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  1. #1
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    opinions on bd helios bindings

    anybody tried em yet long enough to form an opinion?
    pros?
    cons?
    thanx

  2. #2
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    They are rebranded ATK's. Enough info on ATK here , use the search. But the summary is: ATK is fucking bomber, way better than dynafit (imho). Simple, light and sturdy. I've been skiing the ATK freeraider 14 2.0 a lot and really value them. Highly recommended.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by smooth operator View Post
    They are rebranded ATK's. Enough info on ATK here , use the search. But the summary is: ATK is fucking bomber, way better than dynafit (imho). Simple, light and sturdy. I've been skiing the ATK freeraider 14 2.0 a lot and really value them. Highly recommended.
    This. Literally every BD Helio binding is just a re-branded ATK. The only reason to buy the BD binding is better customer support (US distribution) - they are way more expensive than just buying the ATK directly, though. For your trouble:

    BD Helio 200 - ATK Haute Route
    BD Helio 180 - ATK Trofeo Plus
    BD Helio 145 - ATK Trofeo

    I ski the Helio 200 and I believe it is as close as I've come to perfection in a binding. I love it. Independent vertical and lateral release, active forward compensation (like forward pressure), all metal construction, bomber. I also have a pair of ATK Raider 2.0 12's (that my wife currently uses) and those things are similarly excellent.

  4. #4
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    thanx for the replies. yes im aware they are rebranded atk's. was ready to pull the trigger on some but i have concerns about what appears to be a short heel riser (compared to dynafit). ive now broken 4 radical heel pieces. 3 times with the stripped screws top plate and once with the mounting plate under the heel so......... im officially over those things even though i keep getting free warranty replacements. ill try searching atk on here but if you would indulge me .......... how does the heel riser compare to the dynafit??
    i have access to bd proform so the cost is actually cheaper then going through a euro purchase. but yeah, retail helios through bd are stupid expensive.
    also it seems only the og atk's have a brake option that i dont see on bd's site
    thanks++++

  5. #5
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    for the record ive searched here and googled and read wildsnow reviews but it appears to be several companies offering similar atk bindings but they all have different names so its tough to compare.

    does the helio 200 have the same great riser as the atk raider12 or does it not go as steep?
    and does the helio 200 have a brake option?
    thanx for all replies++++

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by gimpy View Post
    how does the heel riser compare to the dynafit?
    Look here:

    https://www.wildsnow.com/10733/get-u...for-your-ramp/

    This will give you comparisons between the ATK Raider's height of climbing risers and the height of other Dynafit models. It looks like ATK is a tiny bit shorter, but not significantly. In my experience the Helio200 is just fine - for 95% of my touring I just use the 'flap over pins' (medium) height riser, but I know that you can rotate it 180 degrees to get a high riser.

  7. #7
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    I’ve been out three days on my Helio 200 and totally stoked so far.
    Clean, simple design and awesome functionality. Smooth and super easy to use, and they feel great skiing down. My wife and two other friends have the H145 and have been very happy so far as well.


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  8. #8
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    https://skimo.co/binding-riser-heights

    Good beta on riser heights. Helio 200 high riser is like a standard Dynafit mid riser.

    If you don’t mind the fixed U spring release value, then the Salomon MTN is simple and bomber but has 3 risers and a big BSL adjustment for not too much more weight.


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  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by tgapp View Post
    I also have a pair of ATK Raider 2.0 12's (that my wife currently uses) and those things are similarly excellent.
    How do you like the BD Helio 200 vs the Raider 2.0? The Raider got excellent downhill reviews from blister, but the is Helio 200 that far off in downhill performance?

    edit: basically I'm wondering if I should mount them instead of my G3 Zeds? (zeds are still new in box and can be returned)
    Last edited by macon; 12-12-2019 at 03:56 PM.
    aerospace eng with a gravity fetish
    ig

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by macon View Post
    How do you like the BD Helio 200 vs the Raider 2.0? The Raider got excellent downhill reviews from blister, but the is Helio 200 that far off in downhill performance?

    edit: basically I'm wondering if I should mount them instead of my G3 Zeds? (zeds are still new in box and can be returned)
    So, I got a good deal on some Helio 200s and was having second thoughts. I posted a "feeler" FS ad on Gear Swap. They looked so "dainty".

