Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Neil Lyons M7 Pro + Spruce Riser Review

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Neil Lyons M7 Pro + Spruce Riser Review

    I got a pair of M7 pro's w/ spruce risers recently, so I thought I'd share my experience. Just for reference, I'm about 6'1" 195#.

    I don't get to get on the slopes as much as I'd like (welcome to living in Indiana), but the last few years that I've gone, I've rented snowblades (yes, snowblades) and had a blast. Last year I was out in CO, and had even more fun on a pair of solomon mini maxes. This year I decided that I'd paid enough rental fees, and decided to just buy some gear. After some reading online, I learned that the stuff I had been renting was crap, and that I could look forward to a lot better performance from a good pair of canons or something similar.

    The first weekend out with the new boards was a lot of fun. I had done all the binding adjustments myself (the directions are very clear) even though I'd never adjusted ski bindings before. Turns out I had them set too loose as I had one pop off landing a jump, but I got that tightened up, and haven't had that problem since.

    The boards are great. Very stable, even at high speeds, and very lively in the halfpipe. A TON more stable then the salomon snowblade crap I was used to. I was afraid that the releasable bindings wouldn't provide a "connected" feel to the boards, but they work great. It is nice that they pop off when I bail, and they ride great.

    The only real disappointment I had was that they felt a little slow. My brother was consistently passing me on his snowboard, even when I was bombing full out, and that was really getting me down a little. Which brings me to my next point:

    Get a good hotwax on these things before you take them out on the slopes!

    I got them waxed before the start of the next weekend, and it made a HUGE difference. Tons faster, and I was about neck and neck with my bro on his snowboard, and actually probably a bit faster in places. Lets just say I was passed on the slopes very rarely after the wax by anyone, skis or snowboards... These boards are GREAT at high speeds, and tons of fun to carve down the hill with.

    They also jump well. After the minor incident of accidentally losing my right board on landing, I tightened the bindings, and I didn't have that problem again. The springiness of the boards was nice for landings, and once I started trusting the bindings to stay put, getting good air was a lot of fun!


    Overall, I am very pleased with these boards. They are great for bombing down the slopes, they were great in the woods, they were great in the pipe, and great on jumps. My only minor complaint is that the finish they used on the top surface doesn't seem to hold too well. It's a dark paint scheme with white fiberglass (or something) underneath, and so every nick and scratch shows. After I ride these for awhile, they could start to look pretty thrashed. A thick polyurethane topcoat like the ones you see on regular skiis might be a good idea. But, they are cheap enough that after they get too worn out, I can just buy some new ones. These are great boards, and I would recommend them to anyone. I was up in michigan the last 2 weekends with them, and even though I can't get clear back up there this weekend, we are going to try to do a night ski at a local resort (they do have tiny bumps here in indiana) and at least have some fun in the terrain park.

    Bottom line: These boards rock. The bindings feel great, and it's nice to have the peace of mind that they'll release if you somehow bail doing 40MPH down a hill. I can't wait to get out on the slopes again!


  • #2
    Ahh...good 'ole Indiana...I don't miss that place much. I'm grew up in Ft. Wayne. You're right though, your boards will get thrashed if you bail a lot (like me). The topsheet is definitely fragile, but I think that's pretty much the status quo when it comes to skiboards. That's why I'm probably not going to ride my BG Pro's this season. I'll keep letting my M7's get tore up and make sure I keep the epoxy handy.

    Comment


    • #3
      I seem to be having the same problem with my Snowjam's. I just got them and they look worst then my skis that are 4 years old. A nice thick more durable layer would be a lot better...

      Comment


      • #4
        i have snowjams too. at first i was suprised how easily they scratched. then i look down and think *who cares!? they work*

        i dont really care if theyre scratched on top anymore, doesnt effect performance. adds character, anyway. i think it looks kinda retarded to have perfect boards... seems like you dont ride enough.

        anyway.. just my 2 cents, peace

        Comment


        • #5
          yea i agree. It was weird to see my riding on new unscracthed boards. It feels weird at first but now i guess im ok with the scratches...not much i could do to them...so i'll live with it. The only other noticeable problem is the rust on the bottom tips. Other then that they are great boards!

          Comment


          • #6
            sandpaper & rough sponges (the kitchen sink scrubbing sponge type material) work real quick and easy to scratch away the rust.

            you could always make designs out of scratches with a knife too... lol

            Comment


            • #7
              I take out rust using Mother's metal polish and a rag. That won't take off unnecessary metal from the edges, and a good thing is they really *shine* out the edges.

              Top sheets seem to be very poorly made from just about all skiboard companies. A few times riding my SJ90's and the top is wasted. My BG Pro's are getting to be the same way, but not as bad because its all white, and hard to see the details unless seen up close.
              Snow Jam 90TT

              Comment

              Working...
              X