Lets talk Bamboo

[leboeuf]

Do you guys have any binding issues with the bamboo? Or does it hold up to screws well enough? I think I saw some of you were using some kind of insert.

[Guest]

You shouldn't need an insert unless you plan on swapping bindings a lot. The screws feel very solid going in and should stay put if everything is done properly.

[powderho]

why don't you like bamboo sidewalls?

Bamboo seems to have very open grains and a lot of short loose ends that start to stick out over time. It also absorbs a lot more moisture than my first choice--maple. A few friends of mine leave their skis in the back of their truck for most of the ski season and the bamboo sidewalls look almost water-logged. They never get a chance to dry out. The maple sidewall skis right beside them, bone dry. After a full season they look like crap if left untreated. My older skis with bamboo sidewalls have little micro-cracks all over them. Bamboo cores "break-down" twice as fast as ash cores, so I suspect the sidewalls are as well.

[JSquare]

One thing that is important though is that you must use vertical grain only, do not use horizontal grain.

I used horizontal grain on one pair where the boards had 3 layers - the top and bottom layers had the fibers running longitudinally, while the core layer had the fibers running laterally. The core layer was also comprised of lower quality bamboo, that had a loose grain with lots of voids. I landed hard on my tails once, and had the lateral grain part of the bamboo rip apart.

Twizz- where does "strand woven" bamboo sit with you? No go?

[JSquare]

I would post a link, but I'm not allowed to yet...