Head Supershape Speed 2016

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Head Supershape Speed 2016

Postby woomass75 » Fri Sep 23, 2016 8:15 am

Hi. East coast PMTS newbie here. I was thinking of pulling the trigger on these http://www.ebay.com/itm/2016-Head-i-Supershape-Speed-170cm-Mens-Skis-w-PRD-12-88mm-Bindings-/191885660439?hash=item2cad46d117. Looks pretty cheap to me. The bindings are unmounted though. If I were to have these mounted at a local shop, is there anything special you guys would recommend they do? I'm 6ft. 230lb. I have a pair of Dalbello Lupo 130 flex for boots.

Second question. Normally I would get the 177cm but since I'm new to PMTS I was leaning towards the 170cm however I'm on the heavier side? Outside of PMTS I would consider myself and advanced intermediate skier.
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Re: Head Supershape Speed 2016

Postby njdiver85 » Fri Sep 23, 2016 9:06 am

Make sure you call and speak to that shop in Canada before ordering. I once tried to order some Head skis from them. They often don't have in stock what they show on ebay.
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Re: Head Supershape Speed 2016

Postby NoCleverName » Fri Sep 23, 2016 9:42 am

I run about 25 lbs lighter and I have the new SS ... coming from a 170 TT800 that is just fine for east coast.

The price you are looking at is about 35-40% off what they were sold for last year in a shop which already doesn't charge MSRP. So it would seem to be a good deal for last year's model. I think i handed over about $900 for this year's model.
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Re: Head Supershape Speed 2016

Postby jbotti » Fri Sep 23, 2016 10:11 am

Those PRD bindings don't need to be mounted. Its a system binding with pre mounted plates. Bindings just slide on and into place. Takes about 3 minutes. If you don't know how to do this it does make sense to take them to a shop and have them put them on and set your dins.
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Re: Head Supershape Speed 2016

Postby ToddW » Fri Sep 23, 2016 6:20 pm

woomass75 wrote:Second question. Normally I would get the 177cm but since I'm new to PMTS I was leaning towards the 170cm however I'm on the heavier side? Outside of PMTS I would consider myself and advanced intermediate skier.


Get the 170. You'll learn faster. If the 170 can sustain the ski bending loads that Harald can apply, it will hold you too.
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Re: Head Supershape Speed 2016

Postby woomass75 » Sat Sep 24, 2016 5:06 am

Thanks for the info everyone. I'll go with the 170cm and the bindings seem like a non issue.
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Re: Head Supershape Speed 2016

Postby Ken » Mon Sep 26, 2016 5:01 pm

Once you get your skis and get on the snow, experiment with the binding position. On the previous Supershape Speeds, a friend preferred the bindings set one notch forward of the mark for her boot size. I like two notches forward for my Rallys. Moving the toe & heel bindings forward or back an equal amount changes nothing in the release. The two notches forward on the Rallys made those skis really come alive with much better tip bite.

If the new skis seem squirrely, get them tuned. It isn't a surprise when new skis continue to cure after they've left the factory and get slightly cupped.
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Re: Head Supershape Speed 2016

Postby Cleveland » Sun Oct 02, 2016 1:03 pm

l'm also contemplating buying this 170cm i.supershape speed, but they come with the PRD 88mm binding. I searched online and found the suggestion (someplace, I can't find it again) that the binding width be no more than 15 mm wider than the ski underfoot. With the Supershape speed measuring 66mm under foot, the installed binding is 22 mm wider. I'm expecting to use them for recreational racing and wonder if the this could be a problem.

Thanks for any thoughts.

