Post
by Sam Gordon » Sat Nov 07, 2009 6:37 pm
THAT sort of knobbling I can accept!
Michael and I have been testing the Vite on the flat in Hyde Park today. It's turning action is buttery smooth with quick turn initiation when run flat to the deck (zero riser angle). Despite my initial concerns that the front end might be too twitchy, the board whistled through 5 1/2 ft straight with ease and with a progressive, yet snappy feel. Lovely!
At the current angle, little riser is needed. The wheel travel path is fast turning, but moves in a comparatively horizontal plane, so that vertical travel in the turning action is not so great. No need of huge amounts of riser, then.
We then tested the truck dewedged to see how it would operate. First 5 degrees of steering was taken out, then 8 degrees.
Both angles felt smooth and progressive when freeriding, the 8 degree lending itself towards a hybrid course turn. Whilst the freeriding option shoud not be dismissed, the Vite is designed to be a fast turning truck first and foremost. With the exaggeratedly reduced turn angle (-8*) the progressive turn feel was improved a little, however this marginal benefit was outweighed y a greater comparative reduction in tun initiation. Vertical wheel travel at this angle as also greatly increased so demanding a higher flat riser to prevent wheelbite.
The 5 degree reverse wedge helped to return much of the snap that had been reduced by the -8 riser. Progression in turn rate seemed similar. Excellent for freeride, however when run through cones the turn initiation was not quite as rapid as preferred.
We then returned to running the truck flat again. Turn initiation was great, as was the progressive feel, however the shoulders of the bushing seat served to work as turn limiters, so preventing the fullest arc of turn to be tested. Whilst this made the truck operate very well on the tight straight course, final turn point and tipping/pitching point could not be determined. In other words, how would the truck behave at the steepest part of its turn?
All of this will be addressed through new machining in prototype version 2. Given that many of today's slalom decks have a sight upturn at the nose (Pavl Pirnack for example), a couple of steering degrees are incidentally added to the baseplate, so steepening the angle. Version 2 will therefore be reduced in angle by 3 degrees as both security measure (to prevent the possibility of pitching on step nosed decks) and to maintain turn initiation snap with progressive action. 3mm with be added to the truck height in order to accommodate the increased vertical wheel travel.
In such a way, the new version can be easily tuned using a 3 degree angled riser either to give the truck a super whippy turn initiation, or to make it the perfect choice for tight hybrid courses.
However you run the Virage Vite, you are really going to enjoy the precision feel of the smooth turning action offered up by its supertight tolerances and free-flowing bearing. Yum!!!
Sam