garmont mega ride cuff rivet failure

Hillcrest Ski & Sports in Gresham has done two of these for me with excellent results.  I have lucked out and gotten the guy who knows exactly what to do, but unfortunately I didn't catch his name.  Perhaps call ahead.

I had one done at the Mountain Shop but it failed later. I don't think they do it with a press as a full boot shop will.

Megariders should always carry the aforementioned T-Nut and Bolt.

A good bike store should be able to set you up with an appropriate fix plus a spare to carry in your repair kit.

A second look after my morning coffee and I see it's a rivet on the inside ankle. Agree with the Brit on a "bolt/nut solution. I'll get my spare today.

I had the same rivet fall out on my Mega Rides too in March. After a failed fix from a local ski shop (their replacement nut/bolt fell out on the 2nd subsequent trip), I did a Google search and discovered that Garmont provides a custom replacement nut/bolt which can be installed at home with a hex wrench. I called them ( www.garmontusa.com/contactus.html , 802-658-8322) and they sent out 2 replacements for free, by FedEx no less (if you tell them it's urgent).

I installed one of them and now carry the other on trips in my repair kit just in case the other boot's rivet fails. I used no Loctite or any other adhesive, relying on the blue dab already on the bolt (see photo). Note that when fully tightened, the replacement will still "feel loose", i.e. it will rotate freely in the plastic hole to permit unhindered cuff motion.

Although I was worried that it might eventually come loose, so far it has not loosened at all in 30+ days and 150,000+ vertical feet since installation in April. I think it's a very nice fix for the clearly under-designed original rivet.

Photo shows replacement bolt installed at right, with extra spare lying on table:

problem solved. I ordered 2 of the field replacement kits from garmont for free, and also, the Mountainshop in Portland has a riveting tool and oem rivets. they did the job for me for $5. thanks for all the input folks. ron

A friend of mine's boot rivet has popped twice. Luckily I had a spare in the middle of a 7 day trip in the Valhalla's, although it wasn't the slick screw together type. I also have had one fail. I used my Mega-rides this weekend after a year plus of sitting in the closet. It was for a trail walk to get to the snow. They are nicer to walk in VS. the Radiums. Sounds like everyone should carry one or two of what seems to be a newly designed replacement. (when I received the spares, they were the old style hammer/press on rivet type).

Certainly no reason to spend more than a couple dollars and a few minutes to fix.  I went to McLendon's and found a simple aluminum t-bolt like rivet with a stub long enough to reach from inside to outside.  The fastener was just a steel push nut. Very low profile.

You might think my fix is not beefy?  Well I skied lots of days at Stevens the rest of that year and all last year including backcountry trips with 3+ miles of hikes where I hiked in those boots.  Still solid as rock without a hint of failure.  That tells me my fix is better than the replacements that you can get from Garmont, from the comments posted here.  If I get a moment I will post photos.

Oh, and with my fix, if the nut should fail, I have an extra pair of push nuts to carry that weigh next to nothing.  The rivet never gets lost because it is inside the boot and the shaft will not likely fail because it is solid metal, not the hollow threaded dealy that they give you that can only work one way.

The thing that I like about the boots is that the day I broke the rivet, I was not even aware of the problem till I loosened the boots at lunch.  Still skied them fine in the afternoon.  So why bother carrying still more in the repair kit?

Alan