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K2 Clicker Replacement?

post #1 of 29
12/20/06 at 6:42pm
Thread Starter 
I've been using K2 Clickers with Nitro Aura boots for a a long time now (6 years?). Anyway... My boots are getting pretty packed out. I'm assuming this will be their last season.

It seems like step-ins are pretty much gone in all the shops out here in CO. I hate straps.

So.. what's left.. give up the sport? Are there any step-ins left from any manufacturers that are any good? I'm not looking for beginner stuff. I've been snowboarding for about 16 years.

I guess I could try the K2 Cinch or Flow, but they aren't really step-ins.
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post #2 of 29
12/20/06 at 10:30pm
mogulman

what size of boot are you using? i have a new set of shimano(?) clickers and boots
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post #3 of 29
12/20/06 at 10:45pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for offering. I wasn't really looking for new/old equipment. I was really looking at what to get next to replace what I have, or to see if anything new was coming out.
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post #4 of 29
12/21/06 at 4:39am
Does anyone make step-ins? I would like to know also.
(- another strap-hating intermediate/advanced rider.)
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post #5 of 29
12/21/06 at 5:28am
Mogulman,

Those were part of the last generation of Nitro clickers that were basically hardboot stiffness, with removable liners? If it's just the liner packing out, you could try Intuition AT or SB (or even alpine) liners or ZipFit AT liners as replacements.

There's also just quitting the sport, moving to Dallas, and taking up inline speedskating. Before you do that, you could question the extent of your vendetta with straps? If response and stiffness are what you want, there are some really stiff boot/binding options out there.

Or, you could go alpine, either with SB or AT boots and get pretty much the same response as from your current setup too. Your profile says you're in CO? Stop by the www.bomberonline.com shop and talk to Fin about the flex and performance you want, he's helped Zach Davis among others tweak their setups for what they wanted.
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post #6 of 29
12/21/06 at 6:15am
Burton still makes Step In bindings but are hard to find. Personally I would suggest demoing a pair of Flow's before you buy them, people seem to be either loving them or absolutely hating them.

Personally I have heard nothing but good things about the Cinch binding, so it might be a way to go.

But my suggestion would be to get a pair of Higher End Salomon bindings. They have a toe strap system that makes getting in and out of your bindings very easy, and the bindings ride amazingly! Honestly their toe strap really doesn't seem like it would make a big deal in a store, but get out on the hill in them, and you will realise what I am talking about, fantastic bindings, and IMO the most underated binding line up in Snowboarding.

Cheers,
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post #7 of 29
12/21/06 at 3:06pm
Along similar lines, is Rossi's step-in system any good?

I'm looking at buying an old rental setup that comes with that system (sorry for the hijack, mm1).
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post #8 of 29
12/21/06 at 8:47pm
If anything above intermediate performance is a concern, pass on this opportunity unless you can get the non-rental boots and add a highback to the rental set up.

I've got Rossi SIS on my back up board (now that our rental fleet has converted to Burton). The knock from the pro strap boys was that the "only two points of contact" allowed the boot to "rock" from side to side during turns. While there might be a small amount of this in the rental bindings, I did not experience this at all with my set up (see if you can get the highback parts for the rental binding). I did tweak the highback so that it was a little crooked relative to the base plate. This gave the binding a tighter fit. I passed my level 2 AASI certification exam on SIS bindings and rode steeps out west just fine. The only problem I had on steeps with these bindings was getting in standing up on hard snow in steep terrain (e.g. backcountry hiking). It was harder than sitting down and putting straps on. The bindings do tend to collect snow. I carry a scraper when I ride so it was no big deal. A ball point pen or a tool works well to clean out caked snow too. The rental boots had the highback built into the boots. That's convenient for the rental department, but a lot less comfortable for walking around and less performance than a real highback.

Alas, the Rossignol/Original Sin/Emery Step In System is no longer being made. Although the bindings are relatively indestructable, future parts availability is a concern. I beat my SIS boots up pretty good.
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post #9 of 29
12/22/06 at 5:07am
I have step-in boots with the high back built in. Deelux brand. They are as stiff as a ski boot in backwards flex (ie. none). They have much more forward flex than plastic snowboarding or ski boots. They are stiffer than soft boots but for me this is a performance enhancing feature.

They are much easier to walk in than plastic boots (even tele boots in walk mode), but for hiking BC, I guess they would not be as good as soft boots?

I would use two skis if I went BC, so this is not a concern for me.

I called myself intermediate because I can't do park, but my turns are smooth and I can ride bumps better than most (beyond what would be called intermediate) despite the performance limitations of the clicker system or because of the performance enhancement?
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post #10 of 29
12/22/06 at 7:11am
Thanks, rusty! Very helpful. In an ideal world, I'd have a Never Summer Premier board with Salomon Malamute boots and SPX bindings (I loved the Malamutes when I tried them on last year--perhaps b/c as a skier I like stiffer boots). But that's not in the budget right now.

