Intec, Why should I switch?

[jnshapiro]

Ok, I'm thinking about switching over to Intec. It'll just be a lot easier to get off the lift and stomp my back foot into the binding than have to fiddle with bails.

What other benefits are there to the system?

[chadx]

Not just off the lifts. Out and back in when you encounter those flat spot or slow snow, on cat walks and transition runs, too. Then once moving, you can click in without stopping again (though some may be able to do that with tow clips, too).

Also, some say a bit of stiffness difference between intec and regular, but I've always used intec so I can't compare. I don't think anything as noticable as the difference between TD1 design and TD2 design (of same bail type) but still, some difference.

[RDY_2_Carve]

Toe clips have the possibility of releasing mid-run. The odds of this happening are slim to none if you have your bindings setup properly though.

With Intecs the only way you'll have premature release is if you don't engage the Intec heel properly. The only problem I've ever had with that is when I get a bunch of snow/ice stuck on the heel. I usually just scrape the heel on the top sharp part of the Intec reciever and the snow comes loose. Then click-and-go. Or if you got a nice spikey stomp pad sometimes that will break it loose.

You can skate right off the lift and clip in and start your run all in one motion. No chance of doing that with standard bails. If you're always waiting around on your softboot buddies then this is a moot point, and sometimes paranoia gets the best of you so you end up sitting down anyways just to ensure that those Intec pins are properly engaged. Or asking your jibbing buddies to take a look and make sure they are engaged properly...

I've only used Burton Race Plates for standard bails so you can't really compare those to TD SI's as far as stiffness. Most would agree that Intecs are stiffer than standards but it's hard to guage it unless you had two of the exact same model bindings to compare (TD2 vs TD2 SI for example).

I know the EC folks don't like using Intec claiming it's too stiff. After attending SES I can safely say this is not the case as I saw plenty of EC'ing going on and mostly everybody was using Intec. TD2 SI's mostly.

Lastly I'd say there's really not much speed difference between Intec and Standard. I've seen folks clip into standard bails just as fast as I can stomp into a Intec.

[Chris Houghton]

Maybe it's better to ask the question a different way:

For those who tried Intecs and switched back, why did you decide that you preferred standard bails?

I tried for about 3 days to get used to Intecs, but the stiffness was so different toeside to heelside that eventually I just gave up trying to adapt. That and premature release about 3 times.

If I can't bend over and clip in while I'm waiting for a clear spot, I'm better off staying home on the couch.

Of course, I expect your opinions may vary.

[gabor]

This year I will ride Intec and standard both. Until now I used only standard bails but last year tried Intec. The difference is really not big. Why did I buy Intec?

Maybe there are some psychological reason. The carvers almanac writes some about safety. Standard bails did not release in my experience but I broke some. Fortunately boot always remained in the binding and I realised the breakage only after stopping. If the Intec does not release it seems to me a more reliable system.

Toe clips on standard bails need some more place than intec toe bail. Not a big difference though.

Stepping in and out speed difference is not so big. If the slope has some steepness throughout the whole length, standard bails are not slower to get in. But if you have to skate sometimes there is a huge difference in comfort.

Stepping out is faster from standard bails for me...

[Linus]

is the main reason. I use Intecs on a raceboard since they are stiffer but I use standard toe clips on freecarve and All-mountain boards. I use a lot of body rotation when I carve on heelside so it's a lot better with Standard types.

[Derf]

Am I the only one to see the contradiction here? I read "I can step in right off the lift and of I go" and also "Remove the snow off your sole before engaging and check that you are properly engaged". The two things contradict themselves. Either you take the time to remove the snow and check, either you don't.

I use bails and never found it to be too long (until I switched to Cateks that don't have bails that stand up, but that's another issue). And lots of people say that properly adjusted bails don't pop open. I never had one open in 8-9 years, but I could be worong.

[Neil Gendzwill]

Am I the only one to see the contradiction here? I read "I can step in right off the lift and of I go" and also "Remove the snow off your sole before engaging and check that you are properly engaged". The two things contradict themselves. Either you take the time to remove the snow and check, either you don't..

