad brush stroke.
Edit: Do you really sharpen your edges after each ride?
i rode my new board last week for the first time and didnt put a new wax on it, honestly not that big of a deal. Ill probably give it another day out before i wax it.
I have a quick question - thought I'd throw it on here instead of starting a new.
I can tell (normally) tell when a base is dry, it turns whitish and rough. But this new board I got that's been out 4-5 days looks just like how my old board was when it was freshly hand-waxed. I'm assuming it'd still be best to wax it by now, but why does it still look/feel good...? They're both sintered bases. Do old bases eventually get worse and worse at holding wax or look dry quicker? Or does a brand new base just look this way with/without wax..?
We apparently have different definitions of what we consider "much thought".
I, quite honestly, after several years in the industry as a tuner, riding for Rossignol for a few years, and generally caring about things I pay $600 for now that I don't get things for free anymore, am surprised so many people don't care. So I naturally assumed people thought boards come waxed...when, generally, they don't. It is the truth. Sorry.
There are a lot of things in life you probably shouldn't do that you can do once and likely get away with it.
But why risk it?
It is neither expensive nor difficult nor time-consuming, etc., to wax a board. There is no downside to it - so I can only assume that most people think boards are already waxed. And my only point in continuing this is to let people know that is a common misconception (reinforced quite specifically but a few recent factory tours).
If one person sees this who would have previously assumed their new dream deck to be waxed and ready to go, learns something they didn't otherwise know, and decides to wax first, I consider my time well spent.
I am not asking you personally to do anything. It is fine with me if you don't want to do it.
Risk what? You aren't risking anything but a day of less performance compared to a hand waxed board. We aren't even bringing snow conditions into the equation. You also keep ignoring the fact that MOST of us riders here won't really know the difference. Head game.
You obviously have much more experience than a lot of us here. It's pretty easy to understand that YOU can tell the big difference.
You actually do waste something by waxing a factory new board. Not a complete waste, but still a waste... your wax and time. Well a complete waste if you can't tell the difference anyway.
You also talked about how you sharpen your edges after every session. That's definitely not a good idea for some riders.
Again, way too much thought into this. I debate it because I see 100's of threads of new riders, many of whom don't even have more than a couple of days on snow, asking about waxing a factory new board. Then they spend their time learning how to wax and shopping for the "best wax" all before getting out on snow.
Same with the whole detuning thing. So much emphasis on detuning factory new boards when detuning is not for everyone much like sharpening isn't either.
Experienced riders: You know hand wax is always better, your call
New riders: I doubt you'll notice the difference between a crappy factory machine wax or a hand wax, but yes, hand wax is definitely better. Again, your call
You gave your opinion and I gave mine. Neither of us are factually right :cheeky4:
I ride things factory first. Then I do adjustments afterwards if needed. I don't skip straight to the adjustment phase before jumping on a new setup.
What if you find that factory wax is good enough and you've been needlessly waxing all of your new boards from the get-go? Imagine the wax and time you would have saved. What if you find that detuning is not for you, yet that's what you immediately did to your new board?
I think I'm going to start waxing every demo board before I ride it now lol. But honestly, this is me. I came to this conclusion after riding factory new stuff. Easton came to his conclusion in the exact same way. That's all I'm advising for NEW RIDERS.
You see Easton and I came to the opposite conclusion from the same exact start. At some point, him and I rode factory waxed boards and came to our respective conclusions.
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