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  • Steeps
    replied
    Will keep you posted. I have a buddy who does a lot of prototyping and design that's going to help me on the toe plates in the next couple of weeks. I liked the tele lever idea but am willing to work a little harder on the exit. My boots have walk mode mechanisms on the back that look like they'd interfere with the lever, too.

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  • jjue
    replied
    Originally posted by Steeps View Post
    After getting my hands on some tech bindings, I think I'm going to look at a modification of this approach for a touring setup.

    The measurements I've taken make me think a steel plate for the toe piece (with a thin rubber pad as a gasket for the aluminum teeth on the binding base) would be secure enough for walk mode but not add enough height to need a block between the heel piece and binding base - for a reduced stack height overall. I'd directly tap the steel plate to hold a machine screw to attach the toe piece, so it'd need a fairly thick piece of steel. Could be heavy, but since there are few other modifications or parts require, I think it'd stay competitive with other options.

    My thought was to use the standard Receptor heel piece instead of adding a toe bale there; it will make for more difficult changes to walk mode (would require taking each board off via the toe release), but would provide an even more secure experience for the ride down; it also eliminates the need for an extension on the heel as the boot can sit far enough back to centre well on the binding.

    The other motivation for a Receptor-based setup is that it reduces the chance of boards getting damaged by a longer mounting plate in a high-flex situation, as we've discussed elsewhere.

    Had to come back to this thread to check out your heel elevator setup!

    My other slack country setup option is to modify a pair of MSR snoeshoes by removing the rubber binding, fixing the rest of the binding / crampon plate to the plastic body of the snoeshoe, and attaching a pin binding toe piece (requires an adaptor plate still, but could use thinner steel as there's little force being placed on it). These wouldn't be appropriate for established skin tracks, but would be great for grinding up steeper slopes and exploring less accessible areas (I have tail extensions for those snowshoes, too). The snowshoes have a built-in heel elevator. I'd keep standard Receptors on my boards for the way down. This system wouldn't be fast enough for long touring trips, and requires strapping either my boards or the snowshoes to a pack for carrying, but completely eliminates the need for skins and crampons. I suspect it would be the lightest option on a complete gear basis. I grabbed a very cheap but pretty beaten up set of G3 bindings at the ski swap last weekend (toes look good, heels are dodgy), so I could see leaving those toes on the snowshoes even if I get a better setup later. Makes for easy exploring of the hill behind my house, and it'll be a good way to break my boots in.

    Most of my "touring" this season will involve ridge walks traveling laterally from the lift-accessible parts of the resort, with mostly rideable return paths to base, so there's really not much for extended climbs involved. The cost of gear is starting to add up, so putting off a few things like a new set of skins and a full set of touring bindings until next season would be a good thing. I have some beater skins but they'll need to be re-glued and may not be adequate.
    Great ideas , Steep. Please post pictures and let me know how it goes . My original idea was to use the standard receptor heel bale, also. It does work but the only issue is harder getting in the binding then using a telemark heel lever on the back and as you point out requires you to get out of the toe piece to switch to your mode.

    Sent from my moto g(6) play using Tapatalk

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  • Steeps
    replied
    After getting my hands on some tech bindings, I think I'm going to look at a modification of this approach for a touring setup.

    The measurements I've taken make me think a steel plate for the toe piece (with a thin rubber pad as a gasket for the aluminum teeth on the binding base) would be secure enough for walk mode but not add enough height to need a block between the heel piece and binding base - for a reduced stack height overall. I'd directly tap the steel plate to hold a machine screw to attach the toe piece, so it'd need a fairly thick piece of steel. Could be heavy, but since there are few other modifications or parts require, I think it'd stay competitive with other options.

    My thought was to use the standard Receptor heel piece instead of adding a toe bale there; it will make for more difficult changes to walk mode (would require taking each board off via the toe release), but would provide an even more secure experience for the ride down; it also eliminates the need for an extension on the heel as the boot can sit far enough back to centre well on the binding.

