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Receptor Release Binding Conversion

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  • Receptor Release Binding Conversion

    Is anything more fun than tinkering with bindings?

    Anyone who has studied a pair RVL8 Receptors knows that besides the functionality, they’re a beautiful piece of CNC machine work. For some time, I’ve been kicking around the idea of converting them into a riser that accepts conventional release bindings, retaining the micro-groove feature for boot-length adjustment.

    This conversion replaces the toe and heel pad/bail assemblies with new aluminum plates, tapered on the terminal ends and sized to accommodate release bindings. The underside has milled v-grooves that mesh with the factory v-grooves, just like the nonrelease version. The tricky part was accessing the retaining/adjustment screws, since the release bindings would cover them up. The solution was to tap threads into the plate itself, and come up from the bottom side with a retaining screw and bushing. The binding must be removed to adjust for length---so it’s more complex than conventional demo bindings---but still fairly simple and allows very precise fitting.

    Rossi turntable release bindings were used for several reasons. They're shorter-coupled than most bindings which made for a nice, compact assembly. The factory length adjustment on the turntable heel part is minute, which allows little margin for error with a conventional direct mount but is irrelevant with this adjustable set-up. Supposedly, the turntable design allows a sideways heel release which might be a safety benefit in certain situations.

    Here’s the set-up (on my messy workbench):



    These were finished late last season just in time for a few runs at shredfest. They seemed to perform fine. Since then a few things have been tweaked that I'm anxious to try out this season.

  • #2
    Nice

    Will those bad boys be making an appearance at Shred Fest 2017?
    171cm/190lbs
    Current Favorites:
    RVL8 Yin/Yang Blunts, Spruce Sherpas (x2) & Ospreys, Coda custom Yetis v1 140
    Spruce Pro Primes w/Attack 13's (x 4), Bomber Elite 1
    Other boards I'm trying:
    Summit Custom Carbon 110, Dynastar Twin 85, Coda custom Yetis v2 145

    Comment


    • #3
      Very nice work Bill!
      sigpic


      Osprey, Sherpa, Custom Coda 120WT, Custom DS110, Condor (Green), Spliff

      Custom Twist Out duck foot bindings, Bombers (custom duck foot base plate and 3 pads), releasable S810ti on custom duck foot riser

      Nordica N3 NXT ski boots (best so far)


      Wife: 104 SII & 100 Blunt XL with S810ti bindings on custom "adjustable duck foot" risers

      Loaners: 125LE, 105 EMP, 101 KTP, 100 Blunt XL, 98 Slapdash, 88 Blunts

      Comment


      • #4
        These look nice! Perhaps if you could use a shorter toe piece, like the Attack 13 style front pieces, they would be even more compact.

        I suspect the base plates and the center piece, before the bindings, are heavier than a Spruce Riser without bindings. But seem a little lower, which I think is good.

        And my guess is will not accommodate huge boot sizes like the original non-release would, is that right? That would be because the contact point with the boot would be too far at/off the edges, vs. just the clamps being away on the non-release version. Maybe with longer plates on front and back it could work with bigger boots, but would be heavier...

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by Fedfan View Post
          Will those bad boys be making an appearance at Shred Fest 2017?
          The more important question is will snow be making an appearance at Shredfest 2017? This season is starting out to be nothing like last year's. We are expected to break a record high here today. There's no cold or snow in sight.
          Boards/Bindings:
          2013 Spruce Sherpas w/Tyrolia Peak 11s
          2023 Spruce Stingers w/Tyrolia Peak 11s
          2015 RVL8 Blunt XLs w/Tyrolia Attack 13s
          2020 RVL8 Sticky Icky Ickys w/Tyrolia SX 10s


          Boots:
          Salomon X-Pro 80

          Past boards: Salomon Snowblades, Line MNPs 89 & 98 cm, Five-Os, Bullets, Jedis, Spruce 120s, LE 125s, Ospreys, Crossbows
          Summit 110s, Nomads, Jades, RVL8 ALPs, BWPs, KTPs, Tanshos, Rockets, DLPs, Blunts, Condors, RCs, Revolts, Spliffs

          Comment


          • #6
            That is some excellent work, Bill. I applaud your inventiveness.
            RVL8 Condors - The Flex will be with me, always...until I break them

            Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming... "WOW! WHAT A RIDE!!"

