mrjamie Posted January 22, 2006 Report Share Posted January 22, 2006 I noticed the other day that the binding I've been using for my rear foot is quite literally bent out of shape. Was wondering if this is usual, or I should be worried about the binding snapping any time soon? cheers, Jamie p.s. bindings are a year old this season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotts.Scheinman Posted January 22, 2006 Report Share Posted January 22, 2006 did you store them in a funny position? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fleaman Posted January 22, 2006 Report Share Posted January 22, 2006 I am looking at your picture and was wondering if you can bend them back using hand force. Do they stay put for a while or do they just spring back to this new position. Have you checked the weld on the bail where it joins under the toe block? That is all I have to say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timinor Posted January 22, 2006 Report Share Posted January 22, 2006 It looks like when you ride, you are torqueing your boot over to a more canted position or a different angle. In other words, your body's balance system wants to be in a different foot stance position than the binding is currently set in. Over the year, this torqueing has bent the bale. When you ride, be aware of what that foot is doing. Is it torqueing against the binding on toe side or heel side? Are you doing it at initiation? Maybe adjusting to more cant or a different angle will put your foot into it's "natural position." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamran Posted January 22, 2006 Report Share Posted January 22, 2006 This looks like bended inwards, I mean towards the boot but I maybe wrong. If it's bended inwards indeed, then I have a hard time understanding how this could have happened as a result of riding. Anyways, why don't you contact catek directly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Houghton Posted January 22, 2006 Report Share Posted January 22, 2006 MrJamie, just call Catek directly and they'll send you another bail. Did you catch it when you were skating with the back foot out, or is that just from riding? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Sub Posted January 22, 2006 Report Share Posted January 22, 2006 MrJamie, just call Catek directly and they'll send you another bail. Did you catch it when you were skating with the back foot out, or is that just from riding? its actually the rear foot... really looks like youre fighting against the bail...bale..whatever...maybe a stance change. Im sure Jeff will send you a new one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NateW Posted January 22, 2006 Report Share Posted January 22, 2006 Any chance something hit the toe lever while you weren't riding? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Houghton Posted January 22, 2006 Report Share Posted January 22, 2006 Yeah, that's what I meant. The toe bail of the back binding dragging and catching on something. Guess what I think and what I say are not quite the same. What a surprise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrjamie Posted January 22, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2006 I am looking at your picture and was wondering if you can bend them back using hand force. Do they stay put for a while or do they just spring back to this new position. Have you checked the weld on the bail where it joins under the toe block?That is all I have to say. Yea, I have actually bent them back several times before getting back onto lifts. Whether or not this is a good thing to do... The weld looks like it has been under tremendous pressure, which is only normal I suppose, but does look a bit more worked than the front-foot weld. It looks like when you ride, you are torqueing your boot over to a more canted position or a different angle. In other words, your body's balance system wants to be in a different foot stance position than the binding is currently set in. Over the year, this torqueing has bent the bale. When you ride, be aware of what that foot is doing. Is it torqueing against the binding on toe side or heel side? Are you doing it at initiation? Maybe adjusting to more cant or a different angle will put your foot into it's "natural position." Thanks, I'll try to pay more attention to what my feet are doing next time I head out. As for my angles, they're a little steep -- 57º and 54º -- but that's the lowest I can set them without boot overhang. Darn 31cm feet. ;) Did you catch it when you were skating with the back foot out, or is that just from riding? Just from riding, of this I am sure :) ---- Thanks everybody for the comments -- I've sent Catek a mail. Thanks again, Jamie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Sub Posted January 23, 2006 Report Share Posted January 23, 2006 Yeah, that's what I meant. The toe bail of the back binding dragging and catching on something. Guess what I think and what I say are not quite the same. What a surprise. heh. that could be though...actually a good point. those binding angles arent that steep at all! your board must be pretty wide. maybe theyre not steep enough? maybe youre tweaking your rear foot when riding. or maybe you need more cant, less cant, more/less left somewhere... