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  1. #1
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    Converting a Dynafit Radical FT to work like a Vertical ST

    I like the Radical toe, but I'm less keen on the Radical heel lifters.

    I considered removing the anti rotation stop from the brake and swapping the top plate for a top plate with a volcano, BUT...

    I'm guessing the above might lead to auto rotation problems, so would it work if I fitted a flat top plate instead of one with a volcano?

    The main thing I want to know is did the Vertical ST have some sort of device to stop the heel piece rotating when it was in the middle climbing postion, ie some device that isn't present on the Radical heel piece?

  2. #2
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    Quote Originally Posted by Oceanic View Post
    The main thing I want to know is did the Vertical ST have some sort of device to stop the heel piece rotating when it was in the middle climbing postion, ie some device that isn't present on the Radical heel piece?
    Yes it does. The heel post on the verticals has multiple stopping points for the lateral spring as the heel post is rotated, while the radical has only one. If you take out the anti-rotation, there won't be any way to fix the heel in the middle climbing position. Unfortunately, you will need to buy a whole new heel or go for some other brand such as Plum.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by patco21 View Post
    Yes it does. The heel post on the verticals has multiple stopping points for the lateral spring as the heel post is rotated, while the radical has only one. If you take out the anti-rotation, there won't be any way to fix the heel in the middle climbing position. Unfortunately, you will need to buy a whole new heel or go for some other brand such as Plum.
    Depends on when the Radical was purchased, early posts have several flats (probably the same post as the Vertical). Looks like maybe 2014 and forward only has two flats (ski & hike). I could be wrong on when they made the running change, but it's somewhere around there.
    Last edited by 1000-oaks; 02-15-2015 at 12:00 PM.

  4. #4
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    Converting a Dynafit Radical FT to work like a Vertical ST

    Quote Originally Posted by 1000-oaks View Post
    Depends on when the Radical was purchased, I think the posts on all of mine (2014 models) and earlier have three positions. Looks like maybe the late 2014 and and forward only has one. I could be wrong on when they made the running change, but it's somewhere around there.
    I think Skimo.com still offers the pre-2014 model baseplate. It may also offer the old clip system the verts offered for brakes.

    You may have some luck with Salewa buying the vert FT12 heels? Verts are out of warranty now though so not sure.

  5. #5
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    If you don't mind foregoing brakes, it would just be easiest to pick up some Plum heels from skimo.com and mount those up. Same heel pattern

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by 1000-oaks View Post
    Depends on when the Radical was purchased, I think the posts on all of mine (2014 models) and earlier have three positions. Looks like maybe the late 2014 and and forward only has one. I could be wrong on when they made the running change, but it's somewhere around there.
    All of the radical heel pieces I have ever seen look like the one in the image below. One climbing position
    All of the vertical heel pieces I have ever seen look like the plum guide ones in the same image. Multiple climbing positions.

    https://www.wildsnow.com/wp-content/...afit-heel-.jpg

    I think the OP is asking if he can put a volcano top plate on a radical binding and expect it to have multiple climbing positions that 'snap to'. My experience from having tried exactly this is no.

  7. #7
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    I've actually considered doing the opposite of this, attaching a rad top plate to replace a vert volcano... But then I got rid of the brakes on my ft12s and now find the rotating less awkward.

  8. #8
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    Yes, the turret has one climbing position, but the pre-2014 posts have an extra flat that goes unused.

  9. #9
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    I guess I'm the only one who thinks the radical climb bars are an improvement over the vertical/plum volcano?

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by XavierD View Post
    I guess I'm the only one who thinks the radical climb bars are an improvement over the vertical/plum volcano?
    Me too

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lindahl View Post
    Me too
    Me three.

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by XavierD View Post
    I guess I'm the only one who thinks the radical climb bars are an improvement over the vertical/plum volcano?
    I have seen them break. What makes them better that the B&D Comfort volcano (easiest pre-Radical to switch modes with a ski pole)?

    Can you switch them from tour to DH with a ski pole? Is it possible to go from DH to flat mode via the Van Halen or similar method? If the answer to either or both of these questions is "no," then what advantages, if any, setoff these shortcomings? I routinely switch from tour-to-DH w/ pole and DH-to-flat via Van Halen method, would need a good reason to give up those conveniences.

    FTR, I have no opinion re the Radical heel from personal use because have enough Speed Classic, Comfort and FT heels to last me for years. I've upgraded some of my skis to Radical toes, which are a significant improvement IMO.

  13. #13
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    Haven't tried the BD Volcano, but yeah, stupid easy to change heights. I see people fiddle with the volcanos all the time. I can switch from tour to DH with the pole. DH to tour can't be done, but I can't remember the last time I've wanted to do that without also wanting to put on skins - I know you're a fan of fishscales though.

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by XavierD View Post
    I guess I'm the only one who thinks the radical climb bars are an improvement over the vertical/plum volcano?
    I got both rads & verts with brakes, I use them both quite a bit and I can't say I prefer the operation of one over the other

    I wonder if people break volcanos cuz they lever the heel piece back & forth instead of rotating it in a circle ??

    what does matter is the design of the Rad heel lifters pulling the sheet metal screws holding the top plate on rads out of the Delrin plastic which I have seen a couple of times happen to skinny ski buds on brand new rads, also hearing guides complaining about it and for that reason I would rather have verts

    I like the way G3 ION has used the machine screws going upwards into the aluminium top plate which should work with the flippy heels they could take some market share from Dynafit
    Lee Lau - xxx-er is the laziest Asian canuck I know

  15. #15
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    Yeah, I don't see any clear advantage of one over the other, and, yes, my concern is putting my fat butt on that lever. FTR, B&D volcanoes are beefy and IME are not prone to breaking if the screws are snugged down and used properly. OTOH, the Comfort and Vert volcanoes do break.

