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Never summer sl 2012 - detune? Beginner

9K views 32 replies 14 participants last post by  jdang307 
#1 ·
OK guys...
So i'm a beginner but have wakeboarded, skated and skiied for years so anticipate progressing quickly. I have snowboarded for 1 day in total and can link turns (wouldn't say carving yet) both sides and am comfortable on most runs. Will be doing mainly groomers with some park - jumps only.

I'm going over to france in a few weeks for the whole season and have decided to snowboard primarily whilst there, a good opportunity to really get into it!

I have bought a Never Summer SL 2011/2012 158 new (clearance sale) in store and burton cartel bindings.

My first question is... am I mad to start out with this board? I really can't afford to buy several boards and I didn't want a beginner board that I would outgrow within a few weeks of the season. Am i about to eat dirt/bruise my ass for 4months?

Secondly... I dont fully understand what people are talking about but I aware that the board comes with 0 bevel. As such many people seem to detune the edges of the board - or at least the nose and tail before the contact area. I was hoping to ride the board out of the bag with no real changes - I will just wax it regularly throughout the season.
Should I be looking at detuning or changing the edge?
 
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#2 ·
Don't detune or mess with the edges at all until you have a good idea of what you're doing. Once a board is detuned you can't bring it back and if it's your only board you'll definitely want edges. I think the sl is a great board to start with, not too soft, but not too much board for a beginner
 
#3 · (Edited)
Nah, you'll be fine on that board. It's got a hybrid Reverse Camber shape and is mid flex.

To understand beveling (I'm assuming base) there are links on this board, but a quick way is to make two "L"s with your fingers (paper football style). Those L's, as they are, are a 0 bevel with your thumbs being the base and fingers being the edge.

Tilt just your thumbs toward the floor and you've made a base bevel, point just your fingers toward each other and you've made an edge bevel, point both and you've made a base and edge bevel.

Having a base bevel on the board causes the board to take a smidge longer to engage which reduces the chance of catching, when you're doing stuff. I like a one degree on the base, and one degree edge to keep things a little sharp, but wouldn't even mind just a one degree base.

All that being said, I think you can probably ride the board out of the bag with no problems and, if anything, will help you learn edge control and make you a better rider. Although I had WAY more fun after detuning the tip and tail, because eating shit because of those is something that can and should be avoided.

Remember, 90% rider 10% gear.
 
#6 ·
All that being said, I think you can probably ride the board out of the bag with no problems and, if anything, will help you learn edge control and make you a better rider. Although I had WAY more fun after detuning the tip and tail, because eating shit because of those is something that can and avoided
When you say WAY more fun, you recommending I should detune the tip and tail before the contact point? And is that more fun for buttering etc or general riding?
 
#4 ·
Secondly... I dont fully understand what people are talking about but I aware that the board comes with 0 bevel.

Should I be looking at detuning or changing the edge?
The zero bevel means that the edge base bevel is flush to the snow and the side bevel is 90 degrees to that. A lot of manufacturers bevel the base slightly (1 degree or so) so that the edge is slightly lifted off the snow. This reduces the edge from catching when you slide sideways. Park riders tend to like a higher base bevel so that they slide easier with no edge catch on rails, etc.

My personal opinion is this: you're a new rider. You will catch edges no matter what the base bevel is. Filing off metal will not save you from doing this. As you get better, you will have more subtle control over your edge angles. When you get to that point, you may have developed a personal preference for edge angles and then you can adjust things in 0.5 degree increments until you get what you want. It is very easy to increase the base bevel angle, but it is difficult to reduce it.

The rocker shape of the SL will save you from many an edge catch simply because the contact points are lifted off the snow.

Just ride it out of the box, learn, enjoy, get better. Post again when you've got 20-30 days under your belt or are carving.
 
#15 · (Edited)
A lot of people parrot stuff. Detuning the nose and tail will do little for 95% of riders... even park riders because they aren't good enough for it make a difference. I rode over 15 years and detuned the tips on one board and it was barely a difference.

You have to realize 99% of the people on this forum are not very good (i.e. anyone who describes themselves as an intermediate or less) but they like to act like what they think a expert park rider would do.

I rode a proto ct on spins and and board slide with out touching the edges.
 
#9 · (Edited)
Or you can not be a pussy and don't detune anything. Are you riding rails? No? Then don't detune any points of contact. You are gonna be carving up some sick mountains in France and want your edges to hold, not give way. I have NEVER detuned a board, but I also NEVER hit rails. I keep my edges at factory bevel and sharpen them a couple times each season to increase edge hold while carving. You will be happy when you are charging and your board doesn't fly out from under you when you hit an ice patch. That being said, detuning outside of the contact points for butters won't hurt, just make sure you are not within the contact points.

