Ian M Posted December 16, 2008 Report Share Posted December 16, 2008 Hey everyone! I've searched a little, and didn't find anything helpful, so here is my question: I have a nice shiny pair of Track 700's, and they aren't playing nicely with my old Race Plates. (Yes, yes...they're next up for replacement) As you probably know, the adjustment of the bail positions is incremental. This gives me a choice between 'dangerously loose' and 'that is deforming the toe of the boot' tight. I'm not sure why this mis-fit is happening - I guess it's likely that the plastic toe levers are getting worn out. Has anyone run into this? If so, have you found any stop-gap solutions? My only though so far has been to add space between boot and binding, such as a thin adhesive pad. The wet snow worked great yesterday, but what do I do when it's dry snow? Do those shiny TD3's still have the micro-bail adjustment? :rolleyes: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AaronG Posted December 16, 2008 Report Share Posted December 16, 2008 Ian, try throwing the bindings and the boots into your freezer for a few hours. The boots may contract, similar to what they wold do on the slopes. YOur bindings will shrink up a bit also. Try making your adjustments when things are nice and cold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skategoat Posted December 16, 2008 Report Share Posted December 16, 2008 Ian, try throwing the bindings and the boots into your freezer for a few hours. The boots may contract, similar to what they wold do on the slopes. YOur bindings will shrink up a bit also. Try making your adjustments when things are nice and cold. Spoken like a true Californian. He lives in Ottawa. He just has to put them out on the front porch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AaronG Posted December 16, 2008 Report Share Posted December 16, 2008 Skategoat, Touche' LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian M Posted December 16, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2008 He just has to put them out on the front porch. True, that. Thanks for the suggestion OldVolvosRule, but nothing changes on the hill. Any 'shrinkage' (OF MY SNOWBOARDING EQUIPMENT) is uniform! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AaronG Posted December 16, 2008 Report Share Posted December 16, 2008 Sounds like someone is a Seinfeld fan, do you have that up in Canada yet?? I know you guys are a bit behind us lower North Americans.:):) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian M Posted December 16, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2008 do you have that up in Canada yet?? No...they haven't figured out how to wire satellite and hi-def into igloos yet :( We hear that the 'auto-mobiles' that you guys have are really useful, too! Hey, don't forget - we've provided some of your better comedians!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AaronG Posted December 16, 2008 Report Share Posted December 16, 2008 Ok, that last post was totally uncalled for, I apologize. Try this remedy out. On the looser setting that you described earlier, try wrapping duct tape cut in 1/2" (13mm) widths around the heel bail to force the boots tighter into the toe bail. Not sure how many wraps of duct tape it would require but that should take up enough room to make your levers stay closed. Understand??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian M Posted December 16, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2008 Thanks, that sounds like a good, easy suggestion! What about tape that would compress less, maybe black electrical? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AaronG Posted December 16, 2008 Report Share Posted December 16, 2008 Whatever kind of tape that would stick in your temps would be fine. Do me a favor and check the tape often if that is what you are going to do. I would hate to read about you suffering a season ending injury from the tape coming loose. Maybe after you dtermine what thickness you need you can get some skateboard truck bushings and machine them down to the appropriate thickness for a long term fix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian M Posted December 16, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2008 Yeah...I'm pretty sure that the tape would wear gradually...I'd feel pretty safe riding it as long is it does not compress too much. The only thing that I think could be better about that idea is the pressure distribution on the boot, but if I did three tape spacers it should be fine. After all, there is much more force on the toe per square inch. It's funny - I've got lots of days on snow, but haven't really changed my gear in almost a decade. My all-burton setup is rapidly dying! When I opened my gear bag this fall, I noticed a huge CRACK in one of my Fire boots, hence the new boots. Now they don't work with the bindings. I was going to take my Factory Prime in for a base grind, but checked it with a steel ruler and it is seriously convex - to the point that getting it flat would remove most of the base. Forget that! All in all, the gear I end up with will be a substantial improvement...but the 'growing pains' are a little frustrating. I'd rather ride than fiddle! *Addition* I just tried the other idea - spacing the boot up a bit off the binding, and it worked really well. I just placed a bike cone wrench (1.9mm thick and fairly wide) under the toe or heel of the boot before closing the binding. Either provides the perfect tension I'm looking for on the toe lever. I like this route too...now I just need to find a more sacrificial piece of metal and some crazy glue to keep it in place when not in compression! