Pivots - bend the brakes in, not out?

[burrito]

I recently mounted up my first set of Pivots after finding a decent deal on a 130mm brake pair (to go on 122mm waist skis.) I realize the 115mm brakes would have probably fit those skis snug as a bug in a rug, but it was a difference of like $100 to get the 130s. I figured I could live with it, and after mounting they're not all that egregiously wide, anyway.

The accepted wisdom out there for sizing Pivot brakes seems to be to buy them smaller than the waist of your skis (because they fit bigger than their stated width) and just bend them out a little if need be. This is fine, I guess, but I see a ton of people complain about their Pivot brakes catching while riding switch. Bending the break arms out only compounds this problem, especially if your not getting fancy and putting a second bend in the arms to get them back to parallel (which seems pretty difficult without disassembling the entire heel.)

After mounting and playing around with mine, I had a thought: Don't buy small and bend out - buy big and bend in. Sure you'll have the "shoulders" of the brake arms sitting a little more proud of your sidewalls and edges than might be ideal, but at least the ends of the arms will be pointing in toward the center of your ski - much less prone to catching while riding switch. And unless you're railing hip-to-the-ground turns on an icy DH course, I have a hard time seeing the wide "shoulders" causing much trouble.

Thoughts?

[XXX-er]

I've done that with Dynafits, I bent the ends of the paddles inwards at just above the paddle, the ends don't snag and edges just bounce off of any exposed brake arm

[Wes Mantooth]

Yeah I did it on some Tecton brakes for my girlfriend's skis since replacement brakes are stupid expensive and only had 120's but I put them in a vise, straightened out the arms, and then re-bent. Not perfect since they like to follow the old bend but they've worked on her 95 waisted skis all season

I still prefer bending narrow brakes wider I find it way easier than going the other direction

[XXX-er]

having said that I have no idea if pivot brake arms are okay with being bent due to the type of metal/ hardness yada yada, I think the arms on my 4frnt deadbolts did not like being bent and I got wider brakes as opposed to bending

Since we are talking about bakes I don't think removing material from a paddle is a good idea cuz the plastic paddle is the most vulnerable part of the brake

[margotron]

Bend them however the fuck you please. They don't care. I have sets currently bent in and out.

Also have sets where the paddle has completely come off. If you want, go ham shaving some of the paddle at an angle. Pivot brakes are near useless at actually 'braking' the ski, so i wouldn't stress any of this too much anyway.

[glademaster]

JFC, do it right. How much money do you piss away on skiing in a given year, and you're trying to half-ass some ski brakes.

[XXX-er]

if you break them at least they broke doing something you love

[burrito]

JFC, do it right. How much money do you piss away on skiing in a given year, and you're trying to half-ass some ski brakes.

Well now I feel like I have to screw around with them just to upset your delicate sensibilities

[stealurface831]

calm down. this is nothing to get bent out of shape over.

[XXX-er]

Away from home, only tool i had was a screwdriver to widen the brakes on my 7TM's so I held the arm on a big chopping block & used a long handled splitting axe to hit the arm right at the 90 degree which widened those arms perfectly

i think the chopping block was pine

[burrito]

Away from home, only tool i had was a screwdriver to widen the brakes on my 7TM's so I held the arm on a big chopping block & used a long handled splitting axe to hit the arm right at the 90 degree which widened those arms perfectly

i think the chopping block was pine

JFC. It's white oak or don't even bother