B&D Ultimate Cuff Pivot
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) |
Questions & Reviews
12/9/2021
I've got the same deal, maybe 1.3mm play (measured) in the carbon upper cuff of my TLT6 Performance. Is the oversize bushing what is recommended?
12/10/2021
Thanks for reaching out, Eric. It sounds like you're a good candidate for the oversized bushing. In particular, you'll select the "standard - oversized" and "oversized bushings" from the drop-down menu above. If your cuff is ovalized, it may be helpful to round the hole to the diameter of the pivot before installing the kit. Please let us know if you have any other questions!
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[ver. Vulcan] Replaced sloppy rivets on 8-years old Vulcans.
Worked out perfectly as described.
As for the installation procedure itself.
The most hard and time consuming operation was old rivets removing: drill through metallic rivet axle, carve and pry it out without damaging soft Grilamid plastic clog.
There was some noticable play on the carbon cuff/delrin bushing interface (all four rivets, like small fraction of millimiter gap) but resolved with a touch of thick metal filled epoxy ($25 for the set of four plastic washers - sounds rediculous to me).
Actually ordered but found no use for the "Spanner tool" - for the installation at least - as the T-nut press-fit and its internal grooves grab that plastic shell so tightly, that I had no chance to crank it while tightening the cap screw.
Worked out perfectly as described.
As for the installation procedure itself.
The most hard and time consuming operation was old rivets removing: drill through metallic rivet axle, carve and pry it out without damaging soft Grilamid plastic clog.
There was some noticable play on the carbon cuff/delrin bushing interface (all four rivets, like small fraction of millimiter gap) but resolved with a touch of thick metal filled epoxy ($25 for the set of four plastic washers - sounds rediculous to me).
Actually ordered but found no use for the "Spanner tool" - for the installation at least - as the T-nut press-fit and its internal grooves grab that plastic shell so tightly, that I had no chance to crank it while tightening the cap screw.
Comment on this review:
I’ve put over a hundred days on these, installed on a pair of TLT6’s. They were fairly simple to install, provided you are comfortable doing small modifications to the lower shell of the boot. You need to use a razor knife to remove a shoulder molded into the pivot location on the shell. Once that’s done the rest is very simple. Not only did they eliminate the amount of slop and play in the pivot, they also move much more freely than the stock pivots. All decent walking boots should have a pivot like this! After two seasons, they have a bit of wear on the bushings but absolutely way better than stock pivots.
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10/13/2019
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!
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!
10/14/2019
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.
I looked, the spanner is not included in our kits.
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10/9/2019
When will you have the aluminum version back in stock, and what is the price?
How can I tell if I need the oversized bushings?
How can I tell if I need the oversized bushings?
10/10/2019
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.
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4/10/2019
Does this work for the pdg 2?
4/11/2019
Anthony- We have not tried the cuff pivot on the PDG2. It's still too new of a boot.
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2/19/2019
Hi skimo,
Can anyone who's performed this modification describe how long it takes to do all four pivots?
Thanks!
Can anyone who's performed this modification describe how long it takes to do all four pivots?
Thanks!
2/19/2019
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
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????
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????
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1/7/2019
Once installed, will these eliminate further wear of the pivot holes of the boot?
1/7/2019
Hi Brendan, yes, when installed properly these pivots will prevent further wear of the pivot holes of the boot.
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1/2/2019
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?
1/2/2019
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.
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12/2/2018
Any word if these will work for the older version Maestrales? Or which product I should get as a replacement part?
12/3/2018
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.
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9/26/2018
Any idea if these will work on La Sportiva Sideral 2.1s? The pivots seem like they will work and look similar to TLTs.
9/26/2018
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.
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5/7/2018
My pivots on Salomon x-alp have started to wear down. Could these fit?
5/8/2018
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.
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2/28/2018
Will this product work with the Dynafit Mercury?
2/28/2018
Hi Skafti, the Vulcan version will.
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2/26/2018
Hello, Fit this item for TLT 7 Performance?
2/26/2018
Hello Evgeny, at this time we do not believe that this item will work with the TLT7 due to the cable routing and nature of the pivots on the TLT7.
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