What crampons to buy

[Fred]

Hey all. I'm stuck between the following three choices. Any suggestions?

Grivel Rambo 4
Grivel G14
Charlet Moser M10

[Stan]

I love my M10's in monopoint config. They ball up like crazy though...

[chossmonkey]

I had a pair of Rambo IV's but we had to return them. They didn't fit my boots at all. They were to small. With some screwing around they would fit length wise but they were to narrow and it just seemed like they would fall off if I actually used them.

Providing they all fit your boots, I'd also consider if you can get replacement parts for them.

[Fred]

what kind a size of boots do you have?

why spare parts? you think they'll discontinue soon?

[chossmonkey]

what kind a size of boots do you have?

why spare parts? you think they'll discontinue soon?

46.5 or 12.5. They didn't fit Rebecca's boots very well either.

For a lot of crampons it can be tough to find replacement front points and such. If you don't sharpen them much it is likely a moot point.

Also, for what its worth, with the Rambo IV's you can run them as dual points if you buy extra front points. They come as monos.

[granite_grrl]

They didn't fit Rebecca's boots very well either.

They fit my boots a bit better, but still found them pretty narrow for them. I don't have very girly sized feet, they're 42's or 8.5 mens.

[STeveA]

Buy the Rambos.

[martha]

Have you seen the new rambos though steve? they look like they suck compared to the originals...

[mathieu]

We went shopping for new crampons two weeks ago since stacey broke her old Rambo (nothing like breaking a crampon at the top of a 200m rambling climb, makes for a tricky descent). The Petzl don't come with antibot and that is an extra 30$ or so. She ended up getting the G14, they come with antibot and are easily convertible to mono. I've had a pair of G14 for 4 years and love mine. Both having the same pair is nice since you can bring a repair kit and a few parts that are compatible to both crampons.

BTW MEC return policy rocks.

[STeveA]

No, I was only going by how the old ones work. I hope they haven't changed too much since mine are getting very old.

[Fred]

I've decided to get the Rambo 4's so you'll be able to take them out for a test run Steve. They have changed dramatically. Also, they come in mono but can be modified to dual with purchase of extra front points.

[chossmonkey]

I've decided to get the Rambo 4's so you'll be able to take them out for a test run Steve. They have changed dramatically. Also, they come in mono but can be modified to dual with purchase of extra front points.

If you can find front points for them. You could maybe use the spur, but it is a bit longer than the FP's.


Good luck with them. If they work with your boots I'll be so jealous. I ended up getting fruitboots. Which will work a lot better for sport mixed, but not very practical for just climbing ice. Not to mention my new boots are my B-day and X-mas presents put together and I won't be getting them until after we get back from our X-mas trip.

[chossmonkey]

I think they have the wrong back for the way the front is set up on those in the pic. There is a small second FP built in that is supposed to help out when burying the mono.

This is a better view. And not set up wrong.









Man, I need to start using the preview more often.

[Fred]

I think the photo with the red spacers is a prototype crampon no?

[chossmonkey]

I think the photo with the red spacers is a prototype crampon no?

No, they look exactly like the ones I had and returned about a month ago. Rebecca mail ordered them so they came from MEC distribution so they shouldn't have been old stock. The red spacers are plastic but really aren't load bearing except for maybe some compression from the bolts holding the side rails together. There is one in the heel that you put in and take out depending on if you are using the spur and one for the second FP.

[Fred]

the transverse spacers are plastic??? are you sure? There must be a metal pin/tube inside?

I had aluminum spacers on my DMM's and they got all deformed. I can only assume plastic would not last.

[chossmonkey]

the transverse spacers are plastic??? are you sure? There must be a metal pin/tube inside?

I had aluminum spacers on my DMM's and they got all deformed. I can only assume plastic would not last.

If you mean the sleeve that the cap screw goes through to bolt the left and right frame pieces together, yes they are plastic.

There is the metal bolt/capscrew that goes through it. But I really don't think that the sleeve itself would be metal covered with plastic. I honestly don't remember from when I took them apart. I'm pretty sure it was just plastic. It is possible that the bolts that Grivel uses are thicker than the ones DMM uses or used on the pair you had. The crampon was quite narrow as well, so there might be less space to span as well.

Did you have the Terminators? Those fit my boots okay, the heal bail was a little narrow though. I really don't remember anything about the width though. That was back before I had done much drytooling or harder ice.

The way the R4's fit my boots the spikes under your foot (raker points) were completely under the sole of my boot. Which made them pretty much worthless for use on anything not directly under my boot. Forget about seeing what I was putting them on most of the time. The toe bails were far to narrow as well. I also really didn't care for the curly-Q at the toe and that made trying to fit them even more of a problem.

