I bought the Raichle 724 Boots

[joemzl]

I had been trying to find out the size for some time but the seller kept saying there were no size markings anywhere on the boots.

The liner is marked 29.5

BTW: You can put liners with Mondo 28 to 30,5 into that shell.
That´s what the shell is built for.

[Schneewurm]

@joemzl
please consider how Americans helped Germany to buil up after world war. So just help the guy and don't write such stupid things like "Mondo 28 to 30,5 into that shell - That´s what the shell is built for" !

shell is marked 28-30.5

This is not the shell, this is the collar of the shell. Watch below the base of the shell on outerside of feet inside above the hinge - must be write in 29-29.5 for the 29.5 liner.

a sticky substance inside

Yes, these boots are old and this can happen. Clean it with kerosene.

the bale on the instep buckle is so short I can only latch the first tooth

Lenght can be adjusted in 3 positions. Take a Allen key wrench, open the screw of the buckle on inner side of the boot. Remove the cover, put the cable of the buckle in the next position, put the cover on and fix the screw again. (Im not fully shure if 1994 SB-124 is o.k. for do that, but they can be also like the following lineups of boots)

Fit also smaller boots, I think an 29.0 (same shell, but thighter liner) or an 28.5 (one size smaller shell) will give You more support.

The Board is the Heavy Tools Drive 160 from 1995/96,
Waist-width 21.4 cm / sidecut-radius 8.75 m radial / RIM-sandwich-woodcore / good for all-mountain-carving.

For most riders this board was to stiff, with a missing harmonic flex (*). But for Yours 210 lbs it can be a good choice.

(* snowboard was not good for off-slope riding, needs good skill/power for to do turns. Worst shape of 21 testet freeride alpine shapes of all done moves then!)

[joemzl]

Sorry, you are right Schneewurm. It´s only the tongue, that is made for three different shells

[goofyfoot53]

Schneewurm
Thanks for the tip. I took off the cover and moved the bale from the middle position to the longest position so it is fine now.

After 3 tries the board’s seller finally contacted me. He said he was having issues with his eBay email and will send the board out tomorrow. We’ll see, but I won‘t hold my breath. However, Schneewurm’s description of the board as being the “worst shape of 21 tested freeride alpine shapes,” is not encouraging. He also said one needs good skill/power to do turns. I have a lot of power but zero skill, so have I bitten off more than I can chew with this board, despite having sufficient strength and weight to bend the board? If it is overly stiff, as Schneewurm said (the seller also said it was very stiff but held an edge really well, and was fast for a short board), will it be too stiff for me to learn on at typical beginner speeds?

About the boots. From the various responses, it sounds like I can use any liner of the correct size. Would I be able to use the liner out of my ski boots to test these boots and see if they will fit? I have only skied on them 4-5 times for about a half a day each (too painful after that) so they are not packed out yet. They are from the Salomon Impact series, 27.5.

After reading the description at alpinecarving.com, I discovered that the broken dial on the lean adjustment mechanism is turned to the power position, where it can flex between 1 and 3 with the lever down. If I flip the lever up, it locks into position 2. For trying out these boots and learning, will one of these be okay, as long as I set the other boot the same way? Although I will probably install a Bomber BTS kit later if I take well to carving, in the meantime, is there anyone here who has upgraded to the BTS and has their old factory lean adjustment mechanism available? Does anyone know of a source for these?

Finally, Schneewurm mentioned that it is hard the get new grippy rubber heel replacements or these boots. Does that mean I would not be able to find a heel that works with step-ins? I will keep my eye out for bindings but so far, I’m seeing mostly Burtons with the plastic plates which are too weak for my weight, right? Once again, thanks for all the advice.

[István]

Boot pads: http://www.bomberonline.com/store/acces ... t_pads.cfm

Intec heels: http://www.bomberonline.com/store/acces ... sembly.cfm

Liners: http://www.bomberonline.com/store/acces ... liners.cfm


Also a lot of stuff here: http://www.bomberonline.com/store/acces ... liners.cfm

For a used binding check the Classifieds on this forum and on Bomber.

Kindest

[Schneewurm]

@István
Didn't You have some orginal DeeLuxe liners for the SB-Shell out of "Made in Hungary" for to send to goofyfoot53 ?
For Your's recommendet boot pads You should ad an adress for a milling machine and some gaskets!

@goofyfoot53
Heavy Tools intend the Drive 160 then for (orginal text!) use for intermediate to experienced riders. Price was then at SFr. 649.- which can be now converted to $ 649.-

The board (160cm) was recommendet by testers for persons above 170 lbs. And they talked also from the exactly same board with other topsheet-design from 1996/97: excellent running silence on high speed on groomed slopes. The board glides without any effort like a knife trough all big moguls of slush-snow.