    A few days later, I was doing some maintenance on my wife's skis which are mounted with Vertical STs. Looking at how flimsy they appeared, and the fact that I skied them, my confidence in the ATK/BDs robustness was restored. All aerospace grade ("7" series) aluminum. What's not to like?

    I won't have time to mount them until this weekend. I just drew a mounting template which needs a test/verification mount. The hole spacing appears to be very close (but not identical) to the spacing on skimo's hole recognition page (https://skimo.co/tech-binding-hole-patterns). I'm getting a .25mm variance on two sets of holes from what they get.

    I'll post a link to the template here and on the templates thread once I've tested it.

    ... Thom
    Galibier Design
    crafting technology in service of music

  11. #11
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    how flimsy they appeared, and the fact that I skied them, my confidence in the ATK/BDs robustness was restored
    All that clicking and slop disappears.
    Well maybe I'm the faggot America
    I'm not a part of a redneck agenda

  12. #12
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    ATK posts mounting templates with good instructions on their website. Another reason I like them.

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by macon View Post
    How do you like the BD Helio 200 vs the Raider 2.0? The Raider got excellent downhill reviews from blister, but the is Helio 200 that far off in downhill performance?

    edit: basically I'm wondering if I should mount them instead of my G3 Zeds? (zeds are still new in box and can be returned)
    So the only thing that makes a difference between the Raiders and the Helio200 is that I have the ATK Freeride Spacer on the Raiders and that actually makes a huge difference. I could mount the freeride spacer on my Helio200's, but I'd have to put it directly on the ski (the atk raider has a mounting plate which takes it directly).

    Seriously, the Freeride Spacer is a bit of a gamechanger.

  14. #14
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    Ive got haute route 2.0s. The toes are super confidence inspiring conpared to dynafit. Cant quite explain it but they feel "solid." Independent lateral vertical heel unit is very slick too. No complaints, and the stock ramp aint bad to boot. Got a good deal on helio 180s and gonna mount them on a spring ski this weekend.

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by tgapp View Post
    So the only thing that makes a difference between the Raiders and the Helio200 is that I have the ATK Freeride Spacer on the Raiders and that actually makes a huge difference. I could mount the freeride spacer on my Helio200's, but I'd have to put it directly on the ski (the atk raider has a mounting plate which takes it directly).

    Seriously, the Freeride Spacer is a bit of a gamechanger.
    The freeride spacer is pretty cheap, I figure I could buy some helio200s and a freeride spacer and call it a day.

    You think that really skis the same as a Radier?

    If that's the case I'm gonna return the G3 zeds.
    aerospace eng with a gravity fetish
    ig

  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by galibier_numero_un View Post
    So, I got a good deal on some Helio 200s and was having second thoughts. I posted a "feeler" FS ad on Gear Swap. They looked so "dainty".

    A few days later, I was doing some maintenance on my wife's skis which are mounted with Vertical STs. Looking at how flimsy they appeared, and the fact that I skied them, my confidence in the ATK/BDs robustness was restored. All aerospace grade ("7" series) aluminum. What's not to like?

    I won't have time to mount them until this weekend. I just drew a mounting template which needs a test/verification mount. The hole spacing appears to be very close (but not identical) to the spacing on skimo's hole recognition page (https://skimo.co/tech-binding-hole-patterns). I'm getting a .25mm variance on two sets of holes from what they get.

    I'll post a link to the template here and on the templates thread once I've tested it.

    ... Thom
    Hey thom, BD has a template on the website for the 200.


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    Gravity always wins...

