shintowin Posted January 20, 2009 Report Share Posted January 20, 2009 After my second run on my new Fin-Tec heels, the right heel stopped functioning and I had to call it a day. Upon inspection, one of the plastic levers that compresses the spring broke. I rode plastic Intec heels all last year without a failure -- what's up with this? There was another thread about a guy who's Fin-Tecs also broke but it seems to have been removed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fin Posted January 20, 2009 Report Share Posted January 20, 2009 ShinTowin, Sorry to hear you had an issue with the heels. Can you contact us directly and we can get that taken care of for you ASAP. Cheers, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mellow Yellow Posted January 20, 2009 Report Share Posted January 20, 2009 I've had two plastic intecs blow up on me... what's up is crap happens! ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Ace* Posted January 20, 2009 Report Share Posted January 20, 2009 This happened to me too, my very first run, ON BOTH HEELS! Thank god I had my allen key in my pocket so I could get out. I was struggling for a little bit though. Called Bomber and they already have replacement parts in the mail. A+ for Bomber customer service. Maybe some metal internal components are in order? Other than that, Fintec seem nice. *I wonder what Jack had to comment about in the first post:cool: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biggerwrangler Posted January 21, 2009 Report Share Posted January 21, 2009 no problem here. 8 days + ,TD2s Thou I have noticed that if you keep the holes on the bindings clear of metal burs and smooth they work much nicer. a flat fine metal file works fine. Should be smooth to the touch, both the hole and where the binding rests in the pocket. Had the same problem with the intecs, they get bound up and are really tough to get unstuck. Broke my intecs this way. Also make sure that your alignment is good, if not intecs and fintecs will not engage correctly, binding up or failing to lock in one side or all together. Its always a good idea to check to make sure everything lines up correctly when making adjustments, avoids cranky carvers in the bar! a minor check prior to riding keeps the gear in working order and costs less, If you have questions email me and I can send pics next time i do this. the heels themselves are working flawlessly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kex Posted January 22, 2009 Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 no problem here. 8 days + ,TD2s Thou I have noticed that if you keep the holes on the bindings clear of metal burs and smooth they work much nicer. a flat fine metal file works fine. Should be smooth to the touch, both the hole and where the binding rests in the pocket. Had the same problem with the intecs, they get bound up and are really tough to get unstuck. Broke my intecs this way. Also make sure that your alignment is good, if not intecs and fintecs will not engage correctly, binding up or failing to lock in one side or all together. Its always a good idea to check to make sure everything lines up correctly when making adjustments, avoids cranky carvers in the bar! a minor check prior to riding keeps the gear in working order and costs less,If you have questions email me and I can send pics next time i do this. the heels themselves are working flawlessly on the checking alignment issue, would you recommend checking the alignment while the boots and bindings are cold(outside) instead of inside? or is the shrinkage too little to affect this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
queequeg Posted January 22, 2009 Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 Just a thought - I've noticed with Fintecs and intecs that it is significantly easier to release if you are pressing down with your heel rather than lifting up (which increases friction between the pins and the heel reciever). I wonder if those with failures are pulling up with their heels while pulling up on the cable. On a somewhat unrelated note, I used my fintecs/recievers in 30-8 degree weather this weekend in hardpack and pow, and never once did I have a problem stepping in. Friday was warm weather carving with recent snow, and with my old intecs/recievers that usually meant lots of trying to get the snow off my boots, but I had no such problems with the intecs. I notice it is much easier to step in while getting off the lift too ... They friggin rule!