Don't be worry about "worst shape of 21 tested"!
Best shape of 21 then was the Hot Spot, like You can see here, 3. from left. On 2. place was the Nidecker NBX, how You can see the person was riding crossing my track left on the picture below. The NBX was an explicit shape for do-all e.g. also carving fakie with hardboots or dancing slope-style with softboots. And Yes, the person on picture is able to pay for some $ 2000 boards. But he also like to ride e.g. on tricky areas on useable snowboards and overall not to present himself on prenium or luxury items on a wide and easy glacier slope.
But don't be worry about Your new board. You should know, on the Years of 1995-2000 (peak of snowboarding on raceboards) most time younger and on good fitness rider around 150 lbs have been on slopes, so a too stiff board was not a thing of desire for them. Perhaps the first days the Heavy Tools Drive 160 will not be good for You on beginner speeds. On more skill it can be a good choice, so keep it!

Keep in mind goofyfoot53, skill can be learnd and improved on a snowboard school. Thats much more importend, then to buy any expensive goods. Watch out where You can find such a school on Your wintersports-resorts and put some money beside for that.

- Boots: You can kill Your skiboot-liner if You use it on an other shell.
- Broken dial on the lean adjustment mechanism: Try to turn the dial clockwise on top.
That's importend to have a freeflex or to fix it on each of the 5 positions.
If turning the dial is not possible, remove the mechanism (2 bolts) and rebuild it to the rear boot/foot. So You can go to fix position on rear foot of 1/2/3.
- This first modell of SB-124 don't fit any step-in heels! But as orginal these boots have been delivered with 2 sets of rubber soles, the softer grey ones like on Your picture and the harder deep-blue ones. If they are still not broken use them, but be carfull on slippery ground.
Beside that, if your skiboots are on MP 27.5 I think this boots on 29.5 are much to big for You.

[István]

Correct, some of the Deeluxe liners were produced in Hungary.... but the only pair of liners I have are the ones in my boots I use...

[goofyfoot53]

Schneewurm
I know I will get better and probably fairly quickly. I just worried that the board might make the initial learning curve too difficult. I do have the benefit of being a good skier so I understand edge control, snow conditions, etc., and I have surfed for many years so I have a feel for the position and balance. Hopefully, that will translate into carving. I do expect to fall so should I get some protective equipment, and if so, what?

The conditions where I ski include a lot of man made snow and warm temperatures. The slopes are mostly hard pack groomers that can easily get icy and are occasionally soft. I like stiff skis that hold an edge on hard snow but I do have a pair of softer mid-fats for those rare soft snow days. It sounds like the Heavy Tools board will be good for these conditions once I gain some skill.

I didn’t mean I was going to put in the liners from my ski boots and actually hit the slopes with them. Rather, I meant that I would put them in and try them on so I could see if a fairly new liner that hasn’t been packed out yet would take up enough room to know if the shells will fit well with new liners. Then I will know whether such an investment is worth it. The shells are 28. Even though I use a 27.5 ski boot, my toes hit the end and I suspect I would be better off with a narrow 28. My ski boots have a 100mm last but I believe I should have a 98mm or narrower last. I can blow out any pressure points but I cannot fill in the low spots on a boot that has too much volume. I don’t know how wide the last is on the Raichle 124. Does anyone out there know. As I said before, if they feel like they will work I will throw in some extra footbeds and a heel lift on my left foot to take up some space, set the broken lean adjuster on 2 or let it flex between 1 & 3 (I’ll try both) and attempt to carve. If everything works out, I’ll invest in new liners and ether replace the broken adjuster or get the BDS kit.

BTW, I cannot turn the knob on the lean adjuster because there is no knob to turn, it is missing completely. I tried to turn what’s left with various tools but I can’t budge it. It seems to be stuck in the left position, which the description at advance carving.com called the power position. With the lever down, it allows flex between I and 3. With the lever up, it locks into position 2, so those are my choices for now. Which would be better for my initial run?

[tufty]

BTW, I cannot turn the knob on the lean adjuster because there is no knob to turn, it is missing completely. I tried to turn what’s left with various tools but I can’t budge it. It seems to be stuck in the left position, which the description at advance carving.com called the power position. With the lever down, it allows flex between I and 3. With the lever up, it locks into position 2, so those are my choices for now. Which would be better for my initial run?

There have been claims of blowing up the adjusters if you ride in powder mode, if you end up pushing too far forwards the mechanism comes apart, apparently. I never managed to do that on any of my SB series boots, but your mileage may vary, especially with an already busted adjuster.

You might / should be able to get it to lock at positions 1 and 3 by pushing the boot to that position before flipping the lever back up.

I'd probably ride with it locked, just to be on the safe side - if you're used to ski boots they are gonna feel pretty damn flexy anyway, even locked. I'd also probably look into getting a new pair of adjusters, they are pretty cheap. $12 from Bomber, for example.