New Dynafit Freeride Binding - Beast 16

[garretvs]

Yep, they're M5 insert screws. They look like Philips heads but the no.2 pozi heads that we use in the UK/Yurp are a lot stronger IMO & therefore less like to get damaged.

Yup what he said. I've had to replace a few from wear throughout the season and probably should have used pozi but it's not really a problem

[yellofin]

I did put the Cochise with Beast horseshoe in Wardens. I had to go -5 mm on the binding to accomodate the boot. The binding holds the boot quite good, albeit there is a distance between the cuff and the heel pice of several mm unlike with an alpine sole. I didn't dare to ski with this setup up to now, though .

This seems to be an issue that needs to be understood. I have wardens and verticals and my Cochise boots fit and work well. I do want to upgrade to a beast 16 because of the toe elasticity and safer and solid connection to the ski but I don't want to have to swap heels to Make this safe is there another option.
One boot different bindings
To bad the kingpin doesn't have a more elastic toe

[XavierD]

I ran some tests with a k2 pinnacle converted for Beasts. Look Turntables and Salomon STH2/Warden/Guardians all did not fit smoothly. The STH2 heel will hold on, but it is visably less secure. The sturup arms on the look/Rossi turntable were too narrow for the wrap around beast horseshoe. I would not run either of these combos personally.

Both Marker Kingpins and Jesters appear to work well with the Beast horseshoe on a K2 Pinnicle. I would feel most confident on this set up of the ones I visually tested; if I felt comfortable skiing Jesters... The metal reinforced Jester pro may be your best option here. The current iteration has an adjustable height toe piece.

I did not test any other bindings, but I imagine that a Look PX race heel may work.

[yellofin]

Thanks that answers my question might have to wait for the kingpin but the $350 beast deals are tempting

[RockinB]

I've done a serious amount of sifting through hardware stores trying to track down the proper length insert screws for the heel. Binding Freedom doesn't carry them and it appeared that QK did so I ordered the screw kit from them and they showed up with the wrong length screws for the heels. Bottomed out in the insert left my binding 2ish mm from flush. What length screws are you guys using and where and the hell can I find them.

In the meantime, my damn skis have inserts but no bindings....fuck

[John_B]

Buy longer and grind them down. Or file if you don't have anything better to do than kill a six pack and develop carpal tunnel. 2mm isn't that much. If you do opt for that put a nut on the screw prior to doing the grinding/filing and when you remove the nut that'll help clean out the threads.

[RockinB]

Good advice. I've got the tools to grind them down sans carpel tunnel, but I'm paranoid of not getting clean threads and don't want to ruin the threads in the insert. Have you had good luck with getting clean threads by backing the nut off?

[adrenalated]

Get a thread file.
http://www.mcmaster.com/#8309a11/=wqr92x
I don't know why the fuck nobody else has ever heard of these things. Grind screw to length, grind a little chamfer on the end, clean it up with thread file. Good as new.

[RockinB]

I also don't know why and the fuck I've never seen that file before. Got one ordered. Thanks for the advice

[garretvs]

I've done a serious amount of sifting through hardware stores trying to track down the proper length insert screws for the heel. Binding Freedom doesn't carry them and it appeared that QK did so I ordered the screw kit from them and they showed up with the wrong length screws for the heels. Bottomed out in the insert left my binding 2ish mm from flush. What length screws are you guys using and where and the hell can I find them.

In the meantime, my damn skis have inserts but no bindings....fuck

Just get M5 machine screws from McMaster. 10mm for the back and 16mm for the front.

http://www.mcmaster.com/#91801a254/=wrbdux

Sure they'll get a little more beat up than posi but you have a pack of 100 so who cares. Also, if you chuck them in a drill then spin against a file you have insta correct head size.

[Ggreenie]

Can anyone tell me if the brakes are interchangeable? Or are you stuck with the width you choose from the start?

Thanks in advance

[Spyderjon]

Can anyone tell me if the brakes are interchangeable? Or are you stuck with the width you choose from the start?

Thanks in advance

The B16 & B14 brake levers (like the Rad & Rad 2) are not interchangeable - well at least not without a major strip-down of the heel. However they do 'cam-in' nicely so fit a wide range of skis. I use a 120mm B16 on QK'd skis of 118mm, 108mm & 88mm underfoot without a problem.

[Spyderjon]

I've done a serious amount of sifting through hardware stores trying to track down the proper length insert screws for the heel. Binding Freedom doesn't carry them and it appeared that QK did so I ordered the screw kit from them and they showed up with the wrong length screws for the heels. Bottomed out in the insert left my binding 2ish mm from flush. What length screws are you guys using and where and the hell can I find them.

