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Do Aluminum rails slide?

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headmadtrix
Posts: 47 - Karma: 18
My buddy and I are able to get 2 15ft aluminum flat bars in sick condition from his dads work for free. I was wondering though will they slide as well as steel or pvc. Please leave some advice.
Nov 27 2006 7:02PM
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Typical
Posts: 2269 - Karma: 83
not too well with steel edges. Griding your edges down with a composite grinder will help you out.
Nov 27 2006 7:07PM
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Galin
Posts: 2342 - Karma: 3,940
they'll slide but theres a good chance you'll catch an edge, like a very good chance. So if theres a kink like a d-f in the rail i'd so its probly a no go.
Nov 27 2006 7:08PM
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headmadtrix
Posts: 47 - Karma: 18
its just a flat
Nov 27 2006 7:15PM
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Calb3rt
Posts: 6005 - Karma: 2,203
just detune your edges alot and you should be good to go since its a flat bar your going to be sliding
Nov 27 2006 7:21PM
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max.
Posts: 2022 - Karma: 12
ya aluminum is not prime. just detune edges a lot.


Nov 27 2006 7:23PM
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skidemon22
Posts: 4431 - Karma: 1,976
i would say get PVC or steel, and that way u dont have to de-tune.
Nov 27 2006 7:24PM
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chairdawg
Posts: 1422 - Karma: 36
nnnooo they feel really sticky with steel edges but i know some skis and snowboards have copper so i dont know about that
Nov 27 2006 7:25PM
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Galin
Posts: 2342 - Karma: 3,940
well ya that'd definitely be the way to go if he's making one but i think it might be an urban, but then again who does a flat urban? Like that guy said, if you're building a rail go with another material. I find pvc works well and is super cheap and if it breaks you just replace it. Should last a season at least though.
Nov 27 2006 7:26PM
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DiamondC
Posts: 1529 - Karma: 28
they wont slide at all, i wonder if theres a way to rough them down tho. try de tuning ur edges real good and maybe ask someone about it, but for the most part alluminum sticks like helll, trust me ull know if u hit it
Nov 27 2006 7:31PM
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headmadtrix
Posts: 47 - Karma: 18
My buddy and i already got like 13 pvc rails, one of which is roller coaster which is quite sick. We were just thinking of something new to try to build. And we also have an urban steel rail which is quite dope. "From the Post Office"
Dec 5 2006 9:36PM
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Squirrel_Murphy
Posts: 2195 - Karma: 1,165
just grab a few cubes of salted butter, take'm to the rails and rub away my friend, just rub away.
Dec 5 2006 9:43PM
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Casey
Posts: 7887 - Karma: 24,862
they slide good if you keep a perfectly flat base. its kind of hard to catch your front edges and eat it, but its pretty easy to dig your back edges in and basically causes you to stop.
Dec 5 2006 9:45PM
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MadSteezin
Posts: 4572 - Karma: 936
grinding aluminum is probally worse than grinding on wood. Right when u land on an aluminum rail you'll catch an edge and fall over...
Dec 5 2006 10:43PM
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MskiW
Posts: 101 - Karma: 10
i never tried aluminum but ive read in diff post that its doesnt work well so i say that u should stick with pvc its cheap and easy to work with
Dec 5 2006 10:50PM
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bigwhite.steeze
Posts: 8227 - Karma: 1,032
my aluminum rail is fine for slidiness, just as good as steel or pvc but the edge factor is big, if you put youre weight to far forward...your fucked
Dec 5 2006 11:03PM
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canyoner
Posts: 2 - Karma: 10
yeah i learned this the hard way last season, i tried to grind a flatbottom aluminum boat that was upside down. hah good times
Dec 6 2006 12:12AM
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anon.ymous
Posts: 1087 - Karma: 10
depends...ive shot urban rails that are aluminum and have had mixed results. Im not a chemist so i might be wrong, but the colder the weather, the less 'soft' aluminum seems to be.