If you can, take your boots in and see how they fit. Otherwise order from MEC and return them to the closest store if they don't fit. I was completely 100% psyched to get those pons. If I could have made them work without making a bunch of modifications that may or may not have worked I would have kept them.

[Fred]

what brand of boot were you fitting them on?

I wear Sportiva Lhotse

[Shawn B]

here ya go

http://gearx.com/grivel-rambocomp-mono-closeout.html

[Shawn B]

I ended up getting fruitboots. Which will work a lot better for sport mixed, but not very practical for just climbing ice. Not to mention my new boots are my B-day and X-mas presents put together and I won't be getting them until after we get back from our X-mas trip.

ur going to climb multipitch ice at chute momo and plan on climbing in the gaspe in fruit boots??? your frozen feet aren't going to like you much. those belong at pont rouge.

[chossmonkey]

I ended up getting fruitboots. Which will work a lot better for sport mixed, but not very practical for just climbing ice. Not to mention my new boots are my B-day and X-mas presents put together and I won't be getting them until after we get back from our X-mas trip.

ur going to climb multipitch ice at chute momo and plan on climbing in the gaspe in fruit boots??? your frozen feet aren't going to like you much. those belong at pont rouge.

Yep.

[chossmonkey]

what brand of boot were you fitting them on?

I wear Sportiva Lhotse

Sportiva K4s. I think they are a 46 or 46.5. Regardless It was the last size that Grivel claimed they would fit. Even Rebecca's boots (42) didn't fit them the best, though they would have probably worked.

[martha]

I ended up getting fruitboots. Which will work a lot better for sport mixed, but not very practical for just climbing ice. Not to mention my new boots are my B-day and X-mas presents put together and I won't be getting them until after we get back from our X-mas trip.

ur going to climb multipitch ice at chute momo and plan on climbing in the gaspe in fruit boots??? your frozen feet aren't going to like you much. those belong at pont rouge.

I second Shawn on this one. Chute Momo can get super cold... I also have the L'hotse's and have had cold feet in there. You must be one tough Mofo.

Hey Shawn, I also found the Rambo Comp and the Evo 2 online on some closeouts for Fred but he seems intent on this new thing I think... dunno why.... I'm loving my Rambos. they are the best things ever!

[Fred]

I'm loving my Rambo Comps. they are the best things ever!

you don't have Rambo Comps. You have Evo3's.

[martha]

oh right. I thought we got the comps because the Evo 3's only came with a mono point. but I realize now that they came with both. duh.

not much of a gear whore anymore I guess. But ask me about strollers, and baby carriers and I've got all the details...

[chossmonkey]

not much of a gear whore anymore I guess. But ask me about strollers, and baby carriers and I've got all the details...

I thought you were the beta master for all things knitting too?

[Richard Eh!]

I have a pair of those at the house if you'd like to take a look at them Fred. They are a radical departure from the traditional dual Rambos, lighter construction, without the doubled rigid platform that usually came under the fore-foot to support the dual front point configuration. The secondary (short) front point externally adjacent to the mono-pt. is non-replaceable and is part of the frame. And, yes, the red spacers are only rigid plastic front and back as far as i can ascertain. There are no issues with fitting them to my Asolo Ottomilas.

[Fred]

Richard,
you bought the Rambo 4's? I'll definitely swing by to check them out. If that plastic so much as squishes the rails start flopping and MEC will be seeing a return on my part. If my aluminum spacers got crushed on DMM's I'm iffy about the plastic ones.

Cara,
The Rambo Evo and Rambo Comp are different crampons all together. The comps have a more aggressive and flared secondary point system under the front part of the foot. The Evo is less flared and less aggressive. The only diff between Evo2 and Evo3 is they send you the mono and dual point kits. (1 point kit) + (2 point kit) = 3 hence Evo3. This is what I could find last year anyways when doing research to buy yours.

[martha]

not much of a gear whore anymore I guess. But ask me about strollers, and baby carriers and I've got all the details...

I thought you were the beta master for all things knitting too?

Damn F'n straight. problem with that Choss?

[martha]

Cara,
The Rambo Evo and Rambo Comp are different crampons all together. The comps have a more aggressive and flared secondary point system under the front part of the foot. The Evo is less flared and less aggressive. The only diff between Evo2 and Evo3 is they send you the mono and dual point kits. (1 point kit) + (2 point kit) = 3 hence Evo3. This is what I could find last year anyways when doing research to buy yours.

Thanks for taking care of me pitou. what would I do without you to keep my life in order?