The Canonical Wide Brake Information Thread

[The Dad]

When you have bindings with brakes that are too narrow to fit your skis, you basically have three choices. First, you can buy or trade for replacement brakes. Second, you can bend the brakes to fit the skis. And third, you can go for different bindings.

I know I often find myself searching for wide brake information when I buy a new pair of skis, so it seems like a single thread might be useful. I'm no expert on the subject, so I searched Tech Talk and tha interweb, but I'm sure there's more information to add. Post corrections, pointers to existing threads that I missed, etc., and I'll update this first post.

Option A is probably to sack up and bend them. Marshalolson was kind enough to provide a how-to video TR featuring Salomon bindings and a 125mm-wide Volant Spatula. There are plenty of other techniques, and ingenuity is often rewarded. I think likwid’s method looks pretty sweet for stouter brakes, although I haven't tried it myself.

If you opt to buy, however, internet sources for wide brakes include Al’s, (delete the "?asdf" from the URL), Evogear, and Level Nine (which is often the best bet for Tyrolia). Don't rule out contacting the manufacturer or distributor, though -- they often have spare parts in stock, even for products no longer sold.

Look/Rossi/Roxy

Available sizes: P/Axial series: 100mm; PX/Axial2 series: 105mm, 125mm.

P18/FKS brakes are not replaceable, so if you want to put them on wide skis, you're going to have to bend. Slim wrote the ur-manual on how to take the brakes off and bend them, while Gordyman was kind enough to put together an illustrated primer on doing it with brakes in place but bindings unmounted.

At least some Look brakes are more difficult to bend than Salomon; heat is advisable, maybe necessary. And if you take the arms out to bend them, it's harder to get the bastards back in than Salomons. Consult El Chupacabra's learned treatise.

Salomon

Available sizes: B90 (should fit 85mm-100mm), B100 (90mm-105mm), B110 (100mm-115mm), B115 (110mm-120mm), B130 (120mm-135mm)

Different models of bindings work with different brake assemblies, but the same brake arms. If you buy a pair of Salomon brakes that don't fit your bindings, try swapping arms. It's actually really easy, as evidenced by the fact that I've done it. Wildstyle's excellent illustrated primer on the brake swap is here.

See also the Fritschi section below.

Tyrolia/Fischer/Head/Elan

Available sizes: 93mm, 115mm, 130mm.

115mm version (and probably 130mm as well, but I haven't seen them) comes with the arms sort of folded in -- they look like they're narrow brakes, but don't be fooled.

In my and others' experience, Tyrolia brakes are a bitch and a half to bend; in Spats' words, "they're the stoutest brakes I've seen." I broke one pair of 115s trying to bend them to fit my Praxis, and only managed to bend the second with the help of a friend who's an engineer and part-time sculptor with a serious metal shop in his garage. stevied posted photos and full instructions, and I've posted suggestions, but it is not for the timid. Fortunately, the 130s came out for the 08-09 season.

Fritschi

Diamir/Freeride brake arms are 100% interchangeable with Salomon brake arms. (Only the arms themselves are interchangeable; you have to disassemble the arms from the brake base plates to swap.)

Fritschi standard brakes are approx. 94mm wide; Fritschi wide brakes are approx. 105mm wide. Because of the height of the Fritschi binding above the ski, Fritschi brake arms have a very long "downward" section to penetrate the snow -- which is nice, because if you rebend them for use on a Salomon binding, you can effectively make a very wide brake for uber-fat skis, without running out of brake arm.

Marker (yeah, I know)

Available sizes (1100 and higher): 95mm, 105mm, 125mm

18+ DIN bindings use a different brake housing, but arms are interchangeable with lower DIN, according to Smails

Available sizes (Royalty series: Jester, Duke, Griffon, Baron): 110mm, 132mm.

SiSt reports success with bending the Jester/Duke 110mm brake to fit the 136mm Praxis Powder, instructions here; 132mm brake definitely fits the Praxis.

keywords: wide brake, wide brakes, wide break, wide breaks, brake width, break width

[BushwackerinPA]

Jesters and Dukes are 105mm and 125mm

[Jumper Bones]

Actually I think the low figure for the Duke brake is 110mm. Ptex sold me those in the group buy.

[The Dad]

Does anyone know whether they are the standard Marker brakes, or different but (apparently? possibly?) in the same sizes?

[Spats]

At least some Look brakes are more difficult to bend than Salmon

I would say they are more difficult than Grouper, or even Trout.

[The Dad]

I would say they are more difficult than Grouper, or even Trout.

What about carp?

Fixed.

[marshalolson]

don't be a pussy and just bend your brakes. with a little practice and patience, it takes a couple minutes and is super easy. on most bindings, though some bend a little better (salomons) than others (look, marker, tyrolia). really only atomics are super hard to bend, but the wide brake BD bindings/brakes are fairly available an can fit close to 120mm.

[The Dad]

don't be a pussy and just bend your brakes. with a little practice and patience, it takes a couple minutes and is super easy. on most bindings, though some bend a little better (salomons) than others (look, marker, tyrolia). really only atomics are super hard to bend, but the wide brake BD bindings/brakes are fairly available an can fit close to 120mm.

Duly noted, and probably what I'll do for my Praxi. Congrats, btw.

