ATK SLR Release (feature-full binding)

[Lindahl]

Cool new binding from ATK. 132g and has a flat mode plus two risers with adjustable release. Add their standard BSL adjustment plate for another 20g.

The flat mode requires turning by hand, as does accessing the high riser. Looks like you can have two simultaneous riser heights by using the horseshoe end of the pins and then the high riser.

The height of the risers looks to be race height and mid-height. The high riser doesn't appear to be as tall as a Speed Radical high riser. However, it looks like it'd be really easy to add additional material either by screw or epoxy to customize the height of the high riser.

So, basically a 132g Dynafit Speed Superlite 2.0 but adds a flat mode and optional BSL adjustment plate. Price looks really good too. Pretty sweet.

[mall walker]

Woah. Are these available for purchase in the US? That certainly ticks all of my boxes.

[Lindahl]

Woah. Are these available for purchase in the US? That certainly ticks all of my boxes.

You can probably import them from the usual suspects: Telemark Pyrenees, Sport Conrad, Trekinn and Snowinn. I've had a good experience with importing an ATK binding from Telemark Pyrenees (though I had to talk to customs to correct their paperwork to avoid import duties after the binding arrived).

[JRainey]

How people feel about the on/off release of the SLR series?

I know you can adjust the tension on this one, but there is essentially no lateral elasticity vs something like the Raider/RT heel piece.

Release is just the ball popping out of the divot.

Thoughts?

[Jonathan S.]

Been available since the fall.
Or at least that's when the ATK website was updated:
http://www.atkrace.it/collezione-pro...32-gr/?lang=en
... although I can't recall when the European etailers first had it in stock.

Hagan USA has been distributing rebranded ATK race bindings for a few seasons here, and will also include a touring model for next season.
Unknown if the imported ATK line will expand even more to include the SLR Release.

My attempt at summarizing the ATK line is posted here:
http://www.skintrack.com/bindings-comparison/
Spreadsheet version here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6Q...ew?usp=sharing
... which also includes packs & helmets (still pending for the Skintrack website).

How people feel about the on/off release of the SLR series?

I know you can adjust the tension on this one, but there is essentially no lateral elasticity vs something like the Raider/RT heel piece.

Release is just the ball popping out of the divot.

Thoughts?

Seems to me similar to all skimo race bindings, i.e., kind of "binary" if that makes sense.
My understanding though is that binding engineers (which I definitely am not!) refer to "elasticity" in this context as how far the boot can travel before the binding releases (even though the term is used in this forum and various blogs rather ... elastically!).
I think the better term might be what I vaguely recall Tyrolia bragging about in the days of the 380D as "return to center force" which all these skimo race bindings seem to lack.

[hoarhey]

sport conrad no longer sells/ships to USA

[Lindahl]

So the ball moves upwards by compressing a spring which allows the binding to rotate the ball past the divot and the release force is dictated by the properties of the spring? And the adjustable release on the SLR controls the preload on the spring?

Does the Dynafit Speed Superlite 2.0 work on these same principles? I don't believe the 1.0 worked this way.

[Jonathan S.]

I think the better term might be what I vaguely recall Tyrolia bragging about in the days of the 380D as "return to center force" which all these skimo race bindings seem to lack.

Whoah, Google has cataloged everything now, even the Skiing magazines of my youth:
https://books.google.com/books?id=Hl...page&q&f=false

Here are images of the ad in case for some reason you can't access that link -- the first image shows the entire ad, and the second image is just zoomed in a bit in an attempt at better legibility:

[plugboots]

That's funny. My buddies and I used to joke that Tyrolia's RTC was measured in epochs.

[JRainey]

So the ball moves upwards by compressing a spring which allows the binding to rotate the ball past the divot and the release force is dictated by the properties of the spring? And the adjustable release on the SLR controls the preload on the spring?

That's the way I understood it.


I just wonder if this isn't the better binding if you can afford 30g
http://www.atkrace.it/collezione-pro...-gr-2/?lang=en

[Lindahl]

That's pretty much same as the ATK RT.

[JRainey]

That's pretty much same as the ATK RT.

For sure, but maybe that's just a better binding.

[LeeLau]

Been available since the fall.
Or at least that's when the ATK website was updated:
http://www.atkrace.it/collezione-pro...32-gr/?lang=en
... although I can't recall when the European etailers first had it in stock.

Hagan USA has been distributing rebranded ATK race bindings for a few seasons here, and will also include a touring model for next season.
Unknown if the imported ATK line will expand even more to include the SLR Release.

My attempt at summarizing the ATK line is posted here:
http://www.skintrack.com/bindings-comparison/
Spreadsheet version here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6Q...ew?usp=sharing
... which also includes packs & helmets (still pending for the Skintrack website).



Seems to me similar to all skimo race bindings, i.e., kind of "binary" if that makes sense.
My understanding though is that binding engineers (which I definitely am not!) refer to "elasticity" in this context as how far the boot can travel before the binding releases (even though the term is used in this forum and various blogs rather ... elastically!).
I think the better term might be what I vaguely recall Tyrolia bragging about in the days of the 380D as "return to center force" which all these skimo race bindings seem to lack.

Jon

I know next to nothing about skimo racing or UL bindings and this information is super useful. Thanks for that.