The rental setup I'm looking at is all Rossi (Strato board with the step-in bindings and boots). It would be mostly for knocking around in with the kids, I suppose. For the time being, I can imagine myself on intermediate slopes with it, but probably not a lot beyond that yet. (I love the idea of skiing in the morning and riding in the afternoon.) The whole setup (board, boots, bindings) would only cost me $50, so I guess I wondering if it's worth it at such a low price (as former rental gear, it's definitely well used).

When I looked at the SIS bindings, they were pretty much flat pieces of metal--I don't think there is any highback on them. I'll ask about it though. I didn't see the boots up close. What, specifically, should I look for wrt to the highback? (I'll ask if they have any traditional bindings and boots, but I don't think they do.)

Thanks again for the help. I've got three kids on snowboards now, and my wife is getting ready to take her first boarding lesson, so I'd better get with the program!

Quote:
Originally Posted by therusty View Post
If anything above intermediate performance is a concern, pass on this opportunity unless you can get the non-rental boots and add a highback to the rental set up.

I've got Rossi SIS on my back up board (now that our rental fleet has converted to Burton). The knock from the pro strap boys was that the "only two points of contact" allowed the boot to "rock" from side to side during turns. While there might be a small amount of this in the rental bindings, I did not experience this at all with my set up (see if you can get the highback parts for the rental binding). I did tweak the highback so that it was a little crooked relative to the base plate. This gave the binding a tighter fit. I passed my level 2 AASI certification exam on SIS bindings and rode steeps out west just fine. The only problem I had on steeps with these bindings was getting in standing up on hard snow in steep terrain (e.g. backcountry hiking). It was harder than sitting down and putting straps on. The bindings do tend to collect snow. I carry a scraper when I ride so it was no big deal. A ball point pen or a tool works well to clean out caked snow too. The rental boots had the highback built into the boots. That's convenient for the rental department, but a lot less comfortable for walking around and less performance than a real highback.

Alas, the Rossignol/Original Sin/Emery Step In System is no longer being made. Although the bindings are relatively indestructable, future parts availability is a concern. I beat my SIS boots up pretty good.
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post #11 of 29
12/23/06 at 7:24pm
Skidiver,

Ayup, that's a typical rental setup. No highback on the binding, but a psuedo highback big mother piece of plastic built in to the back of the boot. For $50, you could be getting a board that has a little camber left in it and maybe a seasons worth of ptex and edges left on the base at the most. At the worst, you might getting a board worth a couple runs in a pond skimming contest. It sounds like the deal would be worth it for what you want out of it. But consider that every turn you make is going to be more work than it has to be because this gear is not only low performance, but it's also going to be giving you tired performance. Sometimes resorts let their old gear go for low prices because they've written the whole cost off and anything they get is pure profit, but sometimes they sell gear to individuals because the gear is so bad that they can't wholesale it. You're taking a risk buying this stuff, but not a big risk. For $50 and a few runs on blue trails, I wouldn't bother trying to make it ride good by converting to real highbacks (you'd need to get different boots). Just give it a good tune.
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post #12 of 29
12/23/06 at 8:15pm
I love my SIS stuff. I have both the soft boots with highback bindings and the rental system with the highback on the boots. Super easy to use....but I'm only just now getting back to riding after 10 years off.

You can get K2 and Shimano Clicker, and SIS boots and bindings easily and cheaply on e-bay!
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post #13 of 29
12/24/06 at 12:46pm
try ebay i saw some there
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post #14 of 29
12/30/06 at 7:43am
Thanks, rusty. I ended up picking up a setup for me and for my wife. My boots are nearly new, maybe used once or twice. My board is a bit dinged up, but seems to have a fair amount of life left in it. My wife's board is in really good shape, though her boots have a bit more wear. All in all, it was worth giving it a shot. We'll try it out tomorrow.

Now I just have to figure out if it's worth plunking down $50-75 for a full tune (base grind, etc.) on a board that cost so little...

