x-metal bars

[dan]

ok guys i finally got the x-metal bars and turnplate just wondering does anyone cut their bars to make them shorter??
oh and is their any way i can use my stock bearings??

 

[Brenden]

dont cut the bars!! they made them longer for more leverage.PLzE do not cut them

 

[dan]

ok i will not cut them, but also wondering if you can use the stock bearings??

 

[Matt_E]

Stock steering doesn't have bearings. Do you mean UMI bearings?

 

[dan]

no i dont have umi bearings,i just wanted to see if i can get away with out having to buy the umi stuff just yet.

 

[cambo au]

buy the umi you wont be disapointed

 

[Big Kahuna]

no i dont have umi bearings,i just wanted to see if i can get away with out having to buy the umi stuff just yet.

You could come up with a way to use the stock setup, contact Freestylegeek, he has done this.

 

[sflsurfrider]

You could come up with a way to use the stock setup, contact Freestylegeek, he has done this.

whats the point in that?

 

[Soul Man]

INMHO the UMI system isn't really worth much. I thought it would make the steering smoother, but once you tighten it down to remove the wobble it feels exactly like the stock set up. The bearings don't do crap (the roller ones do, sort of, but no better feel/smoothness/resistance etc. than stock bushing). The big main bearing only comes into play if you are completely twisting the steering sideways (bending on the vertical axis instead of rotating on it).

If they made them with a thrust bearing that you compressed against that would be nice.

 

[njfl]

I also hate the UMI setup although I have two of them for my XMetal systems. I keep begging Pat to fab something but the guy has so little time. Hopefully soon. Someone else (or a lot of people) should start bugging him.

I did hear that TBM has a less expensive bearing assembly that may work with the XMetal pole, but I have not seen it.

 

[Mark44]

The UMI thrush bearing sucks..... I have the JSS spacer in there and it works much better I still have to tighten up the nylock time and time again. I want to drill it and cotter pin it but have not got around to it yet.

Mark44

 

[sflsurfrider]

whats so bad about the UMI system. i swear that in the 3 skis that ive had them on, ive never had one single problem w/ them. well, i did have the nut coming loose problem in the beginning on my first one, but that was easily fixed by spraying brake cleaner on the nut and threads and red-loctiting the hell out of them. :dunno:

 

[Matt_E]

What's bad is the exorbitant price for little benefit.

I got mine fof 50 bucks, complete. I would never pay full retail for that.

 

[sflsurfrider]

i never pay full retail for anything ski related. besides, if you buy the umi setup, you can cut it down to run straight bars. now you have, whats equivilant to, -3.5" steering AND ball bearings for about $100.

that beats cutting the pole down or buying a shortened pole.

 

[Matt_E]

I agree. But I'd have a hard time paying more than 100 bucks for the whole shebang.

 

[sflsurfrider]

$100 is including the straight bar.

 

[WaveDemon]

dont cut the bars!! they made them longer for more leverage.PLzE do not cut them

I don't understand this statement. the bars arn't hard to turn, by putting longer bars on arn't you havning to push them further to turn the same abount on shorter bars? doesn't that mean you are slowing your steering down?

Maybe you mean leverage on the ski and not leverage on turning the bars.

 

[sflsurfrider]

leverage as in a "wider grab" on the ski itself. think in terms of extremes for a minute. if the bars were only, say, 16" wide, youd have a hard time manipulating the ski because of the lack of leverage due to the force being so close to the fulcrum point.

granted, you will be moving your arms further with wider bars, but youll have a lot more control over the 'weight' of the ski.

+ it puts less stress on your wrists.

 

[WaveDemon]

leverage as in a "wider grab" on the ski itself. think in terms of extremes for a minute. if the bars were only, say, 16" wide, youd have a hard time manipulating the ski because of the lack of leverage due to the force being so close to the fulcrum point.

granted, you will be moving your arms further with wider bars, but youll have a lot more control over the 'weight' of the ski.

+ it puts less stress on your wrists.

alright, I'll buy that.

 

[Matt_E]

Yup...it's always chinpad in the chest for me.

I love Phill's pole...it's a squarenose pole chopped four inches. I can stand in the front of the tray with my feet touching the extinguisher and not have the pole gut punch me.