So its hit or miss, but aluminum rails have been slid
Dec 6 2006 12:18AM
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cofreeskier
Posts: 3189 - Karma: 15
theyre all right but youre way more prone to catch an edge on aluminum than steel or somethin else so u might want to detune your edges or not go with aluminum
Dec 6 2006 12:35AM
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jKutcher
Posts: 3936 - Karma: 4,260
meh i wouldnt suggest it. like everyone has said you are MUCH more likely to catch ur edge
Dec 6 2006 12:39AM
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bedheadben
Posts: 99 - Karma: 10
Why don't you slip some PVC over the aluminum rail! That would work so good, especially if you got just the right size so that it slid on, but with resistance. Oh, and it would last for a really long time too...
Dec 6 2006 1:00AM
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$tezzyStu
Posts: 1139 - Karma: 11
aluminum doesn't like to slide.
Dec 6 2006 1:37AM
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rail_master
Posts: 53 - Karma: 10
sell the aluminum and use that money to buy some PVC tubing. use the rest to buy some liqure
Dec 6 2006 1:47AM
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plorr
Posts: 3131 - Karma: 528
it will slide better when its really cold out
Dec 6 2006 8:03AM
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xnick11
Posts: 1866 - Karma: 171
Wax it.Then it will slide fine.
Dec 6 2006 9:44AM
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kepler.
Posts: 8761 - Karma: 139
even if its super cold and you've put some wax on the rail, its a good chance u'll catch an edge. its just cuz its such a soft metal (sorry if this was said, i didn't read above me all the way)
Dec 6 2006 10:16AM
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MadMaxamas
Posts: 182 - Karma: 15
My buddy made an alluminum rail. The problam with aluminum is that it is the softest metal in existance. Although your not paying that much for it youll get caught really easily. Dont..
Dec 6 2006 10:28AM
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EClay46
Posts: 2499 - Karma: 69
wow read the creaters paragraph before u post
Dec 6 2006 10:50AM
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tjski
Posts: 5859 - Karma: 44
id probly agree with this kid, we used cheap PVC one time and it broke faster than you can say "yo momma."
Dec 6 2006 10:56AM
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123ski
Posts: 7374 - Karma: 1,415
the warmer the weather the stickier the rail. When in doubt, grab your ski and slide it over the rail (but dont just slide it across, push down with all of your weight and try to slide it across, if it sticks, go home)
Dec 6 2006 11:06AM
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123ski
Posts: 7374 - Karma: 1,415
nevertheless, it will always be sticky
Dec 6 2006 11:07AM
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123ski
Posts: 7374 - Karma: 1,415
to some extent
Dec 6 2006 11:07AM
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crunkasfuck
Posts: 752 - Karma: 352
not very well at ALL! i have a 12 footer that i made with some scrap i had. it dident work to well, i came down on it and it made a nice dent, then i fell off. although it is very thin pipe. now i use it as a foot rail, just sand it down with wet/dry sand paper, the black sand paper. get it wet and slide it on your feet. thats My advice, save your self a fall.
Dec 6 2006 11:54AM
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DANETRON
Posts: 6671 - Karma: 137
yes they are ok to slide. you just have to be more careful than any other material. you kinda have to land perfect
Dec 6 2006 12:51PM
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BobYohan
Posts: 3001 - Karma: 375
not worth your effort. even if u get it sliding a little every once in awhile ull jump on and your feet will just stop.
Dec 6 2006 1:12PM
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djikstra
Posts: 2471 - Karma: 6,014
no aluminum rails dont slide with edges... if u put snow on the rail it will help but they slide very very poorly. its still worth a shot though
Dec 6 2006 1:49PM
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STACKS
Posts: 1938 - Karma: 42
yeah i think its sketchy
Dec 6 2006 5:01PM
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ecsm.
Posts: 1384 - Karma: 558
ive sen someone hit aluminum and they basicly stopped so detune alot
Dec 6 2006 5:12PM
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SIX
Posts: 4595 - Karma: 506
If you want to end up like JF Houle, yes it slides like shit.
Dec 6 2006 5:13PM
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TimothyLord
Posts: 2114 - Karma: 568
so would hitting a 20 foot urban down rail made out of aluminum not be possible with out dieing
Aug 29 2007 12:28PM
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pompe
Posts: 874 - Karma: 124
yeah everyone has mixed feelings about this, i have spotted a bunch of what i presume to be aluminum rails on campus that look like they would slide so so well
Aug 29 2007 12:36PM
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T-KR3W
Posts: 754 - Karma: 175
why the hell is the font blue half way down thee page....
Aug 29 2007 12:45PM
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maclem
Posts: 2497 - Karma: 17
It's free, just try it.
Aug 29 2007 12:47PM
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ATLskier
Posts: 8203 - Karma: 406
I hit an aluminum bench over the summer, and did everything possibly to not catch an edge, detuned edges, I even leaned back a good bit, close enough that I could hav slid out on my hip.  But I still caught an edge.  It was fucking painful.  Stay away from aluminum. 
Aug 29 2007 1:18PM
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SkierX
Posts: 16253 - Karma: 538
If you have an old pair of trash skis that you won't be using on the hill anymore you could cut out the edges and use them fine on aluminum.

Not the most practical, but if you really want to slide aluminum, it might be the only way that would work well.
Aug 29 2007 1:37PM
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charmander
Posts: 10636 - Karma: 373
if you have 17 rails why do you need another one?
Aug 29 2007 2:06PM
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Scoszko
Posts: 508 - Karma: 11
bad idea
Aug 29 2007 2:08PM
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anxju
Posts: 9371 - Karma: 61
pvc
Aug 29 2007 2:08PM
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