ohiomoto Posted February 19, 2009 Report Share Posted February 19, 2009 After years of riding (and suffering) with ski boots I finally stepped up to the plate and bought a pair dedicated hard boots. I picked up a pair of UPZ RTRs and was excited to try them out. What I didn't realize that UPZ boots don't work very well with the TD1s. THE PROBLEM: I took a good look at everything and it appeared that the channel on heal of the boot was too high for the bail on the TD1s. This causes the bail to be angled upward slightly while trying to engage. The bail (right where it bends) hits the sides of the heal before the top of the bail engages. As the boot slides back, the bail gets knocked down. My first thought was that I might be able to bend the bail so that it would be properly lined up with the channel. The problem is that it would probably still be too short/low and it might weaken the bail if I bent it too much. My second though was to lengthen the bail by threading the lugs out further, but I had read that it's not a good idea to have the threads exposed. So I emailed Dan Yoja at UPZ to see if he had any info. I had read that some people used a dremel tool to open up the channel. (It also looked like it would be possible to grind down the shell on either side of the heal so that the sides of the bail could pass by and allow the back of the bail to reach it's destination.) He felt that most people worked with the bails and recommended that I contact Bomber to see if they had any ideas. The response from Bomber was that they don't recommend UPZ boots with their bindings due to possible failure and they don't have any parts available that fit the boot. They did mention that they have a binding that will fit the UPZ boots better than the TD1, but they can't recommend it. They were very helpful and offered a lot of useful advice on boots. They gave me the heads up on the possible safety issue. I found Tex's thread and will be T-nutting the toe pieces just to be safe! My options were to buy a new binding that will fit the boot (not in the budget), sell the RTRs and buy another boot that will fit the binding (I would hate to take a bath on a new boot), or figure out a way to solve the problem without compromising the safety of the boot or binding. MY SOLUTION: Sand down base of the replaceable rubber sole (just he heal!) It lowered the back of the boot enough so that the bail will fit in the channel. Back to back: I didn't have to modify the boot's shell or the binding and the sole can be easily replaced if I change bindings or want to sell the boots. It also seemed like the safest thing to do in this situation. I'm not sure how many TD1s are still out there, but hopefully this will be helpful if someone else makes the same mistake I did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted February 19, 2009 Report Share Posted February 19, 2009 Nice solution! That's the safest option possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xy9ine Posted February 19, 2009 Report Share Posted February 19, 2009 The response from Bomber was that they don't recommend UPZ boots with their bindings due to possible failure and they don't have any parts available that fit the boot. They did mention that they have a binding that will fit the UPZ boots better than the TD1, but they can't recommend it. can anyone confirm if td3's are problematic w/ upz's as well? given the small selection of available boots out there, it seems odd to limit what's compatible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohiomoto Posted February 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2009 can anyone confirm if td3's are problematic w/ upz's as well? given the small selection of available boots out there, it seems odd to limit what's compatible. I can't confirm this, but a little bird told me this: The TD3s will fit the UPZ boots better, but once again we don't recommend them. I also found this on The Carvers Almanac: The boots have a very tight fit with TD1 (regular) bindings, and may need dremelling. Some older UPS boots, and the larger sizes of the UPZ boots, are also not compatible with the TD1 step-ins because of the boot geometry. But there are no problems with Catek. He makes no mention of problems with TD2s or TD3s. I would love to hear from others on how well the standard TD2, TD3 or Catek bindings work with UPZ boots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petrol Posted February 19, 2009 Report Share Posted February 19, 2009 I don't have TD's so maybe someone who does can say for sure but... it looks like you could maybe take the rear bail off with a hex wrench and back the eyelets off a couple turns, thus making the bail taller. Just watch to make sure enough threads remain engaged. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petrol Posted February 19, 2009 Report Share Posted February 19, 2009 can anyone confirm if td3's are problematic w/ upz's as well? given the small selection of available boots out there, it seems odd to limit what's compatible. I agree and ask, wtf? Go IBEX? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tex1230 Posted February 19, 2009 Report Share Posted February 19, 2009 no problems with UPZ and TD2's that I have noticed, and my understanding was that the bails on the TD3s are the same... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pogokoenig Posted February 19, 2009 Report Share Posted February 19, 2009 Thanks for this thread. I am wearing the same UPZs with TD2 and facing similar problems. It works, but it is not easy to get into the binding. When there is only a little snow on the soles, i cannot get into the bindng. I will try your solution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Ace* Posted February 19, 2009 Report Share Posted February 19, 2009 UPZ RTR works fine with my TD3 Skwal Stepin. I am pretty close to the smallest sizing options on the binding, and my boot is a 27/27.5 Mondo. *I think Bomber says that if you see ANY thread showing on the bail, it isn't safe. Just a heads up. I was using TD1s and UPZs earlier this season, and I had about 3 threads showing on each rear bail. I am still in one piece. I DON'T RECOMMEND THIS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohiomoto Posted February 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2009 UPZ RTR works fine with my TD3 Skwal Stepin. Well yeah! They're stepins! :)I think the question was geared more towards the standard bindings. I was using TD1s and UPZs earlier this season, and I had about 3 threads showing on each rear bail. I am still in one piece. I DON'T RECOMMEND THIS! Thanks for the input. I tried that with no luck. Maybe it was because the boot was brand new and there was no wear on the heal yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petrol Posted February 19, 2009 Report Share Posted February 19, 2009 I still think that's messed up... UPZ's are great boots and you shouldn't have to grind off a half inch of tread (that you'll need for grip when walking when your not on your board) just to fit into a 'standard' binding btw, I guess you'll be adding heel lift at the rear foot to compensate? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohiomoto Posted February 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2009 It's probably closer to 1/4 inch. I'm not too worried about the heal lift right now. I've been running 3 degrees in the back. Maybe I'll need 6 degrees, I don't know. It's a wear item anyway. Over time it would have worn down anyway. You have to remember that I've been ridding in ski boots for the past 14-15 years. Just having a hard boot is a big improvement. I'll sort it out over time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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