    The other motivation for a Receptor-based setup is that it reduces the chance of boards getting damaged by a longer mounting plate in a high-flex situation, as we've discussed elsewhere.

    Had to come back to this thread to check out your heel elevator setup!

    My other slack country setup option is to modify a pair of MSR snoeshoes by removing the rubber binding, fixing the rest of the binding / crampon plate to the plastic body of the snoeshoe, and attaching a pin binding toe piece (requires an adaptor plate still, but could use thinner steel as there's little force being placed on it). These wouldn't be appropriate for established skin tracks, but would be great for grinding up steeper slopes and exploring less accessible areas (I have tail extensions for those snowshoes, too). The snowshoes have a built-in heel elevator. I'd keep standard Receptors on my boards for the way down. This system wouldn't be fast enough for long touring trips, and requires strapping either my boards or the snowshoes to a pack for carrying, but completely eliminates the need for skins and crampons. I suspect it would be the lightest option on a complete gear basis. I grabbed a very cheap but pretty beaten up set of G3 bindings at the ski swap last weekend (toes look good, heels are dodgy), so I could see leaving those toes on the snowshoes even if I get a better setup later. Makes for easy exploring of the hill behind my house, and it'll be a good way to break my boots in.

    Most of my "touring" this season will involve ridge walks traveling laterally from the lift-accessible parts of the resort, with mostly rideable return paths to base, so there's really not much for extended climbs involved. The cost of gear is starting to add up, so putting off a few things like a new set of skins and a full set of touring bindings until next season would be a good thing. I have some beater skins but they'll need to be re-glued and may not be adequate.

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  • jjue
    replied
    Recently , I bought a new pair of telemark levers and went back to trying the lever on a standard Receptor toe bale and found that it works fine and snaps in securely at the heel as long as you have the front piece with the tech toe adjusted just the right distance . This is definitely the best way and easiest way to use in the field rather then using the standard heel bale . It is easier in difficult snow conditions to just get in the toe first and snap the telemark lever over the heel rather then getting the rear of your boot into the heel bale and then snapping in to the toe . With a standard receptor front toe bale with the telemark lever used as the heel piece with my size 11 ski boot , I get a 2cm set back with my heel pushed all the way to the back . If I use a Line FF pro or Zero pro front bale with telemark lever because those front bales are longer I get a 3 1/2 cm set back . I am really excited that folks can take a standard receptor binding and modify it to use with a tech toe piece . I cannot overstate how well this system works in the backcountry . I have used it on multiple trips this year and it is the best backcountry rig I have used bar none . I mostly use it on a regular Condor or a Spliff for my backcountry adventures. Here is a picture of my boot locked in for descent using a standard receptor toe bale with a telemark lever .

    IMG_20210317_121424024 by Jack Jue Jr, on Flickr

    Climbing mode
    IMG_20210317_121516503 by Jack Jue Jr, on Flickr
    Crampon attachment.IMG_20210317_122216983 by Jack Jue Jr, on Flickr
    (note the Voile Crampons can be used on Spliffs or narrower skiboards and cannot be used on the wider skiboards like Blunt , Blunt xl , or Condors , for those skiboards you will need to custom modify a set of wide B and D wide crampons by drilling holes in them )
    Here is a picture of the maximum width Voile Crampon 130mm which fits Spliffs , and the 135 super wide B and D crampon with custom holes for the crampon studs)
    IMG_20210317_152243397 by Jack Jue Jr, on Flickr

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  • jjue
    replied
    This binding system has been a real game changer for me . I have used it at resort and in the backcountry. It is super light weight , allows me to tour better then I have ever done before, and allows me to have the ability to do side country at the resort when ever I want by carrying a pair of skins, all while using a super comfortable and easy walkable touring AT boot. For the downhill , I feel no different then in a standard non release binding. It capitalizes on the super short size and light weight of skiboards and not add extra binding weight to tour. It also allows me to use the ultra unique RVL8 110 and below skiboards. I can get the same surface area as I would on a Sherpa with a 110 Condor using a uber light weight set up . The only thing it doesn't have is safety release but I am so used to using non release on all my 110 and below boards that that doesn't bother me. Now the only question of the day is which RVL8 skiboard to use . The binding can be moved to any of them !

