Removing toe strap from Cyborgs?

Has anyone else done this mod to their crampons? I cant imagine the toe welt popping off, but maybe it can?

why not just leave the strap on and not have to worry about losing a 'pon mid pitch? if you tuck it in well enough (takes all of 15 seconds) the strap shouldn't get in the way of anything.

I removed it so I could use the strap to cinch down my ankle which helps alleviate my hell lift problem.

i believe this came up a couple years ago over on the cc forum, i think this is the right link

coldthistle.blogspot.com/20…

dane goes on to talk about the toe strap w/ black diamond down in the comments.

hope this helps.

cb

Thanks Conor, thats exactly what I was lookin for !

I remove all of mine. Easier to lose the entire crampon with the toe strap than to cinch it down tight over your ankle. Pros and cons to both, the argument being that the toe strap won't allow the toe bail to pop off. All personal preference, but I like having the strap tight to the ankle.

I removed the metal tab on the toe bail and love it so far. Then I just shortened the strap to my largest boots. Get the ankle support I want and the crampon is still secured should it come off. But damn if that should ever happen. Tune those things in tight!

More here via Vince Anderson
skywardmountaineering.com/c…

I am trying to do this mod. What tools did you use to remove the metal strap from the toe bar? I am not that handy. I drilled through the small weld but that didn't do the job (broke a drill bit). Tried cutting the strap with both cable cutters and wire cutters, didn't work. Suggestions? How did other people do it? I guess a hacksaw, but it would be hard to get the blade close enough to the toe bail to remove all of the metal strap.

tin snips... and 20 seconds.

Jaws of life.

I removed mine. Don't have tin snips, so just used pliers and kept bending and tweaking it until it quit out.

Sorry for my ignorance, but what is the benefit of taking off the toe strap?

I take back my previous post. After reading danes article and this thread decided to rip 'em off. The benefits I've noticed are:

There's less clutter to worry about when putting them on (don't have to adjust metal strap into the center)

The toes of my boots will no longer get cut up or scuffed from the metal strap.

Extra ankle support from the nylon strap.

At first I thought that the metal dealio was holding the front bail more securely in place but after playing with it for a bit I realized it serves no purpose and is pointless and stupid. Cut it off yer 'pons!

Robert Buswold wrote:Sorry for my ignorance, but what is the benefit of taking off the toe strap?

With the toe strap in place, the nylon ankle strap makes a bigger circle around your boot. This can be large enough that the 'poon falls off completely if the toe bail pops off. With the toe strap removed, the ankle strap is much snugger and the poon can't be lost. So it's an "anti-safety" device really.

I removed mine. I found that it rubbed against my toe rand and wore it out quicker. I have not seen a need for it for since I took it off two seasons ago. I also shortened the ankle strap to wrap around just once. Looks really clean that way.

Gunkiemike wrote: With the toe strap in place, the nylon ankle strap makes a bigger circle around your boot. This can be large enough that the 'poon falls off completely if the toe bail pops off. With the toe strap removed, the ankle strap is much snugger and the poon can't be lost. So it's an "anti-safety" device really.

A big loop of poon is not good.

I plan on getting rid of that steel toe strap for my next climb. The guys at BD just told me that it would be "ok." Plus, last month I lost my crampons twice due to an improper shoe/bail issue and I had to watch my cyborg go skittering down the slope. If I wrap the strap around my ankle, I'll never have that problem again.

This I know. New shoes didn't fit the old style BD bail, which was too wide.

This I know. New shoes didn't fit the old style BD bail, which was too wide.

I've had my crampons pop off three times.
On the Emmons glacier on Rainier wearing a pair of Salewa Zooms.
In Boulder Canyon wearing a modified pair of Lowe Lightfangs( soloing).
In Beijing,China wearing a pair of Grivel G-14s among a large group of Chinese; quite embarrassing.
None of the crampons had a toe strap.
There is reason why manufacturers put them there.
Mario

I've had maybe three crampon "blow outs" ever, all with toe straps. Twice, the crampons completely fell off and once the strap somehow got tangled in my boot.
I have never worn "strapless" crampons, but when my new BD Cyborg bails come on Friday, I am cutting off the steel toe strap. I will then wrap the nylon strap around my ankle. If the crampons somehow fall off my boot, the ankle strap should keep the crampon attached to my body.
But this is me talking - I can barely lead 2's and have only been climbing for 5 years.