By Rob Kepley
From Westminster,CO
Jul 25, 2008
| Shawn Mitchell wrote: Rob, Geir, anyone... Would you go to the shop tomorrow, buy an assortment of Aliens, and without qualification or hesitation use them on your rack?
Yes I would, already have. My buddy Steven just picked up a couple new aliens a few weeks ago and I have used one of them. It seems that some want a blanket and bottle of warm milk to come with every new alien just to make them feel better. |  |
By MikeP
From Arvada, CO
Jul 25, 2008
| Rob Kepley wrote: Yes I would, already have. My buddy Steven just picked up a couple new aliens a few weeks ago and I have used one of them. It seems that some want a blanket and bottle of warm milk to come with every new alien just to make them feel better.
Chocolate milk for me please. ;) | |
By Healyje
Jul 25, 2008
| Rob Kepley wrote: Yes I would, already have. My buddy Steven just picked up a couple new aliens a few weeks ago and I have used one of them. It seems that some want a blanket and bottle of warm milk to come with every new alien just to make them feel better.
Well, I'd say your a real gambler then, and a pretty bold and clueless one at that. When multiple post-recall Aliens that have been CCH-tested and stamped "Tensile Tested" have failed, it isn't about blankets and milk - it's about odds. I fairly regularly free climb above multiple contiguous beaks, small loweballs, and crack 'n ups on sketch terrain and even preslice screamers at a steep angle with a razor blade to flatten their loading curve on marginal pro, also for free climbing. I don't have security issues with Aliens, I have faith issues. Because CCH has proven they can't be trusted to test their cams, I tested my own and would test any new ones myself, if I were buying any which I'm not. Who knows? Maybe you'll be the next to win the CCH lotto... | |
By John McNamee
Administrator
From Littleton, CO
Jul 25, 2008
| Rob Kepley wrote: Yes I would, already have. My buddy Steven just picked up a couple new aliens a few weeks ago and I have used one of them. It seems that some want a blanket and bottle of warm milk to come with every new alien just to make them feel better.
No f... way for me.
I purchased a couple of hybrids last year and I jumped all those things very hard before I placed them on my rack. I agree with Healyje about this. Its a question of faith or confidence.
The Master cams are not the "alien killer" as I hoped they would be. They okay but not perfect. For small cams my preference is a variety of different cams including TCU's and C3's and the odd alien for specialist use. I don't use aliens for free climbing, only aid and only when nothing else fits. Which I'm finding less and less these days.
CCH still has a long way to go to convince me that they're quality control issues are over and its worth trusting my life with them. | |
By brenta
From Boulder, CO
Jul 26, 2008
| Joseph P. Crotty wrote: Further, I don't have a clue about cam physics. How does cam lobe shape and design impact holding power in sub optimal placements (e.g., tipped out vs. over camed)?
Answering this question, I'm afraid, requires much more than a cursory understanding of cam physics. In this interview, the inventor of Metolius's Supercams says:
John Field wrote: We developed a stability theory based on simple geometric principles that accurately and numerically predicts the tendency of cams to move under a variety of different situations. It gets a little complicated, but I'd be happy to discuss it with people who are interested – maybe we'll write a white paper on the subject for the community.
I have not seen such a white paper, but I'm sure it would be interesting. Has anyone? It stands to reason that, all other things equal, a smaller camming angle should decrease a unit's propensity to walk, but that's as far as I got. | |
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