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BD Sabertooth Clip Crampon: interchangeable toe bail?

Original Post
p m · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Apr 2014 · Points: 45

Hey ya'll. Just getting into ice climbing and mountaineering (intentions of ski mtneering also). I have the LS Nepal Evo and I'm looking for a cheaper crampon for the purposes stated above. A lot of forums recommend the G12 with the Evo and less recommend the Sabretooth. I'm curious as to whether or not it would be possible to buy a replacement toe bail and put it on the Sabretooth Clip crampon (hybrid). It has the holes available for this like the Pro model. Unfortunately the forefoot strap isn't removable so it would have to stay on and be one more thing to address. My though process is that you can have a more secure system and/or adjust the length of the front points with the toe bail when ice climbing and they'll also lock into ski mtneering boots better assuming there's a good fit. If need be, you can remove the toe bail and go back to the strap in order to fit other boots or if the toe welt is wearing thin and not holding well...
Again, I don't know if it's physically possible but wanted to throw it out there because I haven't seen anything on it.

To be clear, my reasons for not just getting the universal Pezl Lynx is because I don't have the extra cash and I don't get the universal Sarken or Vasak because I haven't read anything about the fit with the Evo, and I'll be ordering online to save money.

Thanks for the input!

Jon H · · PC, UT · Joined Nov 2009 · Points: 118

No, you can not mount the wire toe bail on to the Clip crampons.

If you can only afford one pair of crampons, sell your Clips and buy Sabertooth Pro or G12 Automatic. Or Vasaks actually, which are my favorite.

No matter which crampon you buy (they're all good) you will likely need different toe bails for ski boots (large bail) and Nepals (small bail). BD sells multiple sizes cheaply. Petzl theoretically has replacement bails, but they won't really sell them. No idea about Grivel, they don't have a US-based office, only local distributors, so getting info and parts can sometimes be challenging.

For convenience, you should probably stick with BD.

Kyle Tarry · · Portland, OR · Joined Mar 2015 · Points: 448

If you want to be able to use strap and wire fronts, buy wire bail crampons and then buy strap front adapters, such as the parts that come with the Lynx/Sarken (available separate from Petzl) or the Edelrid adapter.

rei.com/product/100449/petz…

edelrid.de/en/sports/front-…

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Ice Climbing
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