[The Dad]

Edited to add link to Slim's P18 tome.

[El Chupacabra]

alpinedad - good idea to get this all in one place.

Addition: for Fritschi Diamir/ Freeride, the brake arms are 100% interchangeable with Salomon brake arms. (Note: the arms themselves are interchangeable; you have to disassemble the arms from the brake base plates to swap.)

Fritschi standard brakes are approx. 94mm wide; Fritschi wide brakes are approx. 105mm wide.

Because of the height of the Fritschi binding above the ski, Fritschi brake arms have a very long "downward" section to penetrate the snow -- which is nice, because if you rebend them for use on a Salomon binding, you can effectively make a very wide brake for uber-fat skis, without running out of brake arm.

[The Dad]

Edited to add El C's info.

[marshalolson]

bump for the fall

[Sinecure]

Bump for the next JONG who actually uses the search function but can't spell.

Break

[SuperGaper]

Bump for the next JONG who actually uses the search function but can't spell.

Break

Awesome foresight.

[leroy jenkins]

OK so I remember hearing something about being able to remove the brake arms from p18s, and put in longer arms from sollies. I want to say I remember hearing the some solly skinny brakes are made from one continuous piece of metal, so with a lot of effort, you could bend four solly skinny brakes to make two super fat look brakes.

Is this true? Like, at all?


I'm going to be trying to put p18s on comis and FFFs, so and advice would be appreciated.

[lionelhutz]

Great thread-
One dumb question
If I have a 98 mm waist ski is a 100mm wide brake good enough or will I want to bend the brake arms to give myself more room.

[Conundrum]

Great thread-
One dumb question
If I have a 98 mm waist ski is a 100mm wide brake good enough or will I want to bend the brake arms to give myself more room.

No dumb questions, only dumb posters at TGR

Just razzing ya. They'll work fine. You may have to file a little plastic off the inside of the brake arm so it doesn't catch on your ski edge or just cycle the brake in and out for a bit the ski edge will file it for you.

[lionelhutz]

Thanks-
1234

[The Dad]

Lionel: In my experience, most rated brake widths are conservative; you almost always have a few mm to play with. I'm guessing that's because you don't mount the brake at the narrowest point on the ski. So try it and see. Worst case scenario, if there's a little rub, a smidge of a bend or Condundrum's suggestion will probably do the trick, and the tech who does the mount may take care of it for you and not even mention it.

[El Chupacabra]

OK so I remember hearing something about being able to remove the brake arms from p18s, and put in longer arms from sollies. I want to say I remember hearing the some solly skinny brakes are made from one continuous piece of metal, so with a lot of effort, you could bend four solly skinny brakes to make two super fat look brakes.

Is this true? Like, at all?


I'm going to be trying to put p18s on comis and FFFs, so and advice would be appreciated.

Not true. The P18/FKS style brake is totally different in shape vs. the Salomon. The bends are all different. Since the Salomon brakes are soft, it is possible that you could re-bend a Salomon brake enough to fit a P18, but I haven't tried this. It would involve flattening out and rebending all of the bends in a Salomon brake.

I think I've posted this before: Salomon brakes and Fritschi brakes are 100% interchangeable, no bending needed at all. Also, the Fritschi brakes are quite long due to the stack height of the binding, so if you need a really wide brake on a Salomon, you could use a Fritschi and rebend.

[leroy jenkins]

OK, so what about this:

Could I go to a hardware store and pick up some peices of metal that are the same diameter as look brakes, and just make my own wide brakes?

I wouldn't even know what to look for, but someone has had to have tried this before right?

I love em, but p18s+skis over 115mm= no brakes.

[The Dad]

I think I've posted this before: Salomon brakes and Fritschi brakes are 100% interchangeable, no bending needed at all. Also, the Fritschi brakes are quite long due to the stack height of the binding, so if you need a really wide brake on a Salomon, you could use a Fritschi and rebend.

Yes, you have. And therefore:

Fritschi

Diamir/Freeride brake arms are 100% interchangeable with Salomon brake arms. (Only the arms themselves are interchangeable; you have to disassemble the arms from the brake base plates to swap.)

Fritschi standard brakes are approx. 94mm wide; Fritschi wide brakes are approx. 105mm wide. Because of the height of the Fritschi binding above the ski, Fritschi brake arms have a very long "downward" section to penetrate the snow -- which is nice, because if you rebend them for use on a Salomon binding, you can effectively make a very wide brake for uber-fat skis, without running out of brake arm.

[SiSt]

Maybe I´m a jong, but has anyone done this? Thinking I might give it a try when my praxis arrive and no bindings fit...

[SuperGaper]

OK, so what about this:

Could I go to a hardware store and pick up some peices of metal that are the same diameter as look brakes, and just make my own wide brakes?

I wouldn't even know what to look for, but someone has had to have tried this before right?

I love em, but p18s+skis over 115mm= no brakes.

Not true, I mounted a pair of FKS 185s on a pair of Unity Hiatts last year (145mm waist). Not a ton of arm over the edge, but enough to at least look like it would stop the ski.
Just used the technique posted elswhere with the 2 x 4" and the vice (well actually our variation w/ c-clamps.)

Not hard to do, especially compared to laying out the binder on the ski!

[mntlion]

and can we get a sticky for this?