C5 Golfer Posted January 1, 2008 Report Share Posted January 1, 2008 Over the years I got tired of looking down to find my rear boot toe bail so I could step in my Intecs as I got off the lift. Then when it is too low to get the toe of the boot inserted you bend down lift it up and so on and so on. So this year I made a little ABS plastic support that holds the back Toe Bail up just enough for me to find it blind and no longer have to expect those torsion springs that need a little Viagra to keep it up in winter like conditions. The support is not in contact once the boot is in the Intec heel peice, just when the boot is up at 30 deg or so angle. It is held in place to the board with 3M's VHB .050" thick black double back tape which you can see the photo. The ABS part is about .62" thick. Anyway I thought I'd share an idea that so far seems to work 100%. I am happy and so are my skier firends since they no longer wait for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dingbat Posted January 1, 2008 Report Share Posted January 1, 2008 Nice work! Looks like not much could go wrong with it either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Dold Posted January 2, 2008 Report Share Posted January 2, 2008 That's a great idea! I've tried to solve that problem a bunch of ways and never came up with that one. I think it's great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
two_ravens Posted January 2, 2008 Report Share Posted January 2, 2008 I have the standard TD2's, and I was tired of looking for that sometimes droopy rear heel bail after just one day. Found I could get an additional 1/4 wrap on the spring for the Viagra effect, but still have to line up perfectly or I'll mash it down. I really like your idea! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotts.Scheinman Posted January 2, 2008 Report Share Posted January 2, 2008 How'd you get that 1/4? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C5 Golfer Posted January 2, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2008 How'd you get that 1/4? Not sure I understand what you are asking... Please re-phrase. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
two_ravens Posted January 3, 2008 Report Share Posted January 3, 2008 How'd you get that 1/4? Hey C5, I think he was asking about what I did - which is not nearly as elegant as your solution, but does offer a bit of improvement. scotts. - I took the bail off (heel for me) and observed that the end of the spring fits into a lovely notch at about the 3 o'clock position. I took it out of there, and as I replaced the bail and spring I rotated the entire bail in toward the center of the binding and got the end of the spring to fit against the edge of the heel/toe block at about the 4:30 position (ok - it's more like just 1/8th of a wrap, but it does the job!) then tighten it all down again. I'm brand new to carving, and only have about 6 days on the bindings this way, but so far no undesired consequences. Indoors and warm that almost seems like too much spring tension, but out in the cold the springs relax a bit and they're about right. They're treating me right, anyway! :p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C5 Golfer Posted January 3, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2008 Hey C5, I think he was asking about what I did - which is not nearly as elegant as your solution, but does offer a bit of improvement.scotts. - I took the bail off (heel for me) and observed that the end of the spring fits into a lovely notch at about the 3 o'clock position. I took it out of there, and as I replaced the bail and spring I rotated the entire bail in toward the center of the binding and got the end of the spring to fit against the edge of the heel/toe block at about the 4:30 position (ok - it's more like just 1/8th of a wrap, but it does the job!) then tighten it all down again. I'm brand new to carving, and only have about 6 days on the bindings this way, but so far no undesired consequences. Indoors and warm that almost seems like too much spring tension, but out in the cold the springs relax a bit and they're about right. They're treating me right, anyway! :p Ahhh u r right. I was riding today and came home tired and had 2 glasses of wine so my mind was not as sharp as yours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
two_ravens Posted January 3, 2008 Report Share Posted January 3, 2008 Ahhh u r right.I was riding today and came home tired and had 2 glasses of wine so my mind was not as sharp as yours. See? That's what ya git fer mixing yer drugs! Still, what better excuse could you have?!? :biggthump Wish I could have been in the same condition as you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hans Posted January 3, 2008 Report Share Posted January 3, 2008 ...........but where did you buy/get that plastic block and with what tool did you get that fine shape C5 Golfer? I did buy some stronger springs for my TD2 SI and solved the problem. But I still like the system of the F2/Proflex stepins more. They have a fixed frontbail for stepins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felix Posted January 3, 2008 Report Share Posted January 3, 2008 Nice Work! I still don't understand why binders don't come like the old burton race plates with elastomers that hold the clips in the place they belong too. Not a fan of F2/Proflex system nor Snowpro either. Burtons elastomer solution is the only one that hasn't failed on me. I get into my traditional binding faster than most users of step-ins as I can get into them without sitting down even on angled slopes which I can't do so easily on step-ins. But then binders like TD2 offer way more adjustment possibilities over burtons (or better said you can hardly get them anymore for burton race plates). