Any News?

Support about extremecarving or freecarve/freeride Swoard boards, hardboots and bindings

Moderators: fivat, rilliet, nils

kelvin o
Rank 4
Rank 4
Posts: 77
Joined: Friday 22 March 2002, 21:47
Location: New York, NY
Contact:

Any News?

Post by kelvin o » Friday 25 February 2005, 0:56

Last heard that the boards might be available end of February in shops. Any word on this and do you have a list of shops that they are/would be in? Thanks!

User avatar
nils
Swoard founder
Swoard founder
Posts: 3043
Joined: Friday 22 March 2002, 19:22
Location: Lyon, France - Swoard team
Contact:

not ready :(

Post by nils » Friday 25 February 2005, 9:29

awaiting the topsheets colors to be ready.. all the rest is ready but waiting for those topsheets!
But we'll have to send sample boards/ demos to a few shops before some of them decide for sure...
Of course publishing their name will put them under customer pressure so we will do this on a regular basis as soon as they receive the demos!

Nils

User avatar
Jakob
Rank 4
Rank 4
Posts: 72
Joined: Tuesday 27 January 2004, 22:54
Location: Slovenia

Post by Jakob » Friday 25 February 2005, 9:38

Could you share some info about the boards with us? I noticed in Zinal that demo/proto boards (I hope I was looking at the right ones - blue) didn't have the tip/tail protection or full edge wrap which some people pointed out already as a bit weak point. Is there going to be some protection? And what about the topsheet that was also said to be a bit too easy to scratch?

I guess we are getting nervous, aren't we? :wink:

Thanks,

Jakob
Element - water.

User avatar
Silber
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 1953
Joined: Tuesday 6 April 2004, 12:40
Location: Milan, Italy
Contact:

Post by Silber » Friday 25 February 2005, 10:18

Jacob, the Protos were of a light gray color. For what I saw the topsheet seemed to be much bettere and it does have tail protection.
Francesco Swoard (1G175M 3G175M020 e 168H054),Wingergun205,Shaman193,TTubeS1/174GS,F2 (RS183'08 e'06/Lancelot/Slbpfl),Virus (Hurric./Dragon),Pogo (Hardc./Imp.),Burton (FP/Speed/PJ/CustomX),WildDuckFantasy, Duret168, OxygenProton168GS

User avatar
Jakob
Rank 4
Rank 4
Posts: 72
Joined: Tuesday 27 January 2004, 22:54
Location: Slovenia

Post by Jakob » Friday 25 February 2005, 10:34

Now I remember I saw those as well! What you're saying are good news! :D

Thanks,

Jakob
Element - water.

User avatar
nils
Swoard founder
Swoard founder
Posts: 3043
Joined: Friday 22 March 2002, 19:22
Location: Lyon, France - Swoard team
Contact:

finish of the new boards

Post by nils » Friday 25 February 2005, 11:04

topsheet: we have tried sublimated topsheets with jet dot prints: quality is crap ( paint is just too close to the exterior) > we are now going back to the expensive silkscreen technology that provides the best sharpen details and is also UNDER the topsheet so the material protects it!

Previous boards are using ICP material from Isosport, and it happens to be a good vibration absorber BUT too fragile to scratches. We are soon ordering 1 km of a better material from IMS ( the brand that makes the electra 4000).
The new material is much much stronger ( similar to the rossitop on rossi boards). Silkscreen are made, colors almost matching the other ones ( under definition now) and i'm waiting next week to receive a few samples of the IMS stuff so we can test the epoxy paints on them before buying the km :). Then we order the km, then it is painted ( 200 topsheets first) then let dry for 5-6 days, then shipped to virus to launch production! etc...We are facing slowness of IMS that is better at speeding when ROssi orders compare to when a small brand like us orders hehe...

Also the topsheet is better protected because virus does bevel the topsheet so its less subject to scratches from the sides.

Nose/tail protection: as on the virus boards, the tips are now protected by a urethane insert that allows for a much stronger tip.

Edges: due to the shape of the nose, and the corners with high angles of the tail,, it is impossible to do a full edge wrap. As explained earlier, we do believe a board is stronger to shocks when there is no edge to bump onto on the nose for example. Because the steel is pushing inside the core, and it is very difficult to repair usually.
On the new boards the edges go 4-5 cm further up on the nose, and 1-2 cm more on the tail. Curiously this has NOT been an issue on the previous production ( no one ever teared out an edge)

I'll put pics of details of the 2D démos without the new topsheet of course so you can see what is is about!

