[Help] Disc wear and cycling—what can I expect?

[elmexdela]

18 years.

you sitting on a stock pile of them

 

[Three Putt]

you sitting on a stock pile of them

My stockpile is shattered into pieces.

The last one is in my bag, and it has the grossest feel of a disc I've ever bagged. It's broken down so badly that it's sticky/icky feeling. It's got leeched out oils all over it. "Fingerprinty" is an understatement. I have to wipe my hands off after I throw it. It's just gross. It hasn't shattered, though. Some day it will.

I actually just took it out of the bag last weekend when it got cold and replaced it with a Q EXP-X. It warmed back up, but eh. I might as well throw the EXP-X for a bit.

 

[ian.w]

"Fingerprinty" is an understatement. I have to wipe my hands off after I throw it.

I have a Cam Todd CE teebird that is exactly like this. It's almost like it's covered in a layer of glue. The disc has turned brown at this point. I'm too terrified to throw it because I know it'll break. I feel like some of my early star plastic is right in the fingerprinty sweet spot at the moment. All my pre 2010ish champ is getting overly fingerprinty as well. It's a hard life when you covet your old plastic but become too scared to actually throw it. Good on you for shattering a whole stock pile. I love it.

 

[Three Putt]

I have a Cam Todd CE teebird that is exactly like this. It's almost like it's covered in a layer of glue. The disc has turned brown at this point. I'm too terrified to throw it because I know it'll break. I feel like some of my early star plastic is right in the fingerprinty sweet spot at the moment. All my pre 2010ish champ is getting overly fingerprinty as well. It's a hard life when you covet your old plastic but become too scared to actually throw it. Good on you for shattering a whole stock pile. I love it.

I just gave the last "appoved" Qmega I had to my daughter to break; she needed something she could tape a light to for glow golf. She stopped using it because it leeches so many oils that the tape falls off 1/2 through the round. :\

I can't really see the use in hanging on to them. Might as well throw them until they break.

EDIT: I probably wouldn't if I had a Cam Todd TeeBird, though. Some disc are cool enough to hang onto.

 

[ru4por]

The ideal way to do it is to find your favorite overstable molds, and cycle them over long periods of time. That way you minimize the molds in your bag, so you're most confident with disc selection and grip.

Every manufacturer has an ultra durable translucent plastic that is usually their most durable plastic, and beats in slower than their grippy premium opaque plastic. Sometimes Innova champion molds take multiple years before you notice a noticeable change.

Just for the sake of talking about both sides of the cycling coin. I have NO interest in cycling. Even with changes in my throw, technique and age. I want premium, new plastic and playing tournaments generally provides plenty of opportunity.

I have no interest in losing the "perfectly seasoned ROC". I have not interest in carrying three of them to cover stages of wear and having a back up, breaking in.

I have an OOP Z Nebula sitting in the bag right now. It is a straight and tasty piece of plastic after a couple years of work. If I need a new tasty piece of straight plastic, I will replace it with a new Buzzz SS and put a new Nebula in the bag. I will give away the Nebula to a noob in my league this spring. I have a new Buzzz SS that is already covering its old slot.

No matter what you want a disc to do....today, there is a sweet disc/mold/plastic that will do exactly what you want. Back when we only had a few dozen choices, cycling was perhaps more important.

Just a matter of philosophy and choice.

 

[azplaya25]

Sry folks, it is Quantum 1.6 and it feels like it has real weight in the flight plate, which seems to be common to some of my more OS discs. (Still learning about the plastic and I get it wrong sometimes.)

Not sure if this is a 1.6, but this is the most recent run of QOLF that I have. This thing is unbelievably stable, like almost a Firebird. I bet it would take at least a couple years of regular use to get anywhere close to flippy. You could grab a roadrunner and have a pretty sweet 9 speed combo going on


use

 

[jupiterboy]

Not sure if this is a 1.6, but this is the most recent run of QOLF that I have. This thing is unbelievably stable, like almost a Firebird. I bet it would take at least a couple years of regular use to get anywhere close to flippy. You could grab a roadrunner and have a pretty sweet 9 speed combo going on


use

That's what I've got. It has 1.6 stamped below the name/center. Used to have several OS discs, but this one doesn't seem to be mellowing out. It's ALWAYS gonna fade, which is great for those flick approaches and all sorts of shots.