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  • jjue
    replied
    I have been hard at work at making this binding modification more universal to the base receptor binding and wanted to get away from the need for a custom heel bale and telemark lever for the rear assembly. I went back to my original design of using the standard receptor heel bale raised on a shim with the tech toe piece mounted on a custom hdpe front plate. I found that by using an elastic heel leash attached to the rear bale I could pull up the rear bale and hold it in place against the back of my boot and then step down into the tech toe piece. The elastic leash stows away nicely for the descent attached to the bale or I could attach to my boot. I have found I can't just use a leash attached to the rear bale for my regular leash as I keep pulling up the rear bale on walking , so I still have a leash attached to the front of the binding . You can buy Dynafit toe pieces from SKIMO . I have created another set up where I am using new Dynafit 'Radical toe pieces . These toe pieces also work well with the heel first then step down way of getting into the binding. It is very important to match the Dynafit toe piece exactly with the heel bale . This is easy to do with both parts on moveable plates. Even though the plastic toe plate and heel shim are not grooved to match the receptor base they seem to hold in place if I tighten them down tight and use blue or red thredlocker. By the way the red thred locker in the machine screws still allows the screws to be removed with some force applied to a regular hand screwdriver. and is not permanent.
    Here is a picture of the set up with a standard receptor heel bale with an elastic leash attached to the bale.
    IMG_20210212_113159424 by Jack Jue Jr, on Flickr

    Here is a picture of new Dynafit radical toe pieces on my other binding set up .
    IMG_20210212_113219046 by Jack Jue Jr, on Flickr

    Here is a video showing how you can step in to the custom skiboard tech binding set up for going down . (For going uphill you just step into the toe piece without getting into the rear bale), While using a regular receptor bale you get in by backing into the receptor heel bale while holding it firmly against the boot by the elastic leash and then stepping down into the tech binding . This is the reverse of what I do with my telemark lever set up in which I get into the toe first and then snap the telemark lever over the heel . For my own use I will continue using my telemark levers with line FFpro front bales for the rear assembly as it allows me to get more of a set back on my boards which I like . With the standard receptor bale and my size 11 boot I can get center mount or 2cm back with the telemark lever set up I can get 2cm back or 4cm back . I think however using the standard receptor heel bale is very functional using an elastic leash to help with getting into the binding and makes this set up more easily reproduced without custom parts. All you need is a standard receptor binding , dynafit toe pieces, HDPE plastic plates , a little facility with drilling plastic and new longer Stainless screws, as well as a easily purchased splitboard heel elevator to get it all together.
    ps at the end of this video you will see me pull up a lever to lock the front toe piece . This is important for going uphill so you don't accidently step out of the toe piece . You don't really need to do this for downhill and it is meant not to be locked out to allow release with a standard dynafit heel release mechanism. Since we are using a non release bale , the binding tends to stay in place and not pop open easily , however I supposed in hitting a mogul hard or something the spring in the toe piece could pop open . Since I am wanting as rigid a non release set up as possible I always lock the toe for uphill or descent. Remember this is a non release custom skiboard binding and does not release like a standard tech binding does.

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  • jjue
    replied
    Here are pics.

    Sent from my moto g(6) play using Tapatalk

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  • jjue
    replied
    One of the cool things about using the Receptor as a base for custom modifications is the ability to adjust setback by using different mounting holes on the Receptor and moving the binding to multiple different boards. So far I have used this binding on the Blunt Xl and the Rockered Condor with a 2cm set back on both boards. Moving the mounting screws to the maximum set back position gives me close to a 4cm set back which is the way I like to run bindings on the DLP, Spliff , and regular Condors for use in soft snow and backcountry conditions. In the next post I have set up the binding to allow a 4cm set back on Spliffs . There is just enough room on the binding to use a Voile 130cm crampon ( I had to bang the crampon with a hammer to get it to fit perfectly) . Looking forward to trying this out . ps . I rode the binding with the Blunt Xl at the resort and it was a great precise binding and the higher stack height made for nice carving , great to go out of bounds for some sidecountry riding and then climbing back to the ski area also . Just really versatile.
    The next post has pictures of the binding on Spliffs.

