Game changing equipment

[David Kirk]

3 minutes ago, Lurch said:

Thanks Dave, interesting stuff. Just for a bit of context, what boot size and weight are you?

My boots are 27.5's and I'm 6'4' and weigh 185 lbs.

This first pair have been mounted to my new-this-season custom Kessler 168 slalom board and the next set will go on the K185.

dave

4 minutes ago, daveo said:

@David Kirk's experience is a valuable one I guess everyone who uses bomber bindings could benefit from. Back when I ordered my first Coiler, BV basically said the same thing as what @David Kirk has said and urged me to get F2 bindings. Never tried Bomber bindings and glad I didn't. F2 for life!

One thing, depending on how tight you do them, they can get quite stiff! I suspect yours might be just slightly loose or I'm underestimating just how stiff bombers actually are. 

The SW of course has more lateral movement than the rigid version but both are very stiff. The bindings themselves move little to none and most of the 'give' is in the boot sole pads compressing. They are probably much stiffer than you imagine.

dave

[Corey]

23 minutes ago, David Kirk said:

After setting up the Bomber SW's the F2's feel like they are made by Mattel.

I laughed at this.  

Nice review.  I'll have to get my lift/cant set up on my old F2s so I can do a fair comparison.  

[pow4ever]

interesting... wonder how the various combination play together.

Old equipment -  stiff board, stiff binding(td1, Td2), soft binding(ibex), boots?
new equipment -- softer combo (F2), boot(soft to stiff)

[xy9ine]

the fullbag diamondblade opened my eyes to the potential capabilities of modern softboot hardware, and precipitated selling my hardboot setup. i discovered my happy place on this setup. 

 

Edited February 22, 2019 by xy9ine

[RoroSnow]

On 2/18/2019 at 9:44 PM, Jack M said:

I have never noticed the lower sheet being visible. I assume it is between the edges.

That's also what I was thinking.......Below is a a picture of those (in)visible lower titanal sheets I was speaking about :

Not to hijack that thread too much, the game changing gear for me was getting a 163 Donek REV 11,5 fixed radius proto....

Very fun board, predictable, stable, turning tight and that damp feeling on it....Just, wow !.... what a joy riding that board...

[Mr_Orange]

Going to drop another heavy endorsement for Zip Fit Liners.

Rode them for 3 full seasons completely pain free in La sportiva siderals and Phantom splitboard plates.

This season i decided to buy Driver X's and intuition liners just to see if there was something i was missing.

Used the X's from December to February, For the most part they felt good except for a weird numbness in the front foot toe that wouldn't go away until the end of the day.

Then all of a sudden, a sharp piercing pain came up one day in the front foot behind the front ankle bone. It got so bad that day that I was limping after the sesh. I managed to mess around with my j-bars until it felt okay again. Went to tahoe the next weekend and by the end of day 1 at Homewood, the pain started to creep in again. Had another full sesh at Sugarbowl the next day and I just bit the bullet. It sucked.

The following week, i put on my Zip fits and Siderals and rode a full day. That's when i truly realized how much more of a superior fit this setup was. Not only was there no ankle pain whatsoever, i forgot how precisely the tongue area molds to your upper foot area.

Also, this weekend I ran a weird experiment putting my Siderals (they are AT ski boots btw) into my soft boots bindings (yes you read this correctly). My Siderals are heavily modified. If you look on splitboardforum.com there's a bunch of mods where you can cut slits in the boot plastic sides to allow for much more lateral flex. I'd say it pretty much is a soft boot at this point in terms of flex. I also removed the foam padding on my ride revolt bindings and replaced them with this motorcycle back protector rubber. Ride bindings are great because the base structure is very thin and the disc is very thin too. The stack height after my rubber pad mod is half the thickness of a typical binding. Performance wise this setup was indistinguishable from my Driver X's. Except completely pain free.

I'm easily going to ride this way for the rest of the season. 

[Jack M]

How could I forget... custom orthotic footbeds. I consider them mandatory equipment. If you don’t have them yet, once you do get them you’ll kick yourself for not having done it years ago. Rock solid connection to the board.

If you are going to Sugarloaf, @Beckmann AG does a great job building them. 

[barryj]

On 2/20/2019 at 6:25 PM, Corey said:

Nice review.  I'll have to get my lift/cant set up on my old F2s so I can do a fair comparison.  

F2's Ti Flex with Intec Huh?   I'm intrigued!   Is that the competition to the TD3 SW SI's ??   

Corey that's a comparison I'd like to see!   Any 200+  riders got experience with these?

If I wasn't already running 5 sets of TD3 SW SI's I'd jump on this bindingwagon! 

Edited February 23, 2019 by barryj

[Corey]

11 minutes ago, barryj said:

F2's Ti Flex with Intec Huh?

I have some old Intec Proflex bindings, I think. No plastic covers or logos so I'm not sure. 

11 minutes ago, barryj said:

Any 200+  riders got experience with these?