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrjamie Posted January 23, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2006 I did some thinking, and realized this probably happens when I go to initiate heelside turn -- I twist my knees a little to the heelside, and it is probably at that point that the foot twists as well. I took a lesson last weekend and it was mentioned to me that twisting your knees a little to get the board on edge is a good thing to do. Is this incorrect, or do I need to play with lift/cant/angles (I use neither lift nor cant at the moment) until the binding stops bending into weird shapes? Or should I work the binding into a pretzel and be happy with that? cheers, Jamie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrjamie Posted January 23, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2006 So, I e-mailed Catek. Jeff Caron is a wonderful guy and has agreed to ship me two (!) new toe bails, a new hex key, and 8 block screws! What a great company :-). I suppose I'll play with my angles some -- try some steeper setups :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Sub Posted January 23, 2006 Report Share Posted January 23, 2006 Im not sure about the changes you might need...I mean..if youre riding well and hitting good carves, there's not much else, right? but maybe youre suffering from the "EC" syndrome...they bend and break bales too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrjamie Posted January 23, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2006 Oh boy, there's a syndrome now! Well, to be honest do try an EC turn every now and again ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Blitz Posted January 23, 2006 Report Share Posted January 23, 2006 but maybe youre suffering from the "EC" syndrome...they bend and break bales too. D-Sub, becareful with "chicken" syndrome...Psuifff... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Sub Posted January 23, 2006 Report Share Posted January 23, 2006 chicken syndrome. eating too much chicken makes your bales bend? what the heck is psuiiiffff or whatever? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobdea Posted January 23, 2006 Report Share Posted January 23, 2006 about the same time when I was tearing our boards, a stiff board, boot and binding combo makes it this happen happens to any binding, seen bent bails on TD1s as well but I have never bent TDs myself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chubz Posted January 24, 2006 Report Share Posted January 24, 2006 I had the happen to me last year and bent it back once. It certainly wasnt as severe as your case, but it happened. I have since change from a 0 degree to a 3 degree and most recently a 6 degree on the front. This seems to allow my legs to act more naturally when it comes to the tucking of the rear knee to drive the turn. It is good to hear the they are being replaced. In bending them back so many times, plus consider the little flexes of the binding during riding, the metal would fatigue and eventually snap in the right conditions and repetitions. Better to be safe than sorry. Later Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flying_burito Posted January 25, 2006 Report Share Posted January 25, 2006 I was riding the other day, on a real hard toe side carve and I either lost it first or my rear boot ejected, not sure which came first the chicken or the egg. Anyway I was sliding on my stomach with only my front foot in the binding and really digging in to try and stop, you know those trees come up real fast. When I stopped and got up I was only a 100 feet from the lift so I just hiked down there. When I got to the bottom I noticed I had trashed both of my bails on my front foot and slightly bent the bails on my rear foot. When I pulled everything apart to check the bindings, I noticed I had also twisted both power plates. I have contacted Jeff, he said he would replace the parts but he is in Salt Lake. Kind of scarry knowing that we can generate that much force on the bindings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackDan Posted January 25, 2006 Report Share Posted January 25, 2006 Only once, have I ever come out of alpine bindings, and it was with a set of Burton Race Plates. Kind of a crappy day on the backside at Northstar. Raining lightly at the bottom. The snow was fast if you were riding in someone elses tracks, but to venture onto new snow and the brakes were ON. The board would slow down like you had glue on the bottom. So one run, flying along almost to the lift, and I ventured out to the edge of the run on some nice smooth snow. I got slammed face/head first into the snow, almost full body flat (which was probably better than taking the hit on just my face or shoulder). I think I flipped/rolled forward ending on my back, with my board behind me peacefully flat on the snow. The board must have suctioned down into the snow and stopped dead, as I ejected from both bindings. Which also was probably a good thing ,as a one foot ejection could have ripped my knees apart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrjamie Posted January 26, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2006 huh. I guess alpine snowboarding, like many things in life, becomes much more scary the more you think about it. Yay! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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