[Problem with CATEK company]

Ondrej, if you do a seasech on 'Catek' here, you'll probably figure out the accusations . Unfortunately they don't seem to have the Customer Relations that they once had :(.

Real shame, because they do have some great products.

[Head BTS.]

Hmm, Assuming you are talking about simply turning the 'Upper Case' upside down, that's a very interesting thought.

I'm also anxious to hear any feedback from the Engineers here.

I love the BTS, but don't like how it pivots from one point (the top) which puts an angle on the Upper Case under certain conditions, which in turn creates interferance with the Main Shaft and the Springs rub the Upper Case. I would only have to guess it would still act the same with the pivot point on the bottom but rock in the opposite direction ??

You may be on to something though, I'm going to have to 'mock it up' to try, when I get a chance. Let us know what you come up with !

['just a heads up' on Head Boots with BTS]

oldacura, I used a drift punch, but a nail with the point ground flat works well also.

The original Head pins are 4mm, the Raichle pins are 5mm (diameter) which is .197". I used all 5mm Long Pins from Bomber, and personally think if you leave the stock Head Pins in the bottom, that is too much clearance between the pin and the Lower Bracket. I used a # 10 Drill Bit which is .193" (a little undersize for a snug fit) and has worked fine. Plastics have a tendancy to 'shrink up' around the drill bit giving a snug fit for the pin. Be careful, plastic will want to 'suck' the drill bit in quickly. I'd recommend going real easy (actually holding the drill back from sucking in) from each side.

Good Luck, it'll be well worth it!

[The 2 yellow springs w/ BTS have different # coil & stiffness. Normal?]

For what it is worth, the Long Blues I have are 13 coils (.125" wire diameter).

[New to Alpine]

teach, Welcome ! You know yourself better than any, do you want to 'try it', or do you WANT to DO IT ? Personally I agree that the boots are the most important piece of equipment. I'm from the same area (western NJ @ ride BM) there are NO shops around that sell Alpine Gear. What I'd suggest, is to take a day trip up to Stratton and check out 'The Starting Gate', they usually have a good selection of gear. Call them first (you'll find their number here) and make sure they have your sizes. That's what I did and do not regret it. I tried every boot on in sizes that they had and bought the ones that fit & felt best. If nothing else, you will know what size you really need for a particular manufacturers boot. Then decide if you want to go with used boots or new. They usually have some good sales at the end of the season, call them and check it out.

Chubz is a great guy and you have found the right place, there's tons of information here. If not current, it's probably been asked before and can be found with a 'Search'.

Good Luck, see you @ BMES10 :D. (maybe we can hit double digits next year !!)

[Blue Mtn Updates]

Chubz, surprisingly not . Last Thursday it actually stayed 'firm', you would have loved it ! I kept waiting for it to soften up 'a little', it never did in the morning.

Friday, it started out nice and just stayed that way until 1:00PM or so. I kept thinking it'll get 'ugly', so I'll take (1) more run then leave, finally I couldn't hardly stand (glenn was killing me, with his 'hands behind the back' drill, over in the 'Carving Area' !

If the nightime temps. drop to where they are calling (Thurs.-26*, Fri.-23*, Sat.-27*) should be firm in the morning, I'll be there to find out as long as I don't get 'forced' to stay over at work.

2nd thought, why don't you just stay home . I don't need anyone putting the 'Ballentine Rings' inside of my linked turns (after I worked 2 hours to make them) :lol: :lol: :lol:.

[What's a trillion dollars look like?]

Thank You. I never even thought about it, too many zero's for me! Seems some people have the same concept of spending that my Grandson has, just go to the MAC machine and get more when you run out. When I asked him what happens when the MAC machine runs out :( he said, "just print more everyone has a printer"! Pretty smart lil' bugger ain't he, I see a future president :rolleyes:.

[Blue Mtn Updates]

Stayed 'surprisingly' nice until about 11:00 AM, over on Challenge, Razors Edge & Paradise. Pretty 'soft' on the other side when I went to go back to the Top Lodge (Bottom closed during week).

Could be descent in the morning ? Maybe I'll try Saturday morning, see if they throw me out (weekday pass) with 2 days left in the season . I'll just tell them Jesse said it's OK :lol:.