Eh. If the snow is sticky, you need to be careful. If it's a colder day and the snow is dry, usually it clicks in no problem. You can look down at your heel as you glide away and see that it is engaged. Even on a sticky day, you can clean your heel on the ride up, and as long as you're careful not to plant your boot in the snow while riding the ramp, again step in and go.

It really is the cat's ass on long roads or cat-tracks. Slowing down as you go up a hill? Yank the cable, step out and skate a while. Got a downhill stretch? Step in and go without losing momentum. I suppose if you're handy with the toeclip you can do this also, but you have to make sure to flip the clip over so it doesn't drag in the snow, and when you bend over maybe your board tracks a little crooked and loses momentum.

Also good for coming in to an empty lift line, just keep gliding in the line and pop the binding at the end. Again, no worries about dragging heel piece, or interference with the ropes or anything.

You can get toe-clips on wrong, too. It's a lot easier to see that the toe bail is in place on a step-in than that the heel-bail is right on a regular binding. Clip bindings are also more sensitive to temperature changes.

I love my intecs. I'd never go back.

[Jack M]

I don't get all this talk about Intecs being stiffer. I have not noticed it one bit. I think if you have your standard bails adjusted properly, the stiffness difference is insignificant. That is, it should require some muscle to latch/unlatch a standard bail with one hand. In fact they should be tight enough that using two hands is helpful when latching in.

If running tight bails or Intecs is too stiff for you, get some soft e-rings or the suspension kit. Don't cluge your bindings, use engineered flex.

PS - I'll never go back to standards. The convenience of SI's is so great.

[skategoat]

I don't get all this talk about Intecs being stiffer. I have not noticed it one bit. I think if you have your standard bails adjusted properly, the stiffness difference is insignificant. That is, it should require some muscle to latch/unlatch a standard bail with one hand. In fact they should be tight enough that using two hands is helpful when latching in.

If running tight bails or Intecs is too stiff for you, get some soft e-rings or the suspension kit. Don't cluge your bindings, use engineered flex.

PS - I'll never go back to standards. The convenience of SI's is so great.

I can't tell much difference either but that doesn't mean the flex difference isn't there.

A buddy of mine rides EC style with low binding angles - 55/45 or something like that. We did a carpet test and the amount of movement in the rear bail was amazing. There was nothing wrong with the fit or adjustment - just the rear bail twisting and flexing like mad. That same winter, I was riding with him and the rear bail snapped in mid-run. No injury but he had to walk down half of Big White.

He tried my Intecs and could barely ride. He hated them.

[Jack M]

There was nothing wrong with the fit or adjustment - just the rear bail twisting and flexing like mad.

then I'd be very surprised if they were adjusted properly. I don't suppose you're talking about a guy with a name like a pry-bar?

That same winter, I was riding with him and the rear bail snapped in mid-run. No injury but he had to walk down half of Big White.

Not surprising. Cyclic loading is a death sentence to metal parts. The tighter your bindings are, the less cyclic loading. This is similar to preloading screws. You tighten a screw to the point where the screw is under a constant tension greater than whatever tension is trying to pull your two parts apart.

I've never snapped a Bomber bail.

[RDY_2_Carve]

Am I the only one to see the contradiction here? I read "I can step in right off the lift and of I go" and also "Remove the snow off your sole before engaging and check that you are properly engaged". The two things contradict themselves. Either you take the time to remove the snow and check, either you don't.

Derf I don't really see your point. You can get the same snow buildup on standard bindings that can cause you to not engage properly. Scraping off the snow is not something you have to do every time you get off the lift. It's either there or it isn't. You can check it while riding the lift, knock it off before you clip in, and when you get off just clip in and go without your rear foot ever hitting the snow.

I've skated off a lift and stepped in on the fly and about 1/2 way through the catwalk I notice my rear boot is loose from the bindings. The only way I've experienced this problem is from snow/ice on my heel. That was the only reason I even mentioned it.

[Linus]

I've never snapped a Bomber bail.

Ya.....That's just you......which means nothing.....

[Linus]

I don't get all this talk about Intecs being stiffer. I have not noticed it one bit.

Like I said.....That's just you......

[jnshapiro]

Thanks folks. It's sounding better and better for Intec's, at least from where I sit.

