tahoecarver Posted September 17, 2006 Report Share Posted September 17, 2006 I would appreciate any detailed instructions on how to make the toepiece more secure on this boot model. I know a few of you have already accomplished this with inserts and hardware that bites right into the shell, but I don't know the exact details on how to accomplish this. Any advice would be appreciated for saving my knees on the hill, and preventing a possible binding failure. Thanks for listening... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RicHard Posted September 18, 2006 Report Share Posted September 18, 2006 I wrote an email to VirusSnowboards.de concerning such problem (and a question about how to solve it) but I've got no answer at all... Nice customer care... I'm writing them again... We'll see... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tahoecarver Posted September 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 18, 2006 Sorry, what is the relationship between Virus and UPZ boots? Are they the manufacturer? The plastic toe ledge on the UPZ boot line is my concern, since the screws holding them to the boot may wear and strip out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ASU_snowdevil Posted September 18, 2006 Report Share Posted September 18, 2006 The virus edition boot is a upz with a stiffer shell plastic. I doubt virus would know too much about the boot since they don't actually manufacture them. I would contact upz if anyone, although I am sure they wouldn't acknowledge it as a problem anyway. I have some UPZ boots on the way that already have the toe piece mod. When they come in I will describe how they are done and maybe snap some pics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tahoecarver Posted September 19, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 19, 2006 Did you order them that way from UPZ, or from another hardbooter? I wish I bought mine already modified... There's a Virus edition to the UPZ boot? Small world... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ASU_snowdevil Posted September 19, 2006 Report Share Posted September 19, 2006 Got them from another hardbooter here on the forum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey Day Posted September 19, 2006 Report Share Posted September 19, 2006 I would suggest contacting Dan Yoja @ www.upzboots.com He is, like, THE UPZ boot dealer/distributor for North America. If anyone knows of a way to secure the toe/heel blocks more securely, he may. Excellent customer service from Dan. I've never bought anything from him, but I have e-mailed him about UPZ/UPS boots and he was more than helpful for me! Hope this helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wannabe Posted September 19, 2006 Report Share Posted September 19, 2006 Yup, Dan is way cool,, Quick reply always, ASU_snowdevil, can you make sure post some pics after you get them please? I'd like to see. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markman Posted September 20, 2006 Report Share Posted September 20, 2006 I posted the instructions in another entry in February/06. It might still be on this site. All the modification entails is getting stainless steel machine bolts and tee-nuts. If you can find metric, get 5mm for each. If unavailable, using #10 32 or 28 thread tee nuts is fine. Just replace the coarse thread screws with these: tee nuts inside the shell, machine bolts from the shell underside. For the tee nuts going right under the toes (there will be two others under the ball of the foot) you will have to use some side cutters to snip off one of the flanges to make it fit - it's a tight space here. This fix works fine (as long as you don't want to swap UPZ's "ski" toes back and forth -- which strikes me as retarded since the shell is way too soft for alpine skiing anyway). I have had no trouble with the toes even in -30 C conditions (oh how I love Tremblant on a spring day!). I have never heard of the toes pads stripping off even without the modification. If worry about the this toe 'nonissue' is keeping you from buying a set of these boots, don't let it. IMHO they blow away both Raichle/Deeluxe and Head in performance trenching (yes, I've used them all for extended periods of time). BTW, Virus just has UPZ shoot a run of plastic in black instead of red which they then put their own name on. There are two different types of plastic that are used however: nylon - thinner and stronger; polyurethane - thicker and less strong. That being said, on a person's foot, the shell stiffnesses feel the same because of the slight difference in shell thickness. M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tahoecarver Posted October 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2006 Have a great season... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big canuck Posted October 18, 2006 Report Share Posted October 18, 2006 Does anyone know if the same hardwear is used to secure Intec heels in Head Stratos Pro boots also? Please and thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Posted October 18, 2006 Report Share Posted October 18, 2006 I emailed Dan Yoja in Feb 06 and he said the mod was not necessary, just BOL being protective I guess. I'm ordering my extra ski pads for carving skiing this year...oh yeah! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 18, 2006 Report Share Posted October 18, 2006 I've ridden UPZ for the past 2 seasons of 100 days plus, and I've had no problems with the toe pieces. I might be a light rider, but I still ride them pretty hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terekhov Posted October 19, 2006 Report Share Posted October 19, 2006 Does anyone know if the same hardwear is used to secure Intec heels in Head Stratos Pro boots also? Please and thanks! yes, if you use intec heels on strati - I recommend to replace stock soft-metal inserts in the boot with t-nuts from intec heel package. if you didn't do that - you surely will have a difficuly time when you want to unscrew heel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big canuck Posted October 19, 2006 Report Share Posted October 19, 2006 I got he heels second hand from a guy and they did not have the t-nuts included. This should be interesting. Thanks Terekhov. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bordy Posted October 19, 2006 Report Share Posted October 19, 2006 We are carring the Virus UPZ line this year and I have had a lot of fun testing the line. The mod is as easy as removing the two short toe piece screws and replacing them with stainless t-nuts and hard ware. It is a 5 to 10 minute job if you have the hardware on hand/ 2 minutes if you have power tools. I have been riding The Black model with out the mod with out any issues. I mainly looked into the mod for the benifit of our customers. Based on Fins research the mod should provide extra strength. Any boot is prone to fail. We have seen more failures in the plastic of all boots then we have in the toe or heel attachment point of any manufacture. However since the UPZ boot toe piece screws gain purchase in plastic many riders may feel the urge to do the mod. We will have photos and instructions on the mod at Hardbooter.com soon. These UPZ boots rock and after watching most US athletes switch to them, I was excited to try them out at spring camp. I will be riding them all season, with and with out the Mod. