NNN BC Boots - Bent Toe Bar?

[Stephen]

Well, I managed to put a very minor bend in the SS Toe Bar on my NNN BC boots.
Assume that the toe bar is the same on all NNN BC boots (soles made by Rottefella)?
Boot still goes into binding.
Nothing is lose, just a slight bend in the bar.

Curious if anyone else has run into this?
Boots are size 47, so that probably puts extra leverage on the bar (vs a shorter boot).
Personally, I would rather see a $90 binding deform before a $400 boot.
Seems like the bar could be a stronger grade of SS.

[CwmRaider]

Hi Stephen,
Could you post a picture?
Is it on both your boots?
I think the toe bars are somewhat bent with a flat bottomed U shape to start off with, with the convex side facing forward.
Im size 46 / 12.5 US and in excess of 100 kg, and after heavy misuse, essentially learning to XC ski from scratch, falling numerous times, turning the skis with my toes in the beginning etc, I have a somewhat loose toe bar on one of my Stetinds.
Cheers
Roelant

[12gaugesage]

I've noticed this too, a slight bend where the bar goes into the sole. Wasn't sure if its an illusion or if the bar is shaped that way to begin with ...

[bwm8142]

I have a brand new pair of nnn bc boots and I was looking at the toe bar last night on them. They have a slight bend toward the front of the boot from new I believe, so this may be what you are seeing.

[fisheater]

Well Stephen, if you cannot work warranty magic, and your going to continue being such a brute, may I suggest an air hammer?
An air hammer works well for straightening steel.
I’m not trying to be a smart a$$. Hard to say why the bar bent. I can say an air hammer (with a regulated compressor) is a really safe and efficient way to straighten that toe bar. However you may want to practice on a throw away screwdriver first. Here is an example of what I’m talking about. It’s generally a tool you don’t want to use, but you are happy to have when you need it.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/produ ... eathm80s1p

You can also purchase electric/battery powered versions.

[Blackbeard Ben]

Geez, how many of us were looking at our toe bars last night?

I was as well, and I too noticed a slight bend at each end of each bar on my Alpina Outlander NNN-BC boots.

They don't have many hard miles or falls on them, and there was no evidence of disturbance to the rubber boot sole where the bars are held in place, so I also came to the conclusion that it must be part of the design and/or manufacturing.

[Stephen]

Ok, based on all the feedback, sounds like a false alarm.
After I posted, I compared mine to my wife’s and noticed a similar (but maybe less?) bend on her size 40s.
Someone else just posted:

As long as you don't mind a few scuffs and keep them well maintained, a full grain leather boot will last a long time - the sole/toe bar will probably fail before the upper does!

So, it does make me want to be more aware, in the future, of how much leverage I’m putting on the toe when I’m collecting myself from a fall.

[CwmRaider]

As long as you don't mind a few scuffs and keep them well maintained, a full grain leather boot will last a long time - the sole/toe bar will probably fail before the upper does!

So, it does make me want to be more aware, in the future, of how much leverage I’m putting on the toe when I’m collecting myself from a fall.

Hi Stephen,
I think you'd be surprised by how durable these toe bars really are. I think the total frame of the metal goes back into the sole quite far. (has someone ever tried to rip out a bar from a broken pair of boots to check?)
There have been numerous discussions here about 75mm VS NNN-BC in terms of reliability and it seems that no one could recall a single instance of an nnn bc toe bar failing. At some point i Googled a while for evidence of this happening and I couldn't find any pictures nor people saying that it happened to them first hand.
Though people do mention screws ripping out of the skis, skis snapping, edges breaking, 75mm duckbills delaminating, 3 pin pinholes tearing out...
Of course treating your gear with care is always a good idea, but the consensus is that NNN BC is tougher than it looks.

[phoenix]

"There have been numerous discussions here about 75mm VS NNN-BC in terms of reliability and it seems that no one could recall a single instance of an nnn bc toe bar failing."

phoenix wrote: ↑
Thu Dec 26, 2019 3:02 pm
"I would NOT recommend any NNN BC boot for hiking; it would be much too easy to damage the toe bar, and ruin the boot."

"Is the toe bar that fragile? Hiking in the snow can't be that hard for such a toe-bar?"

Hiking in snow would not be an issue, and the bar itself is pretty sturdy. That said, kick stepping in snow and hitting a rock underneath could be a real problem. The failure point is usually the bar ripping out of the molded sole - there's not all that much holding on in there."

This was addressing a particular concern, however I have seen several complete failures of NNNBC stuff. Some were due to a bad run of one particular brand, other included sole delam's, sole wear exposing the retaining portions, and excessively bent bars. Also seen a lot of loose interface after some usage.

Please bear in mind I was a freeheel tech for decades, so I saw lots of failures of all kinds, and this is in no way bashing the BC's, just clarifying history. We certainly have an abundant history of 75mm failures, but I'm still happily skiing those (with recent Smiley Plates added to my Alaska's)

While the retaining bars do extend some in the sole, there's really not a whole lot of sole encasing it; with excessive leverage, or a compromised bit of sole, they can fail.

[Musk Ox]

While the retaining bars do extend some in the sole, there's really not a whole lot of sole encasing it; with excessive leverage, or a compromised bit of sole, they can fail.

Can confirm.




Incredibly luckily I was almost in sight of my car when this happened. I was stationary, aligning myself for a steep corner, and dug my ski into the edge so it wouldn't shift. When I pushed off, I left my ski behind.

For context, I noticed last week that the bar had shifted in the sole and contacted Lundhags. They asked for photos. They said "Yes, that's a failing sole, send the boots to us and we'll resole them both for free."

(Which is good of them, considering Rottefella make the soles, and another reason why everyone should buy Lundhags.)