New board waxing

[Dida]

Hello everybody. Nice to meet you all. I have a question regarding my new Swoard!

I`ve recieved my Swoard just a week ago and there is one thing that I find odd about it.

Every previous board I owned, when new, had the base smooth as a babys bottom . It was newer so smooth like it was when it was factory waxed.
And the thing that is strange to me is that the Swoard has a pretty rough base (not like sandpaper, but not like i have expected). It can`t be compared with a base of the F2 board i previously owned.

So my question is: is that normal, or was I unfortunate that the guys at Virus didn`t wax it properly? I`d need to know so I can, if needed, get the board waxed.

Thanks!

Dida

[nils]

Its normal because we choose to have a factory grind that is sandpaper belt, not stone grind. After a few days ride, the small rough parts will get removed naturally and the base be smooth again.
Why we do this is because we have noticed the electra 4000 base is faster like this ( very small grind lines) than with a full structure done with a stone grind. Stone grind is good but not versatile: small structure works fine on cold snow, but not on wet snows, and big stone structure works not that good on colds...It means you would need a new grind when conditions change, and we prefer smooth base with no structure for this reason.
No worries
Base has been factory waxed too, and should last quite long ( electra 4000 is not really porous and does not need so much wax to work well.. ) We've noticed that using a non waxed at all base of it also works pretty amazingly ( electra has 11-12% graphite in it)..For the best result use graphited waxes.

Nils

[Dida]

Thanks Nils! I feel better now!

[Lee]

I use special baseprep wax from swix. the BP88 wax.

"BP88 was introduced in 2000-2001 For World Cup Level base prep. This "warm" wax is mixed with harder additives that helps to cut the surface hairs on a base. When it cools down the harder additives rises to the surface and pulls the Polyethene hairs in the base to the top and causing them to stiffen. When the base prep wax is scraped of the base,these hairs are then cut, allowing for a smooth surface for you to start race waxing with."
source: swix website

I applied it and it works great.

[utzel]

Base has been factory waxed too, and should last quite long ( electra 4000 is not really porous and does not need so much wax to work well.. ) We've noticed that using a non waxed at all base of it also works pretty amazingly ( electra has 11-12% graphite in it)..For the best result use graphited waxes.

Is it possible to specify that please ?

What does "quite long" mean in terms of days ? And also "non waxed at all" ?
I don´t have the feeling that the base on my Swoard is to be used without wax. The base looks and feels quite rough already after a few days.

[nils]

factory base should last 4-5 days at least ( not on very cold snow)
its advisable to rewax with graphite wax when the base appears whitish...

What i meant by natural glide of the 4000E is that even without wax it glides well...
As for hairs from belt sanding, they will remove themselves alone, takes times if the snow is always warm... cold snow will sand them away..

N.

[eaglefly]

And also "non waxed at all" ?.

Usually snowboards come with a 'factory wax' as far as I know.
It has nothing to do with Swoard but when I ordered my Axis from Donek, he shipped it without waxing it at all. So after I asked if the board was 'ready to ride' Sean recommended I do a special 'prep base' by waxing the base a few times and then do use the usual wax...that means 'non waxed at all' I guess...

[alexgforce]

Base has been factory waxed too, and should last quite long ( electra 4000 is not really porous and does not need so much wax to work well.. ) We've noticed that using a non waxed at all base of it also works pretty amazingly ( electra has 11-12% graphite in it)..For the best result use graphited waxes.

Nils,
I have to disagree with you a bit about the electra 4000. I have worked a lot with the US alpine snowboard team boards and the reason that we used this particular base on all the boards was because of its wax absorption properties.
In my experience the best thing is to use is a soft wax (conditioner wax) as soon as the board is obtained. This will penetrate the base and will create an under layer for any wax that is used afterwards (depending on the riding conditions).
Riding without waxing causes the electra 4000 to "burn" because of the friction and totally lose its ability to absorb wax.
Other base materials used in production snowboards are much more durable (harder) but have a low wax absorption ratio, therefore much slower.
The reason that manufacturers of hi-end snowboards insist of using electra 4000 is that is glides better than anything else in the market - if used and waxed properly.

[Arnaud]

Data coming from of IMS documentation

Note that effect of graphit wax has been discussed in french section :
viewtopic.php?t=1342

[fivat]

For the Swoard, we use P-Tex 4000 Elektra, not just P-Tex 4000.

So read the last line. The wax absorption is average in this base.

Patrice Fivat

[Arnaud]

Sorry it was a carelessness. Corrected.

[nils]

yes i know its not good for the base... its not scientific...but i know for sure that jacques did glide incredibly well on a poorly waxed gen1 one day compare to everyone... maybe the temp was so cold all other waxes were not adapted...i meant that its such a good base that it glides naturally well...
as for waxing, i'm not a fan of expensive waxes, and the simple vola graphite ( 15 euros/ kilo ) is the best compromise... no need for base layer even... it lasts pretty long too.
Its funny to see some boards bear big colored patches or die cut or even transparent base with graphite, because it means its going to glide less well.. we'll never sacrifice performance for looks, hence very small diecut in a non gliding area.
N

[harald]

Hi,
The waxing question also depends on the conditions where you ride. If you basically ride on icy, artificial snow, like I do, you need waxing almost every time, especially along the edges because this agressive snow burns the base. When riding on natural snow, that has not turned icy the wax and base last longer and you can run several times before rewaxing. It is also general experience that at base that is waxed often and regularly generally glides better than a based that is not waxed so often even if you do not hit the wax of the day perfectly. Downhill skiers have test skiers that run and wax their skiers 20-30 times before they use the skies in competition (according to Kjetil A. Aamodt). So my advice is, wax your board after each session, and especially along the edges even if it does not seem necessary.Then you always will have superglide.

[ngsam]

I ride every week-end and holidays with my Swoard Gen1 in all snow conditions for the last 3 years.

I wax my board only 2 - 3 times in the winter season. For example this winter I already rided 20 days and I still not rewaxed my board.

It means max 3 waxing for mini 40-50 days in the winter season. And my board is like new...
I always go faster than all the skiers- telemarkers - boarders !!
Really... by my opinion... it's not necessary to loose your time to wax again again again...

And please believe me... I hate to walk with my snowboard shoes. I am the laziest girl in the world. If it would be necessary to wax my board to save 3m of walk, I will do it! In practice it never happened. The best way to test is to take the roard between la thuile and la rosière. About 2 km of ""flat road. All the people have problems and need to walk exepted Swoard carvers "wax maniak and also none wax maniak like me ".

The PTEX electra 4000 is just incredible and don't need a lot of bla bla bla... to glide.
If you have a Vola graphite wax, I agree that's the best wax for Swoard snowboards. I tested many waxes SWIX-TOKO- No named- Vola - Soft and hard wax. The result is without any doubt better with VOLA graphite.

Don't worry, if you have a normal wax it's also good.

So.. if you have many other more interesting things to do? If you will save money and time ? Do not hesitate to NOT wax your board ! You will even glide 30 % faster than all other UFO on the slope.

[pokkis]

as for waxing, i'm not a fan of expensive waxes, and the simple vola graphite ( 15 euros/ kilo ) is the best compromise... no need for base layer even... it lasts pretty long too.N

Where one can get that stuff with that price? Lowest i found was 15euros/200gram