# Do I need to detune a new board



## Dano (Sep 16, 2009)

Depends if it's a strictly rail, box, and street jib board.


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## Guest (Mar 13, 2010)

The board will be used mainly for carving down east coast runs at high speed, probably wont see any action in the park. Detune still?


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## Dano (Sep 16, 2009)

Fuck no! If this board is for bombing mountains, especially ice, groomers, or hard pack, you'll need those edges. Detuning a freeride board is the last thing you want to do dude


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## wasaskier (Jan 27, 2010)

fine as is


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## rasmasyean (Jan 26, 2008)

I've read that you start from the nose/tail to the contact-point as a must.
Then you go toward the middle 0 -> 2 inches depending on freeride -> park.
Then you do from the middle toward to the rest depending on the rail tricks.
You can also bevel the middle so that you will still be able to carve good while reducing catches on boardslides.

It depends on personal preference ultimately. You can do a little at a time and see when to stop.


EDIT: Now that I think about it, it might be the "widest part" rather than the contact point. Because the widest part is where the edge stops engaging the snow when in a carve...when your board is leaning in an angle. Not sure about this though. I've always used the contact point as a reference myself.


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## Guest (Mar 13, 2010)

I read the same. This is the 1st new board that I own.
Its K2's most expensive board, comparable to the burton vapor
and UL. I dont want to mess it up, I guess I cant go wrong keeping
things the way they are, ride it, and then see....


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## Mr. Polonia (Apr 5, 2009)

you dont need to detune crap....after the board comes out of the factory, the edges are sharpened and detuned at the tip and tail.

If u want to be strictily at the park, then yes, you want to detune along your effective edge to prevent any catches on rails or boxes.

Once you start sharpening your own edges, only then you want to detune and dull out the edges about 1/2-1" INTO the effective edge. If you dont, then as youre initiating a carve, the edges will dig in too much and cause you to catch.

you should be fine as is


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## Dano (Sep 16, 2009)

I ride a Custom X. If there was ever a board you'd be afraid of catching an edge on and getting slammed, that would be the one. Hasen't happened to me once, not because I detuned my edges, but because I know how to ride. Don't detune your board, you'll ruin it and waste your money. If you're so afraid of catching an edge, I don't think it's a board maintenance issue, I think you need to take a lesson and tighten up your riding.


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## Guest (Mar 13, 2010)

Definately not afraid of catching. In the past, ive only owned used boards, this is my first new one. I have never detuned any of my boards, but there are sources all over the web talkin about detuning brand new boards...ill adhere to the advice everyone here has provided and leave the board as is.


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## rasmasyean (Jan 26, 2008)

Mr. Polonia said:


> you dont need to detune crap....after the board comes out of the factory, the edges are sharpened and detuned at the tip and tail.
> 
> If u want to be strictily at the park, then yes, you want to detune along your effective edge to prevent any catches on rails or boxes.
> 
> ...


Not all boards come detuned. You have to check.

What's "effective edge"? Please define.


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## rasmasyean (Jan 26, 2008)

Dano said:


> I ride a Custom X. If there was ever a board you'd be afraid of catching an edge on and getting slammed, that would be the one. Hasen't happened to me once, not because I detuned my edges, but because I know how to ride. Don't detune your board, you'll ruin it and waste your money. If you're so afraid of catching an edge, I don't think it's a board maintenance issue, I think you need to take a lesson and tighten up your riding.


And also, detuning helps flat basing and prevents wobliness. You can say that you can handle it if you're good, but once you go a lot faster and it wobbles more...well...
Edge beveling does too.

As long as you don't remove a huge amount of steel, a shop can grind it back to sharp 90-90. It doesn't "ruin" your board. Riding it does. And eventually you're going to have to sharpen it unless all you do is take it in fluffy fresh 4 ft powder with nothing else exposed.


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## Reede (Feb 16, 2009)

I rode my board for a year without getting it detuned and after getting a proper edge job and detune in the tip/tail the difference was pretty dramatic. On flats it was sketchy to ride before and after it was beautiful, gave me a lot more confidence. and at no cost to edge hold on hardpack either.


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## Snowfox (Dec 26, 2009)

It sounds like it's pretuned (sorta) so I wouldn't mess with it without trying it first. 

I know a lot of people say to detune the head and tail as those aren't useful for carving (or anything to my knowledge other than catching edges :laugh. So you can probably do that safely. 
Don't detune anything else though, at least not yet.


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## FLuiD (Jul 6, 2009)

I de-tune the tip and tail of ALL of my boards. I have not done it on a few new boards and it's definitely hooky etc if you're not use to it. I prefer them tip/tail de-tuned!!!


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## rasmasyean (Jan 26, 2008)

FLuiD said:


> I de-tune the tip and tail of ALL of my boards. I have not done it on a few new boards and it's definitely hooky etc if you're not use to it. I prefer them tip/tail de-tuned!!!


How do you go about selecting what the "tip and tail" is?