Quote:
Originally Posted by therusty View Post
Skidiver,

Ayup, that's a typical rental setup. No highback on the binding, but a psuedo highback big mother piece of plastic built in to the back of the boot. For $50, you could be getting a board that has a little camber left in it and maybe a seasons worth of ptex and edges left on the base at the most. At the worst, you might getting a board worth a couple runs in a pond skimming contest. It sounds like the deal would be worth it for what you want out of it. But consider that every turn you make is going to be more work than it has to be because this gear is not only low performance, but it's also going to be giving you tired performance. Sometimes resorts let their old gear go for low prices because they've written the whole cost off and anything they get is pure profit, but sometimes they sell gear to individuals because the gear is so bad that they can't wholesale it. You're taking a risk buying this stuff, but not a big risk. For $50 and a few runs on blue trails, I wouldn't bother trying to make it ride good by converting to real highbacks (you'd need to get different boots). Just give it a good tune.
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post #15 of 29
12/31/06 at 9:35pm
Spend the $75 on tuning equipment and do it yourself. It won't be as good as a base grind, but you'll get far more bang for your buck. It's always nice to have lousy gear to learn your tuning skills on.
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post #16 of 29
1/3/07 at 7:52am
Thanks, rusty. I do a fair amount of tuning now (mostly edge sharpening and waxing after each day on the hill). But I don't have any tools to set the base edge angle or to do anything to the base itself. With my skis, I've typically let a pro tuner (skidoc) take care of that once a year, and then I would maintain it throughout the season.

Perhaps I need to float over to the tuning thread and pick up some new tuning tools....
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post #17 of 29
1/3/07 at 8:12am
I have a set of Clicker Magma Flat bindings and Guide boots (top of the line) size 8 from the last run of them 2 seasons ago. They are all in excellent shape and used only about 6 times at Vail the season before last. I sold my board this year so have no need for them. If you are interested PM me.
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post #18 of 29
1/23/07 at 12:26pm
Thread Starter 
Ok... so.. My old snowboard delaminated this weekend. This prompted me to get a new Ride Timeless 59. After looking at how worn the interface between my Nitro Aura Clicker boots are and the Clicker Bindings, deciding it was kind of sloppy, and hearing all the grief about Clickers, I decided to get new boots/bindings.

I tried a bunch of boots at a few stores. I ended up getting the Burton Driver X. They were stiff like my old boots but more comfortable. I ride mostly powder, moguls and some groomers.

I ended up ordering some K2 Cinch CTX bindings online. I couldn't find them anywhere in any local stores in the Denver area. The only local Cinch bindings were the Middle and low end (CTS/CTL) models. I'll have it all mounted an try it out this weekend.

If people are right about the straps giving me more control, then I'm hoping for more control with almost(but not quite) the ease of my clicker bindings.
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post #19 of 29
2/15/07 at 3:18pm
I'd love to hear what you think of the Cinches... especially how well they work with the Driver boot (any fit issues or anything?), since I have some 2 year old Drivers, and was looking to find some Cinches to demo, but haven't yet.
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post #20 of 29
2/16/07 at 8:39pm
Thread Starter 
Ok... So I've been using the Burton Driver X and Cinch CTX Bindings for a while now.

I really noticed the lighter weight of the Burton Driver X boots compared to my old Nitro Aura boots. Also, the Burtons were much more comfortable. I really like the pull straps on the Driver X too. Much easier to adjust. Especially with my wide feet. I can leave it looser on the bottom and tighter on the tops.

I was wondering how these boots would fit with the K2 Cinch CTX bindings. They seem to fit fine. I'm using the front strap as a toe strap. It's convertible but comes set up as a toe strap. When I mounted the bindings I had to change the foward lean on the bindings 2 clicks to match the angle of the boot. I also had to move the high-backs around a little so that it matched the angle of my boots in relation to my board. Mounting the bindings and getting things set up took about 30 minutes or so.

The first time I rode with this new setup it felt very very weird. I found that I had a lot more support with these bindings/boots. I also had a lot more lateral support. With my old clicker boots I could flex a lot more on my board front-to-back. The additional support on these bindings allows me to perform more flexing/twisting of my board when turning.

I believe the forward lean on the bindings and boots were more forward then my old setup. I noticed that my thighs were more sore at the end of the day at first. I don't notice it anymore. I may have gotten used to it.

Overall I would say there is more control with these new strap bindings. So I am a believer. Although it isn't quite as comfortable as my clickers. This is due to the strap across my foot, but I think the trade off in control is worth it.

Getting in and out off the lift. I find that the cinch is almost as easy to get into as my clickers. The hardest thing seems to be pulling up or unlatching the highback to get in or out. Sometimes it can be really tough depening on how tight I have everything.

I can still get into and out faster then any of my strap-in buddies. I almost never have to sit down to strap in.

On a hill it can harder to snap in or out. It seems like my foot must be pretty flat to make the cinch work correctly. Luckily most lifts are pretty flat at the top. I can see the K2 system not being to useful if you need to get in or out on steep areas.

Overall I like the bindings/boots. They seem to work well. The straps are very padded and comfortable for a strap-in. I've heard Cinch weighs more then regular strap-ins but I don't notice the difference. The top end CTX that I have is supposed to be a little lighter then the CTS/CTLs.
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post #21 of 29
7/20/09 at 7:26pm
Thanks for all the info and posts on this topic. I have been riding my K2 Clicker bindings and Shimano boots since 1997 and I love them.  As you can imagine, they are pretty hammered.  I'm not big on change and have built onto the bindings with the K2 BC collection=approach skis, snow shoes, crampons.