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  • ysb33r
    replied
    Originally posted by Steeps View Post
    I haven't got as far as comparing length between the Receptor plate and a tech binding setup. I've got lots of extra room on the Receptors, but forgot that the bails act as length extenders to some degree. My boots do overhang the actual base plate (now I see why the HDPE blocks are the size they are...), so with the Receptor-adaptor method I suppose it will have to be a fairly beefy mounting block. Carl's plates could be sized to fit any boot, I'm sure.
    Here a are some measurements (±1mm)
    - Length of Spruce Riser 535mm
    - <480mm between furthest mounting holes on Spruce Riser
    - Spruce plastic plate 234mm
    - Length-wise distance between mounting holes for Tyrolia toe piece 56mm
    - Length-wise distance between mounting holes for Tyrolia heel piece 95mm
    - Length-wise distance between mounting holes for Fritschi toe piece 65mm (Tecton & Vipec models)
    - Length-wise distance between mounting holes for Fritschi heel piece 60mm (Tecton & Vipec models)

    I'm using Fritchi rather than the Solomon or Marker tech bindings, because the mount pattern is the same for the hybrid Tecton 12 & the minimalist Vipec 12. (and they are getting good reviews). You also have to visualise that the Fritschi tech bindings are much smaller than the downhill Tyrolia bindings, so less real estate is required on the riser. The Tecton 12 has a full adjustment range of 25mm in the heel piece, from which one can work out how many holes to pre-drill if necessary.

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  • ysb33r
    replied
    I'm very intrigued by this, but also very aware that there would be quite a bit of work in this to make a commercial product.

    As it stands today, the Spruce Riser is too high for touring. This is not about the movement, but about crampons and breaks. A friend of mine just did the measures for me on the Fritschi tech bindings and the front set of teeth of the crampon will not engage enough when hung off a Spruce Riser.

    This brought me back to the simplicity of the NR bindings. I've taken the bails off a set of Merit bindings.

    This is effectively a steel plate with a rubber pad below it. It is at the correct height and thickness. There are some problems:

    - It is too short to take a set of pin bindings
    - If it is longer is could affect the flex of the board.
    - Longer plate adds weight.
    - Stainless steel is heavier than aluminium.

    From Jack's photos one can clearly see that the heel of the boot overhangs, which is obviously fine for normal NR usage. For mounted bindings that will require additional plate to be longer.

    This then provides feedback for why the design of the Spruce Riser is what it is. If we can het a riser that is a compromise between the height of Spruce design and a NR base plate we might have a winner.

    Sent from my Mi Note 10 Pro using Tapatalk

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  • jjue
    replied
    Here is a picture of me locked in for descent. You can get an idea of the stack height above the board and the way the telemark lever attached to a Line FFpro front bale locks in at the heel .The toe of the boot is locked in to the Dynafit Tech toe piece via the pins in the boot.
    IMG_0031~3 by Jack Jue Jr, on Flickr

    And here is a picture of the binding used in ascent mode. You can see the heel elevator in use which actually contacts the middle part of the boot. I found the heel elevator works fine even though it is actually a boot mid sole elevator rather then strictly a heel elevator. You will notice that I mostly leave my buckles loose on climbing as this makes climbing more comfortable . Boot cuff is also released into walk mode which allows the cuff to move back and forth .Perfectly free pivot on the Tech binding pins.
    IMG_0013~2 by Jack Jue Jr, on Flickr

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  • Steeps
    replied
    Originally posted by Bert View Post

    Update talked to Carl in Golden, great guy. He is totally willing to help. He can make a composite riser for skiboards that will be super stiff and accept tech bindings and a 4x4 bolt pattern to attach to skiboards. He is very knowledgeable. I am gonna hit up the machine shop tomorrow to see what they say and compare. I really like the composite riser option, bomber proof
    Good, glad to hear! It's been on the back burner of my to-do list for a while (building a house this year, so have many other things to worry about). He's a gem... don't know him very well, but if I see him on the hill I'll say hi. I've caught him eyeing up my gear a few times. He tends to ride a custom carbon fibre carving board with hard boots, so the bindings won't be too unfamiliar. If he needs to get his hands on some skiboards and bindings to visualize, I can drop a spare set off with him any time. I've got extra.

