Erik J Posted March 21, 2007 Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 I’ve noticed continued comments this year on the negatives of riding in walk/powder mode in boots fitted with the 5-position lean adjuster thingy. I understand the broken equipment argument. With that being said, I’m on my second pair of Raichles since ’96-’97. Prior to that it was ski boots and prior to that it was imitation Sorels. I’m not suggesting my boots will never break, only that so far I’ve had no problems. After experimenting with the lean adjuster and the tightness of my buckles, I’ve settled on walk mode as my preferred mode of riding with my buckles cranked down. I’ve read comments on riding in walk mode as being somewhat of a crutch. So one of my questions is, does riding in walk mode cover up bad technique somehow? Is there a level of riding I’m missing by riding in walk mode all of the time? <O:p</O:p Having broken bails and pulled inserts, it seems that if I lock my boots down, I’m moving the flex I once had in my knees/boots to the board/bindings. I see myself destroying equipment like this. There was a video of Bordy and Phil EC’ing on old equipment and new and then comparing riding techniques. Bordy pulled out inserts on his Kessler(?) mid-turn I believe. I’m assuming his boots were locked and if I remember correctly Bordy was powering through spring slush. Could that have been avoided in walk mode? I’m certainly not comparing myself to any pro riders, just wondering what all this recent commotion is about from a technique point of view. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abakker Posted March 21, 2007 Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 personally i ride my freeride decks in powder mode and ride stratos pros locked on my alpines. riding in powder mode is a technique i have seen many people use on their freeride boards (PSR and Steve Prokopiw for example) and i have never heard them blowing up their lean adjusters. i think it just makes sense to use the correct position for the correct conditions and correct gear. at 63f 60r on my coiler pure race, lockout is all that can make me feel secure, at 42f 38r on my tanker, i like the shock absorbsion i get in walk mode and the low speed manueverability. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mats Posted March 21, 2007 Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 Until this season I have been riding with customized R.A.Bs so they where almost no resitance forward until boots tilted quite a bit. That so I could get low to initiate turns. Then I changed to boots with 5 pos adjuster and first I locked and I could´nt ride and I also pushed my back knee so much that I almost torn some muskle. So I switched to pow mode so I could be dynamic and ride with balance. NO PROBLEMS!!! Except that I couldn´t push the board due to lack of the progressive resistance I got from RAB. So I put on BTS with soft springs and It´s perfect. Soft flex, progressive power transmision. Thats just my 5cents... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tpalka Posted March 21, 2007 Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 does riding in walk mode cover up bad technique somehow? Is there a level of riding I’m missing by riding in walk mode all of the time? I'm curious what others will have to say, but I think you can only GAIN by riding in a soft setup -- it gives you an ability to use your ankles in the turns, rather than rigidly attaching your feet to the board -- in which case your movements start at the knees. As I wrote on a BTS-related thread, I was very happy to move to BTS for the reason that it allowed me to ride soft but without fearing the boots breaking -- until then I rode in walk mode all the time, and had even superglued the levers down so that they wouldn't flip up accidentally. I believe that having more flex in the boot lets you feel the board better, and it's more efficient to use the ankles to initiate the turns. And it works great for fast cross-unders, kind of like towards the end of this movie. IMHO many people probably ride in way too stiff a setup limiting themselves and having to compensate by bigger upper body movements. tom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
queequeg Posted March 21, 2007 Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 My first pair of hardboots was a pair of burton megaflex boots, and I broke the lean adjuster on them my second season in plates (the heel connector ripped right out of the boots on my rear foot). I noticed the difference immediately, even in those crappy megaflex boots. It felt like my conection to the board was much less solid and I didn't have the same amount of control (so I epoxied them back into the heel, and added some extra reinforcing to keep them there). If you're carving with a lot of power, or putting a lot of muscle into your turns, the flex control and limitation provided by lean systems and springs in the back of your boot seem pretty essential to me. It also makes sense that without controlled tension in the lean mechanism, you increase the likelihood of catastrophic boot failure, particularly in spring or variable conditions. Hit a bump or a patch of wet snow and all the force in the boot that you can't absorb with your own legs will be transferred very suddenly into the walk mechansm, unabsorbed by any spring dampening ... if you slide a 250 lb dumbell out to the end of a diving board, it will exert much less force on the diving board than if you drop it onto the diving board from five feet above it. The BTS makes a lot of sense to me, I like to feel some resistance from my boots but I want to be able to flex them too. I've never tried a spring system like that but it makes sense to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philw Posted March 22, 2007 Report Share Posted March 22, 2007 