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K2 Mindbender 90ti

TDCSPRINGS

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Anybody else tried this ski yet? I tried the 106 and 99 and thought they were great skis. Since I am getting old and gained 15 Covid lbs I decided I wanted a skinny early/ice ski to make life easier and ordered the Mindbender 90ti. Thanks to Covid I wasn't able to demo the ski and just rolled the dice

Well it turns out I hate this ski more than any ski I have been on in my 30+ years on the slopes. I am hoping it's just a bad tune out of the factory, but these are the squirreliest skis I have ever been on. I had to put these completely horizontal to even start to get the edges to engage, which sucks for a ski you want to be quick and engage easily on ice and hardpack.

Anyone else ski these yet? Are they salvageable with a good tune or should I just ditch them right now? Thanks for the insights!
 
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TDCSPRINGS

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Hopefully it's just a bad factory tune because these things are horrible. My normal daily drivers are Enforcer 100s. The Enforcers were far quicker and better on crappy early CO ice than the Mindbenders.

Literally the worst ski I have been on in over 30 years of skiing here in CO. There is not anything on the mountain or backcountry I won't ski, but I was so uncomfortable on these skis that I ditched them after one run on some tame terrain.

My plan is to get a base grind and 1/2 edge tune and hope that gets them straightened out. If not, I will have a really good deal on some skis.
 

GregK

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Mindbender 90 Ti have more tip/tail taper than skis like the Kendo 88 or Brahma 88 for even better edge grip but if they are far worse than your Enforcers(also have decent taper). than something is up there.
Sounds like the skis are base high which would cause them to feel so squirrelly along with them having too high of a base bevel. Stone grind flat and I’d go 1/3 edge angles for even more bite.

Seems to be more common to have edge high skis but I’ve had a few twin tips that were very base high and they were downright scary to ski!
 
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TDCSPRINGS

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Thanks Greg. This sounds pretty right on to me and exactly what I was thinking as well. I dropped them off at my local shop yesterday to have a base grind and ran through the edger.

Scary is definitely right. It was a chore just trying to keep these skis under me. I havent felt that way on skis in nearly 30 years. Hopefully a grind and edge work will straighten them out.
 

GregK

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Glad you dropped them off for tuning and hope you mentioned to the tech how bad they felt so you can be sure they give them extra flattening passes to ensure the bases are flat.
They might just go through the “standard/average condition” set up parameters/number of passes on their machines unless you mention issues or request desired edge levels.
 

Core2

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OMFG @ this thread. I literally came here to post the same thing about this ski and get tuning recommendations. I figured with all the hype and good recommendations and my love of other K2 models I would really like these but I just haven't been able to. Simply put they just feel weird and hard to turn. I too use Enforcer 100s as my daily and they are way more comfortfable in all aspects. I was going to ask the shop to try a different bevel before I threw them on Ebay. I wonder if we just got a bad batch?
 

Vinnie

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SkiTalk Test Team Review: 2021 Mindbender 90Ti

My experience of the 19/20 90ti syncs up with the review. It’s easy, confidence inspiring, carves nicely in firm, but not true ice conditions and the tail releases easily to make it kind of playful. This is so weird to get multiple reports that the ski just sucks. Is there such a thing as a ‘bad batch’? Calling K2 QC, get it together, don’t ruin a good ski.
 
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TDCSPRINGS

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OMFG @ this thread. I literally came here to post the same thing about this ski and get tuning recommendations. I figured with all the hype and good recommendations and my love of other K2 models I would really like these but I just haven't been able to. Simply put they just feel weird and hard to turn. I too use Enforcer 100s as my daily and they are way more comfortfable in all aspects. I was going to ask the shop to try a different bevel before I threw them on Ebay. I wonder if we just got a bad batch?

Sorry you have the same experience, but it does make me feel better that I am not the only person that is hating these things. It is not hyperbole when I say this is the worst ski I have ever been on.

Mine are at the shop but I don't think I will see them anytime soon. The shop is swamped right now and I told them it is no rush since I am not too interested in getting back on them anytime soon. These were basically just for early/late ice season, which is almost over here anyways. I will report back when the shop gets back to me with some data.
 

Wendy

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OMFG @ this thread. I literally came here to post the same thing about this ski and get tuning recommendations. I figured with all the hype and good recommendations and my love of other K2 models I would really like these but I just haven't been able to. Simply put they just feel weird and hard to turn. I too use Enforcer 100s as my daily and they are way more comfortfable in all aspects. I was going to ask the shop to try a different bevel before I threw them on Ebay. I wonder if we just got a bad batch?
I demoed this ski late last season and I really enjoyed it. I prefer skis that do not require much effort, and this ski fit that bill. Very easy to initiate a turn and it released easily. Somewhat playful yet had power.

I think you just got a bad batch.
 
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TDCSPRINGS

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I'm pretty sure that is the case I demoed the 99 and really liked, and figured the 90 would be a great early/late ice ski.

I am betting they are base high. Guess I should check with the shop at some point to see if they started tuning them yet, but at this point the snow is fairly soft, and my E100s are so good on most terrain, I probably won't think about a skinnier ski until April. They really are not too bad on ice, but you have to work a little harder, which is why I bought the MB 90. In hindsight, I probably should have just bought a skinnier Enforcer.
 

Philpug

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'm pretty sure that is the case I demoed the 99 and really liked, and figured the 90 would be a great early/late ice ski.
I found that I love the Mindbender 99Ti and just liked the 90Ti.
 

Doug Briggs

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Be sure to let us know what your tuner finds.
 

TheArchitect

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Both my son and I have the 90Ti and love them. Our experience is not at all what the OP is experiencing. We demo'd before buying and both the demos and the new skis were very easy and quick to turn and held an edge very well. I liked them so much they've replaced my FX94's as my daily driver.

It sounds like a batch of skis with a bad tune from the factory. I'll be interested in hearing the update after the tune.
 
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TDCSPRINGS

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It might be a while until I get them back and put them through the paces, but I will definitely report back what I find out.
 

Core2

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Happy to report my Mindbenders were significantly better after a 1/3 tune and a base grind. How did it go for you @TDCSPRINGS ?
 
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TDCSPRINGS

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Happy to report my Mindbenders were significantly better after a 1/3 tune and a base grind. How did it go for you @TDCSPRINGS ?
Glad you got yours worked out. I guess I should call the shop and check on mine. It's a very small and busy shop and I told them to get to them when they get to them because I have no plans to try them before spring ice comes to CO.

How big of a difference are yours? I am legit scared to ski mine at this point. Did yours go from horrible to just OK or are they really good now? Did the shop tell you if they were base or edge high? I am almost certain mine are base high.
 

Noodler

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I wish that the shops (or the manufacturers) would require a basic ski tuning with every ski sold. It's just not common knowledge that new skis right out of the wrapper almost always need a tuning. At least they should check the ski before handing it to the buyer.
 

Core2

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Glad you got yours worked out. I guess I should call the shop and check on mine. It's a very small and busy shop and I told them to get to them when they get to them because I have no plans to try them before spring ice comes to CO.

How big of a difference are yours? I am legit scared to ski mine at this point. Did yours go from horrible to just OK or are they really good now? Did the shop tell you if they were base or edge high? I am almost certain mine are base high.

I planned to take them out for one run then ebay them if they still sucked and I ended up skiing them all day. They aren't perfect but they are much better. I'm keeping them for now. I just had the shop do the tune, no investigation. I'm betting it was just a crappy factory tune.
 

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