Telemark Talk / Telemark Tips Forum

Hey All,

I have a pair of FTXs mounted with 3pins. That said I am thinking about switching to the XPlore system. Any issues with the remount? Will I have to set the mount forward or back?

Balance point or manufacturer mark on the pin line is a sensible place to start.

AdamA wrote: ↑

Sun Nov 05, 2023 8:09 pm

Hey All,

I have a pair of FTXs mounted with 3pins. That said I am thinking about switching to the XPlore system. Any issues with the remount? Will I have to set the mount forward or back?

As for removal, it will depend on the glue that was (hopefully) used in the screw holes.
If it was wood glue, you shouldn’t have any problem removing screws.
If it was epoxy, the risk is that the wood will stick to the screw and make a big mess when you remove the screw (making the hole less likely to hold a screw in the future).
If you’re not reusing any of the holes, not too big a deal.
But, if you end up wanting to reuse holes, and the screws are not backing out fairly easily, one trick is to heat say a screwdriver tip, and then heat the screw to loosen the glue hold (or, a soldering iron tip, if you have one). Not too hot, about 180*F should be enough.
And, you want to make sure to fill any unused holes, afterwards.
There are special plastic plugs for that, or you could use epoxy, or maybe polyurethane glue to fill them.
Just something to keep water out of the ski core.
As mentioned, boot pins on balance point, as close as possible while not right next to any old holes.

@AdamA , I’m thinking of adding a set of 3-pin holes to my FTX. I have Xplore on it that I’m about to retrofit with inserts. Seem to recall I used Titebond III which unscrews easily. I want to be able to go back and forth from Xplore to 3-pin.

Why are you removing the 3-pin? I was thinking they’d tour nicely with a lightweight plastic boot. I have heard that mounting a 3-pin cable on a Paulownia wood ski is a risk for pullouts.

JohnSKepler wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 06, 2023 7:11 pm

@AdamA , I’m thinking of adding a set of 3-pin holes to my FTX. I have Xplore on it that I’m about to retrofit with inserts. Seem to recall I used Titebond III which unscrews easily. I want to be able to go back and forth from Xplore to 3-pin.

Why are you removing the 3-pin? I was thinking they’d tour nicely with a lightweight plastic boot. I have heard that mounting a 3-pin cable on a Paulownia wood ski is a risk for pullouts.

That's a very interesting idea. I may have to consider that as a good option. Only reason for me wanting to remove the 3 pin is that I want to try Xplores. The skis are pretty sweet with my current 3pin+cable setup. I usually ski them with some Transnordics and they are super fun. Maybe I should just not mess with them?

You’ll never know until you try…

3-pin bindings were the go-to about 40 years ago. Most people have skied them… even me… one of the young whippersnappers in their 40s. LOL.

New systems came out and guess what? People switched and never went back. Ppl my age, even many older guys.

The 3-pin die hards ignore this obvious fact. When they talk about the attributes of 3-pin bindings, they don’t really have any other frame of reference. Most of these guys have never tried anything else. New experiences stopped for them sometime in the 70s. Now they lament the fact that NN boots, smiley plates, the multitude of random rods and springs etc. for all the cheap knock-off Rottefella bindings that came out when that patent expired (and there’s nothing cheaper to produce than a royalty free stamped steel part) are getting harder to find.

If you give other bindings a try, you can always go back. It’s not a one way street. But steadfastly refusing to try new things while clinging to legacy bindings is the definition of old man rut.

AdamA wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 06, 2023 7:22 pm

That's a very interesting idea. I may have to consider that as a good option. Only reason for me wanting to remove the 3 pin is that I want to try Xplores. The skis are pretty sweet with my current 3pin+cable setup. I usually ski them with some Transnordics and they are super fun. Maybe I should just not mess with them?

They are great with Xplore. Surprisingly good kick and glide. I intend to keep using them that way. I just think I could get a lot more downhill performance out of them with a bit stiffer boot and binding. It would be perfect for some of the trails in my area, provided we get decent snow this year.

They are great with Xplore. Surprisingly good kick and glide. I intend to keep using them that way. I just think I could get a lot more downhill performance out of them with a bit stiffer boot and binding. It would be perfect for some of the trails in my area, provided we get decent snow this year.
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I'm using them 50% at groomed resorts and 50% cruddy New England backcountry (ice). Sounds like XPlore could be good, but for now I'll stick with what I have.

My first post here. Been just a reader so far but let's now try to participate too

This is what happened couple of weeks ago. This pair of Rabb 68s was bought from Skistart web Shop Sweden. I do not know which glue they use to mount the bindings but in this case it did not work properly. Seemed to me like the amount of glue especially in the disconnected one was quite limited. Maybe that is the reason behind.

I did now remount both pairs with Loctite Power Epoxy. Will see how it holds. Previously I have used Casco Cascol polyurethane glue in all my skis and never had any issues but decided now to go with epoxy to make sure this (hopefully) does not happen again.

Anyone else had any similar kind of issues with Xplores so far?

Sorry to see that @Alltour. This should be a warranty case, but it is a bit late now. The original mount seems wrong/bad. If it was proper I would expect the screws to pull out some wood/some of the top sheet, instead of leaving round holes, as well as possibly breaking off the rear of the binding. There also seems to be drill/saw dust and glue residue on the screws. I will speculate that the holes are too wide and perhaps wrong glue was used.

I think you should get some of the long screws and at least replace the two rear, if not all of the 4 main screws to increase strength. I would also consider drilling new holes/moving the binding and do a fresh mount to be sure.

I will use two long screws per binding on our Falketind 62s as the regular screws feels too short. I have also done that on my wife's Asnes Rago as the hold felt weak. Our old Fischer E99/E109 looks to have a raise plate in the mounting area and the hold with the short screws felt solid when I remounted them with Xplore bindings.

Good luck.