Cuff pivot points are a typical wear point on alpine touring ski boots. Constant motion around the pivots causes friction that can slowly erode the surrounding material. This eventually leads to some play around the pivots, which can make skiing less precise. B&D Ski Gear has come through with a solution to this problem in the form of metal-on-metal pivots that are hardy enough to withstand the rigors of daily ski touring. Called Ultimate, the Cuff Pivots are designed specifically for the Dynafit TLT5, TLT6, and SpeedFit boots, but are also known to work on the DyNA Evo, PDG, and other boots with the same size cuff joint. More recently a version for the Vulcan was added with specifications that match that boot.
The kits come with hardware for two boots, left and right. They allow nearly friction-free ankle rotation, even less than the stock pivots. This means you’ll save a bit of energy on the uphill. There are two basic models with identical specifications, detailed below. In theory the standard model (stainless steel) is more robust but the ultralights (aluminum) seem to last forever as well. Also available are oversized bushings for heavily-worn cuffs and a spanner tool which helps with installation. For complete instructions, see the helpful post on WildSnow.
Note: Kits do not come with Spanner Tool.
Model
Weight
Standard
34g (1.2oz)
Ultralight
17g (0.6oz)
Vulcan
37g (1.3oz)
10/13/2019
Question from
Riff
I don't see the oversized bushings on the drop down menu, are they still available? Also, the pin spanner is offered as an extra- I read on wildsnow that it was included, do I need to purchase it separately now?
Thanks for having all the little bits and pieces that nobody else carries!
Riff, sorry, we are out of all but the Vulcan. B&D is currently moving and not shipping, so we don't know when we will get more product. Hopefully by ski season.
I looked, the spanner is not included in our kits.
Brendan, sorry but we do not know right now. The Ultralight is $110. If there is more then just a little play of the cuff on the pivot, time to change to the oversize.
Drilling out the stock pivots can take a while, but maybe about an hour if you’re good and know what you’re doing!
3/4/2019
Answer from
Chris C
hey you guys,
So I purchased and installed the pivot kit and mostly the boots are improved. However, after being in Chamonix all last week, I removed my boots from my checked baggage and found that I'd already lost a machine screw/washer somewhere along the way. Would you sell just a single pivot's worth of parts from on of these kits????
Hi, my PDG's have a cuff joint that has between a half and 1 mm of wear (maybe more by the time this kit arrives). So do I need to order the oversize bushing set?
Hey Andy! Bummer. Yeah, I think that the oversized kit is probably worth trying but it's tough to assume anything without seeing exactly how they've worn. I'd say order it and if it's not needed, send it back and we'll get you the other one.
Hey Elliot! I don't think we have ever tried that combo before. We haven't carried a ton of parts for the Maestrale in the past and I think the biggest spot that we're lacking is hardware for the first gen Maestrale. We do have parts here and there though, and parts of the pivot can be found here.
Hi David, we have not ever tried these on the Sideral 2.1 so we cannot say. It may be worth contacting B&D directly to see if they have any knowledge of the compatibility.
Hey Tim! Your guess is as good as ours, the pivots on the X-Alp/Proclines haven't been made available as a spare part so who knows if these will work or not. The safe bet is that no, they won't work.