['just a heads up' on Head Boots with BTS]

DT, it probably wouldn't 'back out' since the diameter in the boots is the same as the pin, but the excess clearance (1 mm /.039") between the pin and the Lower Bracket would:

A - be a sloppy fit, and create excessive play

B - be a potential for premature wear on the Lower Bracket (Aluminum)

BTS was designed for the 5mm Pin, lube them up and put them in, Be Happy ;)

['just a heads up' on Head Boots with BTS]

oldacura, while I (personally) agree with shawndoggy on the Yellows (top & bottom) I sincerely believe it is a matter of personal preference for each and the only real way is to try them unfortunately. At 155 and non-aggressive, Yellows would be my first attempt without a doubt.

Let us know how much you them

['just a heads up' on Head Boots with BTS]

Since the Original Head pins are 4mm (diameter) and the BTS was designed for the Raichle pin (5mm diameter), I opted to go with (4) Raichle Long Pins. Personally, I feel 1mm of clearance between the Pin and Body ( if you use the Head pins) is excessive. I thought about fabricating a bronze bushing, but decided to just go with the 5mm diameter Raichle Long Pins.

oldacura, it may just be the Best $60. you'll ever spend !

If you do the boot mods along with the BTS , you'll be in Heaven.

[Bmes 09]

Chubz, "Here are some I was messing with. Can you guess what # 3 is ?"

Man I have BTS on the brain, I swear it looks like a BTS system on the back of a pair of boots !??

Gregg, you have some really nice :biggthump shots there from BMES09 !

['just a heads up' on Head Boots with BTS]

shawdoggy, "Hey JP, how 'bout you post up some pics of your modded boots?" I wish I could just to make things easier to follow, but I am a 'computer illiterate'. In all honesty though all of the information & pictures are available here already. I basically followed Arnuad's information and pictures / diagrams to do the actual modifications / cutting. I did mine in steps and each step made them feel better than the last. It's like anything else in life, the first time you do it you are a little apprehensive. But once you get in there and tear everything apart you realize their is No Rocket Science here and just do it.

Searching 'Head Stratos Pro Modifications' , or click on 'Arnuad' or 'jp1' and check out their posts in reference to Head boots, should bring up references to the pictures you need. Just pay attention as you go. The Notch at the bottom of the 'Lower Bracket' of the BTS, is a perfect example of something I missed during original installation. The only reason I posted about it was to try to help others that may be in the same situation. If their is anything I can do to help you with I will do my best, but posting pictures :( unfortunately isn't one of them.

" There's one thing better than learning from you own mistakes, learning from someone else's "!

['just a heads up' on Head Boots with BTS]

big canuck, " Does that change you forward lean at all? It seems the angle wold be steeper as the bracket no longer sits on the boot on the shoulder but more the bottom of the BTS bit? Does that make sense?"

I'm not positive , exactly what you are asking !?

No, cutting out the area of interference does NOT change 'your forward lean', or anything else. All it does is eliminate the 'Lower Bracket' hitting the plastic of the shell ( interference) which creates the cracks / splits. The pin is what attaches the 'Lower Bracket' to the boot shell. You do not change the pin location, you simply cut away a thin sliver of plastic in the area shown above. Also, this does not effectively take away any strength, since the pin is still in the thicker plastic areas, on both sides, (hope this explains it)

['just a heads up' on Head Boots with BTS]

big canuck, yes essentially you will want to end up taking a 'notch' out where the 'Lower Bracket' fits into the shell. Mine looks almost exactly like BlueB's picture. As I originally stated, the cut out is about 5/16" in height and 5/8" wide. The bottom of my cutout is just above the top of the pin (which looks to be the same as BlueB's).

['just a heads up' on Head Boots with BTS]

queequeg, That's exactly what I had on the one boot, down both sides .

I cut out where it had cracked and across at the top of the pin (pretty much same as BlueB's picture) to give clearance and eliminate any future problem .

['just a heads up' on Head Boots with BTS]

BlueB, yes that is exactly where the issue was, Thanks for posting pic.:)

[Blue Mtn Updates]

Started out sweet (what I was waiting for yesterday) and just got better until I couldn't stand any longer ! Sugar was starting to pile up around 1 PM.

Good time as always, riding with you Glenn.