In the meantime, my damn skis have inserts but no bindings....fuck

The correct insert screw spec for Beasts are:

Beast 16
Toe lever - 4no. 10mm countersunk flat heads
Toe - 8no. 16mm countersunk flat heads
Heel - 8no. 12mm countersunk flat heads

Beast 14
Toe - 8no. 14mm countersunk flat heads
Heel - 8no. 12mm countersunk flat heads

Note: Standard M5 machine screws have a head diameter of 9mm whereas Dyanfit's factory screws have an 8mm diameter - therefore to ensure that the inserts screws don't sit too high in the countersunk recess they need to be reduced in diameter to 8mm.

Also note that no. 3 pozi headed M5 screws have heads that are too tall & won't allow the heel chassis to slide over them without snagging. The insert screws that I supply are no.2 pozi with shallower head heights so work perfectly with bindings with a heel chassis that slides over a lower base plate, ie the Beasts, Marker Royal family/Tours, STH2's etc. And the 'slot' on a no.2 pozi head is also much more durable than an allen/Phillips/torx head.

Unfortunately I'm in the UK so whilst shipping to Yurp is easy it'll make the screws pricey to ship to NA.

[XavierD]

Are you using the Beast16 w/120mm as your only binding?

[Spyderjon]

Are you using the Beast16 w/120mm as your only binding?

Yep, they're my only binding & I use Mercury boots. I'm a Dynafit dealer & I had a few weeks in early 2013 on a pair of pre-production B16's & then switched to the 13/14 production B16 (the green limited edition ones mounted on the Ragnaroks above) which have now had about 60 days use. No issues at all & they ski superbly - as good as any alpine binding IMO. Elasticity is so good I can ski them aggressively (54yrs/5'9"/173lbs/304mm/little air) on 8 whereas previously I was running any alpine binding at 10.

[Dhelihiker]

Why would you buy a high DIN binding if you set your DIN at 10?

[selle]

Why would you buy a high DIN binding if you set your DIN at 10?

The Beast is not just about high DINs, it's actually more about high elasticity...

[adrenalated]

Also, some of us buy high DIN bindings for the construction and durability... I only run 8-9, but have had issues wearing out or breaking things like STH14s. No problems with all-metal FKS15 or 997s, though.

[smooth operator]

Why would you buy a high DIN binding if you set your DIN at 10?

"A highly elastic binding allows a skier to use the binding at a lower release value, since they are relying on the travel (i.e., elasticity) in the binding to prevent unwanted release."
http://blistergearreview.com/recommended/bindings-201

[nyskirat]

anyone here use a cochise boot and swap the soles after adding in the beast mod? Thinking about picking a pair up but have a pair of STH16s and am not comfortable/competent with any mods required to adjust tech soles to the STH16s.

Forgive me for the jonginess of the post. Solutions may have been posted elsewhere already

[smooth operator]

anyone here use a cochise boot and swap the soles after adding in the beast mod? Thinking about picking a pair up but have a pair of STH16s and am not comfortable/competent with any mods required to adjust tech soles to the STH16s.

I only swap toes, beast heel piece screws go through the interchangeable cochise heel piece, but you could easily use shorter screws or grind them down to alleviate that. However, I've found that with the beast heel piece i still fit marker bindings fine, so I feel no need to swap. For other bindings I do not know if it fits as well.

[nyskirat]

Hmm, I need to know about the STH heel.

[bigdeaner14]

Can anyone who has used early versions of the Beast without the 'Toe Box Adjust' lever comment on how they compare to the newer version with the 'Toe Box Adjust' lever?

Just wondering if there is a discernible difference in terms of stepping in, retention/release etc. ?

[Judo Chop!]

you can still get similar functionality, albeit in an awkward way, if your toe wings aren't fully closing - if you take your pole tip and put it in the hole at the top/front of the beast toe. Find the metal piece there and give the butt end of your pole a good whack. This should move that part backwards, which in turn engages the mechanism which fully closes the wings.
This is basically the same thing that the toe box adjust does, but it does it with a lever and only slightly less awkwardly.

[bigdeaner14]

you can still get similar functionality, albeit in an awkward way, if your toe wings aren't fully closing - if you take your pole tip and put it in the hole at the top/front of the beast toe. Find the metal piece there and give the butt end of your pole a good whack. This should move that part backwards, which in turn engages the mechanism which fully closes the wings.
This is basically the same thing that the toe box adjust does, but it does it with a lever and only slightly less awkwardly.

Cheers!