NMU Alpine Boarder Posted February 27, 2005 Report Share Posted February 27, 2005 Ok, I understand that the big advantage of the bindings is that they are lighter. This may be me over thinking the situation, but isn't this hurting you? My thinking is that a heavier binding will lower one's center of gravity, and will put weight right at the boards edge. This would inturn result in less angulation needed to put your own body weight over the edge. Am I over-thinking here? I know we are only talking about a few ounces here, but I got this theory in my head, and I have convinced myself that it's right, so I figured I would pick the brains of some people that have way more of a clue than me.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Randy S. Posted February 27, 2005 Report Share Posted February 27, 2005 For almost the same reasons car mfgs try to reduce unsprung weight (hence the popularity of alu wheels), you want to reduce the amount of weight you ahve on your feet. In some sense, you are lifting that weight and moving it every time you turn. Now, IMO the difference between Stainless bails and Ti bails isn't going to make a huge difference. That said, if you can reduce some weight there, plus some in your boots, plus some in the board, you'd have an easier time maneuvering the board. It all adds up. Same rational applies to bicycles. Then again, one less beer per day probably would accomplish more. Oh, but the bling factor of Ti bails would be awesome. Just think, there are at least a few hundred people in the world (almost all of them here on BOL) who would appreciate how cool it would be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derf Posted February 27, 2005 Report Share Posted February 27, 2005 Bike and car wheels are not the same unsprung weight as bindings. Wheels turn and it creates a moment of inertia (if I remeber correctly, please correct me if I am wrong) and this moment of inertia, because of the rotation of the wheels, creates a force greater than just the weight of the wheel, so that's why is more critical on a bike or a car. But on a snowboard, weight still matters because a smaller mass is easier to move, thus it reacts more quickly to the irregularities of the terrain, so you keep a better contact with the snow and stay more in control. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gdboytyler Posted February 27, 2005 Report Share Posted February 27, 2005 I have also been meaning to ask about the titanium TD2's. * What parts are actually Ti? From the photo, it only looks like the baseplate is titanium and not the bails. * If the bails are Ti, wouldn't they be less likely to break? * Can I buy the Ti bails separately and put them on my standard TD2? If yes, how much? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dudleydudley Posted February 27, 2005 Report Share Posted February 27, 2005 Are these baseplates going to be more flexy than the standard ones? What kind of Ti is it, i.e. the composition? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jp1 Posted February 27, 2005 Report Share Posted February 27, 2005 Like others, the TD-2 Ti's 'caught my eye' also. As 'gdboytyler' said, from the picture it may appear that the baseplate is Ti, because it is a different color. But from what I remember, Titanium is heavier than Aluminum, so thier would be no weight savings unless the design is changed to use less material (which it does not appear to be). If saving weight (and possibly making stronger depending on alloys) is Bombers intent, I would 'guess' that the 'bails' and the 'hardware' are the only Titanium pieces? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derf Posted February 27, 2005 Report Share Posted February 27, 2005 If you read correctly, it says titanium bails and shoulder bolts, that's probably it. The baseplate is still aluminium, but anodized. I don't think Fin has the equipement to properly machine titanium and if he did (or had it done somewhere else), they would sell for much more than 349$! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gdboytyler Posted February 27, 2005 Report Share Posted February 27, 2005 Originally posted by Derf If you read correctly, it says titanium bails and shoulder bolts, that's probably it. Where did you read it? I looked around the TD2 section and didn't see anything that stated what parts are made of Ti. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamran Posted February 27, 2005 Report Share Posted February 27, 2005 Technically and for the sake of numbers, weight reduction is a good thing..Period! But you have to keep a realistic eye on its effects for "you". For example, how much gain you have percentage wise. See how heavy your board is, plus bindings and boots. That's your total weight for the setup. Now see how big of a percentage, 124grams weight reduction means for your setup. I bet if you collect all the snow on your board after one or two good runs and weight it, it'll be more than 124 grams of extra mass already. All technicalities aside, I think they look great and I even contacted Michelle a few weeks ago to order them, but they were out of zero degrees and yellow rings and I couldn't wait another month and so I bought the Cateks instead and I'm very happy with them. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philfell Posted February 27, 2005 Report Share Posted February 27, 2005 Ti has a different energy rebound than Al, hopefully giving a damper ride. Ti also has a longer fatigue life, metal can only flex so many times until it starts to crack and eventually break. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmartshopper Posted February 27, 2005 Report Share Posted February 27, 2005 Originally posted by philfell Ti has a different energy rebound than Al, hopefully giving a damper ride. Ti also has a longer fatigue life, metal can only flex so many times until it starts to crack and eventually break. I don't remember where I saw it, but I'm fairly certain I also saw that the baseplates were still AL, and are anodized gold (I pity the fool who don't like TD2s!). Bales are TI (must be normally steel)... don't remember about the bolts. So probably only just the weight and bling. ________ Lovely Wendie99 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarvCanada Posted February 28, 2005 Report Share Posted February 28, 2005 it's nice to have light equipment, you can throw it around easier, it feels less like a guided missile, or boat, or Mercedes, and more like a Ferrari, you can snap it around (in and out of carves, and in slides) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derf Posted February 28, 2005 Report Share Posted February 28, 2005 Originally posted by gdboytyler Where did you read it? I looked around the TD2 section and didn't see anything that stated what parts are made of Ti. First page of the BomberOnline store, where it says Gold Digger: "Gold Digger Trench Digger gets Bling! Announcing the Titanium Gold Digger TD2! This binding has more pizazz than that one-piece from the 80s. Ti Bails and shoulder bolts make this binding lighter, and a flashy gold base plate gets you lookin' cool on the slopes. More info here...." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nils Posted February 28, 2005 Report Share Posted February 28, 2005 basically one can hope those Ti bails will not bend or snap :) This is the main advantage of Ti over inox :). Can't wait to try! Nils Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamran Posted February 28, 2005 Report Share Posted February 28, 2005 one can hope those Ti bails will not bend or snap That depends totally on the type of alloy made from Ti since it is very soft by nature in pure or with high Ti percentage. Fortunately Ti combines well with many type of metals and in contradiction with the common misconception about this element, its molecular bond gets stronger in cold (unlike other metals), so it may very well serve the purpose! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gdboytyler Posted February 28, 2005 Report Share Posted February 28, 2005 Originally posted by Derf First page of the BomberOnline store, where it says Gold Digger: "Gold Digger Trench Digger gets Bling! ...Ti Bails and shoulder bolts make this binding lighter, and a flashy gold base plate gets you lookin' cool on the slopes. More info here...." Thanks for showing me the light. I guess I skimmed over the announcement and went directly to the TD2 page. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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