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hans Posted January 3, 2008 Report Share Posted January 3, 2008 Nice Work!I still don't understand why binders don't come like the old burton race plates with elastomers that hold the clips in the place they belong too Just interested how this works, that Burton thing... Have a pic of it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C5 Golfer Posted January 3, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2008 ...........but where did you buy/get that plastic block and with what tool did you get that fine shape C5 Golfer? Afraid someone was going to ask me that -- I made a cardboard shape first that allowed me to easily experiment. Once that was made and appeared to work I traced that shape onto ABS black plastic sheet in my home work shop that was 1/8" 3mm thick. I cut it with a hand saw to rough shape then finished shaping it with a half round course file. Then I placed it on the board and check its function again. Then I made 2 more of the exact same shape. I then glued these pieces together to make a 3/8" thick block. Then I made the little outer pieces which is just to give the part more lateral stability by adding another 1/8" thick piece to each side. Glued those together and let set overnight and did a finish file and sand the completed block. Final operation was to wet sand with 600 grit the base so the double back tape would stick firmly. Easy as baking an apple pie You can probably buy the ABS sheet from a hobby shop or McMaster Carr - and tape you can get from McMaster Carr also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felix Posted January 3, 2008 Report Share Posted January 3, 2008 Just interested how this works, that Burton thing... Have a pic of it? Have no pic at hand but you should easily find one via google or on here I believe. The principle is very simple. The Bailclip is held in position like in a sandwich. It lays in a small hole (not as high as the clipps diamater) and on the other side the elastomer. It's pressed together by the bailclip plate on which you stand on. The elastomer is of slightly different thickness in the contact area too. Therefore the clip allways springs back into the same position more or less, high enough to go over the boot when pushing the boot to the back, but low enough that you cann allways do that pushing to the back. Need to use my hand about 1 in 20 times to move it back up if I pushed back too fast. As I like very low profile bindings but got only one pair of burton race plates, I only use the burton as binding for the back foot and a Phiokka that I got hold of for 10€ on the front foot. Not too mention that the toe lever on the Burtons is the only one that doesn't portrude over the boot without filing down on my Raichle 325. Snowpro, F2/Snowpro and Phiokka levers all need a lot filing down to not make your boot profile even longer and even with tuning are not as great as the flat burton levers. TD2s are allright in that aspect too I think to remember, but I really ask myself each time if any producer has ever ridden on F2 or Snowpro binders with those big defaults they have in my eyes (extending longer than the boot and being difficult to lock down/get boot inside compared to Burtons). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCrobar Posted January 5, 2008 Report Share Posted January 5, 2008 I am a fan of the TD2 and the binding design work that Bob Jenny and Fin have come up with together. I also own a pair of TD2 standards that I enjoy riding, especially in harder conditions. With all due respect to Fin and Bob, I really dislike the bail spring system for holding up the heel bail on the standards (and the toe bail for step-in’s). For me personally the spring system is very ineffective. I sincerely hope that during the next TD3 redesign the spring system will be changed to a SOLID stop that makes it impossible for the bail to flop over; like C5 Golfer has done in his mod. The floppy bail issue is enough of an annoyance that it has had me considering other bindings where the bail can’t flop down so easily. I hope my post comes across and is taken as constructive criticism from a Bomber fan. Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fastskiguy Posted January 5, 2008 Report Share Posted January 5, 2008 I sincerely hope that during the next TD3 redesign.. TD3? <checks bank account? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCrobar Posted January 5, 2008 Report Share Posted January 5, 2008 Hmmm .... didn't mean to start a rumour, but this would be a good rumour! The TD3 comment is me speculating that the evolution will continue! TD3 and OS3 with more engineered side flex, like the F2 Titanium that the racers and many freecarvers seem to love .... and a bail that stays put:) Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hans Posted January 5, 2008 Report Share Posted January 5, 2008 Fully agree here with Rob. Come on with that TD3 with better bailsystem. Also the shape of the frontbail from the standards could be better. But what is a world without wishes...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felix Posted January 5, 2008 Report Share Posted January 5, 2008 I sincerely hope that during the next TD3 redesign the spring system will be changed to a SOLID stop that makes it impossible for the bail to flop over; like C5 Golfer has done in his mod. Rob Well that can't work out for everyone easily, as not every boot has the same height. Either you make it floppy (and there an elastomer system is far better than a spring IMHO) or you make it completely solid with possibility to adjust the height (like F2). A third possibility would be to offer say 3 different "stops" which result in different height and can be exchanged. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hans Posted January 5, 2008 Report Share Posted January 5, 2008 Nice job, that's a hell of job all those pieces to laminate to each other and get just one good shape out of it. It just looks like one piece Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C5 Golfer Posted January 7, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2008 Hmmm .... didn't mean to start a rumour, but this would be a good rumour!The TD3 comment is me speculating that the evolution will continue! TD3 and OS3 with more engineered side flex, like the F2 Titanium that the racers and many freecarvers seem to love .... and a bail that stays put:) Rob And I did not mean to stir up a hornets nest... But I'd have to agree we need a fix here in the future. I just made 4 more of the blocks for my other boards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.