Mixing Heel and Toe Binding Pieces

**rfconroy** · 01-07-2021, 04:55 PM

Been thinking about this recently, and wanted to conduct this thought experiment:
NOTE: I did do a quick search and there seems to be some old discussion back in 13, and 08 but its relatively small.

What are the adverse affects of mixing heel and toe pieces from two different types of bindings? If they follow the industry standards (ISO5355, WTR, Grip Walk Ext), and you're testing / adjusting your bindings for release once everything is mounted, what is preventing folks from running a Jester toe with a Pivot Heel, assuming you've gotten the relative height set correctly?

or... Tecton/viptec toe with standard Alpine heel?

Or.... tech stuff?!?!?!

Curious if crazy folks on here have tried anything like that.

**stealurface831** · 01-07-2021, 05:02 PM

why would you want a tecton/vipec with a standard alpine heel? it already has an alpine heel and adding a different one would make the tech toe useless for touring, would it not?

**rfconroy** · 01-07-2021, 05:14 PM

Originally Posted by stealurface831

why would you want a tecton/vipec with a standard alpine heel? it already has an alpine heel and adding a different one would make the tech toe useless for touring, would it not?

Hypotheticals here... what would prevent you from doing so if you for some reason wanted to?

**HAB** · 01-07-2021, 05:18 PM

You can mix and match with standard tech bindings more readily because there's no forward pressure, and the heel controls both lateral and vertical release. Different alpine bindings use different forward pressure settings, and split release between the heel and the toe, so it's much less likely whatever frankenbinding combo would actually work right.

I guess if you hit upon a setup that bench tested okay you could run it but I'm skeptical that you'd get there.

**galibier_numero_un** · 01-07-2021, 05:47 PM

What possible reason could someone have for thinking of an alpine heel with a Tecton/Vipec toe? I'm all for thought experiments, but this one's weird, and I pride myself on being weird ;-)

To your point about standards ... they're performance standards and not design standards. A Pivot may meet those criteria with (for example) different forward pressure than an STH2.

[edit - if I could read, I'd have noticed that @HAB covered the forward pressure design issue]

... Thom

**stealurface831** · 01-07-2021, 06:55 PM

Originally Posted by rfconroy

Hypotheticals here... what would prevent you from doing so if you for some reason wanted to?

ah, i follow.

ain't nothing stopping you sfar as im concerned.

**rfconroy** · 01-07-2021, 08:40 PM

Ah I forgot about forward pressure, would be tricky to set that up, but if you had a calibration device like a vermont release calibrator it would make sense.

Surely there's got to be someone on here who's done it?

As for the tech binding statement - How often to folks mix and match there?

**Jong Lafitte** · 01-07-2021, 08:46 PM

Brakes?

Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

**brutah** · 01-07-2021, 10:01 PM

I ran dynafit toes with plum toes after my plum toes cracked. It worked fine and I probably used this set up for 1-2 years before I sold it.

It works fine with most low tech pin bindings, but you do need to pay attention to ramp angle as tech bindings can vary in how high they sit off the ski.

I don't think a tech toe would work with a standard downhill heel because of the forward pressure the heel puts on the toe in order for that system to properly operate.

**HAB** · 01-07-2021, 10:32 PM

Originally Posted by brutah

I don't think a tech toe would work with a standard downhill heel because of the forward pressure the heel puts on the toe in order for that system to properly operate.

Super would not work. Also wouldn't release for shit, you wouldn't have anything approaching real lateral release.

**rfconroy** · 01-07-2021, 10:34 PM

Originally Posted by HAB

Super would not work. Also wouldn't release for shit, you wouldn't have anything approaching real lateral release.

Wonder if you could run a pivot heel, with a kingpin toe...

Alright who's young, brave, and has some knees they want to sacrifice!

I'll throw in two bucks to see some physical testing

**HAB** · 01-07-2021, 11:20 PM

Originally Posted by rfconroy

Wonder if you could run a pivot heel, with a kingpin toe...

Alright who's young, brave, and has some knees they want to sacrifice!

I'll throw in two bucks to see some physical testing

Pivot heel doesn't release laterally.

Also, why.

**1000-oaks** · 01-08-2021, 12:27 AM

Originally Posted by rfconroy

Wonder if you could run a pivot heel, with a kingpin toe...

No, you need lateral release on at least one end of the system.

Mixing alpine toes and heels probably would probably work, though they could test different than the DIN setting due to forward pressure differences.

**rfconroy** · 03-31-2021, 11:24 AM

Anyone know if you can mix a Radical 2.0 toe with a Radical 1.0 heel piece?

**snowaddict91** · 03-31-2021, 11:46 AM

Originally Posted by rfconroy

Anyone know if you can mix a Radical 2.0 toe with a Radical 1.0 heel piece?

Worst of both worlds if you ask me.

**XXX-er** · 03-31-2021, 11:46 AM

I don't see why not ? Up here when rad1 heelpieces were blowing up the rep would just send an FT heel piece so I got one Radical ST heel with one Radical FT heel mixed with a set of Vertical toe pieces

the rad toe pieces are great but I don't completely trust the rad heelpieces so stuff got swapped around in the quiver