Obviously you should do what works best for you. I never rode my old rachlies in walk or powder mode, although I walked a fair bit and rode rather more powder. I found all those things fiddily and prone to damage: I'd rather they were simpler and stronger. Enter the Indy, which pretty much sorts that out. When riding powder you can get away with sloppy technique, but I ride with my boots set the same way I always have them set; just because you can be sloppy doesn't mean it's necessary. I'm not using the "sloppy" word as a derogatory term here. When riding the piste with a demanding board I need to have "both springs engaged". I think it's obvious what that means if you've ridden Indys: you can feel when you're part way through the spring flex, and when I feel that I know I'm in the right place on my board. I don't need to be there particularly in powder, or with a timid board, but with a stiff mean board I do. There's plenty of flex/ slop in the whole system - less than we used to have in the old days, but none the less plenty. I don't use my ankles much, but they do contribute to the turns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philfell Posted March 22, 2007 Report Share Posted March 22, 2007 I'm curious what others will have to say, but I think you can only GAIN by riding in a soft setup -- it gives you an ability to use your ankles in the turns, rather than rigidly attaching your feet to the board -- in which case your movements start at the knees. tom. Why do you ride hard boots then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCrobar Posted March 22, 2007 Report Share Posted March 22, 2007 Why do you ride hard boots then? Are you saying that plates and hardboots in walk mode are basically the same as a soft boot/binding set up? If this is true, I wonder why more guys don't us plates and HB’s (in walk mode) in the 1/2 pipe?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Dold Posted March 22, 2007 Report Share Posted March 22, 2007 Probably because even with fore/aft flex, they are still much stiffer laterally than softboots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCrobar Posted March 22, 2007 Report Share Posted March 22, 2007 Probably because even with fore/aft flex, they are still much stiffer laterally than softboots. This is exactly my point! Lateral pressure at moderate to high stance angles ... this is very different than soft boots. IMHO, HB’s in walk mode have a fore/aft flex that is more like very stiff soft boots with an extra 3rd upper strap added; depending on what tongue you select. Seems easy to see why many guys like walk/powder mode. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Prokopiw Posted March 22, 2007 Report Share Posted March 22, 2007 For years I have been riding in walk mode because I enjoyed the flexibility of technique it afforded me on my all mountain boards. Now that I am back into pure carve boards I see the need somewhat to stiffen up for better response and control. But it still depends on conditions and terrain and what manuevers.Case in point; I rather enjoyed riding Mike T's 182 Coiler at OES with my front boot unlocked as it allowed me to ride farther aft in transitions which for me is alot of fun.I also had my flexy Intecs on it. Also,with my old boots,people were surprised at how much my boots flexed when I showed them how 'not stiff' they were and then pointed out that I actually greased the side cants so they would flex lateraly even more (remember Damian Sanders?).When I am asked "why wear hardboots then?" my answer is always that I never rode a softboot and binding combo that was half as comfortable and responsive as my hard setups. Straps have always killed my feet, particularly when riding hard. I always feel like I am twice the rider on hardboots that I am on softies.Even in the halfpipe. So, "don't carve in walk mode" has never even occured to me;there are just situations when I may want one or both of my boots stiffer or softer. Based on what some say they like about BTS with soft springs, I think that's where I am headed with my new(old stock Raichle 225s) boots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ernie00 Posted March 22, 2007 Report Share Posted March 22, 2007 I've been riding with looked boots for year and it has been going very well, never actually tought about switching. I recently went to colorado and was riding there with a friend who is local there, it looks like a lot of people in that area are riding in walk mode. After a few days of riding I decided to give it a shot. It went pretty good, makes it easier to do the cross under because of the possible ankle movement, move the board under me. The edge changes are somehow slower I find but nothing bad, just surprising the first few times I'm still experimenting with it, last night I rode on the icecoast with the madd 158 unlocked and it felt very good again, carving strong. So I'm not quite sure which way it will go for me. Still more playing around with it. Either way , it's just one more tool that I have available that helps me become a better rider. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ARCrider Posted March 22, 2007 Report Share Posted March 22, 2007 Used to ride locked but after experimenting for coupla seasons have been stuck on walk now for two full seasons. Mostly on allmountain boards but I did some racing again this year and instead of switching to lock to race I stayed with what had become more comfortable for me. Had some good race results in walk mode and felt relaxed on the courses, not fighting them. With my buckles clamped down hard I don't feel slop in my riding and I've got all the lateral stiffness I want with great fore/aft range. and Erik you ride like a pro. Hope to see you at Stowe'08 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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