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Binding Reccomendations
Ok, Here i go again with another hardware question.
I just ordered an 162 Arbor element. I need some bindings for it- the kind that buckle, not the step in ones. What do you folks recommend? Something somewhat inexpensive but of good quality. I am no pro so I dont need a set of $200 bindings, unless there is a good reason for buying them. I do not do much park riding, just a lot of free riding. Any thoughts yall may have will be appreciated. Thanks again |
I got some Burton Customs on sale, and have been very pleased thus far.
Well made, secure, nice edge control (especially with stiffer boots), and good comfort levels. I found some for 89$ US. I'm sure other folks will have differing opinions. have a nice day roah |
Check out Ebay for cheap bindings.
Since you have Burton boots, Burton bindings will fit well with them. Someone mentioned the Burton Custom, - while the lower models of the Burton are afforable, my personal opinion is that they aren't secure enough for you more freeride oriented riding - Burton bindings in general tend to have a lot of play in them - I think that's just Burton's style. The Burton Missions are a good solid pair of bindings ($170 though). The Burton P1MDs are my current bindings (I just sold my Cateks to Mike!) and they are a nice blend of dampened smooth riding with decent responsiveness - unfortunately they cost $270 retail - but I got mine on Ebay for $80 (with a Burton Fish that I wanted to try out). Burton makes you pay a premium for their brand name, and while their high end stuff is usually decent... it's the lower end stuff that I would shy away from - so I'm not a big Burton fan in general. For a cheaper alternative I would suggest Ride bindings (LX, EX)... they are excellent bindings and can often be gotten at good prices. I assume that since Burton bindings doesn't go well with Salomon boots, the reverse is true... otherwise I would recommend the Salomon SP4 as it is a sturdy, freeride oriented bindings ($180). In my opinion the Ride and Salomon the lower-end bindings are still decent bindings. Howlee wrote: Ok, Here i go again with another hardware question. I just ordered an 162 Arbor element. I need some bindings for it- the kind that buckle, not the step in ones. What do you folks recommend? Something somewhat inexpensive but of good quality. I am no pro so I dont need a set of $200 bindings, unless there is a good reason for buying them. I do not do much park riding, just a lot of free riding. Any thoughts yall may have will be appreciated. Thanks again |
The Burton Missions are a good solid pair of bindings ($170 though).
My wife got a pair of new Missions over the summer on eBay for $60. she likes them so far. (I just sold my Cateks to Mike!) Hoping to try them out tonight :) |
"Mike T" wrote in message news:Pl9Rd.10010$uc.3889@trnddc01... The Burton Missions are a good solid pair of bindings ($170 though). My wife got a pair of new Missions over the summer on eBay for $60. she likes them so far. (I just sold my Cateks to Mike!) Hoping to try them out tonight :) Lonerider, why did you sell the Cateks? Just curious as I got a pair recently - and love 'em! Andy |
Andy Sandford wrote:
"Mike T" wrote in message news:Pl9Rd.10010$uc.3889@trnddc01... (I just sold my Cateks to Mike!) Hoping to try them out tonight :) Lonerider, why did you sell the Cateks? Just curious as I got a pair recently - and love 'em! Andy Partially because I wanted to try a new pair of bindings :) The first thing is that the big circular footprint of the bindings really stiffen up the flex of the board, which maybe be fine for most boards... but it made my Donek Incline (one of the stiffest boards in existence) even stiffer and I couldn't control the radius of my turns like I used to (tightening them on demand). Maybe if I start out on a softer board it would able been okay... but I didn't like the way the flex felt on my Donek. Furthermore, the bindings are a bit jarring - like if you land long/short on a jump... or more importantly if you are trying to lay down deep hard carves in tracked out, bumpy, or variable condition snow. So basically these two affects suddenly made me really tentative on firm, steep slopes as I would have to make big side to side arcs across the trail at high speeds in order to flex the board, where a few small bumps would first start to tire out my legs, and then towards end of the day pop me off my carves. Finally... I'm just not a tinkerer... I didn't use the cant/lift very much (1/1 and 1/2) and hated having to seatch for my "favored" stance options, ontop of all that fiddling/tinkering, I didn't like having to check and tighten all my bolts everyday (I know I should have put on more