Hotbeans Posted December 4, 2008 Report Share Posted December 4, 2008 I have been running catek's since I started carving, of which I'm only in my second season.. I just switched over to step-in's and rode same angles, set-back, everything and noticed an immediate improvement in my ride. And, I mean a hhUGE improvement! Some of what I noticed that I was focusing on while carving: ankle flexion/extension had more input into the carve, I was noticing that front of boot pressure was equal between front/rear, and, I had more control over diameter of arc carved. My coiler SLC now behaves as if it can do salolm AND (nearly) laid out gs carves! Can switching over to intec's be the reason, or did I just finally 'get it'?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack M Posted December 4, 2008 Report Share Posted December 4, 2008 Can switching over to intec's be the reason, No. Your old standard toe clip bindings were sized too loose. A significant number of people prefer to ride this way, so they refuse to switch to step-ins. I like a stiff interface, so I always sized my standard bindings <del>properly</del>, err, tightly. When I switched to step-ins, there was no difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yyzcanuck Posted December 4, 2008 Report Share Posted December 4, 2008 Can switching over to intec's be the reason, or did I just finally 'get it'?? Who knows? I'd switch back to your standard bails and find out for certain. Keep in mind that the INTEC™ hard adapters are likely manufactured from a much more rigid material than your old heels. This will certainly make for a different interface. So... for a complete comparison I'd put the old heels back on too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gecko Posted December 4, 2008 Report Share Posted December 4, 2008 I will say this when I used bails I either had a tight interface that rode well but was a PITA to get in and out of or a loose interface that rode less precisely but was lots easier to get in and out of. For the most part I preferred the tight interface but it always took a lot out of me to get in locked Intec just made it easier and that alone made me smoother Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hotbeans Posted December 5, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 5, 2008 whatever it was, I'm sure stoked to have them on now! Now I inpatiently wait for the incoming Virus.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Gilmour Posted December 11, 2008 Report Share Posted December 11, 2008 I always battened my regular clip Cateks down pretty tightly- tight enough for very slight boot preload. In retrospect perhaps too tightly. Personally I still found the Step ins to feel more rigid when I switched because the rear heel which normally gets more twist than the front heel on heelside was more secure. I think you can run a softer hardboot and still have the overall interface feel about the same with the step ins. Of course you can dremel a Head Stratos Pro for instance and get more flex to match it. I ride a short plate- maxed out in bias. 27.0 boots but I like even more bias so I offset my front disc laterally (looks odd...but works well) . In hindsight I might have ordered the large plates. Still I wouldn't want it much more rigid..and I like the lighter weight of the short plates. ________ Michigan Dispensaries Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hotbeans Posted December 11, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2008 John: I'm running pretty much the exact setup as you mention. I do like the stiffness of both the bindings and the boots. This year I believe I'll use the grey tongues (stiffer) with the boots. I used them last year in spring conditions just due to the fact that the heavier snow had a tendency to buckle my boots when driving hard. I'm sure my tastes will evolve as my skills get better.. At any rate, I'm enjoying the ride.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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