Learn to ride the board correctly WITHOUT detuning it and you will have better technique because of it. Then if you actually detune it, you will be a boss.

Also, riding hardpack and ice will detune the board slowly but naturally over time.
 
#12 ·
Doesnt matter either way. You can detune the tip and tail ... or not. You will still ride just fine.

I've ridden it both ways. I also took my NS Evo to a 1 degree bevel (both base and side) and detuned the tip and tail.

It was noticeably smoother, and less jumpy riding flat.

But you're new. Don't do shit. You don't even need to do the tip and tail, unless you're planning on buttering your first time out (unlikely).

Just ride it. Just know that 0 degree bevel makes for very quick engaging (and some brutal take downs)
 
#13 ·
So to summarise:
  • Don't worry about touching the edges until(if) you discover a need to.
  • Don't worry about the tip and tail, though it won't do any harm if you want the kill half an hour. Just be careful not to go far past the contact points, you can't put the material back on.

That's a pretty solid board and binding combo, you should progress fast on it. Where in the alps are you going to be?
 
#17 ·
There is always the satisfaction of knowing that something is 'right' regardless of whether it makes an actual difference or not.

I detune the tip and tail, well, because I can.

And to the OP your new SL is more forgiving than the straight up cambered boards that many of us learnt on. You'll be fine learning and then progressing on it. It's a great set up - exactly what I got last season.
 
#18 · (Edited)
There is always the satisfaction of knowing that something is 'right' regardless of whether it makes an actual difference or not.

I detune the tip and tail, well, because I can.
Do you deburr your edges with a diamond stone at the end of every day? That is going to make 10 times more of a difference. That's the difference between doing stuff that actually matters... and doing stuff because you think that's what the hardcore riders do.

I forgot I had this... but I did a 1-hour rail session with my board like this doing boardslides, lipslides, nosepresses and tailpresses, etc ... 0/0 bevel, no detuning.... and a busted edge. If I can't catch my edge riding a board like that (and I am by no means a great jibber)... do you really think detuning your nose or tail is going to matter much?



Edit: I should add that in general I prefer 1/1... but I only bothered to do that when the edges needed to be sharpened anyway.
 
#19 ·
sharp rails but detuned contacts imo.

0/0 is fine and you can go 1/1 no biggie.

The way NS camber profile is coupled with the 0/0 bevel can actually be more punishing than "the cambered boards we learned on" because of the rocker between the feet. This causes an instability not present on classic camber. Hence a new rider can suddenly find themselves teetering on the rocker and going to a contact point - scorpion. This is a smaller swivel point as it is only from the middle to whichever edge is caught, meaning it requires a little more finesse and it happens faster - whammo!
 
#24 ·
Yeah, I misunderstood the OP's intent.

I thought it was, "What are the benefits of detuning/beveling the board."
To which everyone has weighed in on how coar/not coar/smart/silly it is to bevel and detune.

When it was really:
"I wanna ride it out of the box, will anything catastrophic happen to me as a n00b?"
To which the answer is, "Not really. Have fun."
 
#28 ·
Just wanted to throw my 2 cents in as well and let you know that I am pretty new myself and purchased the identical setup last season...only lucky you caught the board on clearance...probably saved you a good chunk. ANYWAYS...Same set up...pretty new to the sport and my first season on the board proved fantastic as far as my progression...I was worried about the "To much board" situation but I believe it only made me better and I'm so excited to go out again this winter.. HAVE FUN! wear a helmet!:)
 
#29 ·
No matter what it can't be a more harsh ride than the regular camber, 161CM custom from 1993 that I learned on when I was 15 years old and only weighed 145 lbs. Oh, and the bunny slopes weren't open, so I leaned on all blues, haha! I'd be more focused on padding if I were you, b/c you're going to go down regardless of what you do to your edges on your first day or two. I couldn't get off the couch the next day.

Also, from a non-park guy's perspective, I've never detuned a board and get it sharpened 1x a season when I get my based grinded/repaired. Some people complain about edges being too grippy, but to that I say just don't turn as hard! Why would you ever want less edge hold??? <Again not a park guy>

If I were you, I'd throw some pads on and get out there! The quicker you get through the awkward learning phase, the quicker you'll be able to have some real fun. When you're at your lowest, keep going, b/c I've yet to find something in life as great as rewarding as snowboarding.
 
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