N Six-One Tour 90 with added lead is unreal!!

psamp14

psamp14

Hall of Fame
so i've had my pair of ncode 90s for over a year, but never got around to putting lead tape on them...too lazy, too busy, forgot a lot

but now i put loads of lead tape on it, increasing the weight to 14 oz, more precisely, 397 grams, and it feels great!

it is just a bit headlight, and i was really amazed at how much less effort i needed to hit a solid, stable, upper medium paced forehand...

i dont feel any stiffness or pain in my right arm, and i'm very happy to have finally gotten around to putting the lead tape on
 
s_andrean

s_andrean

Semi-Pro
You've got murray-like shots now :)

Heavier racquets really help you hit more effective shots while you still stay relaxed.
 
psamp14

psamp14

Hall of Fame
murray shots?

i have a very fast swing, finishing my follow thru around my shoulder or little lower...

i was just amazed on how when i swung the ball moved faster, flatter, and just looking at the ball go was a marvel :)

i guess before my shots had too less "action" on them, being lighter and more curvy...now they are heavier and have more action on them
 
s_andrean

s_andrean

Semi-Pro
lol, i didn't mean his tecnique, just his ability to hit heavy shots with relatively little effort. The racquet does a lot of the work for you when it is somewhat heftier.
 
P

power_play21

Semi-Pro
how is serving and net play with that stick like that? and do you hit with people who hit hard? if so, how does the stick do?
 
BreakPoint

BreakPoint

Bionic Poster
Dennis Chan said:
Hey he started with the US version. Your Asian one does not have enough surface area to accomodate the same amount of lead. :D :eek:
Click to expand...

I think you mean MORE lead. As the SAME amount of lead should fit fine since the surface area is the same on the Asian version as the U.S. version as they are identical frames, except for the weight and balance, which you know. Of course, if I wanted to bring my Asian version up to 14 oz. I could always layer more lead on top of each other. ;)
 
psamp14

psamp14

Hall of Fame
power_play21 said:
how is serving and net play with that stick like that? and do you hit with people who hit hard? if so, how does the stick do?
Click to expand...

overall the effort required is much less...my shots are much flatter, not that they werent as flat before, but they are very much heavier now

i hit today with an old teacher of mine, an ex-high school coach who routinely plays 4.5 level tournaments and league matches, and occasionally 5.0 level

he has lots of topspin, but 40% of the time hits very very flat with much pace

i hit with him for a good 2 hrs or slightly more, and i always used to get tired hitting against him as he is a lefty, and i've got a one handed backhand...

i'd get tired after like 1.5 hrs, but today i was able to hit my shots well, forcing more errors off both his wings, and we played a few 7 pointers and, well, better than most days, i won 3 of the 7 seven pointers we played

serving i noticed also had vast improvements, i will give partial credit to the racquet with lead tape, and partial to me working more on my serve and strenghtening my shoulders as of late
 
psamp14

psamp14

Hall of Fame
BreakPoint said:
Hey psamp14,

Where exactly on the frame did you put all that lead?
Click to expand...

i put it on the same places my old pro staff 6.6 85 sq in had the lead tape, which my dad put on

i still cant believe that that racquet was 14 oz, and i used it from the time i started playing tennis with a real racquet..which was like 8 yrs old

i put it on the 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock positions, not sure about the time positions for the top and bottom of the frame

i put lead tape on both sides of the strings on all 4 spots, i guess i could say the center of the strip of lead tape is on the 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock positions
 
psamp14

psamp14

Hall of Fame
btw breakpoint what differences are there between the U.S. retail ncode 90 and the asian version you have?

and where'd you get the asian version anyway?
 
BreakPoint

BreakPoint

Bionic Poster
psamp14 said:
i put it on the 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock positions, not sure about the time positions for the top and bottom of the frame

i put lead tape on both sides of the strings on all 4 spots, i guess i could say the center of the strip of lead tape is on the 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock positions
Click to expand...

Wait, but I thought you said the racquet felt more head light after the lead? :confused: Putting that much lead on the hoop should have made the racquet feel much more head heavy.
 
