Rando Racers I need gear advice

I don't mean to take away from the original thread, but I wanted to get a quick question in about the F1s. I have zero interest in racing except that it sure does seem to drive weight reductions in the gear. I ski TLT4s and I really like them. I don't mind how soft they are but I don't think I would want a softer boot. The weight and stiffness trade off is ok for me. Is there much of a benefit to the F1s over TLT4s for non race skiing? Does the bellows make them tour that much better? Worth dealing with the shims?

Affixing a shim permanently to your skis is pretty simple - here's what I do currently:



This is part of an old G3 heel lifter (hollow and quite light); in the past I've taken the old Scarpa shims (the ones with adhesive on them) and cut off the front half (or 2/3's) so that ski crampons will still work. Many people make their own out of 8mm or 12mm polyethylene stock with a 1" or 1 1/4" hollow drill bit.

I think the shim really improves the ski performance of the F1 - you still feel the boot flex mid-foot, but it doesn't move nearly as far.

Is there much of a benefit to the F1s over TLT4s for non race skiing? Does the bellows make them tour that much better? Worth dealing with the shims?

I've logged lots of vertical on both. Skiing performance is very similar.
For the up:
-- while skinning, F1 has an edge b/c of the bellow
-- walking on smooth surfaces, about even
-- tromping around on non-smooth surfaces, as well as climbing, I prefer the TLT4 b/c of the non-DIN toe and heel lugs (although you can grind away some of the F1 toe lug to achieve some of the same effect)

Worth the shims? Hard call! (But note that the upcoming Dynafit DyNA tries to get the best of both worlds with a toe that has *some* flexibility yet is still stiff enough to forego a bellows.)

BTW, if you want to make your own shims, buy some LDPE sheets from smallparts.com

Thanks for the comparison info on the F1s. I don't think I can bring myself to pay the money they want for DyNAs, though it will be fun to watch if the innovation trickles down into boots marketed to mortals like myself. The XP 500 type boots are pretty cool looking as well but I don't really know anyone who would have tried them.

Three more quick notes:
-- With all the new CF boots coming on the market this fall, expect lots of used F1 boots for sale on the cheap. (Also a rumor that modified boots will no longer be allowed in Euro races, in which cases U.S. racers with Euro aspirations will be ditching their modified boots for cheap.)
-- In the Trab lineup, in addition to their race skis, consider their Duo Sint Aero model, which is still absurdly light yet skis very well for late-spring and early-summer ski mountaineering.
-- To save some money, consider the regular Dynafit Speed/Classic binding and slice off the heel posts. (Only a few ounces less than the race-specific bindings, but way less $$$.)

I have BD skins and found I slip less than people using the coll-tex skins.  BD skins don't have as much glide, but I feel they are better in crusty conditions (think early morning spring-time frozen corn).

This was shockingly apparent at the last Crystal Mountain VertFest where Seth cruised up a sheer ice run in style while every single other racer had to bail and boot up the same face!


Another benefit to the F1s over TLT4s that no one here has touched on yet is the F1s have a larger/wider cuff in the open/touring position, allowing longer and more efficient strides on lower angle terrain.


A question for those using F1's: 

Do you use the original cable arrangement or some modification? 

My F1's (newer '08-'09 version), I wear through the plastic coating on the cable in about one or two uses.  At that point, there is a steel cable wearing away at a softer aluminum heel lever.  I've replaced the relatively expensive cables and had the exact same result after just a few uses. 

Is anyone else experiencing this? 

Do you have a solution or modification?

In my last pair of F1s I drilled out the 2 rivets that hold the cable quick release, and removed that bit.  In the underlying hole I knotted some 3mm "tech cord" from a marine supply store.  This seemed to solve the problem, but getting boots on and off is a bit more difficult.