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flow bindings?

277K views 414 replies 116 participants last post by  Wiredsport 
G
#1 ·
Hey guys thinking about getting new flow step in bindings? How do you like them? any positives or negatives? they seem so convenient. thanks. peace.:thumbsup:
 
#127 ·
I used Flow bindings for a week in Niseko, and I personally think quick-release, bindings are alright. I found the 'mono-strap' (I don't know what they call it), and the highbacks actually quite comfortable once I had everything done nice & tight. It's nice to quickly strap in standing up, if you wanna strap in while sitting: do up the highback and use the ratchets like regular bindings.

Given that, I prefer regular bindings. The main reason that it's pretty tricky putting Flow bindings on/off in deep powder. I've heard people say quick-release bindigs aren't responsive but the pair I had in December were tight, responsive enough, and rather comfy. But not for powder.
 
#128 · (Edited)
You can use flows like regular bindings as well though. You can keep the high back up and just release the ratchets when you're in pow.

And I've never heard people says flows had response (maybe quick release bindings in general, but not flows), but response is one of the strongest suits of their higher end bindings.
 
#133 ·
If you like the design of the Flows, get the Gnu bindings,I had Flow NXT-FS bindings for awhile them I got gnu streets,I love them so much more than the flows.
 
#141 ·
I love my flow bindings, i really enjoy the convenience of just pulling a lever and im in, can still stand around and shoot the shit with my friends
 
#142 ·
Quick question for all you flow binding users. My friend who started snowboarding last year bought some flow flite 2 bindings and is having trouble.

1) She can't yet balance standing still on the snow so she is struggling to get into the binding.
its near impossible whilst sitting down. I am recommending she find something she can grab hold of so she can strap in while standing up.
Any other advice?

2)Clipping them shut at the back requires quite a bit of strength. She is 61 and by no means a powerhouse although she is not feeble either. I have them in my hand now and it does seem to take more effort than it should to clip it shut on the highback.
Do they just need to be broken in? any other tips?

Last year I lent her my wifes bindings because she was pregnant but hope to get it sorted so she can rock these.
I recommended she get flow because I thought it would be the easiest for her to use.

Any help to increase this ladys enjoyment on the mountain will be much appreciated.
She got basic turns more or less down last season. She should be ripping it up by the end of this one:thumbsup:.
 
#143 ·
Quick question for all you flow binding users. My friend who started snowboarding last year bought some flow flite 2 bindings and is having trouble.

1) She can't yet balance standing still on the snow so she is struggling to get into the binding.
its near impossible whilst sitting down. I am recommending she find something she can grab hold of so she can strap in while standing up.
Any other advice?

2)Clipping them shut at the back requires quite a bit of strength. She is 61 and by no means a powerhouse although she is not feeble either. I have them in my hand now and it does seem to take more effort than it should to clip it shut on the highback.
Do they just need to be broken in? any other tips?

1st: sounds like the power strap is to tight. A very small kick into the strap and my boot is snug and the high back goes up with ease and a snap of the lever. Not much effort.

2nd: is she flat based and the board is sliding away or from under her when she is trying to clip in? Depending on the terrain might be necessary to stand on an edge.

Sounds like they are not set-up correctly. Who did them for her? Her highback may be leaning to far forward causing the cable to be really tight. Or her cable may be set in the forward most position making it to tight again. I would suggest re-adjusting them or having a shop adjust them.

Hope this helped
 
#148 ·
Thanks for all the tips guys,

I will put up a video once she has a little more style in those turns.

when I am holding the binding in my hand without a boot in it its quite stiff to click shut or open again.

She has solomon boots 24cm and the bindings are medium size so no issue there. Did someone say solomons don't fit well with flow bindings?

either way its stiff to close without a boot in it.

I promise you its not the set up. The highback and cable are at their most open position. The highback is straight and the cable will not go any looser.

I am no expert, but I am no moron either and have set up lots of different bindings before. As I said my wife also worked in a board/ski shop for 15 years. Between the two of us I think we have it as it should be.

I opened and closed them like 100 times each last night and they are definitely easier to open and close but still too stiff for a weaker girl/older lady. Its just not a fluid motion and takes a little elbow grease. More than it should IMO.

I am not having a go at flow bindings at all. A few of my friends have used them for years no complaints.

