Guest ssj26 Posted September 24, 2004 Report Share Posted September 24, 2004 Catek oplympic step-in & Bomber TD step-in Which do you think is better...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Sub Posted September 24, 2004 Report Share Posted September 24, 2004 I think the search function is better ;) catek = infinitely adjustable. could be good or bad bomber = simplicty and refinement. both are solid as hell bindings, and are the result of years of development by dedicated designers. cant go wrong with either one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Posted September 24, 2004 Report Share Posted September 24, 2004 I really can't say if one is better than the other. One would have to ride both of them for a number of days and then decide. I ride Catek and X-Bones, friends of mine ride Burton, Catek, TD1, TD2, X-Bone, F2... As D-Sub said, Cateks are adjustable in every direction, meaning cant and lift options are endless, but this also means you have to know what you are doing. No rubber gaskets for Catek, they are always stiff and direct-drive. One set of plates for 3D and 4x4 hole patterns. TD2's have a different system of adding cant as you reduce lift, or the reverse. A lot easier to dial in and stay dialed in. Easier board to board transfer. Also, options for flex and stiffness (Catek does not have this option). Two different sets of plates for 3D and 4x4 hole patterns. Both are bullet proof with the same Intec heel step-in system. The standard bail system (non step-in) also is more flexible than the step-in version. Hugh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike T Posted September 24, 2004 Report Share Posted September 24, 2004 http://www.bomberonline.com/VBulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1640 http://www.bomberonline.com/VBulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2152 I'd like to make a minor additions to what I said on the first of those threads: If you have small boots, size 26 MP or less, and you use TD2s, you will have to loosen the toe and heel blocks in order to get the bindings off. It's not a huge deal but it's an annoyance. I am going to pick up a 2nd board kit (base plates only) for my TD2s, as overall, I do like them just a tad batter than the Cateks. The extra damping with the soft-e-ring and the idiot-resistant setup outweigh the lack of a 1 or 1.5 degree disk for me. Besides I've been working on my hip (massage therapy and in the gym) and it's moving a lot better now, so the return on the ultra-fine adjustment of the Cateks is diminishing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike T Posted September 24, 2004 Report Share Posted September 24, 2004 Originally posted by Bob Jenney The addition of this suspension system forced us to deal with some mechanical realities when it came to set-up. The resulting range of adjustability is every bit as variable as any other binding. It just does so in small measurable increments. Increments so small that we believe they are nearly indiscernible. IMHO, the only place where the increments are too large is in the cant disks themselves! I maintain that if 1, 2, and 4.5 degree disks were offered, TD2 would be able to claim, for all intents and purposes, as much freedom of adjustment as Cateks. I'm a software engineer and not a mechanical engineer, so I think everything's easy (!) but I suspect this is one change that would actually be easy to make in the TD2 - simply offer more cant disks. The ability to rotate the cant disks is huge, I mean huge. But there is still a sweet spot I can achieve with Cateks that I can't achieve with TD2s. As I said above and before, I am willing to give up this sweet spot to enjoy the benefits of the suspension and the ease of assembly (more boards than bindings, plus I loosen base plates to wax), but offering more cant disks would at least for me personally, turn a close game into a blowout. Overall, I am thrilled to have two products on the market that I like as much as TD2's and Olympics. I look at both of them as sexy, sweet pieces of engineering. I'm *definitely* splitting hairs at this point! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Sub Posted September 24, 2004 Report Share Posted September 24, 2004 one thing I like about cateks, just looking at them and never having ridden, is the ability to adjust the total lift as well, ie the distance from binding to board. personally...so far, I feel more comfortable with my feet closer to the board. the ability for cateks to do this has made me curious about them I actually chose bomber for the suspension, AND the simplicity, as if I had cateks Id probably be tweaking them all the time and never out just riding! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Sub Posted September 24, 2004 Report Share Posted September 24, 2004 actually...exact opposite. I want a shorter binding altho Im sure I can get used to this. Interesting point about height regarding catek vs bomber. I didnt know that. funny, but...on the catek site, it seems like the one feature bomber has and olympic doesnt is actually something that catek uses to endorse their binding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derf Posted September 24, 2004 Report Share Posted September 24, 2004 I do not own any Bomber bindings, nor have ridden any, but I would have a suggestion: Why not make an intermediate 3 degree disk that could be bought sparately and added to the 3 degree baseplate between the baseplate and the top part (where the blocks are screwed). By drilling the right holes in it, you could make the binding do 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 degrees of cant/elevation, like Burton used to do with their Universal cant (or the vari-cant, not sure...). Derf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack M Posted September 24, 2004 Report Share Posted September 24, 2004 while you're at it, we step-in riders are being denied our bottle opener!