I'm trying to assemble info & descriptions on plate systems for those of us wanting a more race-oriented setup.
Feel free to weigh in on the pros & cons on adding a plate system to a flat ski, your personal experiences, what works for you, etc.
My personal interest in a plate + binding setup is that I have a new set of flat Laser SX 170 on the way.
The usual demo-binding suspects, Attack & Warden & Griffon/Jester demos, are very large & chunky once mounted on a narrow ski. I was thinking of going with latest Tyrolia PRD MBS 12, which is a 2-piece demo binding with both independent heel & toe adjustments, and less visual bulk.
https://www.tyrolia.com/shop/us-CA/skibindings/powerrail/prd-12-mbs-3.html
However a couple Pugskiers chimed in that a ski like the Laser SX should have a race-type setup on it.
Researching online and chatting with some techs at the local ski shops, here are the common options from Look, Marker, Tyrolia. I have left out Vist for now. My main concern is flex and not overly stiffening the ski, nor adding excessive weight.
The 3 options I am considering for myself are:
1. Marker Piston Plate with Race XCell 16
2. Tyrolia/Head WCR 14 Plate with Freeflex EVO 16
3. Look R22 Plate with SPX 15 Rockerflex
Marker Piston Plate ( 14mm stand-height, weight ??? )
- this is a one-piece plate
- the screw holes to accept the binding are plastic ( please correct me if I'm wrong )
- 2 sets of screws secure the plate mid-foot, though the heel-side screws might offer some partial movement ?
- there is a centred single oblong screw at the toe that connects it to a toe "sub-plate"
- the toe "sub-plate" is secured to the ski by 2 sets of screws, and the piston-plate slides into it and is secured by the centred single screw in an oblong hole, pre above
- the heel has 1 set of screws in oblong holes, and another centred single screw in an oblong hole for free movement
Marker Race XCell 16 ( 6-16 DIN, 18mm stand-height, 2356 grams/pair )
- the XCell 16 has magnesium parts vs more plastic in the 12 DIN version
https://www.marker.net/en/201718/products/bindings/race/x-cell-160-221/x-cell-160-c1
Head/Tyrolia WCR 14 Plate ( 14mm stand-height, weight ??? )
- this is a one-piece plate
- the screw holes to accept the binding are plastic
- 1 set of screws secure it at the heel area
- 3 sets of screws are in oblong holes for free movement
Head/Tyrolia Freeflex EVO 16 ( 5-16 DIN, 17mm stand-height, 2690 grams/pair )
- the EVO 16 has the "Race Pro" heel vs the EVO 14's D-RX "Diagonal" heel
http://www.head.com/shop-us/us-CA/ski/rebelsclub/race-equipment/bindings/freeflex-evo-16-1.html
Look R22 ( stand-height ???, weight ??? )
- this is a one-piece plate
- the screw holes to accept the binding are metal
- 1 set of screws secure it at the heel area
- 3 sets of screws are in oblong holes for free movement
Look R21 ( stand-height ???, weight ??? )
- this is a 2-piece plate
- the screw holes that accept the binding are metal
- 1 set of screws secure it at the heel area, 2 sets of screws are in oblong holes for free movement
- 1 set of screws secure it at the toe area, 1 set of screws are in oblong holes for free movement
Look SPX 15 Rockerflex ( 7-15 DIN, 18mm stand-hright, 2850 grams/pair )
- the SPX 15 has a metal toe vs the 12 DIN which has more plastic
http://www.look-bindings.com/en-us/product/spx-15-rockerflex-blackicon
Feel free to chime in with any comments, experiences, corrections, additions.
I will update this first post to try and keep it correct & current.
Feel free to weigh in on the pros & cons on adding a plate system to a flat ski, your personal experiences, what works for you, etc.
My personal interest in a plate + binding setup is that I have a new set of flat Laser SX 170 on the way.
The usual demo-binding suspects, Attack & Warden & Griffon/Jester demos, are very large & chunky once mounted on a narrow ski. I was thinking of going with latest Tyrolia PRD MBS 12, which is a 2-piece demo binding with both independent heel & toe adjustments, and less visual bulk.
https://www.tyrolia.com/shop/us-CA/skibindings/powerrail/prd-12-mbs-3.html
However a couple Pugskiers chimed in that a ski like the Laser SX should have a race-type setup on it.
Researching online and chatting with some techs at the local ski shops, here are the common options from Look, Marker, Tyrolia. I have left out Vist for now. My main concern is flex and not overly stiffening the ski, nor adding excessive weight.
The 3 options I am considering for myself are:
1. Marker Piston Plate with Race XCell 16
2. Tyrolia/Head WCR 14 Plate with Freeflex EVO 16
3. Look R22 Plate with SPX 15 Rockerflex
Marker Piston Plate ( 14mm stand-height, weight ??? )
- this is a one-piece plate
- the screw holes to accept the binding are plastic ( please correct me if I'm wrong )
- 2 sets of screws secure the plate mid-foot, though the heel-side screws might offer some partial movement ?
- there is a centred single oblong screw at the toe that connects it to a toe "sub-plate"
- the toe "sub-plate" is secured to the ski by 2 sets of screws, and the piston-plate slides into it and is secured by the centred single screw in an oblong hole, pre above
- the heel has 1 set of screws in oblong holes, and another centred single screw in an oblong hole for free movement
Marker Race XCell 16 ( 6-16 DIN, 18mm stand-height, 2356 grams/pair )
- the XCell 16 has magnesium parts vs more plastic in the 12 DIN version
https://www.marker.net/en/201718/products/bindings/race/x-cell-160-221/x-cell-160-c1
Head/Tyrolia WCR 14 Plate ( 14mm stand-height, weight ??? )
- this is a one-piece plate
- the screw holes to accept the binding are plastic
- 1 set of screws secure it at the heel area
- 3 sets of screws are in oblong holes for free movement
Head/Tyrolia Freeflex EVO 16 ( 5-16 DIN, 17mm stand-height, 2690 grams/pair )
- the EVO 16 has the "Race Pro" heel vs the EVO 14's D-RX "Diagonal" heel
http://www.head.com/shop-us/us-CA/ski/rebelsclub/race-equipment/bindings/freeflex-evo-16-1.html
Look R22 ( stand-height ???, weight ??? )
- this is a one-piece plate
- the screw holes to accept the binding are metal
- 1 set of screws secure it at the heel area
- 3 sets of screws are in oblong holes for free movement
Look R21 ( stand-height ???, weight ??? )
- this is a 2-piece plate
- the screw holes that accept the binding are metal
- 1 set of screws secure it at the heel area, 2 sets of screws are in oblong holes for free movement
- 1 set of screws secure it at the toe area, 1 set of screws are in oblong holes for free movement
Look SPX 15 Rockerflex ( 7-15 DIN, 18mm stand-hright, 2850 grams/pair )
- the SPX 15 has a metal toe vs the 12 DIN which has more plastic
http://www.look-bindings.com/en-us/product/spx-15-rockerflex-blackicon
Feel free to chime in with any comments, experiences, corrections, additions.
I will update this first post to try and keep it correct & current.
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