locktite). Everything kept loosening on me and that got annoying (yes I do the 1/2 turn trick with the kingpin and cant screws, I mean the toe/heelstraps/heelcup/disc screws) and I was afraid of stripping everything with the 4mm heads (Mike I gave you BOL 5mm screw replacements that I had just gotten). Overall... I liked the Catek Freerides... but they didn't work well with the super stiff board I had, which I discovered when I put my Burton P1MD (which were supposedly my "crappy" bindings since I got them for $80, even though they sell for $260) on to my Donek. So until I get a softer board in a year or two (Donek Phoenix) I decided to let someone else try the Cateks. I might go back to the Cateks in the future... and hopefully when they have refined the design a bit by adding some damping material to the base-plate (either between board/disk, or plate/foot) and order adjusting the heelcup so that the top strap fits a little higher on the foot. --Arvin |
Partially because I wanted to try a new pair of bindings :) The first
thing is that the big circular footprint of the bindings really stiffen up the flex of the board, which maybe be fine for most boards... but it made my Donek Incline (one of the stiffest boards in existence) even stiffer and I couldn't control the radius of my turns like I used to (tightening them on demand). Maybe if I start out on a softer board it would able been okay... but I didn't like the way the flex felt on my Donek. I took them out for a spin last night, on some pretty crusty snow, it had been above freezing all day and as soon as it got dark it got really cold. I rode them on an older Incline 168, which is clearly softer than a new Incline 168 would be, but still a stiff board. This particular pair has Salomon SPX6 highbacks and straps, which is part of the reason I bought them from lonerider - I really like the Salomon straps. In any case, my initial impressions are thumbs up. I own Salomon SP6's so the highback and straps are essentially the same. The felt somewhat more responsive that the straight Salomon. But not too much. I rode them flat for half the evening and then added a little toe lift in ftont and heel lift i back, which improved my toesides and hurt my heelsides. Definitely going to play with that some more. The difference in feel surprised me a bit - I actually found the Cateks to feel a little damper than the Salomons. That really surprised me. I didn't notice the board flexing any differently but I am 195 pounds to lonerider's 150-something. I was expecting some jarring like lonerider experienced. Then again those SP6's are pretty damn stiff themselves. I might go back to the Cateks in the future... and hopefully when they have refined the design a bit by adding some damping material to the base-plate (either between board/disk, or plate/foot) and order adjusting the heelcup so that the top strap fits a little higher on the foot. I can think of a few other places where there is room for improvement: 1) I can feel the bottom of the metal heel cup holder through my boot. I did not hit any jumps last night and I'm not sure I want to with that metal ready to bruise me heel. That part needs to be shaped more ergonomically. I think simply lowering the heel cup would help. 2) Most soft bindings seem to have some kind of raised material running down the sides, which helps guide your foot into position when you strap in. These have nothing. It makes it harder to strap in standing up. I'd like to see something added there. Overall - my favorite soft binding to date. These will go on my Donek Wide which is my favorite freeride board to date :) I too would like to see the next generation. Also, a new pair seems a bit pricey. Again, part of the reason I bought lonerider's used pair was because I wouldn't have to cannibalize my Salomons for the straps! Mike T |
"lonerider" wrote in message oups.com... Check out Ebay for cheap bindings. Since you have Burton boots, Burton bindings will fit well with them. Someone mentioned the Burton Custom, - while the lower models of the Burton are afforable, my personal opinion is that they aren't secure enough for you more freeride oriented riding - Burton bindings in general tend to have a lot of play in them - I think that's just Burton's style. The Burton Missions are a good solid pair of bindings ($170 though). The Burton P1MDs are my current bindings (I just sold my Cateks to Mike!) and they are a nice blend of dampened smooth riding with decent responsiveness - unfortunately they cost $270 retail - but I got mine on Ebay for $80 (with a Burton Fish that I wanted to try out). Burton makes you pay a premium for their brand name, and while their high end stuff is usually decent... it's the lower end stuff that I would shy away from - so I'm not a big Burton fan in general. Yep, the P1s are good. They have this system where you can move the strap position without taking the bindings off the board which is actually quite useful. (forward setting for jumps and rails, rear setting for cruising). One thing to watch though is that the straps are non-standard and most shops don't stock them so could be a good idea to get a spare set. Jay. |
