'05 Flow Team Bindings
 

Hi

Anyone have any experience of this years Team?

I tried a pair of Flows years ago, when they first came out - but never
really got on with them. I was a novice and never felt that the (cheap)
boots I had at the time worked too well with them. I had to tighten the
bindings so much (to prevent heel lift) that I was in agony!

I owned a pair of Clickers (with Yak boots) 5 or so years ago and thought
they were great - problem was the boots packed out, and the dreaded heel
lift (and blisters) returned.....

At the mo' I've got a pair of Salomon Malamutes that are a couple of years
old and fit me perfectly - bindings are Drake straps. Problem is the boots
are nice and stiff, but they make my bindings feel like they're made out of
rubber - they flex so badly that they feel like they're going to snap and
leave the baseplates on the board - minus the rest of the bindings... and
me!

Does anyone know whether Malamutes are a good fit in the Teams and whether
they're worth the money - or is it going to be a (very) expensive
experiment? They're £300 over here in the UK! 8o((

Also, if anyone has any advice for other stiff straps I could try with my
boots I'd be very grateful...

I prefer freeriding, largely 'cos I can't spin and don't bounce like I used
to...

My board is a Donek Wide...

Cheers

Andy

"Andy Sandford" wrote in message ...
Hi

Anyone have any experience of this years Team?

(snip)

At the mo' I've got a pair of Salomon Malamutes that are a couple of years
old and fit me perfectly - bindings are Drake straps. Problem is the boots
are nice and stiff, but they make my bindings feel like they're made out of
rubber - they flex so badly that they feel like they're going to snap and
leave the baseplates on the board - minus the rest of the bindings... and
me!

Does anyone know whether Malamutes are a good fit in the Teams and whether
they're worth the money - or is it going to be a (very) expensive
experiment? They're £300 over here in the UK! 8o((

I ride in last years Malamutes and they fit into flows very well. I
was using a pair of Flow BX21s from a couple of years ago though. Not
sure if the Team would fit different.


Also, if anyone has any advice for other stiff straps I could try with my
boots I'd be very grateful...


Look at the Catek Freeride or Freeride Pro. They are the stiffest
soft bindings out there; designed by a plate binding company. I moved
from Flows to the Freeride Pros and they are great. The ability to
cant the binding has allowed me to be comfortable with a wider stance
and now my stability on steeps is much improved.

The other benefit is in supporting a grass roots manufacturer. Call
to order bindings or for tech support and you talk directly to the
owner and designer.

www.catek.com

Enjoy!

Mark

I prefer freeriding, largely 'cos I can't spin and don't bounce like I used
to...

My board is a Donek Wide...

Cheers

Andy

Thanks for the tip on Cateks - had a look at their site, the reviews I've
since read rate them VERY highly!

Don't s'pose anyone knows if I can get them over here in the UK? ...and if
so, how much?

Cheers

Andy


"Mark Andersen" wrote in message
om...
"Andy Sandford" wrote in message
...
Hi

Anyone have any experience of this years Team?

(snip)

At the mo' I've got a pair of Salomon Malamutes that are a couple of
years
old and fit me perfectly - bindings are Drake straps. Problem is the
boots
are nice and stiff, but they make my bindings feel like they're made out
of
rubber - they flex so badly that they feel like they're going to snap
and
leave the baseplates on the board - minus the rest of the bindings...
and
me!

Does anyone know whether Malamutes are a good fit in the Teams and
whether
they're worth the money - or is it going to be a (very) expensive
experiment? They're £300 over here in the UK! 8o((

I ride in last years Malamutes and they fit into flows very well. I
was using a pair of Flow BX21s from a couple of years ago though. Not
sure if the Team would fit different.


Also, if anyone has any advice for other stiff straps I could try with
my
boots I'd be very grateful...


Look at the Catek Freeride or Freeride Pro. They are the stiffest
soft bindings out there; designed by a plate binding company. I moved
from Flows to the Freeride Pros and they are great. The ability to
cant the binding has allowed me to be comfortable with a wider stance
and now my stability on steeps is much improved.

The other benefit is in supporting a grass roots manufacturer. Call
to order bindings or for tech support and you talk directly to the
owner and designer.

www.catek.com

Enjoy!

Mark

I prefer freeriding, largely 'cos I can't spin and don't bounce like I
used
to...

My board is a Donek Wide...

Cheers

Andy

Don't s'pose anyone knows if I can get them over here in the UK? ...and if
so, how much?

Catek sells direct, so that shouldn't be a problem. Try sending Catek an
email ). I've ridden the Catek plate bindings, very very
nice indeed. My next set of "soft" bindings will most likely be Cateks.