BreakPoint

BreakPoint

Bionic Poster
psamp14 said:
btw breakpoint what differences are there between the U.S. retail ncode 90 and the asian version you have?

and where'd you get the asian version anyway?
Click to expand...

samp14,
if you do a search you'll find hundreds of posts about the Asian version. But in short, it's slightly lighter and less head light than the U.S. version.

Asian version: 11.3 oz. (320g), 9 pts. HL unstrung
U.S. version: 12.0 oz. (340g), 12 pts. HL unstrung
Everything else is exactly the same.

I got mine from other members here, but they are widely available in Asia.
 
A

alan-n

Professional
Interesting for me I went the opposite direction, I wanted it slightly lighter for quick stabs volleys. My US Tour 90s are 362g strung with rubber band and over grip.

Removed the leather grip, replaced with thin synthetic that still allowed a firm feel. Added 4 grams to the 3 and 9 o'clock to bring the weight back up to 352 @ 7 pts head light.

Notice no difference in stability or shots generated from the base line. If anything, since the balance is not less HL I've had to adjust my slices a little bit but does the job I've wanted at the net.

Only minor changes to an already great stock setup for me.
 
psamp14

psamp14

Hall of Fame
BreakPoint said:
Wait, but I thought you said the racquet felt more head light after the lead? :confused: Putting that much lead on the hoop should have made the racquet feel much more head heavy.
Click to expand...

i'm too lazy to see what i said earlier, but i meant that, from like 12 pts HL, its just headlight now...not evenly balanced, but just HL..maybe 1-2 pts HL...i dont know how to measure how HL a racquet is

when i put my hand under the throat of the racquet and see how it balances, it still leans slightly towards the handle side..meaning the head is a bit headlight still
 
psamp14

psamp14

Hall of Fame
if you put your finger under the throat of the racquet, extend your arm, and let it hang, it will lean to one side or the other, unless it is evenly balanced

i did that, and the racquet still leans towards the handle, but just a by a little...so obviously the racquet is still a little head light....i will see how it does on volleys, and if its not feeling good, i'll make it a little more headlight by removing 1-2 layers of the lead tape
 
P

paulfreda

Hall of Fame
My nCode6195 are set up similarly. 403 grams, lead at 3 and 9, and some in the throat. But mostly because I have a 5.5 inch grip using two grips one on top of the other. Plays some 10 pts HL.
Absolutely love this stick now. Volleys like a dream and groundies are effortless. Serve is plenty powerful.

This is essentially a tweener now with my strings at 50lbs.
 
BreakPoint

BreakPoint

Bionic Poster
psamp14 said:
i'm too lazy to see what i said earlier, but i meant that, from like 12 pts HL, its just headlight now...not evenly balanced, but just HL..maybe 1-2 pts HL...i dont know how to measure how HL a racquet is

when i put my hand under the throat of the racquet and see how it balances, it still leans slightly towards the handle side..meaning the head is a bit headlight still
Click to expand...

It's actually about 9 pts. HL strung before any lead tape. 12 pts. HL is UNstrung. So your starting point is 9 pts. HL.
 
R

Rafa's best friend

Banned
psamp14 said:
so i've had my pair of ncode 90s for over a year, but never got around to putting lead tape on them...too lazy, too busy, forgot a lot

but now i put loads of lead tape on it, increasing the weight to 14 oz, more precisely, 397 grams, and it feels great!

it is just a bit headlight, and i was really amazed at how much less effort i needed to hit a solid, stable, upper medium paced forehand...

i dont feel any stiffness or pain in my right arm, and i'm very happy to have finally gotten around to putting the lead tape on
Click to expand...

Wow, how do you handle this heavy racket without having your arm fall off?? or Your elbow tendons being ripped off ?? You must get tired after 10 minutes of tennis...
 
N

nickowns

New User
So just say for the asian Ncode n61 tour weighing 320g and 9pt head light. Now if one was to add 4 grams to 2 o'clock, another 4 grams at 10 o'clock, totalling 8 grams.

What would be its new balance now?

I read on the learning center that 2/10 oclock spots are good for both power and stability. is that right?
 
nalbandian_fan

nalbandian_fan

Semi-Pro
nickowns said:
So just say for the asian Ncode n61 tour weighing 320g and 9pt head light. Now if one was to add 4 grams to 2 o'clock, another 4 grams at 10 o'clock, totalling 8 grams.

What would be its new balance now?