What's a 200+ rider? Lbs? 

Way more people ride F2s than Bombers.  

[Buell]

39 minutes ago, Corey said:

I have some old Intec Proflex bindings, I think. No plastic covers or logos so I'm not sure.  

Older F2s have a 5.5 mm bail. About 10 years ago they switched to a 5.9 mm bail. The 2 models are similar, but the newer ones feel more robust.

[BlueB]

10 hours ago, Mr_Orange said:

Also, this weekend I ran a weird experiment putting my Siderals (they are AT ski boots btw) into my soft boots bindings (yes you read this correctly). 

Too late, already patented ^ 

Edited February 23, 2019 by BlueB

[daveo]

15 hours ago, Mr_Orange said:

Going to drop another heavy endorsement for Zip Fit Liners.

Rode them for 3 full seasons completely pain free in La sportiva siderals and Phantom splitboard plates.

This season i decided to buy Driver X's and intuition liners just to see if there was something i was missing.

Used the X's from December to February, For the most part they felt good except for a weird numbness in the front foot toe that wouldn't go away until the end of the day.

Then all of a sudden, a sharp piercing pain came up one day in the front foot behind the front ankle bone. It got so bad that day that I was limping after the sesh. I managed to mess around with my j-bars until it felt okay again. Went to tahoe the next weekend and by the end of day 1 at Homewood, the pain started to creep in again. Had another full sesh at Sugarbowl the next day and I just bit the bullet. It sucked.

The following week, i put on my Zip fits and Siderals and rode a full day. That's when i truly realized how much more of a superior fit this setup was. Not only was there no ankle pain whatsoever, i forgot how precisely the tongue area molds to your upper foot area.

Also, this weekend I ran a weird experiment putting my Siderals (they are AT ski boots btw) into my soft boots bindings (yes you read this correctly). My Siderals are heavily modified. If you look on splitboardforum.com there's a bunch of mods where you can cut slits in the boot plastic sides to allow for much more lateral flex. I'd say it pretty much is a soft boot at this point in terms of flex. I also removed the foam padding on my ride revolt bindings and replaced them with this motorcycle back protector rubber. Ride bindings are great because the base structure is very thin and the disc is very thin too. The stack height after my rubber pad mod is half the thickness of a typical binding. Performance wise this setup was indistinguishable from my Driver X's. Except completely pain free.

I'm easily going to ride this way for the rest of the season. 

+1 for zipfit here. Love mine.

I rode my Palau liners the other day in my other set of boots, which I always considered and still do consider to be great liners, but the difference was night and day. Needless to say I'll be riding my Zipfits in both sets of boots from now on. Might get my partner a set also... 

[1xsculler]

5 hours ago, daveo said:

+1 for zipfit here. Love mine.

I rode my Palau liners the other day in my other set of boots, which I always considered and still do consider to be great liners, but the difference was night and day. Needless to say I'll be riding my Zipfits in both sets of boots from now on. Might get my partner a set also... 

Almost compelling enough to make me give Zipfits another try, but not quite,  as my UPZs are almost as comfortable as bedroom slippers with my modified Deluxe/Palau 131s.

[Corey]

What's the coldest temperature someone has ridden Zipfits in? 

[daveo]

59 minutes ago, Corey said:

What's the coldest temperature someone has ridden Zipfits in? 

Only -10C for me. Nothing crazy. 

[bobdea]

6 hours ago, Corey said:

What's the coldest temperature someone has ridden Zipfits in? 

-10 or -15f, were hard to get off my feet, burton boots. 

 

[pokkis]

-20C, they were fine

[daveo]

Okay I'm just going to give a small encouragement to anyone who wants to try Zipfits.

Today I taught my partner for her first real day of snowboarding. I was on hardboots she was on soft. She got up to doing J turns reasonably well. 

But! The main point here is that I was wearing my Mountain Slope .951 World Cup with Zipfit Grand Prix. All day. With my regular buckle set up- not looser than usual or anything. 

I think everyone here knows what foot torture is once you've had to teach a beginner. The stop start, slow turns, skidding etc etc etc. To be 100% honest, my feet could not have been happier. It was a 6 hour day.

[Mr_Orange]

On 2/22/2019 at 10:20 PM, BlueB said:

Too late, already patented ^ 

Just did another weekend of AT boots in soft bindings. Here's a few more things to add:

One of the key things i did to replicate more of a soft boot feel was getting rid of the AT boot ramp angle.

I've tried this in 2 bindings.

In my Technine binding, i just trim off some of the heel foam. This was used on a park board. 

On my other board that i used ride revolt bindings on,  i actually had to add padding to the toes. The Ride Revolt chassis (i think a lot of their bindings share the same chassis) is a thin metal u-shaped structure that has a thin/small diameter metal disc. The chassis is carved out where the toe and heel areas are. This combined with how AT boots are carved out in the arch support area, you're pretty much standing right on the board like baseless bindings. This lower stack height effect feels really good. 