    I've heard he does great repair work as well; one of my friends had some base work done last season, and he took the time to show her around the shop and explain the build process.

    Keep me posted on the progress, I'll be in for a set of adapters. Got shovel/beacon/probe this summer, but need to figure out the rest of my setup.


    Originally posted by Bert View Post

    Sweet yes Steeps I have a contact that will mill the aluminum blocks here in Cranbrook. I am going to talk to them tomorrow hopefully. See what it will cost. I will be in touch! Love skiing in Golden!
    I do not have access to a tech toe piece so I will likely have to buy them, would it be better to just get the blocks milled to fit both tech toe and heal with a little over hang on each end of receptor? I kinda mocked it up and the over hang is not huge. I like the tele bale setup above, great work J! it looks like it would do the same thing as tech heal just without the release which to be honest I am not concerned about. I have a 318mm boot currently and it is just a tad long, hoping the new boots will have a slightly shorter length. Looks to be possible would be nice if my feet were smaller.......
    I haven't got as far as comparing length between the Receptor plate and a tech binding setup. I've got lots of extra room on the Receptors, but forgot that the bails act as length extenders to some degree. My boots do overhang the actual base plate (now I see why the HDPE blocks are the size they are...), so with the Receptor-adaptor method I suppose it will have to be a fairly beefy mounting block. Carl's plates could be sized to fit any boot, I'm sure.

    Leave a comment:


  • ysb33r
    replied
    Originally posted by Bert View Post

    Update talked to Carl in Golden, great guy. He is totally willing to help. He can make a composite riser for skiboards that will be super stiff and accept tech bindings and a 4x4 bolt pattern to attach to skiboards. He is very knowledgeable. I am gonna hit up the machine shop tomorrow to see what they say and compare. I really like the composite riser option, bomber proof
    It would be great if it can do both 4x4 and 4x10.

    Leave a comment:


  • Bert
    replied
    Originally posted by Steeps View Post
    Nice work!

    What's the plastic, is that HDPE?



    Hey, you're in BC, right? Let me know if you're getting something milled locally, I'd be interested.

    I've been thinking about talking to Carl Labonville in Golden, he does custom work and might be able to make something. It might end up being carbon fibre, though...
    https://exegi.ca/



    Update talked to Carl in Golden, great guy. He is totally willing to help. He can make a composite riser for skiboards that will be super stiff and accept tech bindings and a 4x4 bolt pattern to attach to skiboards. He is very knowledgeable. I am gonna hit up the machine shop tomorrow to see what they say and compare. I really like the composite riser option, bomber proof

    Leave a comment:


  • jjue
    replied
    One thing I have found is that the front toe piece does tend to loosen on heavy climbing , sidehilling etc. You have two screws that are supporting the toe piece . In regular use for downhill skiboarding there is not a twisting motion on those screws but with a Tech toe piece you are putting your whole weight on the toe in a twisting force during climbing. Yesterday on a 2000 vertical climb there was slight loosening on one of the two pieces enough to cause the toepiece to slip backward just a tad . I pushed it back just a tad and tightened the nut and had no problems locking in. for the descent. It is important to check the two front toe block screws periodically during a trip and to keep them tight . I am going to put in blue loctite as well. If you have a milled piece with the same pattern as the grooves on the receptor plate that might help prevent loosening as well.Yes the telemark lever is great and makes getting in the binding real easy for downhill.
    My trip report using this set up is below.
    https://forums.skiboardsonline.com/f...-a-trip-report

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