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Comparison Review 2023 Salomon/Atomic/Armada Bindings

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Philpug

Philpug

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The big difference between the Strive and the Warden seems to be in the demo binding heights: the Strive demo is at the same height as the fixed Strive that most folks would end up with, while the Warden demo is higher than the fixed, meaning that when you demo things won't necessarily feel the same as what you end up with if you buy.
And since we are talking demos, the Warden demo is still in the line and where the Strive is Gripwalk, the Warden demo is MultiNorm.
 

ski otter 2

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Now that you mention it, the Warden demo MNC: it must have three different toe positions that effect the height and toe-heel ramp angle, delta or whatever it's called, for Alpine, grip walk and touring maybe. I'd always be using the Alpine, not the other two. So would the heights in that great chart above, 27 toe and 30.5 heel, for the Warden MNC be for the Alpine as a starting point, or for the GripWalk? And how would it change in height from one to another? If I know I'm using just the Alpine, would the given numbers and angle hold? (Thanks in advance.)
 

Bruno Schull

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Hi Folks,

Does anybody know the toe height and heel height for the Shift? Thanks.
 

Bruno Schull

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I have a questions about the Shift. I know you have to raise/lower the AFD to get the right fit, to a toe height measurement isn't really practical, but how high off the ski are these binding compared to others? And what's the delta like?

If possible, even rough average, what is the toe and heel height of the Shift?
 
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I have a questions about the Shift. I know you have to raise/lower the AFD to get the right fit, to a toe height measurement isn't really practical,
What do mean by not being practical? Having a static top of the lug connection is the most efficient way to get consistent delta.
but how high off the ski are these binding compared to others?
I don't have a Shift handy to measure it but it is on the low side of the binding spectrum.
And what's the delta like?

If possible, even rough average, what is the toe and heel height of the Shift?
As far as delta, it is on par with the rest of the Salomon line, about 4 mm
 

Bruno Schull

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Hi Phil--thanks for the info. I guess I should really get of my read end and go out in the rain to the garage and get down my skis with Shifts and measure them :) When that happens, I'll post the numbers here.

Regarding toe height, I guess I was thinking that, because you have to adjust the height under the foot, the height of the toe would be changing but...thinking about if further, you're right, if the reference is the top of the toepiece, then things like boot sole thickness, rocker, and so forth won't matter.

That said, I immagine boots might vary signiifcantly in how high high the toe lug/binding interface is from the footbed? It seems hard or impossible to actually get a precise delta measurement, if you were really shoting for how your foot is sitting in a specific boot/footbed/binding setup...

Frusterating for the OCD folks like me :)
 
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Philpug

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That said, I immagine boots might vary signiifcantly in how high high the toe lug/binding interface is from the footbed? It seems hard or impossible to actually get a precise delta measurement, if you were really shoting for how your foot is sitting in a specific boot/footbed/binding setup...
They shouldn't hence why there are ISO standards. The AFD's adjust to accommodate wear and production variations.

ISO 5955-DIN/tradtional soles
ISO 23223-Gripwalk
ISO 9523 AT/MN

Every alpine binding adjusts the AFD ot accommodate for the sole difference except the above Sth and Warden bindings which have static AFDs "The difference in delta is minimal, maybe 1-2mm and the larger the boot, the less this is noticed.
 

Bruno Schull

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Interesting...I have Warden's and Shifts. I thought that the Warden static AFD was the norm, and the Shift moving AFD was the outlier...thanks for the clarification.
 

ARL67

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Was skiing in Ischgl ( Austria ) today and a shop had some Strive 13 Demos in a really nice blue and green colour, perfect to mount on a Stockli Montero AX and AR :thumb:
 

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AmyPJ

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Was skiing in Ischgl ( Austria ) today and a shop had some Strive 13 Demos in a really nice blue and green colour, perfect to mount on a Stockli Montero AX and AR :thumb:
Those look like that's exactly what they were made for. Interesting that you found them in stock in a shop. I skied several skis a few weeks ago and all were mounted with Strive demo bindings. I really liked them and am putting a pair on some skis tonight.
 
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Was skiing in Ischgl ( Austria ) today and a shop had some Strive 13 Demos in a really nice blue and green colour, perfect to mount on a Stockli Montero AX and AR :thumb:
Those are Stockli colors, then might be overstock.

I did pick up a pair of the teal ones on FB market here. They are on our 4FRNT MSP99 CC
IMG_0697.jpeg
 

abdul

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Hi Phil @Philpug - i'm sure you'll have the answer :) Strive Demo forward pressure setting? Tried searching for a current Salomon manual but can't find one... should the forward pressure screw be centered in the 'window'? I'm guessing the answer is yes, but i'm used to other salomon bindings being 'flush' with the housing. Thanks!
 
