How Royalty dies...

[Alexzn]

My original bonafide was an amazing ski, first as my main ski, then as my rock ski, but sadly it has met its demise, and fir a very unexpected source: a broken heel in the Jesters that I had on them. I simply walked out of one binding (mercifully, on an easy run). The heel suddenly was about half an inch from where it needed to be and refused to be adjusted back in. A postmortem at home revealed that the forward pressure spring snapped.

However, upon further inspection I also saw what caused the damage: as you put your boot in and out the metal bar is moving back and forth in the ABS plastic rails and over time it digs into that rail (see damage circled in the photo), impeding the action of the spring. Sure enough I found the same damage on the other heel, and forward pressure adjustment on it was not working properly (you could crank the binding in with the screw, but it did not much elasticity).

In my opinion this is a very poor design choice and if you have an older Royalty series binding, you probably need to take the heel off and check for the same damage (if you know how to use a posi screwdriver) . I am not aware of any Marker communication about this issue but I have not looked hard enough.

Broken heel:

Other heel:

 

[Eleeski]

It does sound like you got good life out of the ski/binding. Any binding that drives tough skis to the rock ski pile has decent longevity.

With that said, ABS is not the best bearing plastic. Acetal (like Delrin) is a much better bearing material with excellent strength. It might be a bit more expensive but not enough to change the price of the binding. It might not be as stiff so perhaps there is a tradeoff. We struggled with tolerances when molding acetal but that was probably because bearing parts often have tighter tolerances. ABS is easy to mold and makes wonderful parts.

Inspection and maintenance of older (come to think of it, any!) binding is important. Seeing the mode of failure is helpful. Thanks. And glad it was just a broken old spring and nothing more.

Replace the spring, smooth and lubricate the plastic and go slay some more rocks?

Eric

 

[Alexzn]

I had a friend lend me both heels for the holidays. After that I have another ski to ruin. Still I'm not in the same conciliatory mood as you are. It is a terrible design choice by Marker and probably a safety hazard, especially since the damage is hidden underneath the binding. I would not advise anyone to use any of the Marker freeride heels fir more than say 300 click-ins or maybe even less.

 

[pchewn]

With that said, ABS is not the best bearing plastic. Acetal (like Delrin) is a much better bearing material with excellent strength. It might be a bit more expensive but not enough to change the price of the binding. It might not be as stiff so perhaps there is a tradeoff. We struggled with tolerances when molding acetal but that was probably because bearing parts often have tighter tolerances. ABS is easy to mold and makes wonderful parts.

If you're stuck in the woods overnight and need to start a fire, Acetal (Delrin, POM, polyoxymethylene) is a great fire-starting material. It is self oxidizing and really burns well. As our safety engineer used to say when we would design Delrin parts: "You're not going to use any of that polymerized gasoline are you?"

 

[Doug Briggs]

There is a lot more than 300 click-ins of wear. Every time the ski flexes, binding moves on the track and will possibly cause that wear.

My '08 manufactured Griffons.

A different version, underneath at least.

I suspect rust of the spring had more to do with the failure than the rubbing on the plastic although the plastic friction may have slightly accelerated the spring failure. Bad design, although these come slathered in grease when new.

Another reason to keep your skis and bindings clean and dry and especially out of the road elements. I'm not suggesting the OP mistreated his bindings, just an observation regarding maintenance and degradation of bindings in general

 

[Eleeski]

If you're stuck in the woods overnight and need to start a fire, Acetal (Delrin, POM, polyoxymethylene) is a great fire-starting material. It is self oxidizing and really burns well. As our safety engineer used to say when we would design Delrin parts: "You're not going to use any of that polymerized gasoline are you?"

Acetal smells horrible. I think it might generate phosgene gas when burned. Don't start your barbecue with it.

@Alexzn Your failure was a broken spring. The steel spring is so much stronger than the ABS that you aren't getting wear on the steel from that. The possible misalignment from an oversize spring track probably isn't a serious problem. Springs do fail but it's not a design waiting to explode and kill you. Be equally suspect of any old binding.

Eric

 

[Alexzn]

Eric- Yes the failure was a broken spring on one heel, but the forward pressure on the other heel would not re-adjust because the screw was twisting to the side as the metal piece was getting stuck in that rut. I have seen enough bindings to know it was not working correctly, that’s why I replaced both heels. The screws on those were sulky smooth, as they have not seen much use at all.

