Din setting and age question

Walt wrote:
VtSkier wrote:


Ah, yup. Got my verification today. Came down DevilsFiddle today
and on the runout caught a tip on a waterbar. Snapped the heel
of one ski, spun me around so that I twisted out of the other
ski. Rolled once, stood up, went back and got the skis, put them
on and went back to the lift.

My DIN 8 setting was perfect for my ht/wt/boot sole.


Yunno, that's what scares me. I just don't test my bindings under real
world conditions often enough. In fact, my last pair of bindings (Look
P10) came and went without ever being "battle tested" - they could've
been super glued in for all I know.

With regard to "real world" conditions.

From what I've seen, only Marker and Tyrolia have "active"
AFD's (anti friction devices). The Marker variant moves in
the same direction as the twist out activated by the toepiece
while the Tyrolia variant is a simpler rubber band affair that
rotates around a plate just back of the toepiece. All other
bindings use some variant of a teflon slider.

The bindings I was on Sunday were my Tyrolias on the Fischers.
My Volkls come with Markers.

The previous notwithstanding, I have used and loved Salomon
bindings for years. Mostly because the skis I have bought
came with them. Given a choice, I'll go with Marker or
Tyrolia from now on. Oh, and I have no trouble staying
in either one of these bindings.

It seems that "real world" likes things that may not
be affected by grit and boot sole wear.

VtSkier

VtSkier wrote:

With regard to "real world" conditions.

From what I've seen, only Marker and Tyrolia have "active"
AFD's (anti friction devices).

Look/Rossi also have active AFD's. They look like Salomon-style passive
teflon AFD's but they actually move, like the Tyrolias & Markers.

That said, I don't think Look/Rossi's technology is as hip as
Marker/Tyrolia. I was on Look for a little while because my Dynastars
required them (i.e. no other brand would fit). Now the Dynastars are
gone, along with the Looks.

The Marker variant moves in
the same direction as the twist out activated by the toepiece
while the Tyrolia variant is a simpler rubber band affair that
rotates around a plate just back of the toepiece. All other
bindings use some variant of a teflon slider.

The bindings I was on Sunday were my Tyrolias on the Fischers.
My Volkls come with Markers.

The previous notwithstanding, I have used and loved Salomon
bindings for years. Mostly because the skis I have bought
came with them. Given a choice, I'll go with Marker or
Tyrolia from now on. Oh, and I have no trouble staying
in either one of these bindings.

It seems that "real world" likes things that may not
be affected by grit and boot sole wear.

yup.

--
//-Walt
//
// There is no Völkl Conspiracy

Walt wrote:
VtSkier wrote:

With regard to "real world" conditions.

From what I've seen, only Marker and Tyrolia have "active"
AFD's (anti friction devices).


Look/Rossi also have active AFD's. They look like Salomon-style passive
teflon AFD's but they actually move, like the Tyrolias & Markers.

Didn't know that. I thought they were actually fixed teflon.
It's been a while since I've worked in a shop ('94-'95) and
Killington hadn't switched to Rossi bindings at that time
for their rentals.

That said, I don't think Look/Rossi's technology is as hip as
Marker/Tyrolia. I was on Look for a little while because my Dynastars
required them (i.e. no other brand would fit). Now the Dynastars are
gone, along with the Looks.

The original Look technology was the full flexing toe piece
with no "in" or "out" detent, stolen by Salomon (and slightly
improved with "spheric" technology). The heel pieces retain
this technology but the toe pieces are snap type toes borrowed
from Geze and others, or at least the Rossi variant is this
toe piece, I haven't actually looked hard at a Look toepiece
in years.

The Nevada II toe and Nevada heel were marvels of their
time, the middle '60's.

The Marker variant moves in
the same direction as the twist out activated by the toepiece
while the Tyrolia variant is a simpler rubber band affair that
rotates around a plate just back of the toepiece. All other
bindings use some variant of a teflon slider.

The bindings I was on Sunday were my Tyrolias on the Fischers.
My Volkls come with Markers.

The previous notwithstanding, I have used and loved Salomon
bindings for years. Mostly because the skis I have bought
came with them. Given a choice, I'll go with Marker or
Tyrolia from now on. Oh, and I have no trouble staying
in either one of these bindings.

It seems that "real world" likes things that may not
be affected by grit and boot sole wear.


yup.

VtSkier wrote:
It may have broken parts. I've actually
broken binding while testing them because of plastic fatigue (I
actually got good at predicting what binding might break and told
the customer up front).

Yep. For instance, the heel step-in tab would break off some lines of
older Salomons after a few years. Irritating, since the binding would
still work fine, except you had to reach down and cock the heel piece
into place. Last time a tab broke on me while the shop was testing I
just had them go to their discard box and pick another likely pair of
bindings for about $30 + free mount and test. Turned out to be only
slightly more than the test alone I came in for.

Some shops keep customer discard bindings to resale to knowledgable
people. Customers will come in for a re-mount for the craziest reasons -
I particularly like those interested in color coordinating their
bindings - brand new bindings end up in the discard box. They also have
nearly new demo bindings in the box - when the demo fleet manager
decides to go to another line of bindings, all the old demo bindings get
tossed - my shop manager saves the newer ones. Sometimes I've found a
pair of skis I think others might be interested in trying, so I have
them mounted with demo bindings. One pair of my DHs are, and the Miller
Soft's likely will be so mounted.

lal_truckee wrote:
VtSkier wrote:

It may have broken parts. I've actually
broken binding while testing them because of plastic fatigue (I
actually got good at predicting what binding might break and told
the customer up front).


Yep. For instance, the heel step-in tab would break off some lines of
older Salomons after a few years. Irritating, since the binding would
still work fine, except you had to reach down and cock the heel piece
into place. Last time a tab broke on me while the shop was testing I
just had them go to their discard box and pick another likely pair of
bindings for about $30 + free mount and test. Turned out to be only
slightly more than the test alone I came in for.

Some shops keep customer discard bindings to resale to knowledgable
people. Customers will come in for a re-mount for the craziest reasons -
I particularly like those interested in color coordinating their
bindings - brand new bindings end up in the discard box. They also have
nearly new demo bindings in the box - when the demo fleet manager
decides to go to another line of bindings, all the old demo bindings get
tossed - my shop manager saves the newer ones. Sometimes I've found a
pair of skis I think others might be interested in trying, so I have
them mounted with demo bindings. One pair of my DHs are, and the Miller
Soft's likely will be so mounted.

Further, with Salomon anyway, many of their "rental" binding are
identical to their retail bindings. The track only is longer.
You slide the heel piece off the track of your retail binding
and slip the heel piece of the rental binding onto the retail
track. Slicker than snot on a doorknob. Toepieces are identical
in any case between retail and rental as long as you don't
covet those movable toes on demo skis. They are fine as far as
they go, but for instance, a woman would like the toepiece in
the same location that a man with a large foot would like it,
so why bother. It also make the setup much heavier.

On another front. I'm sitting here typing away with a "new"
pair of Raichle Flexon boots on my feet to see where they
will need to be pushed. So far only the little toe bunions
are doing much shouting.

The original pair were of the "racing" caliber. Skied beautifly
but killed the feet. The new ones are Flexon Pro model. Actually
the same size (28.5) but with a bigger shell and cushier liner.

The racing boots have a 318mm sole length for a size 28-28.5,
the Pros have a 326mm sole length and a noticibly roomier
toe box.

I still think I'll bring the AT boots again when I come out
in Feb. But this time I'll bring my own skis.

VtSkier