If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
'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 |
Ads |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
"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 |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
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 |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
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 |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
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 -- * enjoying the karma * remove LKJSDFJSD from address to email |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
"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. |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
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 |
#8
|
|||
|
|||
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 -- * enjoying the karma * remove LKJSDFJSD from address to email |
#9
|
|||
|
|||
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 |
#10
|
|||
|
|||
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 -- * enjoying the karma * remove LKJSDFJSD from address to email |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Boots for Flow bindings? | corbeau | Snowboarding | 0 | February 4th 04 01:41 AM |
flow bindings | jakob | Snowboarding | 1 | January 15th 04 03:24 AM |
Flow Bindings this year? | Tavish Muldoon | Snowboarding | 4 | December 2nd 03 02:20 AM |
Flow Bindings - Mounting discs | mr E | Snowboarding | 0 | November 23rd 03 04:08 AM |
Flow Bindings | mr E | Snowboarding | 1 | November 15th 03 06:32 AM |