Head iSpeed 170 vs. 177 TT80's

Post your questions/comments about Gear here

Head iSpeed 170 vs. 177 TT80's

Postby Robert0325 » Thu Aug 09, 2018 3:22 pm

I ski on Head TT80's 177 long, I'm around 189cm tall and weigh around 95kg I love the TT80's but I've always wondered if I should have gone a bit shorter, i.e.170 as that seems the recommended length from other advice I've seen on this site.
I have been offered a reasonable price on some iSpeed 170's and wondered if I would benefit changing.
I note though that the turn radius on the TT80's at 177 is 14.4m and the iSpeed at 170m is almost the same at 14.3m. So I'm wondering now if there is any real advantage?

I've done about 50 days onTT80's so still some life in them I think...

Can anyone advice?

thanks
Robert
Robert0325
 
Posts: 139
Joined: Sat Aug 10, 2013 7:45 am
Location: England, UK

Re: Head iSpeed 170 vs. 177 TT80's

Postby jbotti » Fri Aug 10, 2018 6:56 am

They are very similar. Both great skis. skill level and preference should decide length. skiers developing PMTS skills always benefit from shorter skis (within reason as you wouldn't want to be on a 163 length). I actually own both skis in these sizes (the 176 TT 80 and the 170 SS I.Speed). I love them both. The new version of the SS I.Speed I think is better than the previous version. The new version is a 14.0 m TR in the 170.

Lastly, brand new skis have more snap and pop than skis with lots of days on them. Skis start to degrade at around 50 days on them. You might make a case for a brand new pair at some point. This also depends on skill level. If you are consistently bending the ski you will notice it a lot. If not, not so much. When they get really old (100+ days) they start to lose their edge hold. I have bought used skis in the past and was able to find some skis with minimal days on them but now I only buy new skis. Those first 20 days on a new ski are special!
Balance: Essential in skiing and in life!
User avatar
jbotti
 
Posts: 2184
Joined: Fri Nov 28, 2003 10:05 am

Re: Head iSpeed 170 vs. 177 TT80's

Postby Robert0325 » Sat Aug 11, 2018 5:37 am

Thanks for that feedback jbotti . I was hoping to get a reply from you on this as I know from previous posts that you have in depth knowledge on both these skis.
So I think if I understand correctly, very little to choose between the TT80s at 177 and the ispeeds at 170, but at 50 days plus I might start to see some loss of snap and pop with my TT80s but probably not at my level.
I’m still temped though to go for these additional skis, but I wonder with the shorter length would I find them more difficult in powder? I’m by no means a powder expert (or get to experience it very often) but I do find that my TT80s 177 cope quite well in powder if not too deep. Would I struggle with the ispeeds at 170?
Robert0325
 
Posts: 139
Joined: Sat Aug 10, 2013 7:45 am
Location: England, UK

Re: Head iSpeed 170 vs. 177 TT80's

Postby jbotti » Sat Aug 11, 2018 6:58 am

I don't think you will notice that much difference in powder. Shorter skis do challenge our fore aft balance more but I don't notice a difference between the TT80 and the shorter SS I.Speed when skiing them in some fresh snow off piste.
Balance: Essential in skiing and in life!
User avatar
jbotti
 
Posts: 2184
Joined: Fri Nov 28, 2003 10:05 am

Re: Head iSpeed 170 vs. 177 TT80's

Postby bmoose21 » Tue Aug 14, 2018 11:40 am

On the subject of used up skis ... does anyone think the number of days used matters as much for a wide/powder ski? I have a very used demo pair of Bonafides and to me they seem damp, not much rebound to them but yet they seem to ski well in soft snow. I remember seeing a vlog by Reilly McGlashan where he says he thinks powder boards last forever...thoughts?
bmoose21
 
Posts: 22
Joined: Tue Dec 12, 2017 1:36 pm

Re: Head iSpeed 170 vs. 177 TT80's

Postby jbotti » Wed Aug 15, 2018 1:34 pm

All skis lose their camber over time with age and use. The less they get bent the longer it takes for them to lose their camber. Most skiers are not or are hardly bending their skis in powder but good skiers can and do bend their skis in powder (and Reilly would be at the top of that list). But its not as much (the amount and frequency of ski bending) in a day of pow skiing as one would get arcing turns on hard snow. So two things, first most people aren't using their pow skis all that often because no one is that blessed (to get some crazy number of pow days in a year). So based on this a pow ski can last 4-5x longer than a hard snow ski. The other thing is that many pow skis today have little, no or reverse camber so for many of these skis there either isn't any camber to lose or its so little to begin with it doesn't matter. And lastly some like their fully cambered pow skis better when they lose a little camber. You don't need edge hold in pow and edge hold is what you lose when lose camber. So if its a truly a dedicated pow ski, many like them better with a little less camber or can't tell the difference.

I think that covers the bulk of the subject.
Balance: Essential in skiing and in life!
User avatar
jbotti
 
Posts: 2184
Joined: Fri Nov 28, 2003 10:05 am

Re: Head iSpeed 170 vs. 177 TT80's

Postby bmoose21 » Thu Aug 23, 2018 8:57 pm

Thanks for the response...makes perfect sense.
bmoose21
 
Posts: 22
Joined: Tue Dec 12, 2017 1:36 pm

Re: Head iSpeed 170 vs. 177 TT80's

Postby SquawHarber » Tue Feb 12, 2019 12:22 am

Great description Jbotti - if you go back and read Shane McConkey's narrative on how he first thought of reverse camber, it was in a Volant team meeting when the athletes said they preferred their older skis - in powder - which had lost their camber. The light bulb went off! It's fascinating stuff, RIP Shane.
SquawHarber
 
Posts: 19
Joined: Fri Apr 20, 2012 9:08 pm
Location: Berkeley, CA

Re: Head iSpeed 170 vs. 177 TT80's

Postby noobSkier » Tue Feb 12, 2019 12:42 pm

The 170 will be easier for drilling. I don't know about others but I have the ss speeds in 177 and for me they are totally useless for drills.
User avatar
noobSkier
 
Posts: 441
Joined: Tue Dec 06, 2016 8:35 am
Location: Quebec, Canada


Return to Gear

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Bing [Bot] and 10 guests