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Re: Head Supershape Speed 2016

Postby woomass75 » Sun Oct 02, 2016 1:59 pm

The 88mm is referring to the break width not the actual binding width.
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Re: Head Supershape Speed 2016

Postby JMD » Mon Oct 03, 2016 7:45 am

Hello Cleveland. You can get bye with the 88mm brakes. They do draw up out of way while skiing. However they do have extra movement/slop while transporting the skis with the bases pressed/locked together. The 80mm brakes are a much better fit for the 66mm ispeeds if you can locate them.
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Re: Head Supershape Speed 2016

Postby njdiver85 » Tue Oct 04, 2016 7:06 am

I believe that description with the 88mm may be wrong. Here is a copy of a previous post on this matter . . .

theorist wrote:For the 2016 PRD's, the 85 mm width is the right one -- it's the narrowest they offer. Head/Tyrolia introduced a new brake design this year ("Power Brake²") that retracts more fully into the housing; this enables each brake to cover a wider range of ski widths, which reduces the number of brake widths they need to produce and their retailers need to carry. You can also use last year's 80 mm brake. Not sure how the net retracted configuration of this year's more-retractable 85 compares with that of last year's less-retractable 80.

Here's the copy from their catalog:

"Power Brake² for [A],[B],[D] and [F]

HEAD/TYROLIA introduce the new Power Brake² with a better retraction up to 30
mm in comparison to former brakes. The new brake retracts completely to the
heel housing. HEAD/TYROLIA reduces the amount of brake models in PB segments
[A],[B],[D] and [F] due to new width split – 85/95/110/130/150 (from 26 to 19 models).
Power Brake² feature a fully compatibility – new brakes match with old bindings
and old brakes match with new bindings."
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Re: Head Supershape Speed 2016

Postby theorist » Tue Oct 04, 2016 9:06 am

njdiver85 wrote:I believe that description with the 88mm may be wrong. Here is a copy of a previous post on this matter . . .

Yeah, something's not right.

The 2016 (by which I mean '15-'16 season) brakes for the PRD came in widths 85/95/110/130/150, so the 2016 66 mm Supershapes came with the 85.
The 2015 and earlier brakes for the PRD came in widths 80/88/97/115/130, so the 2015 and earlier 66 mm Supershapes came with the 80.

Thus fact that they are advertising an 88 mm brake for a 66 mm 2016 ski constitutes a discrepancy, since it means (a) the brakes are not from 2016, and (b) are the wrong width. You should clarify this with the seller (asogear). I bought a pair of discontinued skis (the old Head Rock 'n Rolls) from them, and they seemed to be a reputable shop, so they should be able to clear this up, in particular confirm what year the skis are from. They buy and resell clearance merchandise, so sometimes skis and brakes/bindings get mixed and matched.

JMD wrote:Hello Cleveland. You can get bye with the 88mm brakes. They do draw up out of way while skiing. However they do have extra movement/slop while transporting the skis with the bases pressed/locked together. The 80mm brakes are a much better fit for the 66mm ispeeds if you can locate them.


I would recommend against the 88's, just because you always want to get the narrowest brake that fits the ski. Even though the brakes will draw up from the snow, they still overhang the sides of the ski. You can experience a very nasty crash from an overly wide brake, since if you ski with a narrow stance they can cause the two skis to get tanged up with each other.
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Re: Head Supershape Speed 2016

Postby woomass75 » Tue Oct 04, 2016 6:34 pm

I did end up ordering these. They came in the mail the other day. The skis are the 2015-2016 model not the 2014-2015. But I think you are right about the bindings. They are the 2014-2015 bindings. If the brake width becomes an issue it looks like they can be swapped out fairly easily as they come separate from the heel piece. I looked around online and you an buy the 80mm brakes for under $50.
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Re: Head Supershape Speed 2016

Postby Cleveland » Wed Oct 05, 2016 6:09 pm

Wow, lots of helpful info! I'll likely call asogear tomorrow and if they affirm the ski comes with the 80mm break I think I'll jump at the deal. If not, I may just take a chance anyway.

Thanks all,

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Re: Head Supershape Speed 2016

Postby theorist » Wed Oct 05, 2016 7:57 pm

If not, you can always ask them if they can swap out the brake for you; sometimes stores are willing to do that, if they have a variety of widths on hand.
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