Intec vs Standard

[John E]

It seems almost certain that this has been discussed before but I couldn't find a comparison.

What are the advantages / disadvantages of Intec vs standard bindings? It's clear to me that the Intecs are more convenient but there must be downsides to Intecs as well.

[Jack Michaud]

http://www.bomberonline.com/VBulletin/showthread.php?t=7931#stepin

[John E]

Thanks Jack - I have tried both a little bit but was wondering what other views were.

[trailertrash]

i have ridden both types. the problem i have with the bails is that once, while standing up i was in a weird position and felt my knee pop. the next season i got step ins. the problem i have with step ins i have had with cateks and td2's. sometimes i just can not get locked in on my rear foot. i have tried all the tricks, butter, rocking my boot but nothing seems to help.
also, it is easier to get into bails when in a area you cant lay the board level for whatever reason.

john

[Gecko]

OK I'm a definite novice with stepins but even with 20 or so days of riding with them I doubt I will ever go back to standards willingly...it's just easier. I can step in nearly anyplace as long as I set my toe bail before I leave the chair.

[Bordy]

I prefer bails for the added flex, hate the fact that some times I rip heels off boots.

I like intecs convenance but just like the ride of bails more.

I like John have grown angry when out on the snow I cant step into intec or even worse have a cable break while in the boot. I really looked like a tool walking back to the shop in one boot on one on the board.

Any one out there ever break a toe bail on step ins??

[trailertrash]

hey billy,
the time my knee popped was with you at pc, maybe it was your fault!

:biggthump
john

[John E]

It sounds like some experienced carvers shy away from intecs because there is more to break. If the screws holding the heel to the boot strip out, you go for the big ride.

[skategoat]

This has been discussed a thousand times but what the hell, let's do it again. It beats the hostility of some of the other threads.

I've been back and forth between standard and step in over the last 5 years.

One thing with Intec is you seem to get a more secure fit. You jam your toe in and lock the pins and you are rock solid.

With standard bails, I find that the tightness of the binding is very dependent on temperature. As the day goes on, the fit gets a bit sloppy due to contraction of the boot plastic. With bindings like Cateks that lack any kind of micro-adjustment, your choice is too tight or too loose. With TDs, you can twist the bails to get them a bit tighter. With F2s and other bindings with a worm drive, a couple of turns of the screwdriver takes care of any slop.

So this year, I'm going with F2 standards.

[Bordy]

hey billy,
the time my knee popped was with you at pc, maybe it was your fault!

:biggthump
john

Perhaps you were riding so hard your knee just needed to catch up!!!! It was not use to such clean carves intill then! :D :eek:

[yyzcanuck]

I'm all for INTEC™s. I personally haven't had any sort of failures of the F2 INTEC™ Ti binding components or heels but have heard of some. I carry a spare set of heels in my equipment bag when I travel but have never used them.
I have no problem getting in or out of the step-in mechanism but have witnessed problems getting the boot out of the heel retainer. This was due to rider fatigue leading to side loading the pins making them nearly impossible to retract (which would likely lead to premature cable failure).
I also use the F2 Race Ti bail binding and can feel the difference in ride. I like the feel but... I'm getting fat and have always been lazy so I don't shy away from the INTEC™ system at all.

[Bordy]

Don't you bring a young thin femmine Boy with you to bend over and do up your bindings??? thats what I heard. :confused: :confused: :p

Got your message I'll give ya a call. Busy day here in the US local voting and all.

Not that it matters I live in the one state that democrates don't even campain in becuase they have no hope. And they are going to try and make it harder to get a Drink here... won't even be able to by Wine cooler like drinks in grocery store any more, States going to sell um at liqour stores if the vote goes through for like 2.50 a bottle. It going to make picking up a new boot boy hard for ya if ya come and visit at thoose price eh? UT the other other religous state. :smashfrea

[Mike T]

Intecs: I've thought I was in and wasn't on a few occasions. In all cases I realized the problem before getting going too fast and come to a controlled and gentle stop.

Bails: I used to have my toe bail on my old Catek WCs pop open with alarming regularity. I wound up having to set them so tight that it took a few minutes to get them undone.

I also broke a set of Nitro bindings my first week of carving, heel bail sheared right off.

[Galen]

I've been riding bails since the beginning(3-4 seasons) cuz I'm a low-tech flunky. I'm going to Intecs for the rear this season so I dont have to bend in twisted positions clipping in every run, as I'm going to be babying my back this season. Performance issues have nothing to do with the decision. :angryfire

[Erik J]

I love my step-ins.

Gliding off of the lift - pop right in.

Loooooong cat tracks and need a little more speed? No stopping needed, just unclip while still moving, give a few kicks and click back in.