And broken springs is not how bindings usually fail, the most common way for bindings to fail is a sun-weakened plastic that cracks at a stress point. I have also never encountered a new ski that outlived a new binding that was installed at the time of purchase. That plastic track is bad design to say the least.

Doug- It,s interesting that yours look to have a lot less damage on the plastic parts. How much actual use do they have. I do try to take care of my skis, always dry them out after using them, and never carry them on a car rack long distances without a ski bag, so I don’t believe my binding was abused in any way.

 

[Brian Finch]

Sorry to hear - glad you got a hookup for the holidays.

 

[Eleeski]

@Alexzn Wise move to replace both. Something is quite wrong. It's hard to determine what caused the problem (lack of lubrication, poor assembly, weak design, overuse, bad luck?). Maybe you were lucky the spring broke without serious consequences.

300 cycles is a lot for my uses. But I will keep an eye on mine. I don't know if my Squires are better - they are lighter plastic but have lighter springs and settings. Good info.

Eric

 

[John O]

I have also never encountered a new ski that outlived a new binding that was installed at the time of purchase.

FWIW, I have once... although to be fair, it was a Marker as well (and this was back in the 90's).

 

[Doug Briggs]

..

Doug- It,s interesting that yours look to have a lot less damage on the plastic parts. How much actual use do they have. I do try to take care of my skis, always dry them out after using them, and never carry them on a car rack long distances without a ski bag, so I don’t believe my binding was abused in any way.

It is hard to say how much use I put on them. Probably 2 to 3 hundred days. I got them used; someone put new bindings on and left these behind.

Plastic failure is not that frequent a failure. Brakes break, and afd's get damaged. I did see one Royal finding that did have a broken forward pressure spring. I don't know if it had the same we're on the plastic as yours, it was a long time ago.

 

[pchewn]

Acetal smells horrible. I think it might generate phosgene gas when burned. Don't start your barbecue with it.

Acetal products of combustion include carbon monoxide and formaldehyde, but no phosgene gas.

 

[Eleeski]

Still don't start your barbecue with it!

 

[cantunamunch]

Still don't start your barbecue with it!

Or end

 

[Philpug]

This thread made me think why there is a need for "All metal goodness" of a top end binding and why there is still a market for them. Is there a level of planned obsolescence in newer bindings? Is weight the driving force in these bindings? Here are a list of bindings from every brand that are timeless designs that with thousands of cycles would still function properly...

Marker: M16.0/20.0/30.0
Tyrolia: Peak 15/18
Salomon: 957E/977E/997E/Sth Steel
Look: Pivot 15/18, SP/Axial2 15/18

What to all of these bindings have in common? All started their lives as a race bindings.

 

[Bad Bob]

Maybe you have dated them too long?

The dumped you!

 

[mdf]

Still don't start your barbecue with it!

But if you want to preserve meat by smoking it....or embalming it.

 

[Philpug]

This thread made me think why there is a need for "All metal goodness" of a top end binding and why there is still a market for them. Is there a level of planned obsolescence in newer bindings? Is weight the driving force in these bindings? Here are a list of bindings from every brand that are timeless designs that with thousands of cycles would still function properly...

Marker: M16.0/20.0/30.0
Tyrolia: Peak 15/18
Salomon: 957E/977E/997E/Sth Steel
Look: Pivot 15/18, SP/Axial2 15/18

What to all of these bindings have in common? All started their lives as a race bindings.

At Squaw, it is not uncommon to see old 957E's, M16/M18's, Pivot 15/18's (many non indemnified) with bent out brakes mounted on the newest Cochises and "110mm wide ski of choice" in the lift line or some of the toughest terrain. Total faith in a 20 year old binding...IMHO that says a lot. It says a lot when the top men on the WC are not skiing on their brands newest "race" binding but an older discontinued binding. And I am not talking just Marker..which makes me want to reiterate what was mentioned earlier, Marcel Herscher has more confidence in older Marker Bio than anything else out there and THAT is someone who can ski whatever he wants.

 

[Alexzn]

If I can speculate about Hirscher... marker Bio is probably the most inelastic toe that I know, so if it will keep a solid connection to the ski longer than anything else out there. Just a theory. I'm for all metal goodness, although I'm happy with judicious use of ABS plastic parts. I just didn't understand why people design metal-on-plastic wear for a moving part.

Looks like in my Jesters the part that was worn out was made from some other plastic ( Delrin? as an insert into the metal frame of the binding. Griffons are all ABS, so maybe it wears less.