johnstewart Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 I'm a big dude (~220lbs). Ride pretty hard (main stick is a 184 Coiler race board). The weak point in my gear is my Raicle 123's. I had a ton of spare parts because I got a bunch of these shells on closeout (I sold a few dozen pair here at $25 a pop), so I've stuck with them, since I have endless spare parts. I put BTS on 'em last year, and right away it was awesome, but now it's clear a major design problem with them is causing me grief. The pivot point at the ankle, if it's cranked down, won't allow the boot to flex on that pivot... making BTS useless. With the hex bolt loosened a bit to allow it to pivot, it also allows the shell to ride up and down, effectively screwing up the cant and prevents the boot from being stiff side to side. I've had it. I don't think there is a solution with the 123's. The Head Stratus Pros seem to be damn popular around here. Seems like they work with BTS, so I won't lose that investment? Unless anyone has an idea for how to deal with the craptastic pivot on the 123's, I think I'm going to make my wife unhappy and pony up for some new boots. I'm in Madison, WI... I don't think there's anyplace closer than Colorado to try these suckers on (let me know if there is!). Any input appreciated; thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 Your side pivots are broken/worn out. You should be able to have the bolt tight enough to prevent up/down movement while still pivoting. I've seen someone use epoxy to fix the stripped adjuster, but can't find it now. Fix that and you don't need new boots. Of course, if you need a new excuse to tell yourself/wife that you need new boots, you've got it! Note that the foot shape is different between the boot brands, new boots may require some work to fit like the 123s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnstewart Posted January 9, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 Yeah, I think these side pivots are just too junky for my size. These were brand new-shells (and pivots) when I put the BTS on late last season. I do still need an excuse. =) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowboardfast Posted January 21, 2012 Report Share Posted January 21, 2012 Those 123 boots are too soft for you to ride with the Coiler 184 race board. I would suggest keeping those boots for riding with shorter all mountain boards in softer snow conditions and or powder and getting another pair of boots such as heads or Deluxe susaka or indy or track 700 which have a taller shell and are stiffer and will allow you to power up the Coiler board properly. I weigh 185-190 and ride the Susaka boot when I am riding on groomed snow with long race boards -184 metal and would not want to ride my softer boots with the race boards as they do not provide enough support for this. I ride a Deluxe lemans for all mountain riding with shorter boards. The Deluxe lemans is basicaly the same boot as the 123. You are probably overflexing the 123 due to your weight and the longer stiffer board. I recently installed bts with red springs top and bottom on the Susaka boots to get a little more flex out of them. I like the red springs because they don't turn the boot in to a complete noodle but will allow a little more movement. I am going to try the red springs on the Lemans boots as well to see how that works. I have tried blue and yellow but they are too soft for me. You could demo a pair of 700 boots at Bomber if you coming out to CO to ride? Can't tell you what to tell the wife as I am single and don't have to ask about boots? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miltie Posted January 21, 2012 Report Share Posted January 21, 2012 John, You are correct - the weak link on the SB series is the outside cant mechanism. I weigh about 160ish and have blown out the outside cants on all my SB boots over the years. :( The inside mechanisms seem to hold up better. When I lived in Japan, I could get some aluminum inserts at my local alpine shop to replace the outside serrated cant mechanism. I have also done the epoxy route when I could not get the insert parts. You might try the epoxy route as an option. I ordered new cants from Michelle at BOL and epoxied them before installing. That way I had all the necessary replacement bolts/hardware and new serrated pieces. There was a thread here on BOL detailing how to do the epoxy route but I am unable to locate it. I agree with Snowboardfast that you should consider a stiffer boot at your weight. I run Track 700Ts with BTS when I am riding my longer/stiffer boards. They seem to provide more support. I still use my SBs for powder days and when I am out with my kids on shorter boards. Hope that helps. If you want a photo of a cant mechanism that I have epoxied, shoot me a PM. Best regards, Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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