I read on the learning center that 2/10 oclock spots are good for both power and stability. is that right?
Click to expand...

It would be about 7 pts. head light. adding weight at 2 and 10 will raise power and stability, but the main purpose of it is to raise the sweetspot. If you just want power and stability, leaving the sweetspot where it is, put the weight at 9 and 3. that also extends the sweetspot towards the sides of the frame.
 
psamp14

psamp14

Hall of Fame
Rafa's best friend said:
Wow, how do you handle this heavy racket without having your arm fall off?? or Your elbow tendons being ripped off ?? You must get tired after 10 minutes of tennis...
Click to expand...

how do i handle this heavy racquet? first of all i dont find it very heavy at all, being 13.8 oz....i dont get tired after 10 mins of tennis...i hit for little over two hours with a 4.5/5.0 player last weekend and played 4 sets with my dad on friday night...


what racquet do you play with, rafa's best friend?
 
N

nickowns

New User
nalbandian_fan said:
It would be about 7 pts. head light. adding weight at 2 and 10 will raise power and stability, but the main purpose of it is to raise the sweetspot. If you just want power and stability, leaving the sweetspot where it is, put the weight at 9 and 3. that also extends the sweetspot towards the sides of the frame.
Click to expand...


So how did you calculate that one nalbandian_fan?
 
Robbie_1988

Robbie_1988

Semi-Pro
Just out of curiousity folks. If I were to add lead to my ncode with the intention of increasing stability and power and after having read a post up there by nalbandian_fan, he said to put the lead at 3 and 9 o'clock.

If I put lead at 3 and 9 o'clock that will change the balance of my racket won't it? If yes, where else to I have to put lead to keep the balance the same?

I've never actually leaded up my rackets before so I have no idea about leading up my rackets. This is purely for experimental purposes. But if I like the power and increased sweetspot size then i'm going to stick with it.

Thanks in advance for any advice/tips.
 
N

nickowns

New User
I'm using an n61 tour asian version. I use 1 wilson white overgrip. After I put 4 grams at 2 'clock and 4 grams at 10 'clock, My racket feels totally different, almost a bit head heavy. Are those calculations actually right?
 
S

stules

Rookie
Here is my version
I hope this helps............
download it here
http://www.badongo.com/file/1604939
You have to go to the bottom of the page, and read the instruction.

I figure you have Excell on your pc.

open the spreadsheet.

There is no need to copy the formula. Across the bottom of the page are 'tabs. I have inserted about 10 popular racquets there, with the specs off TW. click on the tab, and mod away to your hearts content.

When you wish to use a new racquet,
'right click' on any tab at the bottom of the page,
click 'copy sheet'
tick the sheet you wish to copy
'ok'
'right click' on the new tab and rename to the desired name.

The blue fields need to be filled out, ie if your racqet length is 69.5cm, you need to insert that number in the blue square.

Fill out the blue 'weight added' squares with grams of lead at a distance from the butt (both figures can be varied) but leave the space blank or with a '0' in it if you don't place lead there. Negative numbers work as well, eg if you trim down the grommets, weigh them before and after, and place the difference as a minus figure at the average distance from the butt where you trimmed.

TW's figures are close, but they are averages of that racquet, and not for your specific one. ie if you have a 4 5/8 grip it may be heavier, and slightly more head light. With this in mind I weigh the actual racquet I am modding, measure its actual balance point (with overgrip and dampener on) and check the SW using the pendulum method (as per the bottom of the spreadsheet) and then insert these figures into the start of the spreadsheet instead of TW's. Either way is reasonably close.

Please follow these instructions, and hopefully it will be reasonably self explanatory. If you have any difficulties, please say so, as you won't be the only one. I have tried to label everything on the spreadsheet to make it useable without complicated instructions.
Regards Stuart
 
N

nickowns

New User
ah that clears it up a bit.

thanks.

i think it could be because my strips are 4 inch long (2 grams) of 2 layers, maybe it's a tad long so it spans from 3 o'clock to almost 1 o'clock that could be making some difference.

cheers.
 
Ten_is

Ten_is

Rookie
Yeah adding lead tape certainly helps out alot.
Glad you like it, I'm a big fan of heavier racquets as you completely play differently with them not relying on your strength as much but off the swing and physics.
 
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