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lordmetroland

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Posts posted by lordmetroland

  2. Catek FR2 Upgrades

    in Carving Central

    Posted

    Hmmmm...tried to upload some pictures but the app complained they were too big? Basically I pulled off what I believe we're the Nidecker straps. They're burly but seemed a bit unforgiving. The toe strap may be used as a cap, but it doesn't inspire confidence in that configuration. The Ride toe straps are grippy and low profile, but not the ruggedest things I've come across. The ankle straps are plush but responsive.

    I had to fashion some plastic washers to fit the toe straps flush to the Catek extenders. I also trimmed the hard plastic combo washer that sits outside the Ride highback/ankle strap screws so the edges would not extend outside the heel loop. Probably could have run without these, but I had a spare set and they fit like a charm. The nice thing about the Ride highbacks vs the Catek plastic jobbies is that they sit flush in the heel loop. The lower edge of the Catek highbacks push your heels forward about an inch. Pretty bad design. Plus the Ride's are way stiffer. Again, if I had the Nidecker Carbon highbacks, I would've kept them. All In, I'd buy another set of FR2s and make the same mods with another pair of El Hefes currently in service. Though the El Hefes are nothing to sneeze at and come stock (now) with carbon highbacks. Also I was able to find stainless replacement hardware for the Cateks at the local hardware store or through a supply house, except for some admittedly critical parts. I pray those don't fail!

    If I can solve the size issue with the pictures, I'll load some more.

    post-5667-0-46968600-1418760525_thumb.jp

  4. Catek FR2 Upgrades

    in Carving Central

    Posted

    I bought a pair of FR2s from the only other respondent on this thread (thanks Bryan!). Only half a day on them but they feel nice. I took the bindings down to the chassis and built them back up with Ride straps and highbacks from a pair of El Hefe's. The fit is near perfect, even the fiddly little screws. I had to do some plastic part mods with the Dremel, but could have made it work without. I'll try to post some pictures. I have to say, I'm really pleased with the outcome. Those stock grey plastic highbacks look like something off an old Black Snow! Now, if I'd had the model with the carbon highbacks, that might have been a different story...

    • Like 1

  5. Yo Lci!!

    in Colorado

    Posted

    firecut is now open. sack up bitches

    It's ready for you. Witnessed a full-on, grenade-in-the-pants style yard sale on Firecut from the chair this Friday. The guy may still be sidestepping up the hill to retrieve his gear. One for the ages...

  7. Mounting Hardware Additives - Poll

    in Carving Central

    Posted

    Geoff,

    I did not bring up here, but we/I do grease all my fasteners. You get a tighter torque, and they come apart like a dream. Never had one come loose but you must tighten as I described above.

    That in mind, I do NOT grease the mounting screws into the board inserts. Again, the grease might act up against the boards laminates.

    .

    So, aside from mounting screws, you grease all the fasteners where metal meets metal? I would have thought Loctite was the right tool for the job there! This is why we sit at the (virtual) feet of the masters. I may have to rearrange some stuff in my brain now.

  8. Mounting Hardware Additives - Poll

    in Carving Central

    Posted

    Here's an interesting discovery. Interesting to me, anyway. The Loctite 242 product information says "The product cures when confined in the absence of air between close fitting metal surfaces." Not to be fleeced by some dumb marketing jargon, I set out to test the claim. A few drops of the 242 on a couple screws and, for good measure, a few drops of Permatex blue on a couple others and - Voila! - they're both still liquidy in the presence of air in my basement 24-48 hours later. So, evidently, the product info wasn't trying to make a fool of me and it would be easier to just trust the label. So it seems one has to cure the Loctite in a vacuum, or possibly wait way longer than 48 hours for it to cure on it's own.

  10. Mounting Hardware Additives - Poll

    in Carving Central

    Posted

    Wasn't there some manus that voided the warranty if you use loctite on their boards?

    I recall my old Burton Cartels having some warranty-voiding language in the install sheet, but I don't remember specifically if it referred to boards as well as bindings. Since then, I've heard Loctite can compromise plastics, but always used it prior to reading the Burton warning with no discernible ill effects...

  11. Any recommendations if switch over to soft boot setup?

    in Carving Central

    Posted

    Not sure how long the Skunk Ape has been around in the Lib Tech lineup? I have the ultrawide 170 HP version and really like it, but fear it won't see much use this season. It's lively and pops a bit between turns, and seems to anticipate where I want to go. It floats nicely in soft snow and seems to carve well on piste. It's a pretty nice all-around ride, but lacks the confidence of some other boards in going through chop. My real complaint is that I wish they made it in something bigger than 170. I had the 180 but the extruded base was laggy. This one's much faster/slippery, but I'd love another 10-20 (or 30?) cms!

  12. Mounting Hardware Additives - Poll

    in Carving Central

    Posted

    Just about to mount up a set of Catek FR2s and would love the collective intelligence on keeping the dang mounting screws stuck in the inserts (though not permanently). With other soft bindings I've used factory applied stuff, Loctite, Vibra-tite, teflon tape and nothing with varying degrees of satisfaction/irritation/surprising results. Searching on the terms seems to bring up various perspectives, so I thought a poll might be useful. Any tips or strongly held opinions welcome!

  14. Any recommendations if switch over to soft boot setup?

    in Carving Central

    Posted

    Yes, just a break from routine. I still want to do big carves but I don't want to always HAVE to be carving. Some days I will definitely still use the Coiler but other days I may just want to carve some runs and not other runs.

    That's helpful. For the life of me, I can't figure out why the softboot industry insists on shrinking the typical board. I've heard claims of "reduced swing weight" but, realistically, how many people will fail to complete that 900 owing to the weight of 5cm of board length? Maybe it's just a push to make boards easier to handle? I'd size up knowing you're looking to carve and probably carve fast, not learn tricks with names that are impossible to remember. Also, Ride toe straps are quite low profile compared to some other brands and the material is really sticky. Good luck!

  17. Catek Spacer Thingys

    in Want to Buy

    Posted

    18cm preferred but I guess it doesn't matter since I will cut them down anyway. Yes, I should just make my own.

    I don't want to make your transaction more complex, but I came into a pair of pristine 18cm spacers for about $75 shipped. I'd think I'd prefer the 23cm version. Maybe we could arrange a three way swap that makes everyone happy? Apologies if I'm treading on a deal!

  25. Any recommendations if switch over to soft boot setup?

    in Carving Central

    Posted

    Patrice,

    I think you should go with Ride Double Agent bindings, Burton Ion boots, and a Lib Tech Skunk Ape 160's

    I think the Double Agents were discontinued a couple years ago. Looks like they were somewhere between the El Hefe and the Capo in stiffness/price. I like the El Hefe a lot. Ions are a nice, light, stiffer boot, but they gave me nerve damage in my left foot, so I'm less inclined to recommend them, but everyone's feet are different...

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