At this point I have a feeling they are faulty and will take them back to the place she bought them. Still under warranty.
I will add that all binding makers will have faulty goods on occasion and its not that flow are any worse than other makers.

The other issue of putting them on while sitting down is real and I think flow bindings may not be suited to absolute beginners who are less athletic.
I suggested sitting facing the mountain already, but unless you have very good abs thats a hard thing to do.

I am certainly not blaming flow bindings, but perhaps the place where she bought them could have foreseen that for her it would be easier with regular strap on bindings.
 
#150 ·
How's the heelcup part of the highback?

I know my Team's are a biatch to close when I'm wearing 32 boots; the heelcup area of the Team highback is fairly narrow and my 32's are fairly wide.

Of course, if you're finding them on the tight side without a boot in there then you might want to look at sending them back and seeing what can be done.

And by the way, that's awesome that she's boarding well into her 60's!! Sometimes I wonder how mobile I'll be at that age and it's encouraging to here stories like this. :)
 
#151 ·
She is awesome. She is 61 and until last year she had never skied or boarded.
On top of that she was diagnosed with a form of TB that they cannot treat. She was given a year to live by the crocks.
She decided to just stay active and forget about it, live to the full with however long she has left.

Well 2 years on since she was given 1 year and now they say they can't find the problem bacteria anymore!

guess having fun was the best cure.

here is a vid of her enjoying the summer outdoor fun. Will definitely post up a vid of her boarding this winter.

 
#154 ·
I've been riding flow bindings since 2003 when my roomate would stomp his boot in flip up the back and taunt me to hurry up.
When I bought my first pair, I followed the INSTRUCTIONS to fit them properly and have never had to make an adjustment since. They fit my boots nice and snug I have no foot pain at all and personally love the quick rear entry ;) .
When I get off a lift I usually push a few times and flip up the back while riding, sometimes I get caught up and its quite comical but usually have no problem just getting off the lift and riding down where I want to go.
The older versions are entirely rear entry while the newer ones can be ratcheted down for a more traditional entry.
The best way to get in in the deep pow is facing up hill, but then again why would you need to strap in in the deep and steep, get better and don't fall!
 
#155 ·
gonna keep a very long story short, sold my flow m9's and going back to regular bindings this year... got 2012 rome 390 bouussssee, thought the idea of flows was sweet, but they where never practical, never felt right in them and it wasn't as easy to put on when on top of the mountain as advertised....
 
#156 ·
Just to update about my friends flows with the catchy release mechanism.
They acknowledged the problem and took them back. They filed them down or something because the same ones came back. They are a little easier and she should be able to open and close them, still not super smooth IMO.

Either way that still doesn't solve her problem of getting her feet into the bindings while sitting down. I think for unathletic total beginners flows are not the way to go.

A friend of mine is giving her an old pair of ratchet style bindings which will work. So in the end they were a waste of money for her, which could have been avoided if I/she had known how hard they are to get into while sitting down.

She will be hitting the slopes in a few weeks and I will get a video up of her turns.
 
#157 ·
Flow's Blow. at least they did for me. I could never get them to feel tight. always messing with them. And hated them in pow. I could never get them cleaned out enough to get my foot in there. Then being pissed at them, shoved my foot in them with a little snow in there, Hit a harmless tree while riding in jackson and one of my flows literally shattered into no less than 10 pieces. Never touched a pair since. I will say I do have friends that ride them and like them and I don't recall anyone telling them that they are gay for being the first one strapped in at the top of a mountain.
 
#190 · (Edited)
Neversumrrider the above was a much better opinion stated but you still forgot why they broke on page 15.
Hit a harmless tree while riding in jackson and one of my flows literally shattered into no less than 10 pieces.
The story changes a little each time you post.

You crashed into a tree, and yes they can be intimidating to set up. But there are tons of videos, instructions and tips from fellow members. Fact as you stated in your post you hit a tree, maybe not as harmless as you thought.

That is fine, not everyone likes them, not everyone is happy with the 390 boss'es either or any other binding. Again hitting something doesn't mean they "blow" as you stated.
Yes they aren't for everyone, there are pro's/con's to every product in life. A well stated case will help each member make an informed decision.

I truly enjoy mine for the speed and my customer service was super. Just my experience, so now someone can read both our opinions and make an informed choice on what is best for them. That is all we can do to help.
 