Any one out there ever break a toe bail on step ins??
Twice (the heel reciever kept my foot attached though). I've broken toe bails on standards also.

[Steve Prokopiw]

Never broken a stepin toebail on either blax or f2 but various base plates.Broke lots and lots of old standards before I went to the intec system.I used to buy all the spare bails I gould get for my frogs,snopros and crazy bananas.I wasn't much in to racing in anything but town or skischool league but rode hard and jumped constantly.When I recently got f2 standards from hardbooter I looked at the bails and thought that they would break doing what it is I like to do on a daily basis so I traded skategoat the toe and heel bails for his stepin ones and I'll just use my skiboots for skiing.I love intecs for teaching too.

I have committed the rookie mistake of jamming my boot into the heel piece with snow packed on it on a day too cold for it to melt and pulled hard enough to break the cable when trying to step out.I have then had to ride up the lift with the rear boot engaged and then at the lodge pull my foot out of the boot with it still attached to the board since no amount of help would get it undone while on the hill.I remedied this ongoing possibility by installing mountain bike brake cables.That's at least on older heels with the slightly different internals than they have now.I haven't done that conversion to the two newer sets I have now as there is a bit more mod needed to make it work. I may still try it sometime but I'm just more careful these days.

[big canuck]

I'm fat and old, no bending down to clip in toe bails is a bonus.

I have a bud who puts a velcro strap around the front of his boots and front bail to keep it closed absolutley on his standards. Works perfect.

Make sure the pins engage the reciver though on Intecs.

[D.T.]

I am just over 200lbs. Been using the Intec SI's for ~6 seasons now. Never had an issue. Still the original heels and cables (I do carry spare cables though). I check the cables and heels periodically throughout the season and never had an issue.

Regarding engagement, I always rock my back foot to double check. Only one time was the heel not engaged, this was due to ice build-up. I can always step in no matter where I am located. As YYZ stated, getting out can be a little more difficult when you are exhausted.

[Thor VonRippington]

It's clear to me that the Intecs are more convenient but there must be downsides to Intecs as well.

John, from an earlier conversation we had.. you are looking for a more forgiving set up. Skip the step-in for now. Regular bindings... like Bordy stated earlier.. are more forgiving than step-in due to some extra flex.

[tex1230]

I guess I'm just a chicken ****... no interest in adding another failure point to the system. I'll stick with standards till I'm too fat to clip in.

[Fastskiguy]

I love my step-ins.

Gliding off of the lift - pop right in.

Loooooong cat tracks and need a little more speed? No stopping needed, just unclip while still moving, give a few kicks and click back in.



Twice (the heel reciever kept my foot attached though). I've broken toe bails on standards also.

Yeah, what he said! I love mine, super cool, super easy, just work perfectly!

And Brody....you should consider the home brew option for beer or wine, it's cheap and can be excellent! (I'm mean *excellent*...I'm enjoying some old homebrew wine right now)

[D.T.]

John, from an earlier conversation we had.. you are looking for a more forgiving set up. Skip the step-in for now. Regular bindings... like Bordy stated earlier.. are more forgiving than step-in due to some extra flex.
I had heard that TVR goes both ways, then he confirmed it during a conversation on Saturday. :barf:

[D.T.]

John, you do not weigh enough to need to be concerned about failure of the SI system.

[b0ardski]

I prefer the old intec system much bettter. fewer moving parts matters.:smashfrea

[b0ardski]

I ve never streched a cable or been unable to release in ten yrs of hard use:lol: btw does any one have an old style set of itec/nitro/fritzi that i can buy:o

[John E]

The Intecs I own are Raichle X Bone Carbons. I also have an old set of Catek World Cup Series 1P. Someone (?) once told me that I should be concerned about the Raichles (plastic) breaking. I have never seen another set of these bindings on the hill. As a novice carver and 155 lbs, should I be concerned?

[cfj04]

Standard Raichle X bones were recoemmended for riders up to 180 pounds and the carbon version for riders over that range. You are fine riding the carbon. I rode a set for four years at 200 pounds including bumps.

They have been known to break but the main cause is from tightnening the center pin to tight and compressing the carbon versus breaking from use.

Hope that helps

[Fleaman]

I really like my intecs. I am 230lbs and 6'4, I put a lot of pressure on the bindings. I moded the release with some nylon webbing and some fastex buckles that clip into the top of the release handle and extended it up to my hip so I don't have to bend over to release my rear foot. I just tug on the webbing at my hip and pop out I come.

I do carry the Catek retro kit to revert to bails if anything breaks while I am at the hill. If I lose a foot, I would be nervous to return to intecs for the rest of the day.

They(intec) makes sense to anyone who works on the mountain as you are constantly in and out of your bindings. It sure makes it easy when running ski patrol toboggans.