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Hi Phil @Philpug - i'm sure you'll have the answer :) Strive Demo forward pressure setting? Tried searching for a current Salomon manual but can't find one... should the forward pressure screw be centered in the 'window'? I'm guessing the answer is yes, but i'm used to other salomon bindings being 'flush' with the housing. Thanks!
Both the toe and heel have adjustment rannges then you match up to what your BSL is.
IMG_1909.jpeg

IMG_1910.jpeg

Set for a 293 BSL
 

Trawiski

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See that on some of these bindings the cons are that they are not for lightweight skiers. Curious what this really means. Is it just reffering to weight or also DIN setting?

And since these are unisex, curious what classifies someone as light or heavy. Would not classify a 160 pound female as light, but if comparing to a 250 pound person then maybe….

I’ve been considering the Stage 11 for a super cautious, 160 pound, intermediate skier and want to make sure these “lightweight“ bindings will be safe.
 

BMC

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See that on some of these bindings the cons are that they are not for lightweight skiers. Curious what this really means. Is it just reffering to weight or also DIN setting?

And since these are unisex, curious what classifies someone as light or heavy. Would not classify a 160 pound female as light, but if comparing to a 250 pound person then maybe….

I’ve been considering the Stage 11 for a super cautious, 160 pound, intermediate skier and want to make sure these “lightweight“ bindings will be safe.
It depends how you ski. But for me, at circa 200lbs and a DIN of 8, any binding with a DIN range of up to 11 should be totally fine for most even heavy recreational skiers.

I put some Marker Squire bindings on a pair of Nordica Enforcer 104’s. Why? Because the DIN range covered what I needed, and the light weight (circa 800g by memory, which is in the realm of the Shift and Kingpin). The light weight was particularly attractive for keeping weight down for travel.

I’ve only used those skis for 2 days, but they were great and the bindings did all they needed to do. Bear in mind while I’m an advanced recreational skier (say L2 heading to L3 PSIA type level) I don’t ski crazy fast, I don’t do races (who would on a 104 anyway?), I don’t do big jumps. While I ski faster than most, I pretty much always ski in control. I don’t need much more. I do prefer a burlier feeling 13 binding but there was a reason i went as I did, and they’re totally fine.

If I was one of those folk who queue up for first lifts to ski bullet proof early morning ice faster than anyone else, totally charged off piste or jumped cliffs then things would be different. But that ain’t me!!
 

ariktyer

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Hey all - I recently mounted some Strive 14s and the difficulty stepping into the binding surprised me. I'm hoping to get some opinions from more experienced folks.

I took the bindings in to be release tested, and adjusted to spec it seems like they took a bit too much force to release. For background I'm pretty lightweight, so binding calculators put me at a 6.5 DIN. When I got the skis back it looks like the shop ended up adjusting the toe din to 5.5/5.8ish, and the heel to 6.2/6.5ish. They also reduced the forward pressure a bit so the adjustment screw is no longer flush when the boot is locked. It's now sticking out about ~1.5mm, which I believe goes against the guidelines.

After these adjustments, the bindings pass the release test machine and the release values (but not DINs) are inline with the chart. All of this made it easier to step in, but it's still pretty difficult and I'm not sure I could do it in deep snow without pulling up on the heel lever. Why are these so much more difficult to step into than the Strive/Warden/Griffon/STH demo bindings I've tried?

Anyway it seems like I should be good to ski on them given that the release values are correct - but are all bindings that far off from the factory? I'm curious is this is a normal experience.
 
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Philpug

Philpug

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Hey all - I recently mounted some Strive 14s and the difficulty stepping into the binding surprised me. I'm hoping to get some opinions from more experienced folks.

I took the bindings in to be release tested, and adjusted to spec it seems like they took a bit too much force to release. For background I'm pretty lightweight, so binding calculators put me at a 6.5 DIN. When I got the skis back it looks like the shop ended up adjusting the toe din to 5.5/5.8ish, and the heel to 6.2/6.5ish. They also reduced the forward pressure a bit so the adjustment screw is no longer flush when the boot is locked. It's now sticking out about ~1.5mm, which I believe goes against the guidelines.

After these adjustments, the bindings pass the release test machine and the release values (but not DINs) are inline with the chart. All of this made it easier to step in, but it's still pretty difficult and I'm not sure I could do it in deep snow without pulling up on the heel lever. Why are these so much more difficult to step into than the Strive/Warden/Griffon/STH demo bindings I've tried?

Anyway it seems like I should be good to ski on them given that the release values are correct - but are all bindings that far off from the factory? I'm curious is this is a normal experience.
Interesting. Q: What boot do you have? If it Gripwalk? If so, how grippy is the heel?
 

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