How much weight does a binding adjustment plate add generally?

Some other obs to me as a UL gear N00b.

It seems to me that the Salomon / Atomic tech binding at approx 150g per foot is in the mid pack or portlier side of this group but that's with 30mm of adjustment.

Lots of liberal use of alloy in the toe wings. Have there been issues with toe wing breakage ala Plum?

Atomic/Solly have 5mm of toe/heel delta making for very neutral ramp. Is that the case for most of this class of bindings? I see some don't have flat to ski mode although the heel posts are so low perhaps not a real world isse

[Lindahl]

Binding adjustment plates are around 20g usually.

The adjustable Salomon/Atomic binding is 290g per foot? The non-adjustable one is 240g per foot? Its more of a Speed Radical competitor, not a UL binding.

Most of these bindings have very low deltas, yes.

[LeeLau]

Binding adjustment plates are around 20g usually.

The adjustable Salomon/Atomic binding is 290g per foot? The non-adjustable one is 240g per foot? Its more of a Speed Radical competitor, not a UL binding.

Most of these bindings have very low deltas, yes.

Thanks Brian. That makes senae. I'll check on the Salomon/Atomic weights. The non adjustable bsl plates seem a tad low

[Jonathan S.]

[...]The adjustable Salomon/Atomic binding is 290g per foot? The non-adjustable one is 240g per foot? Its more of a Speed Radical competitor, not a UL binding.[...]

I had been thinking that for two seasons now the Salomon/Atomic binding has been more of a competitor for the SSL 2.0, although now that apparently the SSL 2.0, Speed Turn 2.0, and Speed Radical are all being discontinued for next season (correct?), almost feels like Dynafit two new non-race/semi-adjustable bindings are more like Salomon/Atomic competitors!

[...]How much weight does a binding adjustment plate add generally? [...] Lots of liberal use of alloy in the toe wings. Have there been issues with toe wing breakage ala Plum? [...] Atomic/Solly have 5mm of toe/heel delta making for very neutral ramp. Is that the case for most of this class of bindings? I see some don't have flat to ski mode although the heel posts are so low perhaps not a real world issue

Separate adjustment plates -- as Lindahl previously wrote, the short answer = not much, and the long answer is found here: http://skimo.co/pin-heights ... in the adjustment plates table by clicking on each hyperlink for weight details, with even more details about the different plate designs here: http://skimo.co/binding-adjustment-plates

Alu toe wing breakage -- The only such failure I can recall was posted by Brian Harder, but he was somewhat ambivalent as to whether it broke while skiing or as a result of crashing into a rock. The Dynafit LTR/SSL toe frame (not wing) has been reported broken at least a couple times at the holes for the crampon clip attachments, although that section of the binding has gone through at least three versions, so all the breakages might have been on the earlier versions before they were further reinforced. But that's just the numerator, so what that represents out of the potentially reportable denominator, I have no idea. Alternatively, for $320 can combine the Dynafit Speed Turn 2.0 toe with the Plum Race 150 heel (or pay more $ for Speed Radical toe if you want the power towers and/or the Race 170 heel if you want 20mm integrated adjustment) at Skimo Co.

(Other known breakages: First generation Trab had a defective batch of toe pincers, plus an occasionally inadequately secured heel pin. PG/LTR2.0 heel will crack apparently if the shop mounts the screw plate backwards. PG/RC1/DNA carbon fiber toe often breaks, but, well, would be surprising if otherwise!)

Pin delta -- Table at the same link previously posted: http://skimo.co/pin-heights ... with the worm-drive adjustable Trab binding topping the charts along with the PG/RC1/DNA (since the lack of any springs for the toe pincers allowing the boot toe to rest even lower) and the Plum 99 the most negative (since the heel unit in person looks even smaller than the internet pictures).

Heel elevator positions -- My many LTR 1.0 heels offer only that kind of "half-height" position and I miss the alternatives only a small times a year (notably the long flat initial approach on Adams from Cold Springs to near the base of the Crescent Not-Really-A-Glacier, plus a few brief moments of inefficiently steep trail breaking during the winter on various below-treeline hiking trails). I can turn the heel sideways for flat on my many Plum 135/145/165 heels, but that probably happens only a couple times a year. The best heel for turning sideways is Kreuzspitze, since it has a 6mm gap that prevents any possible rubbing against the boot heel when going through compressions. Also, Kreuzspitze and Plum offer higher elevators (in the form of plastic nubbins you insert in the back of the heel spring, then rotate the heel 180 degrees).

[LeeLau]

Awesome. Thanks John

[Cosmic Suncloud]

Binding adjustment plates are around 20g usually.

The adjustable Salomon/Atomic binding is 290g per foot? The non-adjustable one is 240g per foot? Its more of a Speed Radical competitor, not a UL binding.

Most of these bindings have very low deltas, yes.

the adjustable atomics weighed in at 284 gr. each. they seems to ski a little better than the radical toe/SS1.0 heel setup, less heel movement. both of these setups are about half way between SSL 2.0 etc and a speed rad/plum guide.
i think the delta is 10 (30/40).

[LawndartGustav]

Anyone used the SLR Release on snow? it's itching in my buy button =)