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kimo Posted January 22, 2009 Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 Just a thought - I've noticed with Fintecs and intecs that it is significantly easier to release if you are pressing down with your heel rather than lifting up (which increases friction between the pins and the heel reciever). I wonder if those with failures are pulling up with their heels while pulling up on the cable. True. ...and with my old intecs/recievers that usually meant lots of trying to get the snow off my boots, but I had no such problems with the intecs. I notice it is much easier to step in while getting off the lift too ... They friggin rule!! Do you mean Fintecs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xogiox Posted January 22, 2009 Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 I had the same issue with the plastic piece breaking off. 2nd day on them 2nd run, other than being upset and wasting my $45 for the day, bomber sent me new stuff. I hope that this gets resolved quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helmut Karvlow Posted January 22, 2009 Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 18 plus years with toe clips and no failures:biggthump crap, I just jinxed myself:eek: Hey Doc,I know I'm not going to Big Mountain but how bout breaking out the chicken feet and cows blood to reverse the jinx I put on me-self, ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hans Posted January 22, 2009 Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 ... I will drop a spare heel in my bag. Hope this is not a common issue with the Fin-Tec Heels. I never had any problems with plastic intec heels. May be Fin can give us a clue how this could happen. I always keep the force downwards when I get out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b0ardski Posted January 22, 2009 Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 The spring engagement lever made out of plastic is the weak link, thats why I sold off my older intecs. I'm really suprised these are not made of metal in the Fintecs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bschurman Posted January 22, 2009 Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 Just a thought - I've noticed with Fintecs and intecs that it is significantly easier to release if you are pressing down with your heel rather than lifting up (which increases friction between the pins and the heel reciever). I wonder if those with failures are pulling up with their heels while pulling up on the cable. Yes, that is very much the case. Getting out of the Intec heel is a 2 step process and leads to less failures and damage on your gear. 1. Push down on heel 2. Pull lever and step out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted January 22, 2009 Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 I've noticed that the top edges of the hole for the retractable pins in the TD3 steel receivers aren't horizontal, they're folded over a bit from the bending operation where the tops flare outwards. This means an almost knife edge holds the pins down. A real rough cut-away view sketch can be seen here: http://i44.tinypic.com/b4bxvt.jpg. Disclaimer: Not to scale. May cause impotence, pregnancy, or both, etc. They grey is the pin, the yellow is the steel receiver, and the blue is the Fintec or Intec heel. Notice the relatively sharp edge at the top, look at yours to see if it's the same. This edge wears a groove into the top of the pins. If you have upward pressure on the pins while pulling the cable the pins are effectly locked in place by this edge and groove, much like a ratchet strap. Make sure to push straight down on the heel while releasing to disengage this 'ratchet' tooth. I've also filed this knife edge slightly to reduce the ratchet effect, note that you'll have to readjust the spacing if you file anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Ace* Posted January 22, 2009 Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 I think the failure of the plastic piece occurs because the spring itself gets pushed up, bowed out. How this happens, I don't know, just an opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shintowin Posted January 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 I think Corey is correct -- after looking at the retractable pins on my broken Fin-Tec, I noticed a groove on the top of the pin on each side (and this was only after two runs). I think the edges of the holes for the retractable pins are too sharp and they cut into the pins making it difficult for them to retract (even when stepping down before pulling), putting undue stress on the internals. It looks like the problem might be with the heel receivers, not the Fin-Tecs themselves. I might think about taking a round file to the receiver holes and see if that helps. I will also give a second A+ to Bomber for their customer service -- they sent out a new set of Fin-Tecs that arrived the next day -- thanks Michelle! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdyno Posted January 22, 2009 Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 I haven't mounted my td3s yet and took a look at the receivers. It appears that the bend is too close to the hole and it is distorting the edge of the hole. The inside of the hole is higher than the outside of the hole as a result . It looks like this is point loading the pin and causing the gouging on the pin in the pictures in the other post. The dark area at the top of the hole in the second picture is bent inward. If you file this area to remove the edge it may create unwanted slop in the hole to pin interface, what do you think Fin? