Safe to remove Dynafit brakes from FT-12?

[brianc]

I am waiting for my Lhasa 186's to arrive so I bought myself some Dynafit FT-12 bindings in the meantime (somebody please speak up if Lhasa 186's and FT-12's sound like a bad combo). Anyways, the Lhasa 186's have a 112mm waist and since the Dynafit FT-12's only support a brake width of 102mm and smaller waists, my plan was to remove the brake assembly from them. So, question: Will riding the dynafits without the brake assembly pose any unexpected functional surprises?...afterall, the brake has that plastic heel plate that the boot usually rests on. Will having the bottom of the boot heel "float" while having the rear of the boot locked in via pins be enough support for the binding to function properly?

Thanks,
BrianC

[bfree]

Read the article on wildsnow about how to take them off. You can do it, they just might lose an extra 0.5 - 1 din setting that the resistance of the brakes add.

Oh and you could send me the brakes when you take them off, cause I need them for comforts.

Sick setup though.

[sock_monkey]

You can also bend the brakes if you're so inclined. That's my plan anyway since I'm getting the same setup.

[Core Shot]

ditto.

The older dynafit comforts came with 2 springs. IF you deleted the brakes you were supposed to change springs.

Interesting about losing 1/2 to 1 DIN. Was that bench tested?

Also, they are one of the easiest brakes to bend, so why not bend them?
Only reason to delete is to make it easier to change modes back and forth.

[squirrelmurphy]

I've never used brakes w/ dynafits, unless I'm skiing them inbounds (why???). In the BC it saves you weight and its much easier to change modes w/o brakes.

[Tye 1on]

Oh, man, that's too bad. There were some core issues with this years Llasa's that unfortunately made them incompatible with Dynafits, especially the FT-12.

You might as well just pass 'em along to me, i'll give you some $$ to offset your tragic loss...

[Jonathan S.]

Interesting about losing 1/2 to 1 DIN. Was that bench tested?

No, but even better, Pechelman's post on the conceptual basis underlying that difference in the release setting was amazingly thorough.

[highflyingpilot]

I am waiting for my Lhasa 186's to arrive so I bought myself some Dynafit FT-12 bindings in the meantime

This sentence sickens me.

[jondrums]

ft12 + Lhasa is the latest hipster hot setup.
all the chicks will swoon for sure...

[brianc]

Any advice on whether riding the dynafits without the brake assembly pose any unexpected functional surprises?...afterall, the brake has that plastic heel plate that the boot usually rests on. Will having the bottom of the boot heel "float" while having the rear of the boot locked in via pins be enough support for the binding to function properly?

[sock_monkey]

BrianC, this thread (Dynafit brakes for 120mm waist?) should have all the info you need.

(it's the one JonathanS refers to above)

[AsheanMT]

Any advice on whether riding the dynafits without the brake assembly pose any unexpected functional surprises?...afterall, the brake has that plastic heel plate that the boot usually rests on. Will having the bottom of the boot heel "float" while having the rear of the boot locked in via pins be enough support for the binding to function properly?

I think I understand what you are saying.

That Heel plate is only there to keep the brake retracted while you are locked in skiing mode. It does nothing to aid the heel unit in as far as holding you in properly. As hard as it is to believe those two pins are all you need.

[brianc]

AsheanMT: I had a feeling that the heel plate served a purpose other than keeping the brakes retracted. Glad to learn that is not the case and that a "floating heel" should not compromise how the binding was designed to function.

Thanks all.