Sizing and setup woes
I have been snowboarding the past two years. I had previously only hired my gear and found i progressed quite quickly, so I purchased my own gear last year. I have been riding a 2013 Burton Superhero 158wide (recommended 4-5cm shorter then normal) the past season in New Zealand and found it to be way too playful for my liking.
After doing some research i found the Custom Flying V to be the most suitable for me. I picked up a 2015 model of this board today (160cm).
I am just a bit concerned that it’s too narrow and my heel and toe are gonna cause me troubles when carving. My boot size is 11.5US and have Burton Cartel Large bindings. What do you think? I’ve seen others riding 12US with no problems..
They had two sizes of this board, 163 and 160. I may be able to swap for the bigger board but i am unsure and could use some guidance!
I know weight is also a big factor, the recommended weight for the 160 cm is 70-88kg and I am 92kg. The 163cm weight range is 75-93 which is obviously more suitable. What do you think the differences will be if i stick with the shorter model
Thanks
Welcome to Boardworld, MSTEPHENS. 
A few questions…
Which boots do you have?
Do you know your stance (width and angles)?
Where do you plan on riding? What’s your riding style?
The waist width on the 2014 Custom Flying V model is 255mm, and I assume the 2015 would be the same. My instinct is telling me you will be fine on the 160, but if you could answer the above questions it will help me answer more accurately.
I currently have Rome Libertime Pureflex boots, 11.5USD
The angles im using atm is 15degrees on the front, 5 on the back. This seems to be comfortable for me… Not sure about width
I haven’t changed the setup since it was done instore.
Yeah the 2015 is also 255mm
I don’t plan on doing backcountry, park, pipe. I am happy shredding up the mountain, slight trick here and there thats about it
i’ve attached a few pics:
not sure if it helps
Where will you be riding? i.e. countries, resorts.
How tall are you? It will help me determine an approximate stance width for you.
With a 255mm waist, and by the look of the photos, you won’t have any problems. I’m almost certain you will be fine.
Please note: Having a wider stance width will give you more clearance, as will having more angle on your rear binding.
Also important: Make sure your boots have equal heel and toe overhang as in the image below.
Please read this article if you haven’t already:
https://www.boardworld.com.au/snowboarding/guides/stance-and-setup/
The best way to determine whether you have enough clearance, strap your boots in (once your stance is set properly), and visually observe how much clearance you have when you tip the board on edge? How much angle do you get before the boots hit the ground? If you are getting a significant angle before they hit, you will be fine. Either way, I’m sure you will be fine, but it’s nice to test for yourself. I would stick with the 160cm snowboard. It’s going to be more fun to ride and it’s definitely not too small. The 163 would only be giving you an extra 2mm of waist width anyway. Those suggested weight ranges are just rough guides; there’s a lot to consider when determining your board size, i.e. purpose, riding style, riding locations etc.
Please let me know if you have any further questions.
Basic summary on shorter snowboard vs longer snowboard from another thread:
Shorter Snowboard:
<li>Easier and faster to turn, more manoeuvrable</li>
<li>More playful, easier to flex and press</li>
<li>Lower swing weight, can spin faster, easier to get technical on rails</li>
<li>Less stable, especially during carving, at speeds, and on landings</li>
<li>Reduced carving performance</li>
<li>Reduced float in powder</li>
Basically, you sacrifice stability and float for manoeuvrability and playfulness. It’s the exact opposite if you’re riding a board on the long size for your weight. It’s important to think about how you want your snowboard to perform in various conditions, then finding a balance of size that meets your requirements.
By the pic it looks as if ya rear binding is facing 5 degrees toward the nose, MS?????
If that’s the case, try facing it toward the Tail with -5 degrees!!!!!
I know you said that you feel it’s comfortable, but a negative angle on your back binding will feel a whole lot better when doing tricks!!!!!
Ohh, and I reckon that you’ll have no heel/toe overhang issues there!!!!!
Welcome aboard!!!!! 
This question of how much overhang is too much seems to come up a lot. Can anyone on BW put a number on it? For example “you should aim for less than (insert figure here)mm either side of your board where you plan to have your bindings set up. That gives everyone something to work with. You can go look at a board, take your boots and drop them on top and go yay or nay. I understand the thickness of the bindings foot-bed will vary this slightly but surely they don’t vary that much?
To be honest, I really don’t think you can put a figure on it. It’s not just the thickness of the binding footbeds, but it’s the angle of the toe ramp, and also the thickness of the snowboard and how the core is profiled (positive, negative or neutral core profiling).
But there is a way you can test in store. If you’re going to “measure”, this is how it should be done:
Attach bindings (loosely) in your preferred stance, strap boot in to bindings, flip the board over, centre boots (in regards to heel/toe so you have equal overhang) by sliding the loose binding until it’s in place and flip the board back over. You can then unstrap the bindings and tighten the screws a bit and then strap the boots back in. Now, on a flat surface, i.e., the floor, simply tip your snowboard over onto the edge until your boots hit the ground.
This is the most accurate way to test, and will give you an exact visual as to how much edge angle you can have before you boots will dig in. If it requires significant angle, i.e., 45 degrees, you should be fine.
Note: If you are really considering a purchase, no snowboard store will mind you doing a test like this in store. I used to do it for customers all the time. If they aren’t helpful in this situation, find a better store.
Great answer! Thanks!