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AaronG Posted December 16, 2008 Report Share Posted December 16, 2008 If you have a bike cone wrench then you must have some old bike tires laying around, cut some of those into the widths that you need, include the knobbies!! That way you can have some vibration isolation under your boots!!! Am I thinking or what??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martyagt4 Posted December 16, 2008 Report Share Posted December 16, 2008 If you have a bike cone wrench then you must have some old bike tires laying around, cut some of those into the widths that you need, include the knobbies!! That way you can have some vibration isolation under your boots!!! Am I thinking or what??? You sound like a well seasoned Volvo owner. Bike tire, duct tape, throw in some tie wraps and that your typical Turbobricks emergency kit!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyser Soze Posted December 16, 2008 Report Share Posted December 16, 2008 Spoken like a true Californian. He lives in Ottawa. He just has to put them out on the front porch. I've been wearing my snowboard jacket and snowpants with Timberland boots to work everyday over my suit, with my proper shoes in my back pack. Speaking of which, Ian, how are you liking this good ol' transit strike? Sounds like someone is a Seinfeld fan, do you have that up in Canada yet?? I know you guys are a bit behind us lower North Americans.:):) Ok, that last post was totally uncalled for, I apologize.Try this remedy out. On the looser setting that you described earlier, try wrapping duct tape cut in 1/2" (13mm) widths around the heel bail to force the boots tighter into the toe bail. Not sure how many wraps of duct tape it would require but that should take up enough room to make your levers stay closed.Understand??? Sounds like our North American neighbour's been watching The Red Green Show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian M Posted December 16, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2008 Speaking of which, Ian, how are you liking this good ol' transit strike? Hey Keyser Soze - this strike is horrible! I can't get anywhere that I need to....I think everyone feels pretty frustrated. Even people with cars can't find parking, and driving is so slow due to volume. [For those reading the entire city bus system here in Ottawa is on strike - today is day 7 with no negotiations planned ] It's nice to meet another Ottawa carver - I hadn't seen you on here before! (Probably because I searched for Ottawa, and omitted the surrounding communities. Let's ride sometime after Christmas! Sorry if this thread is wandering too much...I think that the spacing solution will work fine for my bindings unless someone has an even tidier solution. Thanks to all of the contributors so far! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BadBrad Posted December 16, 2008 Report Share Posted December 16, 2008 On my race plates I don't get that huge a difference between adjacent settings. There is also enough flex in the bails to provide some leeway as well. Are you adjusting both the heel and toe bails at the same time? If so, just do one at a time. You might also try adjusting the stop screw on the toe lever. This can also provide some adjustment in the tightness of the interface. Let me know how the Track 700's compare to the Burton boots. I ride in Burton Winds and I've been thinking about getting some new boots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian M Posted December 16, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2008 Yes, I am only moving one bail - the toe. I'm surprised too that there is such difference between settings, but there is. Yup, I also tried adjusting that stop screw, it makes very little difference to the closing tension - it changes the 'grab-a-bility' of the lever more than anything. The Track 700's? Highly recommended, with one caveat - no springs. I like them a lot, and think that they are probably slightly softer than the Burton Fires, but with a much more natural flex to them. The liners are really comfortable, too, and do a very good job molding to your foot. Just be careful heating them, because the cuff opens up as they warm and may touch surfaces of the oven that they shouldn't . The only thing that I don't like about them is the forward lean mechanism. It has a lot of play in it, so it's like the boot flexes freely through 5 or 10 degrees and then stops suddenly as the FLA starts being tensioned or compressed. I've already ordered the BTS with red springs, and think that should give 'em a much more precise, progressive flex. (Yes, that is with the FLA's in ride mode - not powder, not walk) The old fires and Head Stratos both have smaller springs built in, which I think is really what all boots should have, but I found the Deeluxe boots more comfortable in General for me, so went the more expensive route to spring them afterward. Also, I found the 700's to feel flexier than the 325's...they have a very different shell design. Obviously, the best bet is to try them both on - but if you can't, I hope this helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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