Nils

User avatar
Dave
Rank 5
Rank 5
Posts: 140
Joined: Tuesday 3 February 2004, 20:03
Location: Zwevegem,(W-Vl)Belgium
Contact:

Post by Dave » Friday 25 February 2005, 12:52

But we'll have to send sample boards/ demos to a few shops before some of them decide for sure...
Of course publishing their name will put them under customer pressure so we will do this on a regular basis as soon as they receive the demos!
I have a shop, a private one :lol:

Can't wait to see and test them!!!

Dave
Party hard, party wise
Swoard2005 168H 004, Northwave nexus grey

kelvin o
Rank 4
Rank 4
Posts: 77
Joined: Friday 22 March 2002, 21:47
Location: New York, NY
Contact:

US dist?

Post by kelvin o » Friday 25 February 2005, 15:10

Have you contacted Starting Gate or any of the other carve/alpine oriented shops here in the US for possible US distribution? From the forum it seems there is interest over on this side of the pond (even IF you guys are part of "old Europe" :wink: :) ).

Also Nils, I seem to have seen on the French or German site that you still have a 161H available. Could you go into how the warantee issues would work with the old boards if something goes wrong (knock on wood...)? I'm looking for a new board for next year and am in no hurry but the discount on the old boards is attractive. Thanks!

User avatar
nils
Swoard founder
Swoard founder
Posts: 3043
Joined: Friday 22 March 2002, 19:22
Location: Lyon, France - Swoard team
Contact:

warranties

Post by nils » Friday 25 February 2005, 17:02

All boards have a full one year warranty.

Even the discounted ones :)
It means in case it breaks due to a manufacturing defect, you will receive in exchange a Gen II Swoard. In case of problem and if you bought a board with small defects, you are paying the difference with the new full price boards only.

For your info: we had only 4 cases of breakage/major prob since we started production of Gen I Swoards. On the three, two were pressed with too much strengh, causing a lack of resin inside the boards. One had the same symtoms after a shock with a stone that would not have break the board if the glue was ok, and the last one lost all flex after a few days riding from H to S flex suddenly. All the boards were replaced of course.

We had close friends using boards that were totally reglued in the factory delam over 50 cm under the feet reglue the boards with araldite, pressing them at home and riding like new without new probs :)... It means the boards are rather strong construction wise!. And also that GenII will be way stronger! since the resin cures slowier, and QC will be german :)

Nils

kelvin o
Rank 4
Rank 4
Posts: 77
Joined: Friday 22 March 2002, 21:47
Location: New York, NY
Contact:

Thanks Nils

Post by kelvin o » Friday 25 February 2005, 17:23

How about the other parts of the question? :)

US distributor and the 161H?

User avatar
nils
Swoard founder
Swoard founder
Posts: 3043
Joined: Friday 22 March 2002, 19:22
Location: Lyon, France - Swoard team
Contact:

ahh hehe sorry

Post by nils » Friday 25 February 2005, 18:52

US distributor: under way but still not ready for this winter... should get ready by next.... Meanwhile u'll have to order through a french/swiss retailer to ship overseas...

161H yes that is the last boards we have: 3 x 161H
(they should be on the listing i guess)

Nils
gonna be away two days for a small helitrip near chamonix :) won't be able to answer!

kelvin o
Rank 4
Rank 4
Posts: 77
Joined: Friday 22 March 2002, 21:47
Location: New York, NY
Contact:

Post by kelvin o » Thursday 3 March 2005, 22:25

Nils,
I sent an email re: the 161H. Did you get it?

User avatar
nils
Swoard founder
Swoard founder
Posts: 3043
Joined: Friday 22 March 2002, 19:22
Location: Lyon, France - Swoard team
Contact:

gotcha!

Post by nils » Thursday 3 March 2005, 23:02

just answered u :)

Nils

User avatar
skywalker
Rank 5
Rank 5
Posts: 815
Joined: Saturday 3 August 2002, 11:24
Location: Fribourg (CH)

Shops

Post by skywalker » Friday 4 March 2005, 6:50

Hi Nils.

What about the SWOARD Dealers? Have you already decided, which shops will be your partners? Or to make my question clear: Are any suggestions wanted for the local HB-Store from the EC-forum?

best regards

Tom
free extreme carving

User avatar
nils
Swoard founder
Swoard founder
Posts: 3043
Joined: Friday 22 March 2002, 19:22
Location: Lyon, France - Swoard team
Contact:

we are working on it

Post by nils » Friday 4 March 2005, 9:06

working on it in france, switzerland, north america, and still looking in germany/austria....
Maybe we'll work with some dealers that already work with Virus there... we'll work on it with Frank!... To my opinion a good place would be to have a dealer in Sölden for austria, and someone in bayern..

Stay tuned!

Nils

Locked