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted January 22, 2009 Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 Just like my fine MS Word drawing showed! LOL! ;) I just rounded mine a bit so it wasn't such a sharp edge. If you removed too much material the receiver would have to slide quite a bit further forward, then you may run into the back of the slot for the pin. Possible fixes for the receiver: 1. Punch/drill the hole after bending ($$ due to extra tooling/time) 2. Move the bend higher (don't think there's room, it already hits the boot plastic) What does F2 do on their receivers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pokkis Posted January 22, 2009 Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 I just looped with magnifier bunch of F2 Intec holes and Fintecs, i have some of both :rolleyes: It looks like bend in F2's start bout 1mm higher not affecting so much hole as such. But biggest difference is in inside hole, on F2s surface is quite even but on Fintec inner surface is very rough with plenty of microscopic holes and abnormalities. So i think problem is more with receiver than with heel itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hans Posted January 22, 2009 Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 But biggest difference is in inside hole, on F2s surface is quite even but on Fintec inner surface is very rough with plenty of microscopic holes and abnormalities.So i think problem is more with receiver than with heel itself. Thanks Pokkis for noticing. I will first try to polish it a little with a sandpaper. If that isn't enough I will take a very fine file. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bumpyride Posted January 22, 2009 Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 Thanks Pokkis for noticing. I will first try to polish it a little with a sandpaper. If that isn't enough I will take a very fine file. Dremel tool with sanding cylinder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fin Posted January 22, 2009 Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 Hey, guys, we just put up a notice in the Vendor forum HERE on this. We wanted to wait just a bit longer before announcing this to make sure the fix was correct, but considering this thread we did not want this to turn the wrong way. Here is the scoop. First, this ONLY effects Fin-Tec Heel assemblies that where shipped BEFORE January 1st. If yours where shipped AFTER Jan 1st, you will not have an issue. The Main Pins we originally received where not heat treated to our specifications. What this meant was now the Main Pin was "softer" then the steel heel receiver as apposed to the other way around as planned. So instead of the Heel Receiver taking the wear (something has to) the Main Pins will slightly divot (as shown in the pics above. Good job on those!). So what happens? This small divot increase the force needed to retract the Main Pins enough to where one of the internal parts eventually breaks. Keep in mind, this only occurs if you apply a tremendous amount of force. But admittedly, this is more likely to occur with the addition of this divot in the "soft" Main Pins so it does need to be addressed. Just to clarify, the heel receiver has nothing to do with this. The shape and deformation you see in the slots for the Main Pins are planned and accepted. This is the exact same shape that all steel heel receivers have had for years. The key is that the Main Pins MUST be harder the receiver so that the Receiver sees the wear and not the pins. Also, keep in mind we have seen a small occurrence of this happening. Most people familiar with the step-in system realize that if you have to pull up on the cable with enough force to start a lawn mower, something is not right. To just pull harder will cause something to eventually break. It is one of the reasons you will here about someone who breaks a cable every year, but another guy has had the same cables for 5+ years. What’s the difference here? The amount of force you but on the boot and in what direction are what make getting out of a step-in effortless. For those who ride bikes with clipless pedals know this concept. Is it better to jerk and tug on your foot to get out of the pedal or is it purely technique and as simple as twisting your foot calmly to one side to release? We are going to start work on a web tutorial on getting in and out of a step-in binding. Like a lot of things, understanding how the system works can go a long way. Technique over force is always the better method. As the announcement states in the Vendor forum, we are working on getting new properly hardened Main Pins out to those who had Fin-Tec’s shipped out to them before Jan 1st. Thanks for everyone’s patience on this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hans Posted January 23, 2009 Report Share Posted January 23, 2009 Thanks Fin you're making things clear. Pitty though we and you are confronted with this issue. But as we can rely on: your service is great (again)! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NateW Posted January 23, 2009 Report Share Posted January 23, 2009 Thanks for clearing this up, Fin. I'm sure I'm not the only customer who really appreciates the detailed explanation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Donnelly Posted January 23, 2009 Report Share Posted January 23, 2009 Should Bomber Butter be applied on the new steel receivers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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