[maky snow slide off]

Obviously the topsheet material and the type of snow have a lot to do with the snow sticking. I rode an old Burton FP 160 as a 'Rock Board' today. I've never touched the topsheet and the snow didn't even think of sticking to IT :lol:

My metal Coiler always has about an extra 5 lbs. of snow on it ? (I don't know why that should bother me, the owner :rolleyes: is carrying an extra 30 lbs. )

[Bmes 09]

Thanks for the heads up Jesse (the springs are awesome!!) Dang, waddada rugrats have off for tomorrow, Friday the 13th?

Was there all morning waiting for it to soften up, it never did. I'll be there in the AM.

[maky snow slide off]

Pledge didn't work for me, must be the Pennsylvania snow ?

Things (that I remember) I've tried, Auto wax (at least 3 different brands, sprays and paste and even 5 Star Shine), Auto Polish, Never Dull, Silicone Spray,WD-40, Pam, Lemon Pledge, Rain-X, Armor-All, Never Fog, 303 Protectant, Contact Cleaner, Penetrating Oil, Windshield Washer Fluid, Alcohol, Car Wash Soap, Dishwashing Soap, Marvel Mystery Oil, Windex, Anti-Freeze, Tap Free & Mobil 1.

When the WD-40 or the Marvel Mystery Oil didn't do it, I knew I was in trouble.

A friend told me 'lard' works if you leave a thick coating on, he used to use it on his 'Clickers' ?? (I'd personally, rather have the snow :D)

['just a heads up' on Head Boots with BTS]

I was just cleaning up my boots and looking things over and Panic Struck ! I thought I was going to have a coronary. I noticed that the heel of my Left boot shell, where 'Lower Bracket' of the BTS attaches (via the 5mm pin) was split on both sides ! Of coarse I instantly thought the worse. Reminding myself the BTS was not designed for the Head Boots, I calmly started to remove the BTS from the boot to diagnose. It was then I remembered (questioning in my mind, during installation) an interference between the 'Lower Bracket' and the area that it sits in.

The radius of the 'Lower Bracket' puts pressure on the plastic and had created splits in the plastic about 5/16" (8mm) long on each side of the bracket. After looking it over better the Panic subsided, and I determined it really 'shouldn't' be an issue. I decided to cut out the area (where the splits originated) to keep bracket from exerting any more pressure on the plastic and possibly breakage down the road. I ended up cutting a notch out 5/16" (8mm) down and 5/8" (16.5mm) wide, that gives the 'Lower Bracket' clearance to function properly. The Right boot was barely showing any sign of a split on one side, but I decided to 'relieve' it the same amount as the left boot. Obviously the way the boot is molded comes into play with material thicknesses. You may (or may not) have to go more or less. I found in the past that a 'cheap (breakaway blade) razor knife from 'the Dollar Store' is an Excellent tool for working on the boot plastic, cuts like butter, and that's what I used (very simple).

Sorry, I wish I could post pictures instead of this description, but can't.

This is something I think everyone with the BTS on Head boots should at least look at ( but then again, I'm known to be 'a little anal'). From experience, I know that they (Head boots) are all not exactly the same, and hopefully others will not experience this, but I believe some will find it to be true? I feel it 'could' potentially develop into a problem down the road if not attended to, therefore wanted to post it here for others to be aware of.

If anyone is doing a New Installation, check into this while installing to avoid a split ever starting. Hope this helps someone, because the BTS system is sweet.

[maky snow slide off]

Chris, Rain-X don't work either, tried it along with a whole list of other products :( , still to date have found nothing that works.

Pre-cooling the board does seem to help, but I transport my board 'in the car' and sure as 'heck' ain't leaving it outside while I'm getting ready (not chancing it growing legs).

It really is 'quite amazing' that nothing (so far) seems to work

[Head Stratos Pro ?]

Don't even wait, nice project (mods. & BTS) over the summer, no comparison./ They work the way they 'should' after the mods.

[BTS question]

Here's the Specs, copied from BTS page:

Technical Data

Long (toe side) springs = 3" (7.62cm) long

Short (heel side) springs = 1.5" (3.9cm) long

Spring Rates: units = lbs/in (N/mm)

Yellow "Long" Spring = 96 (25)

Yellow "Short" Spring = 200 (56)

Blue "Long" Spring = 144 (60)

Blue "Short" Spring = 320 (129)

Red "Long" Spring = 340 (82)

Red "Short" Spring = 656 (177)

Pay attention to the numbers though...