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## FLuiD (Jul 6, 2009)

Ok...I do from these blue circles all the way around the tip/tail...










If you take like a file and hold it against the base from the bottom you can identify the contact point. I go to the contact point and fade it in from that 1/2" - 1"


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## rasmasyean (Jan 26, 2008)

FLuiD said:


> Ok...I do from these blue circles all the way around the tip/tail...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Did you draw that yourself? If not, how can you tell they aren't talking about the contact point when the board is on it's side? vs. flat on the floor.


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## Mr. Polonia (Apr 5, 2009)

rasmasyean said:


> Not all boards come detuned. You have to check.
> 
> What's "effective edge"? Please define.


effective edge is the edge that comes in contact with the snow when turning. If u have a long one, then this will provide better stability and wider turns. A shorter one will give you tighter turning. The sidecut radius also comes into play with this


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## Mr. Polonia (Apr 5, 2009)

Dano said:


> If you're so afraid of catching an edge, I don't think it's a board maintenance issue, I think you need to take a lesson and tighten up your riding.


This is very true. Detuning edges is not a sin...you can still do it for more forgiveness when riding, but you hit it on the head. If u perfect your riding, then there is no need of doing this.
Especially when u buy a high-end board. You want those edges to be sharp for tighter carving.

Once you detune them, youre pretty much altering the specs of that board and you wont get that same result anymore IMHO.


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## Mr. Polonia (Apr 5, 2009)

rasmasyean said:


> Did you draw that yourself? If not, how can you tell they aren't talking about the contact point when the board is on it's side? vs. flat on the floor.


once u lay the board down on it side, the 2 points that touch the ground are the contact points. This will be the reference to use when detuning your tip and tail.

when the board is flat, once you start turning, the boards camber will flex and these "contact points" will be the first part of the effective edge to come into play with the snow. So for those that ride sloppy at first, this will be what will cause you to catch an edge and thats why they detune them.


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## earl_je (Oct 20, 2009)

detuning is overrated... only do so IF you keep catching an edge. As what polonia said, tighten up on your riding before you even do anything on the board. I'm surprised at how some people would immediately detune without even riding a new board FIRST.

When you demo a board, you ride it fresh and untouched from factory specs. You don't demo one and contemplate how it would ride if it's been detuned. My .02.


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## Zee (Feb 21, 2008)

I detune the tip and tail on all my boards. I rode my postermania with the tip/tail detuned for a couple of days, and detuned it last night. I definitely prefer the feel of a detuned tip/tail.


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## rasmasyean (Jan 26, 2008)

Mr. Polonia said:


> once u lay the board down on it side, the 2 points that touch the ground are the contact points. This will be the reference to use when detuning your tip and tail.
> 
> when the board is flat, once you start turning, the boards camber will flex and these "contact points" will be the first part of the effective edge to come into play with the snow. So for those that ride sloppy at first, this will be what will cause you to catch an edge and thats why they detune them.


I see your point. Makes sense. In addition to turning however, I would have to say that when flat basing (or shallow board angles), detuning also makes a difference as well (as have mentioned). So in this case, the "contact points" that would come to play are the ones when the board is FLAT on the floor.

So when detuning, you have to take into consideration which type of technique is more important: 

carving and high angles
-or- 
flat basing and low angles 

In the former case, maybe you don't want to detune that far down the "effective edge". But in the latter case, you want to detune into it (at least up to the flat-based contact points). The question then becomes how far in either cases...


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## Mr. Polonia (Apr 5, 2009)

rasmasyean said:


> So when detuning, you have to take into consideration which type of technique is more important:
> 
> carving and high angles
> -or-
> ...


I see what youre saying too...i love to flat base especially on long flats because i pick up speed more ( Others will argue about that :cheeky4: ) but to tell you the truth i still ride flat with my edges un-touched. 1* base bevel and 1* side edge.

At the end it all comes down to practice and keeping your body in-line with the board and to also know when to bail out of flat basing ex. hi-crosswinds. I rode my Custom X a yr ago and took a break from it since i got a softer freestyle board, and on that board i learned a lot. So when i jumped on my Custom again, i put everything i learned onto this board and actually was able to flat base pretty flawlessly since last yr i was catching edges.

It all comes down to practice, body alignment, as well as how to shift your weight around.

IMHO, if u practice the hard way, then this will drastically improve tightness of your riding, and sloppiness will not exist in your vocabulary haha:thumbsup:


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## Tommiy (Feb 3, 2021)

I just bought factory new GNU carbon credit. I feel like this board has a little too much edge sharpness, I'm a very lightweight guy and I can definitely feel the excess "traction". Especially on toeside I catch the edge very easily when icy or packed snow. I'm also very much a beginner and there is lots to learn on snowboarding but I need more confidence when riding on the stated surfaces. I wish to have a little softer feeling on the board and not wanting to throw the board around to turn etc. Maybe detuning the edges is the right way to go?

Already detuned slightly from the circled part. The metal was actually sticking out where it ends, so I smoothed it to go with the board edge.


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