"Mike T" wrote in message news:_xyRd.42142$Dc.12921@trnddc06... Partially because I wanted to try a new pair of bindings :) The first thing is that the big circular footprint of the bindings really stiffen up the flex of the board, which maybe be fine for most boards... but it made my Donek Incline (one of the stiffest boards in existence) even stiffer and I couldn't control the radius of my turns like I used to (tightening them on demand). Maybe if I start out on a softer board it would able been okay... but I didn't like the way the flex felt on my Donek. I took them out for a spin last night, on some pretty crusty snow, it had been above freezing all day and as soon as it got dark it got really cold. I rode them on an older Incline 168, which is clearly softer than a new Incline 168 would be, but still a stiff board. This particular pair has Salomon SPX6 highbacks and straps, which is part of the reason I bought them from lonerider - I really like the Salomon straps. In any case, my initial impressions are thumbs up. I own Salomon SP6's so the highback and straps are essentially the same. The felt somewhat more responsive that the straight Salomon. But not too much. I rode them flat for half the evening and then added a little toe lift in ftont and heel lift i back, which improved my toesides and hurt my heelsides. Definitely going to play with that some more. The difference in feel surprised me a bit - I actually found the Cateks to feel a little damper than the Salomons. That really surprised me. I didn't notice the board flexing any differently but I am 195 pounds to lonerider's 150-something. I was expecting some jarring like lonerider experienced. Then again those SP6's are pretty damn stiff themselves. I might go back to the Cateks in the future... and hopefully when they have refined the design a bit by adding some damping material to the base-plate (either between board/disk, or plate/foot) and order adjusting the heelcup so that the top strap fits a little higher on the foot. I can think of a few other places where there is room for improvement: 1) I can feel the bottom of the metal heel cup holder through my boot. I did not hit any jumps last night and I'm not sure I want to with that metal ready to bruise me heel. That part needs to be shaped more ergonomically. I think simply lowering the heel cup would help. 2) Most soft bindings seem to have some kind of raised material running down the sides, which helps guide your foot into position when you strap in. These have nothing. It makes it harder to strap in standing up. I'd like to see something added there. Overall - my favorite soft binding to date. These will go on my Donek Wide which is my favorite freeride board to date :) I too would like to see the next generation. Also, a new pair seems a bit pricey. Again, part of the reason I bought lonerider's used pair was because I wouldn't have to cannibalize my Salomons for the straps! Mike T Living in the UK, I've only ridden my Cateks a few times on an artificial slope, but compared to my old Drakes they are a big improvement. I too have a Donek (Wide 161) and the Drakes just weren't up to the job - They would flex loads before the board responded. Weighing in at 210lbs, the Cateks give me much more feel. There are a few small kickers on the slope - I haven't noticed any harshness on landing, but my boots are very solid (Salomon Malamutes) so this may explain it. I've used Loctite on all the hardware and nothing has loosened so far... I actually put Loctite on the kingpin first time 'round - DO NOT DO THIS! It took a LOT of effort to disassemble it and I was very lucky to manage it at all... Off to Les Deux Alpes next weekend to try them out on some real snow - can't wait!! Cheers Andy |
Andy Sandford wrote:
I've used Loctite on all the hardware and nothing has loosened so far... I actually put Loctite on the kingpin first time 'round - DO NOT DO THIS! It took a LOT of effort to disassemble it and I was very lucky to manage it at all... Off to Les Deux Alpes next weekend to try them out on some real snow - can't wait!! have fun Andy.....oh, and ease up on the LT will ya :-) I laugh when I see people with all the hardware on everything they own looking like they painted it blue. not good! LOL bri -- * enjoying the karma * remove LKJSDFJSD from address to email |
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