Dynafit Toe DIN Adjustment?

[Pow4Brains]

I’m a total Dynafit Jong. I bought a pair of Comforts this summer from that infamous German website where all the group buys are coming from. The instructions that came with the bindings are in German (go figure) and I can’t figure out how/if possible to adjust the toe din setting. Couldn’t find anything on Lou’s site either. Am I missing something, or do you just pull up on the “tab” to lock it and there is no adjustment?

[upallnight]

p4b:
the instruction manuals should have all languages. there are two adjustments for the release on the heel. there's no adjustment on the toepiece. don't expect knee-friendly release at the toe if you have them cranked up into the 9-10 range.

[Pow4Brains]

p4b:
the instruction manuals should have all languages. there are two adjustments for the release on the heel. there's no adjustment on the toepiece. don't expect knee-friendly release at the toe if you have them cranked up into the 9-10 range.

Yeah, that’s what I would’ve thought too. What are the “two” adjustments? Is it safe to assume that with the “tab” pulled all the way up the toe is “locked”? What position do you run the toe in (given you’re our in house Dynafit guru )?

On a side note, did you buy any Fritschis from that place? Neither of the pairs I bought (at different times) came with templates for mounting and the ones I downloaded from Lou’s site didn’t line up. Thank god he had a note on the template to “verify spacing”! I’m not sure if it is a print setting that is off or what, but it’s not even close.

Thanks UAN

[upallnight]

hey, p4b....
not sure if i'm an expert or anything, but here's what i can offer:

if you look closely you'll see that one scale reads "MY"; this controls forward release (along the y-axis, as they've defined it). You'll also see "MZ" on the other scale. This is for upward release (z-axis).

be sure to know what each one does before choosing the setting. to set MZ properly, add 15mm to your boot sole length as the pivot point is actually in front of your boot toe.

re: the tab being pulled upward... you can't really test it until the bindings are on your skis. (are they, or have you not mounted them yet?)

often what you will experience is that you will pull up and hear a click. what you need to do to really lock the toe is to pull up more. (don't break that lever, popeye!) you may hear as many as 3-4 more clicks. this is the "locked" position.

some people get confused as to what is locked and what is not. here's what i do as a matter of practice to ensure that my boot is always solidly in the binding:
1) step in
2) pull up to hear that 1st click
3) pull up until the 2nd set of clicks (as said above, sometimes it's 3 clicks; over time this seems to settle to one additional click)
4) push the tab down

why do i do this, even if i am stepping in and going downhill skiing right away? well, pulling all the way up on the tab gives a firm boot-binding connection and ensures that the male ends of the toe piece are as snug as can be in the toe receptacles. backing off just guarantees it's in the right spot.

for mounting ANY touring binding, i recommend this protocol:

i) use the template to mark approximate locations for toe and heel screws.
ii) drill & mount the toe piece.
iii) insert your boot into the toe and then hold the heel piece in place (you didn't drill the heel, did you? ). as you move the boot/binding, ensure that the heel is exactly where it is supposed to be and verify this with the marks you made for the heel in step (i).
iv) when you're satisfied, drill the heel.

[pechelman]

someone correct me if im wrong here

but i think its important to state the the toe adjustment isnt so much a DIN adjustment as it is a release\retention setting. It sounds like a minor difference in terminology, but from what I understand, in order for your toe to release, your heel must first pop out. After that, your toe still has to overcome the retention of the bear trap toe. From what Ive read, while some click settings may be similar to a specific DIN setting, they have really nothing in common.

as with any critical adjustment, as UAN suggests, its important to begin from a physical stop and then adjust from there. In this case, all the way locked, and then down one notch.

the point here, dynafit toe settings should be specified in clicks down rather than how many clicks up.

[upallnight]

pechelman is wise.

in case it's not clear for anyone, there really is no release at the toe, much less in any reliable/knee-friendly way.

My and Mz as specified above control release characteristics of the heel.

[upallnight]

What position do you run the toe in (given you’re our in house Dynafit guru )?

i didn't answer this part of your question.

when i'm skinning, i run the toe in full locked (well, nothing's ever "locked") mode.

when i'm doing general skiing, i run in the downhill ski (/release) mode, with the DIN @ 10. on occasion, i'll ski some stuff in the locked position. this usually happens in cases where i'd rather sacrifice my knee than something else; however, i don't always move to locked mode for skiing hairy stuff. it's not rational - sometimes i do and sometimes i don't.

[Pow4Brains]

Thanks fellas! Yes, the Dynafits are mounted, so I'll take a look. The “clicking” makes sense cuz I was on them on Sunday (and the reason I want to make sure they are set right before touring again). I have to say; everything said about the stride and feel for the ski is true. They feel $$$$.

As far as mounting, yes you are right UAN, I always mount the toe first (usually the front holes first) and then ensure the heel is in the right location. I really wish Fritich would make a user friendly template similar to the Naxo though. And I am still baffled at why Lou’s templates are so far off.

[upallnight]

I really wish Fritich would make a user friendly template similar to the Naxo though. And I am still baffled at why Lou’s templates are so far off.

Fritschi makes a fine template. It's no easier/harder to use than the Naxo template, in my experience.

As to Lou's template being off...that's another matter; don't blame that on Fritschi.

[FrankZappa]

I think I've seen Lou say somethink about printer settings and also I think I heard him say something about the new Fritchis being different from the old ones.

[upallnight]

I think I've seen Lou say somethink about printer settings and also I think I heard him say something about the new Fritchis being different from the old ones.

I can tell you that the hole pattern for the FR+ is the same as for the FR (with the addition of one extra heel-plate screw).

My template works just fine; I'd tend to suspect the printer. Verify everything with your ruler before drilling.

[corn dog]

For free handing dynafit mounts I use a different strategy. First mount heel piece in the appropriate spot. Then drill the front hole for the toe piece and attach. Put boot in toe piece and drop down on heel, so the boot rests on the heel pins, in the right spot, but not engaged. Tighten front screw enough so that the toe piece stays in place when you remove the boot, can also mark the next two toe piece holes with boot in. Remove boot and mark remaining toe piece holes. Remove toe piece and drill remaining 4 holes. Put toe piece back on, and screw in front screw and next two, but not quite all the way down, (front screw can go down almost all the way, next two not so much). Put boot in toe piece and rest it on heel pins, this keeps the alignment correct. Tighten front screw and next two solidly. Remove boot and put in last two toe piece screws.
I do this to get the toe piece correctly oriented. I've found that the same toe piece holes can give different alignments depending on which screws you tighten first. The only problem is the extra screwing of the front screw, if you overstress it it might strip. Doesn't have to be super tight on for the first part though.

[upallnight]

Good tip, corn dog. That allows you to test the heel and use the spacer (verrrrry important) to ensure the right heel alignment.

I'll probably incorporate your technique the next time I mount dynafits (2x later this month).

[Dirk Diggler]

Lou's template works fine if printed correctly(100%). Just did a mount with it this week. If you mount skis often, its nice to tape the two pieces of template together after you do the first mount so it matches your boot size. Then next time you have a perfect template for your boot. Drop the template on the ski, drill all holes at once and done. Takes 15 minutes after that. Obviously if you change boots, you should start over with a new template.

[corn dog]

Guess I'll add that even with a template, and for fritschis too, I do similar. Drill holes and mount heel piece. Then put on the toe piece with one screw fairly snug and another not so and drop the boot or just the connecting bar into place. Tighten front screws, ie. whatever is accessable, then remove boot or raise bar and screw in final two screws. Like I said, really the only subtlety is getting the alignment right, and this seems to do it nicely.