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outsider Posted October 19, 2006 Report Share Posted October 19, 2006 I emailed Dan Yoja in Feb 06 and he said the mod was not necessary, just BOL being protective I guess. I'm ordering my extra ski pads for carving skiing this year...oh yeah! i ordered a pair last week and asked the same question. according to him, he has never heard of the toe pieces coming loose, ever. he mentioned that there may be a conflict of interest surrounding the BOL warning as they are the distriutors of Deeluxe and are in competition with UPZ. this seemed a little exagerated as i can not see BOL posting such a warning in order to boost sales. i replaced the toe/heel pieces last season on my old boots and it took me two hours working with a blowtorch and a dremmel to free the screws on the toe pieces. that being said, i did notice a small gap forming between the toe piece and the boot shell after the second season of riding, but there was absolutely no play in the toe pieces. does the warning on BOL have anything to do with the lawsuit it was involved in last year? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobdea Posted October 19, 2006 Report Share Posted October 19, 2006 have something to do with that also, the damn UPZ boots have a odd shape in the toe making the fit in many intec binding sketchy or in the case of the TD1 impossible with the size 28 UPZ once dialed they do ride nice excludinging that they have allot less forward travel than the other boots on the market I won't use them due to fit issues combined with binding fit issues Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeW Posted October 20, 2006 Report Share Posted October 20, 2006 well, ive been quiet most of the time cuz i dont have the file on me and rather not to distribute it cuz of liability issue. isn't US wonderfully litiagious society? i did tee-nut my UPZ boots toe pieces (I use 'em for skiing often, so I use the DIN toe pieces and toss out the snowboard toe pieces so Id be able to leave it tee-nut permanently). The prospect of it failing while Im racing is ratherly frightening if you had read what happened to the dude with shattered femur. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bordy Posted October 20, 2006 Report Share Posted October 20, 2006 well, ive been quiet most of the time cuz i dont have the file on me and rather not to distribute it cuz of liability issue. isn't US wonderfully litiagious society? i did tee-nut my UPZ boots toe pieces (I use 'em for skiing often, so I use the DIN toe pieces and toss out the snowboard toe pieces so Id be able to leave it tee-nut permanently). The prospect of it failing while Im racing is ratherly frightening if you had read what happened to the dude with shattered femur. What File? Whose Liability??? Why are you scared of racing? 300 hundred people died last year chewing and choking on gum No one suied the gum companys for making a product you can choke on.. I'm not scared of gum.... why is the idea of gear breaking so scarey? If you are refering to the Cat still sueing Bomber. We can all find the info... If I suied every manufactor for failures I would have suied them all. Because any thing can and will break. Instead I'll take the responsability to have insurance when I go particapate in "risk sports". So when stuff goes wrong I dont have to figure out where the money is coming from to pay medical bills. I would love to be called in that case I would unload.......... Did Joey set up his gear right? Did Joey know what he was doing? Did Joey understand he was not at home suckling Mommys teet and some thing could go wrong.. The bindings came with warnings the intec heels came with warnings his board came with a warning then stuff whent wrong and now the warnings don't matter??? I feel for Joey and the fact he got hurt and needs to pay his bills. Snowboard racing never pays my bills, should I sue FIS for not paying out enough money to pay my bills? Bummer some one got hurt, Bummer they dont have the money to Pay their bills. Bummer my friends in the buisness had to change their policys, Pay out tons of money to lawyers, Money they would have used to do R&D and push the progression of the sport. Bummer My snowboard buisness (which doesn't even break even) had to purchase more insurance so when some Joey sues us I don't lose my house and car and modest low income life style. Bummer my self and peers looked to the lawsuit brought against Bomber as a possible veiw of future lawsuits. Forcing us all to change policy hindering the growth of alpine snowboarding. All because some Cat broke his leg? When Dave cashed in his 401K to pay for last years stock of snowboards no one told him thank you for making a life changing sacrifice for Hardbooting and Hardbooter. When We beg borrow and sell any thing we can to pay for this years stock no one will say thanks.. When we operate a Alpine snowboard sales outlet for the fourth year at a lose to each of us to promote the sport we love more then anything, and give people the chance to ride the most progressive gear on the planet. No one will say thanks. But as soon as any one gets an owwey and sues us they will sick lawyers on us forcing us to crumble. Luckly Fin had the resourses to stay afloat and I know if the guy suing Bomber got every thing they are asking for there may not be a bomber anymore... No one would say thanks to Fin... He would just be the guy who used to make binding for the love of the sport. Hardbooter would just be the place that used to push the limits of the sport. And in return some cat gets a free pass becuase he had a accident? It would be great if he would just drop the lawsuit and give alpine riding a chance to grow. I bet people whould thank him.. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeW Posted October 20, 2006 Report Share Posted October 20, 2006 Put it this way, Im not taking the chances to break my own femur. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tahoetrencher Posted October 20, 2006 Report Share Posted October 20, 2006 Thank you, Dave. Thank you, Fin and Michelle. Thank you Billy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gleb Posted October 20, 2006 Report Share Posted October 20, 2006 Thank you, Dave.Thank you, Fin and Michelle. Thank you Billy. Thank you everyone that pushed the sport and gear to where they are today. And Bordy, amazingly well said. Maybe if you switch the toe pieces out with the DIN too much, it could loosen up and cause a boot failure then? I'm still waiting for Dan Yoja's response to get my UPZ boots. I can't wait! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djtrussny Posted October 20, 2006 Report Share Posted October 20, 2006 Roger that guys, well put. Thanks for making what would otherwise be a miserable cold 5 months of every year of my life, something to look forward to. Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Sub Posted October 21, 2006 Report Share Posted October 21, 2006 Bordy...I thank people all the time. You make it sound like no one is appreciative of what you, fin, tille, others do. not true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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