Fritschi Vipec review thread

[1000-oaks]

^ You mean heels? Tecton toe is the same as Vipec Evo toe.

[grinch]

Isnt the vipec the same mounting pattern as a tecton? I hope so. Just ordered a jiga rex with vipec plates to mount the tectons i have coming. Didnt see tecton plates for the jiga rex listed

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[SupreChicken]

Isnt the vipec the same mounting pattern as a tecton? I hope so. Just ordered a jiga rex with vipec plates to mount the tectons i have coming. Didnt see tecton plates for the jiga rex listed

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They’re the same. Xenic are slightly different.

[Cocximus]

^ You mean heels? Tecton toe is the same as Vipec Evo toe.

Nah I meant the toe. I thought there were 3 major revisions. I could be wrong, but from zoming in to pictures it looks like the tecton is the same as the evo. The tecton toe is way more complex than the original vipec. I did not like that stopper piece up front.

[grinch]

They’re the same. Xenic are slightly different.

Whew. Thanks Supre

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[1000-oaks]

They’re the same. Xenic are slightly different.

It would be nice if they add four drill bushings to the Vipec/Tecton Jigarex plates to add Xenic.

[grinch]

Agree. Thinking ill want a ski with a xenic

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[mtbcat]

are vipec 120 breaks too wide ? for 111 mm skis Blizzard rustler R11
wiil the arms be to wide when laying the ski over on edge ?

[1000-oaks]

^ 110 would be a lot better. Think I have 100 brakes on my BMT109, which took a bit of grinding on the plastic ends and is a tight fit.

[kid-kapow]

Nah I meant the toe. I thought there were 3 major revisions.

Actually there are five as far as I know. The original white, updated white, black, evo and updated evo. The function is similar across all five, where the step in, step in and elasticity, step in, and knee fall where the things being addressed/improved. All work pretty well, especially the latter three. If the knee fall fix made the toe more brittle remain to be seen.

are vipec 120 breaks too wide ? for 111 mm skis Blizzard rustler R11
wiil the arms be to wide when laying the ski over on edge ?

Hell, you could probably get by with 100s for 112 R11s You def do not need 120.

[NorCalNomad]

....elasticity, step in, and knee fall ...

When/ what did they do to improve the toe elasticity?

Also the black addressed the snow packing issue in the heel that the original and updated white had.

[kid-kapow]

The white update also featured the pin adjustment/lock upgrade/option.

Pic from wildsnow depicting that the narrower bridge enables 30% more elasticity


And yes, you are 100% correct on the snow pack fix with the black. The EVO rear also transitioned from a swivel design at some point to its current two pin design. I have no idea how the internals differ.


nm the Shift photo - uploaded the wrong one and can't seem to be able to delete it.

[Adrgha]

I have 110 mm brakes on a pair of 124 mm skis. Required some grinding and bending, but the brakes for these things are ridiculously wide. Actually, I think the brakes are my least favorite thing about the whole binding (Tecton).

[mtbcat]

I have 110 mm brakes on a pair of 124 mm skis. Required some grinding and bending, but the brakes for these things are ridiculously wide. Actually, I think the brakes are my least favorite thing about the whole binding (Tecton).

you interested in a trade new 120s for your 110s ?

[Adrgha]

you interested in a trade new 120s for your 110s ?

No, I already replaced 120's with 110's because the 120's were sticking way too far out from my 124 mm skis.

[Cocximus]

No, I already replaced 120's with 110's because the 120's were sticking way too far out from my 124 mm skis.

Really? I was hoping they would be perfect on lotus 120s. Fuck are they meant to go on the spoons?

[jono]

Anyone have any incidents of unintended Walk mode on the toes?

I got the early Evo toes from STP, but I'm not sure if this applies to all of them or not: just catching up on the subject and spotted a thread on Wildsnow that seemed to conclude this would only be an issue if the pin width is adjusted wrong. But I'm curious about the possibility of it happening from contact while skiing: for example, going through slide alder or clipping a branch at snow-level. Since the lever angles up, it seems possible to catch something under it with enough force to raise it into Walk mode. It doesn't take much force, though obviously the odds are reduced by (mostly) hiding the lever behind the ski tip.

Since these have been around a while I'm sure my imagination can be put to rest if this never happens, but there do seem to be a few unexplained examples around. If there are more I might just print up some deflectors.

[galibier_numero_un]

It's no different from walk mode in (say) Dynafits, Plums, etc. Lever up = walk mode. Levers tend to angle up a bit so I suppose you could catch a branch with any tech toe. I've never thought about this, or of being hit by a meteorite for that matter.

Misadjusted pin width (early gens) could result instant eject mode - not walk mode. I would reread Lou's Wildsnow post.

... Thom

[jono]

You're right that this could happen with other bindings, too, but the length of these levers might make it more likely than on Dynafits, for example. And there are several variables that change the likelihood for a given binding but I didn't really feel like going full engineer right off.

I simplified Lou's post a little bit since he was not addressing this same cause, but it wasn't the issue you reference--he was talking about the ability of the lever to flip into Walk mode when stepping into the toe if the pin width was set incorrectly. (And I should have said the pin width was the only explanation offered, not that it's the only way it could happen--but it's the internet, so the latter seems implied.) It was a comment in response to someone who broke a tibia (under the review of the 18/19 Vipec Evo/Tecton toe pieces), seemingly from an unintended Walk mode. Inconclusive as to whether that explained the issue for that one person, though, and after reading this thread and a couple others I do see unintended walk mode coming up, which makes me wonder if it has remained unexplained for anyone.

I'm sure the frequency is small, but the potential consequences seem to warrant a little consideration, maybe even an ounce of prevention.

[galibier_numero_un]

Not to discount in the importance of correct setup and due diligence, but there's a whole lotta FUD here, and you're asking our opinion based on your read of Lou's suppositions (and without linking to his post).

https://youtu.be/nvwR74XpKUM

... Thom

[Mofro261]

An ounce of prevention is don't ski through slide alder.

[cydwhit]

An ounce of prevention is don't ski through slide alder.

Mostly this.

I have come out the bottom once with one of my toes locked, after I unlocked them at the top. It was also the most bushwhacky, bullshit, skiing through large bushes and downed trees skiing I've ever done. And I've done a lot of skiing through bushes on this binding. So yes, you could conceivably accidentally lock the toe while skiing. But you've got to try really hard.

[jono]

Thanks cydwhit, that's kind of what I expected to hear. Not sure why this should strike a nerve for Thom, but I know full well that when Slide Alder Season starts I'm not going to leave these skis at home, and I can't trust myself to shy away from boony-crashing when there's fresh on the other side. So "trying" might not be technically accurate, but it's pretty close. I may post results when I figure out how "safe" to take this.

[galibier_numero_un]

No biggee, but when someone posts a question based on a conclusion they drew from an article which they didn't bother to link to, while they're questioning their understanding of that article while at the same time asking for advice based on that questionable understanding, it's kind of a pointless question.

... Thom

[jono]

Ah, just assumptions. To clarify: my question was based on the bindings sitting in my living room and the Wildsnow example I listed was just one of a few references I've seen which did not have a conclusive explanation (others are in this thread). There was no discussion of the (potential) root cause that I have suggested nor was that instance conclusively found to coincide with Lou's theory on it, so linking to that would have been a red herring--as was mentioning it at all, apparently, since I am concerned with the odds of this happening, not the odds that it happened in that particular case. Sorry for the confusion.