Difference between Look PX12 and PX12 Ti bindings...

I talked to Dynastar/Look today and received some interesting info from a manager that might be useful for others in the future. This post archives this tidbit of info that so that people might be able to access it in the future.

He told me that the total mass difference between a pair of Look PX12 and PX12 Ti of comparable feature (ie. PX12 Jib vs. PX12 Ti Jib, PX12 Lifter vs. PX12 Ti Lifter) is ~40 grams, which is about ~1.5%. The difference is completely negligible. (No, I didn't catch which version was actually heavier. Waxman's prior post indicates that the Ti version is heavier: http://forums.epicski.com/showthread.php?t=29287)

He then proceeded to tell me that the difference lies in the lateral rigidity of the heel, with the Ti version being noticeably more rigid. This makes sense to me since the material upgrade is obviously in the heel riser arms.

I asked him to volunteer his opinion on whether this would make a difference for my newly-purchased pair of K2 Public Enemy (PE)'s. He said, "probably not, since most mid-fat twins aren't that torsionally rigid. I'd save the $50 bucks."

I think we can take the first two statements as fact-ish, and qualify the last one as YMMV.

The diff between Ti and Regular on SAC is more like $10. But, yeah, I wouldn't worry either way.

ugh
Ti might be an upgrade, but its a weight upgrade at a stiffness decrease

ie
Ti density < Steel Density
Ti Stiffness < Steel Stiffness

not sure what the deal is, but i wouldnt worry about it either way as suggested.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by pechelman

ugh
Ti might be an upgrade, but its a weight upgrade at a stiffness decrease

ie
Ti density < Steel Density
Ti Stiffness < Steel Stiffness

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This certainly is true for the material itself, but in the circumstance of a structure engineered to a comparable ultimate strength (such as a bike frame), the less-dense metal generally makes for a stiffer overall structure because you can use more of it (usually in the form of larger tubing diameters and/or metal thickness) for a comparable ultimate strength and total mass.

I'm not sure this is the case for the PX12/PX12 Ti since I don't have them to compare against each other, but I'm certain he said the Ti version was more rigid. Of course, take all this with the necessary grain of salt.

The PX Ti is a better binding because the upright arms (the pieces that attach the baseplate to the bottle w/ DIN window) are made out of metal, vs. the PX's upright arms being made out of plastic.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by El Chupacabra

The PX Ti is a better binding because the upright arms (the pieces that attach the baseplate to the bottle w/ DIN window) are made out of metal, vs. the PX's upright arms being made out of plastic.

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The PX riser/upright arms are completely made of plastic? (If so, probably fiber-reinforced plastic) I don't have the bindings until Wednesday so I don't know. Are you sure it's not a plastic cover over stamped steel?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DtEW

The PX riser/upright arms are completely made of plastic? (If so, probably fiber-reinforced plastic) I don't have the bindings until Wednesday so I don't know. Are you sure it's not a plastic cover over stamped steel?

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As far as I know, it's plastic through and through.