[Allee]

I have 223's and ran them on Intecs last season.

I only got Intecs because I bought what were supposed to be standards and they turned out to be step ins (the guy hadn't seen them for so long he couldn't remember what they were!) Anyway, went to the heels and love them. I'm still getting the hang of the cable thing, but being able to unclip and skate, then kick back in, just rocks. Plus all my friends are skiers, so they love not having to wait for me.

The only thing I don't like is that the Intec heel seems to be a bit higher than a standard Raichle heel. I still run standards on my powder board and find that I can't easily get the heel to engage the back bail now, I have to sit and fiddle with it to make sure it's properly looped over, which is a bit of a pain.

[Jack M]

Ya.....That's just you......which means nothing.....

Um, well, I'm not sure how many hundred days I've got on the bindings, but I weigh 170 and carve hard. I think it means I know how to adjust my bindings properly.

Crave-- I challenge you to a clip in duel! We'll call it the BINDING MASTER CHALLENGE! Oh, and it has to be at Stratton and will be judged by my mom. ;)

[eaglez]

I would say being that Jack is the moderator and has probably used bomber bindings, in all their stages of development, longer than almost anyone on this forum, his observations and opinions mean EVERYTHING.

Not Cool!

[kjl]

Am I the only one to see the contradiction here? I read "I can step in right off the lift and of I go" and also "Remove the snow off your sole before engaging and check that you are properly engaged". The two things contradict themselves. Either you take the time to remove the snow and check, either you don't.

I usually get off the lift, take a few skating lunges to get some gliding speed going, kick my heel really hard forward once or twice on my stomp pad, which knocks all the snow off, and step in quickly. So you do have to knock the snow off the sole before you click in, but takes about as much time as skating one step. If the two clicks from the pins are not obviously audible and separate, I will also bend over and feel the pins through the receiver holes with my finger, but again, I can do this while I are still gliding.

[RDY_2_Carve]

What is going on in this FORUM.........................any takers?

• This forum is growing
  
• opinions are like *******s
  
• everybody is a pro
  
• The real pro's are getting tired of re-iterating the same thing over and over
  
• The real pro's are getting frustrated and showing thier asses at times
  
• The real pro's don't even visit BOL due to reasons like this
  
• People are passing judgement of others based on text written on a forum
  
• People need to smoke more and chill the f out
  

[Neil Gendzwill]

I don't get all this talk about Intecs being stiffer. I have not noticed it one bit. I think if you have your standard bails adjusted properly, the stiffness difference is insignificant. That is, it should require some muscle to latch/unlatch a standard bail with one hand. In fact they should be tight enough that using two hands is helpful when latching in.

Theoretically, the step-ins would be stiffer as there is one more bail to flex. Certainly mine are stiffer than my old bail bindings, but I'm not comparing apples to apples like you are with both versions of the TD2. I'll buy that you don't feel any difference, but some people have said they do. I know some racers prefer bail bindings for that reason - maybe they too aren't comparing apples to apples as they are on Burtons or Phiokkas or something.

[Bobby Buggs]

All I ride is Intec as you can see below. Once you get a set you will WANT MORE.

[Jack M]

thanks for the support folks, but let's all relax. Linus has been on the forum since 2003. Maybe he's having a bad day. No worries.

[Neil Gendzwill]

What is going on in this FORUM.........................any takers?

Same thing that goes on any forum. Everyone can post, everyone wants to give their opinion, some opinions are more valid than others. But it's hard to tell at first who can back up their opinion. Jack's approach of simply providing good information over and over, then letting people sort out for themselves if they want to take it, is a pretty reasonable way to go. That's what I do on some other forums where I know what I'm talking about. Instead of saying "hey, listen to me, I have X, Y and Z qualifications", just the weight of consistent, good information seems to eventually make a dent.

[Neil Gendzwill]

Ego gets in the way with sports. You should try some of the martial arts sites sometimes. Every kid swinging a stick in his backyard pretending to be Rouroni Kenshin figures he's "studying kenjutsu". Every kid rassling his brother in the living room is the next UFC champ. Tons of kids figure they know everything there is to know about martial arts and Japanese culture because they watch a lot of anime and collect manga.