    Right, nearly all of my Van Halen mod changes are on one of my fat fishscale rigs. (I use AT boots in TTS bindings on the other -- great for fishscale billygoat shuffling with boots in DH mode, and I'll likely eventually switch out the other fishscale rig to TTS).

    Lindahl, how do you use the pole to go from tour/flat to DH? I've always seen people doing that by hand.

  16. #16
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    so I just blew the top plate off my Rads, I will be getting warranty but not sure when SO the way I am reading this thread in the mean time I can just swap a vertical heel piece onto that Radical post and it will work if I remove the anti rotation stop??

    I may not have all the climbing positions on but I don't care that much for the short term
    Lee Lau - xxx-er is the laziest Asian canuck I know

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by Big Steve View Post
    I have seen them break. What makes them better that the B&D Comfort volcano (easiest pre-Radical to switch modes with a ski pole)?

    Can you switch them from tour to DH with a ski pole? Is it possible to go from DH to flat mode via the Van Halen or similar method? If the answer to either or both of these questions is "no," then what advantages, if any, setoff these shortcomings? I routinely switch from tour-to-DH w/ pole and DH-to-flat via Van Halen method, would need a good reason to give up those conveniences.

    FTR, I have no opinion re the Radical heel from personal use because have enough Speed Classic, Comfort and FT heels to last me for years. I've upgraded some of my skis to Radical toes, which are a significant improvement IMO.
    I think the flip flop lifter an improvement, although not life changing. I never do the Van Halen move to uphill mode.

    The anti rotation thing actually bugs me though. It makes going back to downhill mode somewhat of a fiddle compared to the "classic" dynafit heel - with which I rarely ever had auto-rotation problems anyway.
    Quote Originally Posted by Downbound Train View Post
    And there will come a day when our ancestors look back...........

  18. #18
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    edit: Mounting some verts on another setup so I fiddled around checked/comparing things AND actualy this RAD post setup has only 2 flats (ski, hike) whereas the VERT post has 4 flats (ski, hike, hike low,hike high)

    so I would end up with NO climbing positions if I just swapped a VERT housing onto a RAD post

    I got multiple setups so maybe I will wait to see how the warranty thing goes, if I have to i can just swap an entire heel piece
    Lee Lau - xxx-er is the laziest Asian canuck I know

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by Big Steve View Post
    (I use AT boots in TTS bindings on the other -- great for fishscale billygoat shuffling with boots in DH mode, and I'll likely eventually switch out the other fishscale rig to TTS).

    At boots like the old bellowed scarpa f1/3 or non bellowed? If the latter I would be interested in some more info on your set-up?

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by XXX-er View Post
    so I just blew the top plate off my Rads, I will be getting warranty but not sure when SO the way I am reading this thread in the mean time I can just swap a vertical heel piece onto that Radical post and it will work if I remove the anti rotation stop??

    I may not have all the climbing positions on but I don't care that much for the short term
    The danger in doing that is you won't have any anti rotation device and the heels can go into insta tele, whatever the kids call it these days. I. E. You won't be able to stop the units from auto rotating from ski mode to skin mode - by accident.

  21. #21
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    I always change modes by hand. I haven't gotten to being able to put my skins on or take them off with out taking the ski off any way, and don't have a problem making a couple tele turns with the skins on if I need too, so that is not an issue for me. I like the levers over the volcano for the speed and ease of changing my climb bar height. Much faster than using the volcano, either by hand or with a pole.

    I'm 200lb, and have had no issue with the later gen Radicals.

  22. #22
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    I usually rip skins with skis on. There's a way to do it without yogaesque flexibility.

    Quote Originally Posted by rob stokes View Post
    At boots like the old bellowed scarpa f1/3 or non bellowed? If the latter I would be interested in some more info on your set-up?
    Both, but usually with non-bellowed (TLT6 or TLT5)

  23. #23
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    I really like the Radical heel posts over the ST's even so I now always rotated the heel by hand as opposed to using the pole when I had ST's. WTBS, the ST's IMO are way better than Comforts or Classics. However, I have broke two top plates with Radicals in the last month. One the plate itself failed and the second the screws pulled out of the plastic housing. MY LSS said he has seen some of this but not alot. He said usually the problem is the screws breaking themselves. Anyway, I got warranty and the entire heel pieces replaced. I have three Radical Speed setups so pretty committed to these. I guess next year Dynafit is redesigning the heel to have a slot for the top plate and more metal so they must be seeing a problem with breakage. I always thought the new heel post assembly was suspect and still do but having the ability to easially flip the posts on the fly is great..........

  24. #24
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    I can see 2 snapped screws and then the top plate must have cracked off & was disappeared in a meter of blower, breaking or stripped screws have happened to me and 2 buds, we are all skinny lightweight guys with one AT boot in the grave but we do ski alot

    I have 2 verts and 1 rad, I wish I had all verts so I could just swap a heel piece
    Lee Lau - xxx-er is the laziest Asian canuck I know

  25. #25
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