Mike T

Mike T wrote:

Catek sells direct, so that shouldn't be a problem. Try sending Catek an
email ). I've ridden the Catek plate bindings, very very
nice indeed. My next set of "soft" bindings will most likely be Cateks.


to original poster, maybe try looking at some Drakes also. see previous
thread from last week, might help you for more background info.

the Catek's Freerides are really nice. I checked them out via web about
a year ago and said hmm expensive, but I still want some. you won't
find any "slightly used" or in the clearance bin from last year
obviously, but I've never even run into anyone on the slopes that had
them either so I could ask their experience with 'em - or try stepping
in just for kicks. the canting idea is great and they seem like some of
the strongest, lightweight, stiffest (and most adjustable obviously)
bindings around. I hate how all the other binding manufacturers simply
slap some pretty plastic together or fancier padding and declare them
their top of the line bindings, sometimes the price tag matching the
Freerides or even higher! quite ridiculous and I dislike anything too
plasticky which is almost all the bindings you find out there in stores.

bri

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"Andy Sandford" wrote in message ...

Also, if anyone has any advice for other stiff straps I could try with my
boots I'd be very grateful...

I prefer freeriding, largely 'cos I can't spin and don't bounce like I used
to...

My board is a Donek Wide...

Cheers

Andy

Hey Andy, I recently got a pair of Catek Freerides
(http://www.catek.com/freeride.htm) and put them on my Donek Incline
155 and they just rock in terms of response and control. My pair are
modified though - the stock highback and straps have been replaced the
setup from a pair of Salomon SP6s (I bought them used). I'm slightly
skeptical of the normal strap setup, so I would suggest getting the
Pros if you have the money. The Pros are about the most expensive
bidnings I've ever seen, but if you just look at them, there is no
question as to whether you could possibly get a stiffer, more
adjustable binding. The Nidecker 900s are a bit cheaper (250 vs
330USD), with the same straps... and perhaps a bit better if you were
still taking jumps because of the added padding... but of course the
Freerides are for... freeriding... I have taken them in the park and
they are decent... but the shock of an all machined aluminum binding
is a bit more than a plastic binding - to the point that I would
prefer something else for heavy park riding.

bri719 wrote in message ...

you won't
find any "slightly used" or in the clearance bin from last year
obviously, but I've never even run into anyone on the slopes that had
them either so I could ask their experience with 'em - or try stepping
in just for kicks. the canting idea is great and they seem like some of
the strongest, lightweight, stiffest (and most adjustable obviously)
bindings around.

bri

They do show up on classifieds occasionally. I bought my pros for
$250 (mounted but never ridden). If you are patient, you might get
lucky.

They are the strongest, stiffest, and most adjustable, but they
*aren't* light. I weighed my size large freeride pros at 2lbs 14.4ozs
*per foot*. I believe that is at the heavy end of things. However,
other than being heavy on the lift and in the parking lot, I didn't
notice the weight.

The canting is by far the biggest plus. Last season I bought a couple
sets of Burton's old UniCants to fine tune my wife's stance. The
cants allowed her to use a wider stance and alieviate some foot pain
she was experiencing. I noticed the effect of the canting in her
riding immediately. Unfortunately, the UniCants aren't beefy enough
to hold up to a guy my size (they break fairly easily when pushed). I
noticed what felt like the same effect when I tried the Cateks last
weekend. I ran a stance about 1" wider than usual and my stability
and balance were much improved.

My only complaint is the 4mm hex key hardware; I'm afraid they might
strip over time with lots of board swapping. Fortunately,
Bomberonline.com sells custom M6x12mm screws with a 5mm hex key. I
replaced all the orig screws with the Bomber stuff. Once I get the
things adjusted to my liking, I'll locktite all the hardware to avoid
losing screws.

Mark

Mark Andersen wrote:

My only complaint is the 4mm hex key hardware; I'm afraid they might
strip over time with lots of board swapping. Fortunately,
Bomberonline.com sells custom M6x12mm screws with a 5mm hex key. I
replaced all the orig screws with the Bomber stuff. Once I get the
things adjusted to my liking, I'll locktite all the hardware to avoid
losing screws.



cool!

you might e-mail this suggestion to tech support @ Catek too. I'd be
interested to hear their response or whether they'd consider changing
the hardware in the future.

bri

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you might e-mail this suggestion to tech support @ Catek too. I'd be
interested to hear their response or whether they'd consider changing the
hardware in the future.

I made that suggestion to Catek a year ago! Apparently the custom made
screws that Bomber uses are not cheap....


Mike T

Mike T wrote:

I made that suggestion to Catek a year ago! Apparently the custom made
screws that Bomber uses are not cheap....



hmm, damn.

you'd think they couldn't cost that much. I used to know a guy who
worked for an aerospace fastener company, too, I might have told him to
send them a bid.

bri

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