The other thing is on my Sideral I've stripped everything down (cut off all the rear splitboarding walk/ride more stuff). This lets you sit further back into the binding. I'm also going to saw of the lugs too at some point. You end up having a really short bsl which helps with lower angle boot-out issues. 

The Sideral has a tongue that is super soft because of that hollowed out area in the middle. It pretty much has no flex at all. This lets you get all your toeside flex from your ankle strap (Feels really good with those large rubbert structured burton genesis ankle straps). Otherwise i'd be too stiff. I still fully buckle in the ankle buckle on the AT boot itself though. You want the boot/liner fit to be snug. 

Another thing that works real well with this setup is having the toe strap over the toes. In soft boots i usually can't stand having the toe straps over the top because it makes my toes numb. I have to go over the front/diagonally. BUt because the AT toe cap area is hard plastic , you can really crank down the toe strap over the top and not feel it suffocating your toes. 

I still plan to ride plates on a pair of new Atomic Backlands I got this year. I just haven't had a chance to get it punched to my foot shape yet. For now, my Siderals are just going to be a Guinea pig boot. 

 

On 2/23/2019 at 1:12 PM, Corey said:

What's the coldest temperature someone has ridden Zipfits in? 

I have to use those battery feet warmers if it gets even a little cold. Works great though just on the medium heat setting. The toes are the only area that get cold. 

I'm not sure if this is because of the Zipfits or how thin my Sideral AT boots are though.

[Corey]

I ask because some people consider 20F to be 'really cold'.  If that person proclaims that the liners are warm, then I discount their opinion.  In a friendly way, of course...    

Boot Gloves on UPZ boots with Intuition Alpine liners and Hotronics at setting 3 is good to about -35 for around 2.5 hours.  My heels are the first thing to go numb.  

[SunSurfer]

1 hour ago, Corey said:

My heels are the first thing to go numb.  

What about outside of your boots? I'm imagining you looking like the Michelin man on a snowboard at those sort of temperatures!

[Corey]

Boot Gloves outside the boots. No heel coverage though. 

No exposed skin. It's surprising how little insulation you need on your core as long as you keep moving. Mitts get chemical heat packs inside. 

Zipfits sound intriguing, but I'd hate to miss half my riding season if they're not as warm as Intuitions. 

[b0ardski]

my game changers after metal edges

a board that could hold a carve, 170 K2 tx

hard shell boots, ups asyms, then nordica SBH for support

stepin plates, burton race, then nitro heel pins for convenience

poles for bumps, 360s, and backcountry

moldable liners for happy feet

thirst bx for elbow dragging, switch carving and all mt crud busting

 

Edited February 26, 2019 by b0ardski

[billyt.]

Yes,  step in platebindings, especially after lunch!

[Dusty Bottle]

On 2/10/2019 at 6:49 PM, jng said:

What's the one piece of kit that has changed your riding the most?

For me, it's a tough call between BTS and my Donek Rev, but I'll tip it in favor of the Rev. I picked up a 157 Rev for beer league racing this year. I love my Coiler, but I wanted to try something a little turnier and built for racing. What I was not expecting was that it would become my favorite all-around board. The softer flex, tighter radius, and shorter length of the Rev makes it effective in bumps and steeps, while being damp enough to carve through chop. I used to ride <50% hardboots, but thanks to the Rev, I have moved firmly to the dark side.

Clear winner is my Coiler Nirvana FCE 178 built exactly for my 165lb weight.  Total. Game. Changer.

I'll preface my experience by saying I'm not an overly aggressive rider, but over the past 9 years in hardboots, I tried a myriad of different boards (163-180cm), boots, bindings, stances and angles, all the while trying to find that magic setup to comfortably make consistently smooth carved turns, where, when and of the size I desired.  I now know the problem was my choice of boards, as most were stock-built and designed for a wide range of mostly heavier weights and/or aggressive riders and racers.  Asking for input from my more experienced peers, they would say to get lower, angulate the board more, bend your knees more, all adding to my frustration, as I always felt totally out of control.  I was even having thoughts of freestyle boards, softies and becoming the oldest park monkey on the hill...

Enter the Nirvana.

Day one, I was my usual apprehensive self on the cat walk, but when the run opened and I laid it over, I could not believe how easy it was to ride.  Turns were effortless, and the edge-hold amazing.  I kept thinking how boards of this length usually had me grimacing, but it just kept delivering huge smiles.  Big turns, smaller turns, pressuring mid-turn to tighten up, riding the tail a little out of the turn for a cheap thrill and even scrubbing a little speed when I wanted.  No need to pressure the nose to get it to turn, just a little input and it went where I wanted.  I've now ridden it 4 days and it lets me relax and enjoy the ride without overthinking, which is a new experience.  Last Sunday someone even said, I'm now riding the board instead of just going along for the ride.  Sometimes, I guess it really IS the equipment! 

Carving is fun again!!!