I feel confident in the aluminum highback bindings and have continued to rebuild them when needed.  It's the boots that have become the problem.  I want a replacement boot and see some on ebay, but don't know if they are rental models or the real thing.  Also can't tell if they are designed for a highback step in or for the simple base.

I am also a little concered about the construction of the boot and the reason I am riding such an oldie is because about 4 years ago, I heard Shimano stopped making the boots and there were problems with the bottom pulling right off the boot in mid-trick.

If any one is an expert on make/model of the correct boot for my needs, that would really help with the web search.

I am a 9 to 9.5 foot.  Any ideas?
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post #22 of 29
7/21/09 at 7:59am
The odds are against you. My bet is the ratio of rentals (internal highbacks) to to performance (highbacks on the bindings) is about 100-1, but this is just a SWAG.

If the K2s are anything like the Rossi-SIS, you might get lucky just on color. My green Rossi performance boots and my OSIN powder blue boots were easy to tell from the rentals. Hopefully we can find someone with model info. By feel, you could also tell whether the boots were designed for internal highbacks or not. The rentals had a plastic internal highback. If you knock on the back of the boot you can feel it. So you can always ask the Ebay sellers to check that way.

I loved my SIS so much that I almost went Ebay hunting for replacement boots before I reverted back to straps and almost went shopping again after I reverted to straps (too short ratchet tongue straps are a much bigger pain than frozen snow in the step in). I can feel your pain. If I were in your boots I'd also consider riding in rental boots with the highbacks in them or doing a highbackectomy.
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post #23 of 29
7/21/09 at 5:14pm
 The boots with internal stiffeners do not prevent good riding in my experience.
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post #24 of 29
7/23/09 at 12:28pm
Thread Starter 
The Nitro Aura was one of the highest performance boots for the K2 Clickers, but I don't know if they work with the high back clickers.  I had the clickers without the back.

BTW..   I've switched from my K2 Cinch CTX Bindings to Burton C60 regular bindings at the end of last season.   I tried 2 different years of K2 Cinch CTX also.

Things I found with the CTX that I didn't like:
-Sometimes the front strap would unbuckle on its own.  (not often)
-A lot of times I found myself playing with the buckle adjustment after flipping up the back anyway.  The buckles on the Cinch CTX are stiff and hard to adjust compared to the Burton C60.
-I had some quality issues with both of my Cinches.   The last pair was sent back to K2.  I'm assuming they will either repair it or replace it.   If they replace it with a newer year, maybe I'll try it again.
-You can't flip the back up if you are on a steep incline.   You have to flip the back and then unbuckle it and get in like a regular binding.

I still like the idea of the Cinch.   Which is why I may try it again if they send me a newer year version, but the buckles on the burton C60 are so easy to get in and out...   I'm thinking I may just have to give up and go with the buckle crowd.
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post #25 of 29
1/6/11 at 10:12am

new on the snowboard web.  Have owned clickers for years.  My boot are in great shape.  This past year my boards were all stolen but they left my Nitro Aura boots alone.  At a size 12.  I love the click in(k2 clicker) and I am  looking for used or new ones.  Does anybody know a company or someone who might have an extra pair hanging around that would be gread.  I used to be and instructer(8 years a  Telluride) now I teach for free---its that altruistic thing.

 

Stephen Thomas

 

(mod note - edited to remove personal contact info - just send a PM)

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post #26 of 29
1/7/11 at 12:27pm

Welcome to Epicski, Stephen. I'm not quite done with my Clickers yet, but I'm sure there are a lot of used sets out there that aren't being used. Whoever ends up using your old board will probably not use the bindings. Keep an eye on Craig's List, you might spot your own bindings for sale there.

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post #27 of 29
1/10/11 at 11:39am

Craigslist and Ebay are going to be your best bet.  I seriously don't know why you want 'em, but that is where I would look.

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post #28 of 29
1/12/11 at 12:03pm
Thread Starter 

Since my post above.. I've been going back and forth with Burton C60 and K2 Cinch CTX bindings.  I like the feel of the Burtons better, but the Cinch is much easier to get in and out of.    The Cinch binding has been my all around every day binding.  I haven't tried flows.

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post #29 of 29
1/13/11 at 11:06pm

I have a pair of lightly used (fewer than 10 days) Clicker SLT bindings if you're still interested.  I got these as a backup pair on my backup/powder board, but never really used them much before my boots packed out.  By then they weren't making that many Clicker boots any more and I couldn't find a pair that fit, so I went back to strap bindings.

 

I'm willing to let them go to a good home for less than what I might get on ebay.  Let me know if you're interested.

 

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