 

[ian.w]

EDIT: I probably wouldn't if I had a Cam Todd TeeBird, though. Some disc are cool enough to hang onto.

I love the back story to the disc, but this one is UGLY. Definitely a thrower. You can barely even tell what the stamp used to say. PM me your address and I'll mail it to you. I'd be honored if you would shatter it for me. Much better than it sitting in my closet collecting fingerprints.

OP keep throwing that QOLF, they're great. Don't worry if it never gets straight.

 

[twistedraven]

Just for the sake of talking about both sides of the cycling coin. I have NO interest in cycling. Even with changes in my throw, technique and age. I want premium, new plastic and playing tournaments generally provides plenty of opportunity.

I have no interest in losing the "perfectly seasoned ROC". I have not interest in carrying three of them to cover stages of wear and having a back up, breaking in.

I have an OOP Z Nebula sitting in the bag right now. It is a straight and tasty piece of plastic after a couple years of work. If I need a new tasty piece of straight plastic, I will replace it with a new Buzzz SS and put a new Nebula in the bag. I will give away the Nebula to a noob in my league this spring. I have a new Buzzz SS that is already covering its old slot.

No matter what you want a disc to do....today, there is a sweet disc/mold/plastic that will do exactly what you want. Back when we only had a few dozen choices, cycling was perhaps more important.

Just a matter of philosophy and choice.

All I can say is that I've over time I've taken strokes off my rounds just from simplifying my bags and minimizing the molds I have in them. That way there's less confusion over what disc to use for what scenario I want to use them in. 90% of pros follow this same approach as well when they build their bags-- especially for distance drivers.

I will use a completely different mold in my bag as well if I need a straight or flippy slot in my bag from the getgo, but I'll eventually replace it with one of my beaten in overstable discs, then fill the new gaps with new versions of that overstable disc.

On the flipside I've never been a fan of cycling baseline plastic, as I find they break in way too fast, and I rather not go through a particular mold 5 or 6 times throughout 1 year of playing. So do note I'm referring to premium plastic that is a slow cycle over several years. All my most comfortable discs (physically in my hand and mentally) are very seasoned workhorses that were at one point overstable. I also rarely-- if ever-- lose my discs (not much water around me), so I don't go through the severe pain of losing a perfectly seasoned long term project. If that were more of a threat, I would definitely take to long term cycling less.

 

[ThrowaEnvy]

All I can say is that I've over time I've taken strokes off my rounds just from simplifying my bags and minimizing the molds I have in them. That way there's less confusion over what disc to use for what scenario I want to use them in. 90% of pros follow this same approach as well when they build their bags-- especially for distance drivers.

---------
....... if ever-- lose my discs (not much water around me), so I don't go through the severe pain of losing a perfectly seasoned long term project. If that were more of a threat, I would definitely take to long term cycling less.

Well you beat me to the punch at ru4por

I support both ends of the spectrum.. Shopping for a new magic disc is never the answer but an off the shelf answer is a good thing.

The older I get the more my bag gets settled, Iused to use an innova tourney bag with Phoenix quads 24 disc then the double nutsac 12 but I prefer to play with my nutsac light so it sits better for bag on so 8 or less typical but 5/6 discs is ideal. I had a buddy who had a specific disc for each hole and it annoyed me, especially when he lost the comet I lent him haha. I also don't lose discs but I play on a rock pile so dx doesn't season, it gets eaten!

Enough back story point is:

Less molds is more gooder

Often you can achieve the right shots with weight or plastic variations and seasoning. 8 grams give or take can give you the right flight. Give or take.

