Need Feedback on New LifeCycle Gear ILF Riser

[NYRON]

I’m looking for some constructive feedback.

In Phase II of our 17” ILF riser development we have been focused on materials and techniques to provide performance and aesthetics. With native woods, the trick is getting good mass and rigidity. We did this by combining beautiful woods with a twin aluminum beam.This "Alumicore" design brings together the warmth and beauty of wood with the performance of aluminum.

I’d love your thoughts on the riser’s appearance and design concept. If I’m going to have some of these ready for ETAR, I need to make some final decisions and move quickly. The woods in this one are Black Cherry, Sugar Maple, and carbonized Sugar Maple.

We'll be making versions with other woods and G10.

[ron w]

Cool looking riser........

[NYRON]

Thanks, Ron!

Hope all is well with you.

[NYRON]

TTT

[JR Belk]

Good looking riser, but the aluminum is probably unnecessary

[NYRON]

JR, many thanks for your thoughts.

I'm legitimately trying to get constructive feedback, so I hope you don't mind some probing.

Is it the look of aluminum that you don't care for or the concept of including materials other than wood?

While I agree that the reinforcing material does not have to be aluminum, for an ILF riser to have adequate mass and strength, some reinforcing material, such as a beam of G10, dense wood, or aluminum is necessary when using unstabilized wood.

[JR Belk]

I think it's the aluminum with the wood that kind of gets me. Don't get me wrong, I like metal risers. I'm just not sold on them being sandwiched maybe. 😀

[GMarcaurele]

I don’t have any real trad experience as far as what functionally matters, so I’m just speaking aesthetically, here. I’m not a fan on having that aluminum poke out. A couple reasons:

It is shiny, and I prefer any gloss to be due to a higher wood gloss finish. This aluminum can really reflect some light

It looks too “busy” for my taste.

This is just personal preference. You’re cranking out something that I full well know I couldn’t accomplish myself, so please don’t take it as a knock against your craftsmanship.

[NYRON]

Gerard, thanks for your comments. I appreciate your honesty. That's why I posted here.

Do you think you'd feel differently if the aluminum beams were made of black phenolic or G10 material?

[GMarcaurele]

Gerard, thanks for your comments. I appreciate your honesty. That's why I posted here.

Do you think you'd feel differently if the aluminum beams were made of black phenolic or G10 material?

If it were a black phenolic, I think it would blend quite a bit better and provide a bit less busy look. It’s still a bit different than my taste in risers as far as having all of that going on in the back and belly, but a black line would be more appeasing.

[ron w]

I’m good with the aluminum, it’s different and I like that. As far as shiny, I have bows to hunt with, would use it mostly for 3/D if the grip and I got along.

[NYRON]

We are working on a "Hunter" version that will be brown or black tinted and stabilized White Ash and will likely have green G10 beams.

[ron w]

That sounds very interesting....

[Ghostman]

I think phenolic would look much better than aluminum

[DWinVA]

How about anodizing the aluminum black or dark brown?  I’m not picky about the looks of a bow but go more for function. I currently shoot a brown cerekote all aluminum WF19. Good luck

God Bless.

[NYRON]

Anodizing would be the ticket, but it is a surface treatment and would be milled away as part of the machining process.

For now, the plan is to have 6 risers at ETAR--3 with aluminum beams and 3 with a synthetic material, likely G10 or phenolic.

[DWinVA]

You can anodize after machining.

God Bless.

[SteveB]

Anodizing would be the ticket, but it is a surface treatment and would be milled away as part of the machining process.

For now, the plan is to have 6 risers at ETAR--3 with aluminum beams and 3 with a synthetic material, likely G10 or phenolic.

Whichever is the heaviest for me. With arthritis in the thumb base, I need weight to soak any vibration possible. For me, 1st item of importance on any tool is function. Aesthetics rate as least important only used as a tie breaker.

[mahantango]

I would be concerned about the possible movement - expansion/contraction between such dissimilar materials, as well as glueing wood to aluminum.

[mnolletti]

For aesthetic purposes I think it would be really cool to see overlays or veneers that hide the I-beam on the back and belly of the riser. I would probably side with others in saying that the aluminum wouldn't be my favorite from the looks standpoint. I do love the look of an I-beam in the sight window though and one thing I don't know if I have ever seen anyone do with that (I may not be thinking of someone) is to put accents in the sight window face of the I-beam itself. Something like that would to me bring it to the next level. But personally, I would love a way to hide the stripe(s) of the I-beam on the forward facing edge of the riser and maybe the same with the belly-side, save for right where you grip it - it would be cool to leave the beam show at that spot - similar to the way the belly of the grip looks on a Bear Kodiak.