Five Stars to B&D for filling a highly valuable niche in Tech binding after-market parts, and to Skimo Co for enhancing the availability.
More specifically though, many Dynafit and Tech-bindings are faulted for their relatively high heel > toe delta. The heel pins have to rest above a large spring to control lateral release, along with an adjustment track, yet the toe has no other reason to be anything but directly on top of the ski’s topskin. (For the detailed measurements, see Skimo Co’s “Binding Pin Heights” article.)
However, this delta is very easy to reduce with a toe shim – if you don’t mind spending hours cutting and drilling LDPE sheets and scrounging around for longer ski-specific screws (which aren’t available anywhere outside ski-related distribution channels).
Fortunately B&D now has an easy alternative. Yes, you can save some money by making them yourself. But if I had to do it all over again, I’d have Skimo Co ship these back in time for me!
B&D Shims
Getting the right ramp angle on your bindings can make the difference between skiing on-point or in the backseat with tired quads. B&D makes shims for almost every occasion. Choose a shim based on your binding and desired pin height delta, which can take some experimentation. Shorter boot sole lengths are more affected by delta because they end up with a higher ramp angle, thus look for thicker shims. Shorter skis also may benefit from thicker shims. For long skis and long feet, go thin to win. Some folks who shim their toes also increase the height of their heel risers to compensate. Do this with B&D Nubbins.
►ORDERING NOTE: All shims are sold in PAIRS, while the screws are priced INDIVIDUALLY.
Classic Shims x2 - Drilled to match both Classic and Radical hole patterns.
Classic Extensions x2 - Also known as “tips & tails,” these allow the Classic shims to be used with Comfort, Vertical ST, and Vertical FT bindings. They interlock with the Classic shims.
Radical 1.0 Shims x2 - Pair well with Dynafit Radical ST and FT bindings.
Rotation Shims x2 - Compatible with both Rotation and Radical ST 2.0 bindings.
Radical FT 2.0 Shims x2 - Yep, these work with Radical FT 2.0 bindings.
G3 ION Shims x2 - Compatible with G3 ION bindings. RIP.
Xenic Shims x2 - Made for the Fritschi Xenic bindings. Your quads will say thank you.
Vipec / Tecton Shims x2 - Compatible with Vipec and Tecton bindings. Please note some shims will come undrilled.
Kingpin Shims x2 - Works for Marker Kingpin, Alpinist, and Cruise bindings.
ATK Raider Shims x2 - Works with ATK Raider 10/12 and Freeraider 14/16 bindings. Not compatible with C-Raider or newer Raider Evo models.
ATK C-Raider Shims x2 - Purpose made for C-Raider bindings and their longer striker plate.
ATK Raider Universal Shims x2 - Shims that pair with older Raider models. Please note these are not compatible with Raider Evo or C-Raider models.
ATK Modern Shims x2 - Shims that pair with Raider Evo, RT Evo (>24/25), Haute Route Plus (>24/25), Crest (>24/25), and Raider SL models.
Backland / MTN Shims x2 - Perfect for your Atomic Backland, Salomon MTN bindings, or Armada Tracer Tour bindings.
18mm Pozi Screw - If you add some shims, you're going to need longer screws. These are alpine screws with a large head that works well with Plum bindings.
19mm Torx Screw - These are good for shimming lots of toes with 6.4mm shims. Small Torx head works especially well with Dynafit bindings. Find the screws here.
21.5mm Pozi Screw - Another alpine-style, large-head screw that works best with G3 ION and Plum models.
23.5mm Pozi Screw - Perfect for 4.7mm shims under Radical 1.0 & Vertical toes that already have baseplates. Medium size head.
28mm Pozi Screw - These are for raising the Radical ST or Vertical ST toes past 4.7mm, amongst other uses. Watch your depth, you may need to grind 'em down.
Metric conversions: 3.2mm = 1/8". 4.7mm = 3/16". 6.4mm = 1/4"