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by tgapp View Post
    So the only thing that makes a difference between the Raiders and the Helio200 is that I have the ATK Freeride Spacer on the Raiders and that actually makes a huge difference. I could mount the freeride spacer on my Helio200's, but I'd have to put it directly on the ski (the atk raider has a mounting plate which takes it directly).

    Seriously, the Freeride Spacer is a bit of a gamechanger.
    I’ve wondered about that spacer, really that good, eh?


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  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by riff View Post
    I’ve wondered about that spacer, really that good, eh?
    Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums
    Also curious as to what makes it a game changer. The description makes me think that it might give you a slight edge while racing the Streif on a touring setup but for noodling soft skis in pow?

  19. #19
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    id imagine the reason for so many dyna radical heel piece failures is the lack of something like the freeride spacer. with the spacer, your weight is on the spacer and not just floating in the air on 2 pins, putting all the torque on the pins which cause the top heelpiece plate screws to strip out. the fact that the raider brakes are on the front allows a spot for the spacer to be mounted. if you have brakes on radicals there is no place to mount something similar to the freeride spacer and the dyna brakes have enough play where your weight is still mostly on the pins
    ive also read that the spacer isnt really neccesary on skis 95mm waisted and under but is helpful when trying to drive larger pow skis to alleviate stress on the pins in lightweight bindings

  20. #20
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    thanx for that link doc+++
    thats exactly what i was looking for
    just wish it had the atk raider on it..........or is the hagan core the same riser?

  21. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by gimpy View Post
    thanx for that link doc+++
    thats exactly what i was looking for
    just wish it had the atk raider on it..........or is the hagan core the same riser?
    Hagan Core is a rebranded Raider.

  22. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by Boissal View Post
    Also curious as to what makes it a game changer. The description makes me think that it might give you a slight edge while racing the Streif on a touring setup but for noodling soft skis in pow?
    Maybe calling it a game changer is a bit much, but I think the power transmission and also the ski feedback is much better. I think it takes what is otherwise a fairly straightforward pin binding and makes it feel much more like a kingpin or beef tech binding.

  23. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by gimpy View Post
    id imagine the reason for so many dyna radical heel piece failures is the lack of something like the freeride spacer. with the spacer, your weight is on the spacer and not just floating in the air on 2 pins, putting all the torque on the pins which cause the top heelpiece plate screws to strip out. the fact that the raider brakes are on the front allows a spot for the spacer to be mounted. if you have brakes on radicals there is no place to mount something similar to the freeride spacer and the dyna brakes have enough play where your weight is still mostly on the pins
    ive also read that the spacer isnt really neccesary on skis 95mm waisted and under but is helpful when trying to drive larger pow skis to alleviate stress on the pins in lightweight bindings
    Wait, weren't the Radical heel failures in walk mode in the vast majority of case? The main issue was with unsupported risers which put a ton of pressure on the top plate and eventually ripped the back screws off. I've never heard of a Rad failure in ski mode, that would involve driving the pin assembly down through the body of the binding which as the pins are supported... I've never heard of that happening but I'm not exactly a staffer in the dynafit warranty department.

    Quote Originally Posted by tgapp View Post
    Maybe calling it a game changer is a bit much, but I think the power transmission and also the ski feedback is much better. I think it takes what is otherwise a fairly straightforward pin binding and makes it feel much more like a kingpin or beef tech binding.
    Guess I'm not techy enough top appreciate the subtle differences in power transmission and ski feedback when switching between light weight pin bindings, regular pin bindings, and beef tech bindings.

  24. #24
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    Fwiw, I found the power transmission advantage of bindings like the Kingpin all but disappear in powder. The benefit was more on firm snow.

    I can see how a freeride spacer might behave a bit like a Kingpin in this respect. Haven't tried it though.

  25. #25
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    Nov 2011
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    68
    sled drift.
    anybody played with new R14's freeride spacers?
    are both of them slide both way? or outside only?


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