#160 · (Edited)
Hey all.

disclaimers:
-First of all.. I did not read the whole thread so my apologies if this has already been recommended.
-Secondly. I have never rode anything but traditional strap in bindings because I like to crank my bindings down pretty tight

I am on the fence with buying a pair of "easy access" bindings BUT NOT FOR my regular riding.
What I would like is a binding that I can easily strap in with one hand for kite-boarding. Without having someone with you to help launch your kite (depending on the wind) it can sometimes be difficult to use two hands to strap in after launching your kite. It is doable but I just want to simplify the process. I looked at flows but did not like the one- piece strap for some reason. Seems like if you wanted to strap in to them traditionally.. it would be a pain in the @$$.

K2 makes a traditional strap binding with the same mechanic as flow. This is what I might get for my kite-board and if for some reason I wanted to go snowboard with them and use them as traditional strap bindings.. the option is still there for me.

I haven't bought them yet or know if I actually will but I figured I would share.. Like I said though, I have never tried them so I don't know if they are good or not.
Bindings | K2 Snowboarding 2011-12
 
#161 ·
The K2's are a bit more complicated with their mechanics; as the the back opens down, the front part tilts up a bit. The Flows have only one moving hinge. K2's require a down and forward move, and Flows a bit of sideways and in if you angle your back binding. But both binders, when adjusted right, IMO are easily one handed. I'm using my Flows now mainly for short run venues, teaching, when I'm just lazy. I owned a pair of older Cinch binders that weren't as light or techy as the new ones. I have a friend that absolutely swears by the new K2 Cinch's for all purpose shred.
 
#165 ·
As with most things, it's not black and white. I own Flows and regular bindings on different boards, and I prefer the Flows, but that's mostly personal preference. Here's some observations:

1) Flows are more fiddly to set up -- NOT! I had more trouble setting up my Rome SDS bindings than my Flow NXT-ATs. The proper setup isn't as obvious when you're not used to Flows, but that's about the most you can say. With any binding, once it's set up, it's pretty much a no-brainer.

2) Flows don't give you as much control -- NOT! Sorry, no. Bindings come in a range of suitabilities for different use, and Flows aren't particularly at the top or at the bottom. the characteristics are slightly different, but that's no different than getting used to a new board.

3) Flows are harder to strap in on a slope. Unfortunately true. I find on a slope I have to turn to face uphill. It's not ideal. For those times that I'm hiking up for my laps, I prefer the Romes.

4) Flows are harder to strap in when there's a lot of powder. Also true. You tend to pack the snow forward of your boots and under your boots as you kick in. In those situations, standard bucklers are easier to clear.

5) You can strap into traditional bindings just as fast as someone with Flows. Bullshit. Post a video and I'll reconsider, but until then, bullshit. In the vid I posted in "contour, not great so far", I kicked in while moving away from the lift. Do that.

6) Flows break more. Um, and yet we have a LOT of threads from people who've had toe straps break, highbacks break, etc etc etc on standard bindings. Anyone can have a bad experience with any particular binding, but I don't see any indication of Flows being any worse (or better) than any other.

7) When you're stuck in the deep snow, getting out of Flows is way harder than just unzipping the traditional bindings. Frankly if I was doing back-country, I would NOT use Flows.

Anyway, that's my take on Flows. YMMV, and probably will.
 
#167 ·
Why are you even bothering to comment? You don't like them...we get it. There are hundreds who don't, but most of them don't need to be shitbags about it. There are people who come here seriously considering them. Unless you're going to take the time to give them an honest to god review (For Example: Donutz) then move a long.

Have you owned a pair? Let me guess, a friend did and he cried about them and all your factual evidence is second hand? That kind of useless blathering is what steers people away before they get a chance to consider their options.

Unrelated note: With the 12's, you can strap in traditionally if you want. With that, you can save yourself some trouble in deep pow or on an incline.
 
#168 ·
I agree with you, I don't understand why people bash them and have never tried them...It's as if they're in gr.3 all over again, I personally didn't like my flow m9's but explained why I didn't like them but wouldn't bash anyone who uses them and prefers flows. What difference does it make to you if someone else likes to ride with flow bindings????
 
