Bending LOOK Brakes: For wider or narrower?

[schindlerpiste]

Once a year, my pivot brake arm catches the bottom my pant leg, gets stuck, and makes for potentially dicey result. This is, no doubt, the result of bad form. It happens with my 100mm underfoot skis and 115mm brakes. As everyone knows, Pivot brakes come in 95mm and 115mm. Do you think it better to bend out the 95mm brakes, bend in (if possible) the 115mm brakes or just make sure that I don't skis with my feet so close together and do nothing to the 115mm brakes? 15-17mm (7-8mm) on each side is the outer limits, no?

[auvgeek]

The 95 mm brakes on 100 mm underfoot skis is a no brainer. You don't even need to really bend them; just stretch them a bit. I ran 115 brakes on 122 underfoot skis with a little stretching.

Edit: and yeah, I'm talking specifically about the Pivot/FKS not just a generic binder.

[XXX-er]

duno about that binding but the brakes on my Dynafits are wider than the waist SO I put a bend just at the plastic paddle part of the brake to toe the ends of the brakes Inwards so when folded up the ends are fully inwards of the ski edge

On Dynafits when the brakes deploy they go out and then down so it works well, in fact the brakes stick straight down insted of being out wards on an angle as dynafit brakes normaly are

[Timberridge]

Have you considered a different pant such as this one from Bogner?

[schindlerpiste]

Wow, those ARE my pants! FKNA!!
....and base layer, too!!! Yippee

.....but thanks for playing, ass-wipe

[Rip'nStick]

You don't need brakes... brakes are for people who crash a lot

[Rip'nStick]

Never forget watching a boarder on top of Daves run in Mammoth trying to get his board on, kind of pissed off, think he was flailing and his crew went ahead. He was trying to strap in and watch where his crew went near the edge of the cornice. I was scoping line but watching this dude because he seemed like an meltdown was about to happen. And he was being a little .reckless.

Sure enough, tries to strap in standing, slips and kicks his board off the cornice.


The Board drops in like a pro, straight lines it, past a few people on the run, does a triple corky, sick trick, then pulls off to the left and looks like it's going to rest but no. Points it slowly downhill onto the groomer and out of sight around the bend. We watched it the whole way. Neither of us said a damn thing. He looks at me, just shakes his head. I say "at least your board kicked ass on the way down

[Tronnytron]

I have this same question, but not the same problem. How do people feel about bending the 95mm pivot brake to a 106 ski?

[tenB]

I have this same question, but not the same problem. How do people feel about bending the 95mm pivot brake to a 106 ski?

No problem

[Colorado_Freeskier]

I've got the 95s on my 105 waisted ski and the shop just bent them outward. I have the issue of the brakes sticking out and dragging on a hard carved turn. I'm going to try bending them upward and inward and hopefully that fixes the problem.

Having a new pair of Pro Riders mounted up soon so I'm going to have the shop check the 115 brake to see if that works better.

[Kopi_Red]

I've got the 95s on my 105 waisted ski and the shop just bent them outward. I have the issue of the brakes sticking out and dragging on a hard carved turn. I'm going to try bending them upward and inward and hopefully that fixes the problem.

Having a new pair of Pro Riders mounted up soon so I'm going to have the shop check the 115 brake to see if that works better.

I put some 95 brakes on my Pro Riders and they work great. I'd be hesitant to put 115s on a 105 mm ski. I've had too wide brakes drag on snow when carving hard.

[jackattack]

I put some 95 brakes on my Pro Riders and they work great. I'd be hesitant to put 115s on a 105 mm ski. I've had too wide brakes drag on snow when carving hard.

what calendar?

[NW_SKIER]

what calendar?

I'll have to mount some skis this week. September is hot.

[Kopi_Red]

what calendar?

I don't remember the calendar but I do know that was Miss March. It's NW_SIER's bench.

[Banh Mi]

I have never had a problem with wider brakes. I put fat brakes on thinner skis multiple times a season, never once had an issue.

I wouldnt go over 15mm wider though..


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[Aus George]

I have this same question, but not the same problem. How do people feel about bending the 95mm pivot brake to a 106 ski?

Nope. 95mm and tried on a 106 ski. Tried and failed. Even put the arms in a vice, used heat and a pipe. You have to completely re-bend the arms. Still felt like it wanted to snap. I ended up sending them back and got the 115mm brakes. Never had an issue, looks and work fine after 4 seasons never caught anything with them... OP went the wrong size, I mounted the 95mm on my ON3P Wren 98's no issue at all. The 95mm brakes are really closer to 102mm width where the 90 degree bend in the steel is. That extra few mm is to account for the plastic brake arms, which can easily be bent by hand out a few mm... Same works for slightly bigger brake arms you can easily bend them in a bit by hand, they will look legit.

IMO using 95mm on 102+ is silly as the angle you will have the brakes bent out too (unless you manage to completely re-bend them, but why risk snapping?) will be heaps more than that of the 115's. I've never tested it but seems like they would drag in snow way worse than going up a size to 115 and sticking with right angles (which match the ski edge and wont hang out).

[MRR11]

Just bend out the arms at the original angle as much as you need to clear the edge of the ski then bend back in further down the arm, so you have two 45ish degree angles instead of one 90* bend. Much lower risk of snapping the arm that way.

BTW the only time I snapped an arm was after adding heat.

[ClayCole]

Just bend out the arms at the original angle as much as you need to clear the edge of the ski then bend back in further down the arm, so you have two 45ish degree angles instead of one 90* bend. Much lower risk of snapping the arm that way.

BTW the only time I snapped an arm was after adding heat.

After reading this thread, I took the 115mm brakes off my 98mm waisted skis and custom bent 95mm brakes this way. Great trick. I've only flared them out in the past or straightened and re bent, this trick is much better.

[MRR11]

I guess technically it'd be two 135ish degree angles, but you get the point. Glad it worked for ya.

[schindlerpiste]

I bent the brakes on the 95s and popped the base plate right off a pair of P14s, causing one of the arms to dislodge. Luckily, I was able to MacGyver them back to operational status. I think that LOOK does not make the P14s like they used to.

[XXX-er]

I like to go wider and bend in so the ends of the brakes don't catch on stuff, IME you can smack stuff with the bent part all day and nothing happens

[Tronnytron]

Thank you all for the recommendations! I will keep you posted on what I end up doing!

[ClayCole]

95mm brakes on 98mm waist pictured.

I have 115mm on my 108mm and 111mm skis, fit perfect without bending. I bent some 115mm similarly to fit 118mm boards.

[Colorado_Freeskier]

Mounted up the new Pro Rider 105s and my old Legend Pro 105s with the 115mm FKS/Look brake. Works perfectly and the brakes don’t stick out as they do when bending the 95mm...No brake drag during a high edge angle carve on softer snow.

[stealurface831]

so need a brake combination that will accomodate 104s, 118s, and 122s. 95 for the 104s and 130 for the 118s and 122s? 115 for the 104s and 118s and 130 for the 122s? 95 for the 104s and 115 for the 118s and 122s? what say the collective?