            Comment


            • #7
              Very cool but they look heavy. How much do they weigh?
              Boards:
              2016 Spruce tuned Head Jr. Caddys - 131cm
              2013 Spruce "CTS" 120s
              2010 Spruce "Yellow/Red" 120s
              2018 Spruce "CTS" Crossbows - 115cm
              2016 RVL8 Spliffs - 109cm
              2008 RVL8 Revolt "City" - 105cm
              2017 RVL8 Sticky Icky Icky - 104cm
              2011 Defiance Blades - 101cm

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by Fedfan View Post
                Will those bad boys be making an appearance at Shred Fest 2017?
                That's the plan!

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by Kocho View Post
                  These look nice! Perhaps if you could use a shorter toe piece, like the Attack 13 style front pieces, they would be even more compact.
                  Thanks Kocho, I thought about that. the Attack toe pieces have about .5” shorter footprint, which isn’t as much as I would have guessed by the appearance. To my thinking, that difference didn’t justify breaking up two good sets of bindings. The Rossi turntable heel piece is over 2” shorter out the back than the Attacks.

                  Originally posted by Kocho View Post
                  I suspect the base plates and the center piece, before the bindings, are heavier than a Spruce Riser without bindings. But seem a little lower, which I think is good.
                  Yes, they are heavier, even with all the nice factory lightening cuts on the receptor base and all the lightening cuts I dared make on the new toe/heel plates, but it’s not terrible. They are a smidgen lower, partly because I went with a plastic under-base pad that’s much thinner than the factory rubber pad, saving on weight and height.

                  Originally posted by Kocho View Post
                  And my guess is will not accommodate huge boot sizes like the original non-release would, is that right? That would be because the contact point with the boot would be too far at/off the edges, vs. just the clamps being away on the non-release version. Maybe with longer plates on front and back it could work with bigger boots, but would be heavier...
                  Actually, I wanted to make it accommodate my softboot conversion, which a much longer boot length than a typical hardboot (for me, 362mm compared to 326 mm for my hardboots). I did a little checking and the max boot length they would accommodate is about 372mm. Here’s a picture of them streched out about as far as practical:



                  To make this work, I had to machine extension tabs in the toe and heel pieces with cuts that fit around the 4x10 retrofit screw holes…

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Wookie View Post
                    Very cool but they look heavy. How much do they weigh?
                    I never wrote down the exact weight, but without bindings they're a little less than half again as much as a bare Spruce Riser.

                    The truth is, a guy can make all sorts of exotic risers, but for simplicity and practicality I don't know how you could do better than the Spruce Riser. It really is an elegant design.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Bill View Post
                      ....The truth is, a guy can make all sorts of exotic risers, but for simplicity and practicality I don't know how you could do better than the Spruce Riser. It really is an elegant design.
                      True! The Spruce Riser coupled with the insert system of most skiboards/longboards is elegant in its simplicity.

                      While Jeff's riser is great I like that you are tinkering and challenging yourself and the sport to "build a better mousetrap". The machine work looks great. I would love to have the shop that you have. I have a good wood shop at my disposal but not great resources for metal working.
                      Boards:
                      2016 Spruce tuned Head Jr. Caddys - 131cm
                      2013 Spruce "CTS" 120s
                      2010 Spruce "Yellow/Red" 120s
                      2018 Spruce "CTS" Crossbows - 115cm
                      2016 RVL8 Spliffs - 109cm
                      2008 RVL8 Revolt "City" - 105cm
                      2017 RVL8 Sticky Icky Icky - 104cm
                      2011 Defiance Blades - 101cm

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Wookie View Post
                        While Jeff's riser is great I like that you are tinkering and challenging yourself and the sport to "build a better mousetrap". The machine work looks great. I would love to have the shop that you have. I have a good wood shop at my disposal but not great resources for metal working.
                        I have a few basic woodworking tools but not much. I've never been crazy about working with wood, but have always been partial to metal shop. My Dad was the same way. When frustrating events occurred that were out of his control, he would head for his shop. He called it "hiding under the welding hood" ;-)

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by Bill View Post
                          The truth is, a guy can make all sorts of exotic risers, but for simplicity and practicality I don't know how you could do better than the Spruce Riser. It really is an elegant design.
                          This is so true. I spent the entire summer trying to fabricate risers out of HDPE and Jeff's riser really is very hard to improve on. The combination of strength and weight is extremely hard to replicate in other mediums. My goal was to make a universal binding system, so I did find a way to make the bindings removable and moveable on a Spruce Riser. I guess the only draw back to the risers is that they come customized for a specific BSL and that the bindings should not be removed. Other than that, I don't think it can be improved upon.
                          Just these, nothing else !

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