How messed up are my skis after this bungled mounting job

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Stephen
Posts: 1451
Joined: Thu Aug 06, 2020 12:49 am
Location: PNW USA
Ski style: Aspirational Hack
Favorite Skis: Armada Tracer 118 (195), Gamme (210), Ingstad (205), Objective BC (178), Nordica Enforcer 94
Favorite boots: Alfa Guard Advance, Scarpa TX Pro
Occupation: Beyond
6’3” / 191cm — 172# / 78kg, size 47 / 30 mondo

Re: How messed up are my skis after this bungled mounting job

Post by Stephen » Fri Nov 19, 2021 12:40 pm

If you had mounted bindings before, I would say dive in on the above suggestions and fix it yourself.
This (mounting bindings) isn’t rocket science, but it’s not a slam dunk, either.

If your REI store is at all close, I recommend that you call the store and talk to the ski shop manager and explain the situation. Find out if they have a ski tech experienced in mounting these bindings. If so, explain that you want the bindings remounted correctly by an experienced tech.
There’s no guarantee that it will get done right, but if something goes wrong, it’s on REI, not you.
You shouldn’t be in the position of fixing someone else’s screwup (I guess that’s sort of a pun?).
However it goes down, good luck getting this fixed!

EDIT: Re what was said about the screw threads cutting into the binding mounting hole, and the screw stopping / bottoming out BEFORE the binding has been pulled down firmly onto the ski, I think it is possible to avoid this problem by turning the screw in the binding BEFORE attaching the binding to the ski. This reams out the binding hole to match the screw thread outer diameter, so the screw may turn freely as it pulls the binding tightly to the ski.
@Woodsbum can correct me on this if I’m mistaken.

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Woodserson
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Ski style: Bumps, trees, steeps and long woodsy XC tours
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Re: How messed up are my skis after this bungled mounting job

Post by Woodserson » Fri Nov 19, 2021 1:18 pm

Stephen wrote:
Fri Nov 19, 2021 12:40 pm
I think it is possible to avoid this problem by turning the screw in the binding BEFORE attaching the binding to the ski. This reams out the binding hole to match the screw thread outer diameter, so the screw may turn freely as it pulls the binding tightly to the ski.
The nose doesn't get threaded out like the two primary screws. But the side ones yes, that can help. That's why I run the screws through them until they just poke out before applying to the ski. The nose can exhibit this behavior whenever.



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John Dee
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Re: How messed up are my skis after this bungled mounting job

Post by John Dee » Fri Nov 19, 2021 1:20 pm

What is being said here happens all the time in carpentry when you screw two boards together. Its very easily fixed by reversing the screw out of the hole and doing it again. It happens because the first object is walking up the threads while the second one is still being cut/drilled into by the screw.

And/ or some material gets in the way of the screw.



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DoItOnTheSnow
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Re: How messed up are my skis after this bungled mounting job

Post by DoItOnTheSnow » Fri Nov 19, 2021 3:28 pm

Hi All,

Thanks for all the awesome replies. I was able to track this PZ3 bit down at work so I will take it apart and report back.

A little more back story:

I have been wanting to build this set up since last winter when I was living in CO. I couldn't find these skis anywhere then and was going around on my skinny xc skis and having a blast. This September I was hunting down online vendors that carried them and they were all selling out within a few weeks. I finally pulled the trigger when they popped up on REI's website.

When they arrived at my house from REI box was all smashed up with no padding on the inside and they were damaged. When I went to return them REI was already sold out (and everywhere else was too) so they offered me a 20% refund which I accepted since they were still very usable and I wouldn't be able to get them anywhere. I have a chariot ski trailer that I'm going to be towing around my daughter around in so I wanted some sturdy skis with extra grip and love the idea of the mini skins.

Unfortunately the closest decent REI for skis is over an hour away and their alleged top ski tech is the one that worked on them. I don't really want to go down the path of them messing them up even further and having to return them and being stuck without skis.

At this point I would prefer to sort it out myself since I am handy. I don't let anyone work on my cars or motorcycles bc stuff like this always happens to me when I take my stuff to a shop.
IMG_1381.jpg



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fisheater
Posts: 2509
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Location: Oakland County, MI
Ski style: All my own, and age doesn't help
Favorite Skis: Gamme 54, Falketind 62, I hope to add a third soon
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Occupation: Construction Manager

Re: How messed up are my skis after this bungled mounting job

Post by fisheater » Fri Nov 19, 2021 3:37 pm

DoItOnTheSnow wrote:
Fri Nov 19, 2021 3:28 pm
Hi All,

Thanks for all the awesome replies. I was able to track this PZ3 bit down at work so I will take it apart and report back.

A little more back story:

I have been wanting to build this set up since last winter when I was living in CO. I couldn't find these skis anywhere then and was going around on my skinny xc skis and having a blast. This September I was hunting down online vendors that carried them and they were all selling out within a few weeks. I finally pulled the trigger when they popped up on REI's website.

When they arrived at my house from REI box was all smashed up with no padding on the inside and they were damaged. When I went to return them REI was already sold out (and everywhere else was too) so they offered me a 20% refund which I accepted since they were still very usable and I wouldn't be able to get them anywhere. I have a chariot ski trailer that I'm going to be towing around my daughter around in so I wanted some sturdy skis with extra grip and love the idea of the mini skins.

Unfortunately the closest decent REI for skis is over an hour away and their alleged top ski tech is the one that worked on them. I don't really want to go down the path of them messing them up even further and having to return them and being stuck without skis.

