Time to switch?

[rockaukum]

Been thinking of making the switch to NTN bindings. Specifically the Freedom.
For those who have these and or used these, What are your thoughts. I have read about some of the shortcomings and am concerned. Have the issues with breaking, icing ect been addressed and resolved? Would you purchase them again?
Any insight provided would be great!
Thanks,
ra
Currently on G3's with T1 boots
Ski both in and out of bounds

[Dostie]

Rockaukum,

Rottefella hasn't changed anything on the Freedom. But they ski really nice. The icing issues - well - you are on the wet coast so you will notice. I think most folks have learned how to deal with it. Usually. Didja see this thread? If you get a NTN boot, be sure to get one with Tech inserts so you can get a TTS-style binding for big backcountry (less icing, less touring resistance) tours.

[rockaukum]

Dostie,
Thanks for the reply. I have read both referenced items. Great information and worth a second read. Just curious if Rottefella had made any changes since time has passed since the binding was released. As far as the boot goes, if and when I make the change it will be to the Scarpa tx pro as Scarpa boot fits my foot best. I do see that it has the tech inserts as well.
Thanks again,
ra

[TomH]

The T1 and TX-Pro fit differently. Not to say the TX-Pro won't work for you, but just understand that it doesn't fit the same as a T1.

[chamonix]

I like the Freedom, with the slight "ramp" in the toe of the binding; it takes very little forward flex of the boot for the ski tip to respond. It feels more to me like the 75 mm binding, with a better snow "feel" than the Freerides.. Edge control is good, but for really icy resort snow, the Freeride may be a bit better. People (James?) have reported problems with icing in tour mode, I haven't seen it yet.
The big problem, with both these bindings, is the resistance in tour mode. I have a better free pivot with my NT Bulldogs, which is what I tour with for tele. Freeride, and even Freedom feel a bit restrictive for skinning.
And then if I tour in my much lighter Dynafit setup, the free pivot (plus ROM of AT cuff for touring) beats any tele binding.

As for Boots;
I have both the TX and TX Pro. The cuff on the TX Pro is definitely higher, and stiffer, but overall, for all it's beefy appearance I find it to be a bit of a soft boot. Softer it seems than my Ener-Gs were. I still ski my NTN Prophets a lot at the resort, as I find the upper shell is more rigid, I get quicker edge to edge response than the TX Pro. But my fit in the Prophets, is poor; sometimes I get toe bang, so I would never take them on a long tour.
my 2c worth

ROM NT Bulldog BD Amps, Freedoms. These are 185s,

[Dostie]

Cham,

How's the mode switching on the Bulldog? Seemed like a PITA to me. Also, axle resistance? When new the parts sure are tight but I'm guessing with a climb or two that goes away.

[Nick D]

The icing can be an issue when reverting to ski mode. As I mentioned previously, a golf tee is a useful thing to clear the ice and hard packed snow out of the triangle (thank you Hamish for that suggestion) to go back into ski mode. Another issue I found in late Spring was that snow could sometimes pack in and stop your brake deploying when you kick out of the ski, this was in the North Shore Mountains of Vancouver BC on a pretty warm May Day, but fortunately I was awake enough to catch the ski before it took off too far.

Despite this, I love NTN. The control it provides makes days on challenging bc snow conditions so much more fun, and I find the tour mode of the Freedom more than adequate.

[James]

I like NTN but quite frankly if the boots did not fit so well I would switch back to 75mm. I think my opinion is a bit tarnished by the fact that the early Freerides were very easy to break. I have broken 4 pair of them. I have yet to break the new pink plate ones so perhaps that probem is solved. I have yet to break a Freedom and that is what you asked about.

The pros and cons might be obvious but the pros are performance but I think the performance benefit of NTN is a bit lost in powder and softer snow. They have some type of release, brakes, and are step in. The cons. They are on the heavy side for a binding but the boots are generally lighter so that helps. They do ice up and a some people have had problems with the tour mode on the Freedoms.

I think if you ski ia lot of hard pack and get the Freerides and a big boot and the boot fits the new improved version would be worth it. If you get the Freedoms then I think the boots would have to fit a lot better or I would not switch.

[chamonix]

Cham,

How's the mode switching on the Bulldog? Seemed like a PITA to me. Also, axle resistance? When new the parts sure are tight but I'm guessing with a climb or two that goes away.

Well the mode switching is less of a problem if you set up a pair without the ski brake. But, yes it's not as simple as my early G3 Ascents. The earlier NT Bulldog, with a Spike Base which I have had less of this problem. Seems to have loosened up over time.
I have not noticed axle resistance, but I've had this setup for a while.

Things are getting tense, watching the 1930 B&W movie "Storm Over Mt Blanc" The ski guides are all streaming out of the Hotel Royale in Chamonix now..

[vertical earl]

the only thing i don't like about my freedoms is the not-quite-free pivot, don't really notice it touring but for kick turns i need to snap the tail to get the tip up and this usually results in a snow shower, no big icing issues up here in the rockies! Tx pro boots are super comfy.

[Dostie]

vertic-earl,

I was wondering when someone else would acknowledge this limit.

In case you don't understand what he's talking 'bout...

And all the other niggling negatives on the Freedom

[chamonix]

One other Freedonm issue. There is the axle which holds on the toe cage. Get two Torx 30 screwdrivers, and try to remove the screw on one end of this axle. All mine were only finger tight. Put on a lot of Locktite, red is best, then really tighten the two axle ends together. Let dry overnight.
On all my 3 sets of Freedoms, this axle was ready to lose the end screw. Otherwise I have had no problems with the mechanics of this binding.
One end of this axle shown here, Torx #30 screwdriver

[rockaukum]

Thanks for all the information.
It was stated earlier that there have been improvements to the bindings.... What changed so that you are not breaking them anymore?
Locktite sounds like a necessity.
The information on the kick turn... Seems like the same as with the ascents, at least for me.
With the icing issues. I have had this issue with the ascents and by moving to ski mode without the boot down, stepping a couple of times on the mechanism usually cleared it. Something like this done for the freedoms? Or do you have to take the ski off?
Next step is to make a day out of trying on boots....
Thanks again,
ra

[cesare]

My understanding of loctite is that a little is better than a lot. And be very careful not to get it on any plastic parts. Some plastic is ok with it but other plastic, like what 22 Designs uses in their bindings, will disintegrate when it comes in contact with loctite.

[James]

On my Freerides I have split the chrome part that clamps the boot toe down on one of them. I don't know if they changed anything here. I also cracked 3 frames right at the weak point on the side near the brake. This was very common and everyone I know that is on the bigger side that skied a lot of bumps would crack the frame in about 30 days of use. This problem was so common Rotte increased the warranty for these to two years. On the new pink plate ones they rockered the bottom and I think they tweaked the materiel and I have not cracked any of the new ones or heard of anyone else who has. Again this was only on the Freerides.

I called Scarpa to find out what might be a problem or break on the Freedoms and asked if I could put together a few parts in a kit for when I traveled if anything broke. They sent me a handful of small parts.