Wolf Posted January 27, 2020 Report Share Posted January 27, 2020 (edited) I was having a lot of trouble getting my rear Intec heel to engage and discovered the heel was skewed due to two failed tee-nuts. The barrel of the nut had broken off the flange, and then the broken barrel pulled part way through the boot keeping the heel from seating in the recess in the boot. So my heel was both loose, and also not seated on the boot. Not good - good thing I ride like a little old lady headed the church on Sunday! I replaced all four, and considering how corroded they are, I think I'll replace these regularly in the future. Edited January 28, 2020 by Wolf Added edge-on photos 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunSurfer Posted January 27, 2020 Report Share Posted January 27, 2020 Worth inspecting at the beginning of each season. I've had to replace a few due to corrosion as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted January 27, 2020 Report Share Posted January 27, 2020 The molded-in ones on my UPZs are pretty deep. I removed one and decided it was too invasive for preventative maintenance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowrider Posted January 27, 2020 Report Share Posted January 27, 2020 1 hour ago, SunSurfer said: Would like to see a side view of those broken ones.It looks like they are more deformed than the others. Suggests to me they fractured and failed from stretching. What was the location in the heel of the broken ones ? I don't think corrosion caused the failure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunSurfer Posted January 27, 2020 Report Share Posted January 27, 2020 I've had to replace them in my now defunct Head Stratos boots, not in my 2016 UPZ RC10s. Corrosion was certainly a contributor to the failure in mine. Bottom line: they can corrode and fail, as can the screws that go into them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf Posted January 27, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2020 (edited) 7 hours ago, lowrider said: Would like to see a side view of those broken ones.It looks like they are more deformed than the others. Suggests to me they fractured and failed from stretching. What was the location in the heel of the broken ones ? I don't think corrosion caused the failure. Yes, the flange shown on the bottom right of the photo is deformed but I think that's because I tried to re-seat the flange in the boot (by hammering on it). I suppose that could have weakened the tee-nut helping it to break. But I think the flange had already broken off which is why it appeared that it needed to be re-seated. The two broken ones were on the outside of the heel on the rear foot. I use a bail binding on the front foot. Note that by the standards of many here, I ride fairly gently and I'm 165 lbs. (I can get another photo this evening) Edited January 27, 2020 by Wolf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TVR Posted January 27, 2020 Report Share Posted January 27, 2020 It is worth it to add a little axle grease to all these type part start of season on everything you own... every season I start by taking apart my stepin heels, and replacing that grease, greasing and t-nuts that are exposed, etc.... I just do it as a ritual... I still get failures due to my kid just absolutely hammering the equipment, but at least they are less often and more manageable... All the synthetic axle grease of today is water resistant... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowrider Posted January 27, 2020 Report Share Posted January 27, 2020 Hammer explains it ! I also use front toe bail with rear stepin . Recently swapped stepin heels and the vaseline i applied did a good job preventing corrosion as well as relative easy screw removal ( after picking all the crushed stone out of the screw head. Fellow rider had your exact experience a few weeks ago. YZZ fixed him up with new boots and heels in record time. Unintentional release buy any cause is something i do not wish to experience again . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wulf Posted January 27, 2020 Report Share Posted January 27, 2020 (edited) Stiff F2 Intec Heels & rear bindings do provide a huge load on those T-Nuts. They are a bit "undersized" for that load case. Please check & replace them regularly as all the EU carvers do. There are Stainless-Steel ones available too. At least here in EU. https://www.carversparadise.com/product_info.php?cPath=103_115&products_id=1222&osCsid=d792cf9df0b83a92d50617bdbf9cf2f2 Edited January 27, 2020 by wulf typo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nutmeg Posted January 27, 2020 Report Share Posted January 27, 2020 4 hours ago, wulf said: Stiff F2 Intec Heels & rear bindings do provide a huge load on those T-Nuts. They are a bit "undersized" for that load case. Please check & replace them regularly as all the EU carvers do. There are Stainless-Steel ones available too. At least here in EU. https://www.carversparadise.com/product_info.php?cPath=103_115&products_id=1222&osCsid=d792cf9df0b83a92d50617bdbf9cf2f2 The nuts you hyperlinked are binding parts (part of the F2 baseplate-slider interface). This thread is about the T-nuts inside the boot, keeping the intec heel in place. Afaik the latter do not break regularily, I do not think they are available as F2 replacement part, but the F2-heel comes with both screws and (heel-) t-nuts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Donnelly Posted January 27, 2020 Report Share Posted January 27, 2020 Intec compatible parts. Stainless M5 bolts 92290A242 https://www.mcmaster.com/catalog/126/3303 Be careful with the M5 bolts as it is easy to overtighten as compared to a phillips head screw. Just snug them up then check after the first day of riding. I put a wrap of pipe (teflon) tape on the bolt threads for added security and ease of extraction. Stainless T-Nuts 98965A210 https://www.mcmaster.com/catalog/126/3509 Resource http://www.alpinecarving.com/parts.html 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabe T Posted January 27, 2020 Report Share Posted January 27, 2020 40 minutes ago, nutmeg said: The F2-heel comes with both screws and (heel-) t-nuts I’ve always wondered why they were included as standard. Don’t all intec compatible boots already have t nuts built in? I think only some very early model boots e.g. Raichle 123 would need them for installation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabe T Posted January 27, 2020 Report Share Posted January 27, 2020 19 hours ago, Wolf said: I was having a lot of trouble getting my rear Intec heel to engage and discovered the heel was skewed due to two failed tee-nuts. The barrel of the nut had broken off the flange, and then the broken barrel pulled part way through the boot keeping the heel from seating in the recess in the boot. So my heel was both loose, and also not seated on the boot. Not good - good thing I ride like a little old lady headed the church on Sunday! I replaced all four, and considering how corroded they are, I think I'll replace these regularly in the future. Curious if you take out the liner regularly for drying out boots? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wulf Posted January 27, 2020 Report Share Posted January 27, 2020 3 hours ago, nutmeg said: The nuts you hyperlinked are binding parts (part of the F2 baseplate-slider interface). This thread is about the T-nuts inside the boot, keeping the intec heel in place. Afaik the latter do not break regularily, I do not think they are available as F2 replacement part, but the F2-heel comes with both screws and (heel-) t-nuts Upps. You're right...;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf Posted January 28, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2020 For all the materials engineers out there, I added three photos to the original post showing edge-on views of the failed parts. I think I have the corresponding flanges and barrels adjacent, but I could have it wrong. As far as removing my liners, typically only after a wet or slushy day. But I do dry the liners using a heated DryGuy drier. I expect that storing the boots inverted would be a help, encouraging any water to drain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabe T Posted January 28, 2020 Report Share Posted January 28, 2020 Similar failure happened to me many years ago I make it a point to always remove my liner now. Even on cold days, I am sometimes surprised at the snow that manages to get inside the boot. It must get in there through the gaps that get created when the boot flexes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf Posted January 28, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2020 Gabe - that looks very familiar except mine didn't look quite as badly corroded as yours. I'll be removing my liners in the future, as well as keeping the shells inverted for better drainage during the season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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