At this point I would prefer to sort it out myself since I am handy. I don't let anyone work on my cars or motorcycles bc stuff like this always happens to me when I take my stuff to a shop.
I don’t like other people working on my stuff either. I will also admit that I am more tolerant of my own mistakes.



User avatar
Stephen
Posts: 1451
Joined: Thu Aug 06, 2020 12:49 am
Location: PNW USA
Ski style: Aspirational Hack
Favorite Skis: Armada Tracer 118 (195), Gamme (210), Ingstad (205), Objective BC (178), Nordica Enforcer 94
Favorite boots: Alfa Guard Advance, Scarpa TX Pro
Occupation: Beyond
6’3” / 191cm — 172# / 78kg, size 47 / 30 mondo

Re: How messed up are my skis after this bungled mounting job

Post by Stephen » Sat Nov 20, 2021 1:46 am

DoItOnTheSnow wrote:
Fri Nov 19, 2021 3:28 pm
At this point I would prefer to sort it out myself since I am handy. I don't let anyone work on my cars or motorcycles bc stuff like this always happens to me when I take my stuff to a shop.
I retract my earlier recommendation — I have the sense you can get it done.

Ever since 1973, when the local Chevrolet dealership in Smithers, BC:
Set my timing at 8* BTDC instead of 4* BTDC, (because the mechanic counted each tick on the timing marker as 1*, instead of the 2*s it was), AND, left extra rocker arm nuts lose under the valve cover, AND left the valve cover bolts lose (ended up losing most of my engine oil within a few miles) — Ever since then, I have not really liked letting someone else work on my stuff.

Now that I think about it, maybe they just didn’t like hippies…



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Woodserson
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Location: New Hampshire
Ski style: Bumps, trees, steeps and long woodsy XC tours
Occupation: Confused Turn Farmer

Re: How messed up are my skis after this bungled mounting job

Post by Woodserson » Sat Nov 20, 2021 8:49 pm

Stephen wrote:
Sat Nov 20, 2021 1:46 am


I retract my earlier recommendation — I have the sense you can get it done.

Ever since 1973, when the local Chevrolet dealership in Smithers, BC:
Set my timing at 8* BTDC instead of 4* BTDC, (because the mechanic counted each tick on the timing marker as 1*, instead of the 2*s it was), AND, left extra rocker arm nuts lose under the valve cover, AND left the valve cover bolts lose (ended up losing most of my engine oil within a few miles) — Ever since then, I have not really liked letting someone else work on my stuff.

Now that I think about it, maybe they just didn’t like hippies…
I got my oil changed once in college at a oil place (I used to do it myself but at college didn't have my tools) and those dickheads ripped my vacuum hoses out. I made it about 2 miles down the road and man, she was running rough. I pulled over, opened the hood, found the vacuum hoses--which at the time I didn't know what they were, but I saw they had been disconnected-- put them back on, and drove back to school.

What the hell is wrong with people.



エイダン.シダル

Re: How messed up are my skis after this bungled mounting job

Post by エイダン.シダル » Sat Nov 27, 2021 4:13 pm

Speaking of bungled mountings jobs: I'd planned to put Magnums on S Bound Outabound 88s, and regular NNN BCs on Gammes. After I mounted the S Bounds, I realized I'd put the wrong ones on. However, funny thing is that although the S bounds' bases are wider, the mounting section is narrower than the Gammes (it's stepped inwards), so this turned out to be a happy accident. Put the Magnums on the Gammes.



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lilcliffy
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Location: Stanley, New Brunswick, Canada
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Re: How messed up are my skis after this bungled mounting job

Post by lilcliffy » Sat Nov 27, 2021 5:09 pm

エイダン.シダル wrote:
Sat Nov 27, 2021 4:13 pm
Speaking of bungled mountings jobs: I'd planned to put Magnums on S Bound Outabound 88s, and regular NNN BCs on Gammes. After I mounted the S Bounds, I realized I'd put the wrong ones on. However, funny thing is that although the S bounds' bases are wider, the mounting section is narrower than the Gammes (it's stepped inwards), so this turned out to be a happy accident. Put the Magnums on the Gammes.
The mounting section of the Outtabounds is narrower than the Gamme?
Weird...
Is it an Outtabounds (88-68-78) or a Rebound?
The Gamme is only 54mm at the waist, and that is at the steel edge, it too has a tapered sidewall...
Cross-country AND down-hill skiing in the backcountry.
Unashamed to be a "cross-country type" and love skiing down-hill.



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Woodserson
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Joined: Wed Feb 11, 2015 10:25 am
Location: New Hampshire
Ski style: Bumps, trees, steeps and long woodsy XC tours
Occupation: Confused Turn Farmer

Re: How messed up are my skis after this bungled mounting job

Post by Woodserson » Sat Nov 27, 2021 5:49 pm

lilcliffy wrote:
Sat Nov 27, 2021 5:09 pm
エイダン.シダル wrote:
Sat Nov 27, 2021 4:13 pm
Speaking of bungled mountings jobs: I'd planned to put Magnums on S Bound Outabound 88s, and regular NNN BCs on Gammes. After I mounted the S Bounds, I realized I'd put the wrong ones on. However, funny thing is that although the S bounds' bases are wider, the mounting section is narrower than the Gammes (it's stepped inwards), so this turned out to be a happy accident. Put the Magnums on the Gammes.
The mounting section of the Outtabounds is narrower than the Gamme?
Weird...
Is it an Outtabounds (88-68-78) or a Rebound?
The Gamme is only 54mm at the waist, and that is at the steel edge, it too has a tapered sidewall...
The Outtabounds have a raised mounting plate on top of the ski and I just checked... And it's 2mm narrower than the Gamme top. So whaddya know!



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