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With a bit of talk about binders floatin around at the mo,
What bindings have ya got now????? What do ya like/hate about them?????
What bindings have ya had before????? What did ya like/hate about them?????
What bindings do ya want next?????
<small>And if ya hassle me about my well known preference for quality binders, ya can go and get yaself fluxed!!!!!<>
I’m currently riding 2012 Burton Malavita’s with the Re:Flex system.
Overall couldn’t be happier with them, the response is amazing and this new Re:Flex baseplate system is something I’m very impressed with as I’m getting a lot more board feel not to mention they’re super comfy with the padded base. Highbacks are the perfect stiffness for me and the straps are to die for. Cap strap is brilliant and the asym heel strap gives the best ankle support I’ve ever had from any binding. The burton ratchet system is by far the best I’ve ever used aswell - haven’t had a single point where one has been stuck or iced up so that it wouldn’t release.
Previously rode with 08/09 Ride Beta bindings. Overall were a brilliant binding which I still use on my 2nd/powder board. The toe strap that ride were using back then was brilliant in that it flexed to the shape of whatever boot you had making it comfortable for most boots and the heel strap whilst simple gave a great feel Ratchets could be a little annoying at times and had a habit of chewing out ladders after a while but ladders are easily replaceable and most stores will give them out for free so not a major issue.
Next - nothing right now, very happy with the 2012 Malavitas, will be keeping them until they completely fall apart haha
I currently have rome shift nuraves. They are softer than they say on the website/on boardworld, which is what I dont like about them( it says 6/10 but id say a 4/10). The colour of these bindings are awesome. The next bindings that I am thinking of getting are rome 390boss or flux tt30 these will be to go with my new board just purchased.
I currently have Ride S Series bindings. They’re park of my ghetto setup. I know NOTHING about them. Except that they hold my boots to the board. The internets seems to know little about them also.
I like that they hold my feet to the board. I don’t like that due to the pressure over the top of my feet, they make the balls of my feet hurt.
These are the only bindings I’ve ever owned. Same as my board, boots etc.
I have top admit that when it comes to equipment, especially bindings, I know very little.
What bindings have ya got now????? What do ya like/hate about them?????
Union Force (in black) Solid binding, good warranty, boots fit into them well, comfortable base plate. Don’t hate anything about them. Straps and clips etc. feel strong, haven’t worn out since I got them. Would buy them again.
What bindings have ya had before????? What did ya like/hate about them?????
K2 Sonics, were on my first board, pretty entry level.. all plastic. Didn’t mind them when I had them because I’d never ridden anything else. Felt a bit flimsy.
What bindings do ya want next?????
I think my Unions will last a while, I’d probably buy another pair maybe a different colour lol.. unless someone could convince me otherwise
currently riding some Rome 390 Boss’s,
so far so good, no complaints.
Also have a pair of Ride Contraband’s;
i love those bindings, will never ever throw them out. Possibly may buy another pair when they die.
I have Burton C02s, Burton ESTs (actually called just the ‘EST’ - they were the first EST bindings to come out), and a set of Flux DS45s.
The Burton C02s have to be one of the best set of bindings I’ve ever strapped to my feet. Although they are falling apart on me now and I don’t use them much anymore.
The ESTs work and feel great. I have them mounted on my Uninc 54 which I ride quite regularly in Whistler.
The Flux DS45s are excellent bindings and I have no complaints. The toe straps on them are awesome.
I’ve owned Burton Cartels, Burton Mission OLS, others, and tested numerous other bindings in the past.
I really want to try some Rome 390s. I’ve always like the look and feel of them, and of course there’s been a lot of positive feedback about them. I would like to give them a try for myself.
I want to buy a set of Burton Cartel Reflex bindings. I’ve heard a lot of good things about Reflex (including from Gamblor), so I really want to give them a go. I usually like something a bit stiffer but I’m considering going back to the Cartels. Always a solid choice. I’m stepping away from EST for my next set, as I need versatility to mount onto other brands to test their boards. That said, I am a fan of the EST/channel system.
I was very interested in the Burton Diodes, as these seemed perfect for me, however I was turned off by the lack of a FLAD (forward lean adjustment). You can adjust the forward lean but it seems like it would be rather hard to play around with it to get it dialed perfectly.
I want to buy a set of Burton Cartel Reflex bindings. I’ve heard a lot of good things about Reflex (including from Gamblor), so I really want to give them a go. I usually like something a bit stiffer but I’m considering going back to the Cartels. Always a solid choice. I’m stepping away from EST for my next set, as I need versatility to mount onto other brands to test their boards. That said, I am a fan of the EST/channel system.
If you’re going to go for the Cartels I’d suggest going for the restricted ones purely for the asym heel strap - as stated above the best support I’ve ever used/had from a heel strap.
I can lend you my Malavitas for a few days whilst I’m working as I’ve got my other setup sitting here if you want Jeremy - They came with the EST discs so you’ll have no issues running them on your un inc to give you a good comparison to your current EST’s.
Bindings now:
Union Contact Pros.