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mellow Yellow Posted September 24, 2004 Report Share Posted September 24, 2004 I second Jack's suggstion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Matt D Posted September 24, 2004 Report Share Posted September 24, 2004 I currently have 2 pairs of TD2's, and have ridden them quite a bit. I also demo'd some catek olympics at ECES (with deeluxe indy boots). To me, the Cateks felt a lot more rigid that the TD2's. Its was so weird to go ride them (I was also on a demo board) because any shock or vibration or force in general was directly transmitted to me. While I kind of liked this at the time, in less then perfect conditions I could see them causing me some trouble. TD2's seem to allow for some play (very lttle, but more than catek) in the boot/binding interface itself which I like, and find it easier on my knees. I also notice the suspension and it makes less than ideal conditions far more comfortable for me. I think I'd like to try the red (hard e-ring) this year vs the mediums (purple) I have. The other thing about catek is that they are more suseptable to installation error. Its hard and time consuming to switch boards with them, and even then, your settings for cant and lift might need to be tweaked. TD2's get my vote for their user friendlyness, design, ride quality and overall wickedness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derf Posted September 24, 2004 Report Share Posted September 24, 2004 Bob, Sorry if was not clear enought. In reference to this page http://www.bomberonline.com/store/bindings/parts_TD2.cfm, it would be placed between part #4 and part #19. I know it is not economically feasable, but it's a suggestion anyway. Derf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Sub Posted September 24, 2004 Report Share Posted September 24, 2004 man..bombers are just so SEXY lookin! I love the look of machined metal:) Im still tryin to figure out how my intec receivers wore so quickly after 2 days of riding. kinda worrisome... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike T Posted September 24, 2004 Report Share Posted September 24, 2004 Originally posted by D-Sub Im still tryin to figure out how my intec receivers wore so quickly after 2 days of riding. kinda worrisome... I had the same worry... and I kept riding them and the wear decelerated greatly. I figured they were now "broken in" and didn't give it another thought. Same exact thing happen on my Cateks BTW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Sub Posted September 24, 2004 Report Share Posted September 24, 2004 I was gettin out properly. In all honesty...there was a small burr in the intec heel pins...was there when I got them. Im gonna sand that down ever so slightly. the wear happened so quickly tho...I expected some wear, but we're talkin material removal! Im not implying it's anyones fault:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Randy S. Posted September 24, 2004 Report Share Posted September 24, 2004 Originally posted by D-Sub ..there was a small burr in the intec heel pins...was there when I got them. Im gonna sand that down ever so slightly. the wear happened so quickly tho...I expected some wear, but we're talkin material removal! I had that problem with a pair of heels. It does wear things fast. I took a file to them and it solved the problem immediately. Now I check them periodically. The new receivers seem to hold up pretty well. I haven't needed to swap mine. I have two pair of TD2s each with probably 25 days on them. I use some synthetic bike lube and just rub a bit on the receivers and pins now. I probably do it once every few days of riding (about as often as I was my boards - I tend to do it at the same time as waxing). I'm loving the soft e-rings. Makes things easier on my beat-up knees. Seriously though, hasn't this subject been beat to death on this forum? Use the search feature people. Both are awesome bindings. Do you want set-it-and-forget-it (Bomber) or totally-tweakable (Catek)? I tried both early last season and decided to go with the Bombers. It was a pretty close call, I'd say that neither is notably "better" than the other. "Better" depends on you and what you want. More interesting to me is this question: Are Bomber and Catek making more money off Alpine Snowboard bindings, or other bindings? Catek has the free-ride binding that looks like it must be the absolute bomb if you ride soft boots. Bomber's tele bindings are reportedly the bomb for tele riding. I met an instructor at Bachelor last season who swears they are the best thing ever. He says there's nothing he can't do on his tele's that he could on fixed-heel skis. Seems to me that both Tele and Free-ride binding markets are significantly larger than Alpine Snowboard. Even if each brand only commands a small part of their respective markets, I wouldn't be surprised to see their revenue outstrip traditional Alpine revenue in a few seasons. I just hope they use the profits from both sides to continue to improve things for us in the Alpine World. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~tb Posted September 27, 2004 Report Share Posted September 27, 2004 Every year, I try out the bombers (TD I's and TD II's) in hopes that I could get used to them . . . but, I have yet to be able to get comfortable on the 0, 3 or 6 degree cant. I like the concept of the E-ring suspension system, however the lack of a comfortable riding position keep me on the cateks. Some people comment about the fact that people on cateks spend to much time fiddeling with screws that you dont have to mess with on the bombers. yeah, this is true, but most of the time, I am making this adjustments simply because I can, and I know I will get more performance out of my bindings for the given conditions, or changes in my physique across the season (as muscles build and I get in better shape each season, my cant and lift angles can be adjusted appropriately). Most of the time, these comments come from people who are on bombers whom I believe are jealous because they know they could be just a hair more comfortable ;-) I fell in love with the cateks when I was out riding one day, and the inside of my back knee was bothering me. . . I thought about the pressure I was feeling on my knee, and realized all I had to do is make a very small adjustment and I should be pain free. I made the adjustment, and just like that, no pain. My power and feel on the board greatly improved, and I could ride all day long without any pain, in a position that I never would have found on a set of bombers. As for swapping between boards. . . I think we have just found a new contest for the SES. Cateks, VS bombers. Swap a whole set of bindings one board to another. I would put my money on the cateks being faster to change over than the bombers (being swapped over by equally proficient users). Personally, for my day to day riding (and I know this probably goes against the catek set-up instructions). Once my cant screws are set, I never touch them. I just tighten down on the king pin in the middle. That means when I go to swap boards, I undo the large king pin (1) and then remove the 4 screws that interface with the board (4). Thats 5 screws per binding to remove compared with bombers 7. Regardless. . . equally proficient users of the bindings should be able to swap from board to board in the same amount of time. So all it really comes down to is whether or not your the kind of person that wants to tweak screws to get the completely optimal set-up for you. Or it you would prefer a binding that has just a hair less adjustablilty, but less screws to keep track of and keep tight. Either way . . . both bindings kick A$$ and huge props all the way around to all that have been involved with their development. Truly a labor of love that can be seen! -Todd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Sub Posted September 27, 2004 Report Share Posted September 27, 2004 Either way . . . both bindings kick A$$ and huge props all the way around to all that have been involved with their development. Truly a labor of love that can be seen!-Todd I'll second that question about catek...they dont have a "second board kit" available, where all youd need to move is the top plate? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike T Posted September 27, 2004 Report Share Posted September 27, 2004 $129.00 http://www.catek.com/catekdirect/customer/home.php Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Sub Posted September 27, 2004 Report Share Posted September 27, 2004 I thought Id seen that. having never touched cateks I dont quite understand how they mount. Isnt the board to plate interface only one bolt? so wouldnt switching them out require only one bolt removal? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AaronG Posted September 27, 2004 Report Share Posted September 27, 2004 Yes, you do only have to fuss with one bolt(the kingpin) if you have a second board kit, like myself. I love it for the fact you carry an allen wrench with you and swap boards with in a few mnutes, sometimes the small set screws need to be cinched down but most times, tighten the kingpin and ride. I love Cateks, I like TD1s too, haven't tried the TD2s for a direct comparison but just the time in changing boards is a great feature on the Cateks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Posted September 28, 2004 Report Share Posted September 28, 2004 FYI, I hope everyone knows the correct way to tighten the Catek kingpin. After the binding angle is set and the lift and cant adjustments are set... Tighten the center kingpin bolt down very snug. Then, tighten each of the four screws 1/4 - 1/2 turn each. This puts additional pressure on the kingpin to keep it from coming loose. To remove, loosen all four screws 1/2 turn and then loosen kingpin. TD's...no special instructions? tighten all bolts and go carve? Hugh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Sub Posted September 28, 2004 Report Share Posted September 28, 2004 well...its suggested you tighten TDs in a cross pattern like the lugs on a wheel but thats just common sense didnt know that about catek. Im really fckin curious about them things! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest johann Posted September 28, 2004 Report Share Posted September 28, 2004 Well, my friends rocked the bombers so I never really compared them to the cateks. One friend discouraged our group from riding cateks when he pulled a pair apart mid turn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philw Posted December 4, 2004 Report Share Posted December 4, 2004 I think the search function is better Actually it isn't if you're trying to search for F2 ;-) Have a go and you'll see what I mean. I'm kind of interested in the American bindings, partly because they're now relatively cheap, and partly because they look so well crafted and generally cared-about. But looking at them, I'm not sure I need all that complexity above my board, so perhaps I'll stick with my old F2(proflex) jobbies. They have teflon-coated steel recievers, so they don't seem to wear. I wonder why both Bomber and Catek have choosen to suspend the boot platform above the binding. I know skiers' views on "risers" change with the fashion, but what's the reason for such a high profile, other than that it gives an opportunity for suspension (Bomber), which I don't need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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