#170 · (Edited)
I have a pair of 09/10 Flow NXT-AT's, and my adjuster on the highback stopped working around the middle of last season. I can also tell you that you need to make sure that the binding isn't too big for the boot that you are using because if you use one of the boots like Burton that have the shrinkage tech then you might need to move to a smaller binding. That happened in my case because I wear a size 9 boot which puts me right in the middle of medium and large bindings, and once I picked up my '11 Burton Ion's I started to get some serious foot pains. I was using a 09 158 Flow Strike with those bindings, and once I got to the point where I wanted to do some extreme carving I really had to put a lot of force into my turns, and I weigh 195lbs so I can put a whole lot of muscle into my turns if I really want to. I'm going to try out my '12 Burton Prophecy's this year and see how I like using traditional bindings. I did rent for a couple years, but I don't think my opinion mattered much then because I still considered myself as a noob back then. I'm using a '12 157 T. Rice HP Pro as well so I don't think it would be a completely fair assessment unless I put the new bindings on my old board. I might try out my old board with the new bindings one day this year so that I can give everyone an accurate review of whether I think one is better than the other.

Overall: My Flow's were great for getting me from being a beginner rider to an advanced level. I've used them in trees, steeps, moggles, deep pow, groomers, jumps, and damn near everything in between without any real issues (except for rails, boxes, and pipe just because I don't ride that type of stuff yet). I think that they would make a great binding for someone as long as you have a boot that fits them properly. I would still be using Flow's, but I wanted to try something new that's why I decided to buy some Burton's this go around.
 
#173 ·
He claims the physics prevent proper control, yet guys like Scotty Lago can shred righteously without a problem. If the physics were so dynamically different, they'd choose another binding.

Also, apparently I need to "mellow out" because I have bad knees and it's much easier for me to not have to sit down and stand up 40 extra times a day. And for the record, I'm quite mellow and I do take my time on the mountain. I'm not making speed of entry a "must have" feature of Flow's. Yeah, it's convenient, but there are other great factors.

And finally, your grasp of "common sense" and "basic physics" are questionable at best. You have yet to show me sound reason to back up your arguments. And yes, I read your gibberish about "force per unit of measure"...but until I see some documentation or statistics to back it up, it's simple hogwash. I could proceed to try and explain the power triangle and how the highback is actually hooked to the center of the baseplate to account for the difference in fit that Flow's afford. I have a feeling it would be time wasted, as you have yet to see and/or understand simple logic and things like preference.


Keep coming back for more. This is cheaper than movie tickets.
 
#175 · (Edited)
Scotty Lago is an world class athlete. He could do the same shit on any bindings. The same way Jordan could play ball with running shoes. Jesus Christ he's sponsored by them. It's marketing. I could shred the same on rentals as I do on my current gear. My shit just makes it easier.

Documentation? Open up your son's physics book. I didn't say less control, I said more force is required because there is more strap. Try and push a refrigerator by applying your body weight against the entire surface area. It probably won't budge. Or if it does, you'll apply a lot more force. Now try pushing it by the corner. Chances are it will fucking move. With less force. Derp derp, it's called pressure points and they are more precise.

And on the note of hogwash, I could just easily dispute anything you claimed that attributes flows as great bindings the same. There's no documentation. An opinion is not scientific. Your word of them being great bindings is no more validated then me saying they are too expensive for what they offer. Because there is no "documentation" behind it.

If you want to drop 289 dollars for Lago's NXT-AT or whatever the fuck it's called go ahead. In that price point you could get much better shit. In the 150-200$ pricepoint range, Flows just don't cut it.

The same way Leo didn't like Unions and came to the conclusion that for the money, Union just isn't worth it. I'm dishing the same shit. I could do this all day cupcake.

Keep coming back for more. This is cheaper than movie tickets.
I agree. It's like railing a floppy vagina. Except with your cheesy grin, I lose any and all forms of arousal. Like I mentioned before, I wasn't knocking on your fucking preference. But since you're so eager to keep this up, lets go.
 
#174 ·
Like most things its personal preference.
Some people love flows some don't.
Either way they are not "worse" or "better", they just are what they are.

You don't like them? Don't ride em. You like em, ride em.

This whole argument has been repeated on this thread several times over. lets move on.

I personally would say they might not be the best for a total beginner who is not very sporty to start with because they are not easy to get into until you can stand with some stability on your edge.
Other than that In see people shred perfectly well in flows and other bindings.

As with boards the rider is far far more important than the gear.
 
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