Pros: Highback is nice, soft laterally but still good response heel-toe. Has some EVAs for damping so less chatter gets to your feet. Ankle strap is nice. Feels really nice underfoot, not sure what it is (maybe it’s the only 18% of the binding is touching the board). Light. Highback is really flat, so you don’t get calf bite.
Cons: Toe cap, doesn’t fit my boot nicely, slips up a lot of times. Heel loop/ankle straps screws always gets loose at the end of the day. My freakin forward lean adjuster fell off last saturday just from riding. For some reason they got unclicked and the screw got loose, sigh.
Bindings before:
Rome Targas.
Pros: Super adjustable, nice stiffness for all mountain. Has those straps that keep the ankle strap away so you can strap in easier. Tooless adjustments.
Cons: Not too sure, but I think the baseplate or whatever it is is nicer on the Contact Pros. Kinda heavy.
Bindings next:
Definitely the new NOW bindings.
Finney, that would be awesome. I tested the Malvitas a couple of seasons ago and I really liked the Asym straps. Will talk to you bout this when I get back to Whistler.
What bindings have ya got now????? What do ya like/hate about them?????
FLUX DS45
(haven’t really spent too much time on them yet as they are newish purchase)
+ comfortable, love the straps on this binding. On my foot, hold so much better than the unions
ratchets are smooth, haven’t had any issues getting in and out so far
- find it heavy in comparison to my Contacts…probably even the cadets. Costs a pretty penny
Union contact SL
+ light weight…minimal fuss, easy adjust ability..relatively cheap
- hated the toe strap and ratchet was rubbish….switched it in with a my Union Cadets until i found some 2nd hand flux DS toe cap on sale
What bindings have ya had before????? What did ya like/hate about them?????
+ union cadet. they were relatively cheap! rugged and bulky, it did the job for first bindings…taught me about various adjustments i could make (to an extent)
- heavy could not customise the the extent i wanted
What bindings do ya want next?????
no bindings this season, just recently got the ds45…spewing the new season ones are so much different
Current: Union Contacts - Bit flimsy but good for what I do. Comfortable and reliable. Screw system holding the straps on is a bit flimsy.
Previous: Burton Malavitas for a day - Awesome binding but too small for my boot in a Medium. I strugged to fit each time I put it on.
Other: Force bindings (from Melbourne) - Good binding for the price I paid. Screws weren’t too reliable and I lost a toe cap. Spring system in the ratchets is gone.
Other: Tech 9 bindings - Crap bindings. Their ratchets don’t work (even in the expensive models) uncomfortable and the cap straps were too short and you could only just get them to hold. Would never buy again.
Bindings now: Union Contact Pros.
Cons: Toe cap, doesn’t fit my boot nicely, slips up a lot of times. Heel loop/ankle straps screws always gets loose at the end of the day. My freakin forward lean adjuster fell off last saturday just from riding. For some reason they got unclicked and the screw got loose, sigh.
now that you remind me…..unions seem to crap up a lot on me (and my friends)
many of my friends used to ride unions which is probably why i’ve been exposed to so many of them first hand
I have the same issue with the screws on my straps for union while in Japan i basically had to re- screw the straps on every day to make sure it would last the day and at the end of the day it was floppy and lose again…gave me the shits so i went out and got some DS45 when i got back from my trip
my mates contact pros ratchet (rivet to be exact) broke for no apparent rhyme or reason
my other 2 mates (who dont maintain their stuff themselves) have strap malfunction where the actual strap falling off during the day…. lost the strap completely..needless to say they didn’t buy union again. (1 was a data, other was contact)
the only person who hasn’t had any issues with unions is my mate with union forces, admittedly he does look after this gear but his moved on rome 390s now anyway
Current:
Gnu something-or-others. (it was a mid-range binding) These are a rear entry binding (like flows). My first experience of them. I got them because they were cheap on an aussie sale website. I needed new binders and didn’t have any moolah. I’ve found them really comfortable and I love the fact that you set them up how you like them (all the rachet tightnesses etc and then you get the same thing every time. Really good to get a feel for what you like and then have consistency in pressure. The quality of all the pieces seems top notch and they seem really durable & have been so far.
Only con I can really think of is because the highbacks fold down, when I’m back foot out and pushing, I’ve tripped on it a few times when I’m going for longer strides with the pushes.
Previous:
Ride Vxns Got these as part of a package with my first board. These bindings were really good. They held together for ages (over 100 days riding). They were comfy (especially when I swapped the toe straps for the rubbery/gel style toe caps) and served me really well. Only negative was that they eventually fell apart - but so do all bindings, I think!
Bindings I want next? In reality - it will probably just be whatever is cheapest again. In theory maybe Flux (there u go mizu!) or unions. Not sure anyway cos it will be a while before I need new ones!
Skatin with the highback open on rear entry bindings!!!!! Hmmm, never thought about that one before!!!!!
And now that ya point that out, it would be a bit of a negative!!!!! Are they easy enough to flick up when ya boots not in them????? Does it stay up without the boot anyway?????
cords: have you had any issues with rear-entry on pow days? or in the pow?