Throw discs that "relate" to each other. Like a speed 7/8 a 9 and an 11 with similar numbers. IE my bag is relay/insanity/wave (? 5 -2 1) and then hex/volt/tesla (? 5 0 1.5) give or take. I run an understable lineup with a stable lineup and vary speed class and weight.

I prize my seasoned discs for what they will do,
I prize my new discs for what they do now and what they will become.

If I'm on a hole with a water hazard I typically reach for a new disc, not an old one.

I was never a big fan of seasoning, I laugh at idiots that show up with their perfectly season 3yr old dx teebird. Hope you bang an ace before it takes a terminal rock hit

I love my seasoned plasma envy's, I love my lightly seasoned electrons (they might make it 2 seasons). I love my new neutron ohm that flies like a seasoned envy.


Seasoning is a natural process, embrace it but don't force it. Buy a backup, use the backup for more stable shots and start the process, throw your favourite until it isn't anymore.

 

[elmexdela]

ive never had a disc live its full life span

 

[jupiterboy]

ive never had a disc live its full life span

I've got my old set from 83-84 (one's not in the lake) and none are sticky. Maybe that's a champ thing, IDK

 

[ru4por]

I like the passion guys. Sticking by my guns......Archer>Arrow.

 

[azplaya25]

I'm firmly on team cycle, and I think Philos bag is a thing of beauty. Nice thing about OLFs is they are mini destroyers and you could bag 4 -6 of them just like he does Destroyers:

https://youtu.be/chbbQ91HLZ4

 

[ThrowaEnvy]

ive never had a disc live its full life span

Cough cough.. Redwasp?

 

[Three Putt]

I've got my old set from 83-84 (one's not in the lake) and none are sticky. Maybe that's a champ thing, IDK

From what I can tell, the cheaper the plastic the better it will age on the shelf. Old base plastics don't leech oils. It will get more brittle and will break more easily, but it does't have the obvious signs of breaking down and won't feel gross in your hand like CE or Pro or Champ will when it gets 15 years old.

 

[bsammons]

Actually no. The LSS beats out of the disc first, so generally what happens to me when cycling is that an OS disc beats into straight and then the next OS one beats straight before the HSS beats out of the first one. I have shelves and shelves of beat into the sweet spot stable discs. It takes so much longer for me to beat a disc understable than it does to beat one stable that there is always a backlog of seasoned discs that I have no spot for in my bag. Once I do have a spot, there will be so many to choose from that some just are never going to make it back in.

It's interesting that you've found the LSS beats out first. I think some discs do that while others (mainly high speed drivers now that I think about it) tend to lose their high speed stability but keep their fade. Why that happens I really don't know, and I've got a pretty small sample size, but that is what it seems like happens with faster discs. Slower discs I'd tend to agree that they tend to lose their fade as a general rule though

 

[autocrosscrx]

I definitely agree with the LSS beating out first comment. I throw a lot of DX. I've bagged 3 Rocs, 2 Teebirds, and 2 Destroyers at the same time. They all tend to start out pretty stable for me with a lot of fade. Then they basically straighten out, trading some of that fade for distance. I can still throw them in a headwind. Then they start turning a bit, but start getting touchy in the a headwind. Then they get totally flippy.

 

[Three Putt]

It's interesting that you've found the LSS beats out first. I think some discs do that while others (mainly high speed drivers now that I think about it) tend to lose their high speed stability but keep their fade. Why that happens I really don't know, and I've got a pretty small sample size, but that is what it seems like happens with faster discs. Slower discs I'd tend to agree that they tend to lose their fade as a general rule though

It's also something that really only applies to OS discs. Cycling really only works if the discs start out OS, so those were the discs I was talking about.

When you start beating in a Katana, God only knows what happens. Rollers. Rollers happen. :| I can't really speak to what high speed understable drivers do when they beat in. High-speed understable drivers probably just need to go in the trash once they beat in.

 

[GripEnemy]

When you start beating in a Katana, God only knows what happens. Rollers. Rollers happen. :|

It's official everyone, 3P is indeed God