doylerules

I know that is is a dead horse that keeps getting poked with the peverbial stick.......
current set up
2010 bataleon undisputed
2009 Celcius climate boots size 11
2009 technine nines bindings large

I will start with a little insight to my issues, I have really wide feet, this year I have been getting really bad foot pains(the outside and inside of my foot falling asleep, feeling like the sides of my feet were being folded/squashed together). so I tried 3 pairs of new boots this year. flows/thirty twos/and a new pair of Celcius. After reading a bunch of forums I am thinking that it isn't the boots, i tried changing my stance, and angles, this didn't work either. So it makes me think it might be the bindings.
I have been looking around the forums and talking to different people, and i am leaning towards trying a pair of flows because i hear that they eliminate the pressure points. Just to add in i am on the mountains/hills the better part of 50 times a year.

not trying to start a step in vs. traditional war here, i am just looking for the facts!
so if people who have RIDDEN BOTH STYLES could help me out a little bit could give me some insight on these that would be great!

siffting through the wars about them this is what i have read about them:
-comfort-less pressure points on the foot
-the higher end models are the ones to look at
-they need to be properly adjusted in order for them to work right
-hard to get off in deep powder
-over time they stretch and need to be re-adjusted

thanks in advance for the help, and if anyone has any other solutions that would be great too

swilber08

deadhorse_featured.jpg

haha but ive ridden both traditionals and I have flows now...would def say the my flows distribute pressure more evenly IMO

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Nito

BA just did a review of the mid range Flow M9 on his Angry Snowboarder blog.

The Angry Snowboarder Blog Archive Flow M9 Binding Used and Reviewed

Some additional points.
Pro: Heel - toe power transfer is great.
Con: Lateral power transfer is poor, ie harder to flex the board.

Leo

I've been Flow user for all of my 6 seasons. I also own a pair of regular bindings as well. On top of that, I've demoed my fair share of bindings.

By far, Flows are the most comfortable. Traditional bindings with can't beds are the next best thing. However, canted footbeds help mostly with relieving pressure on the knees for wider stances.

If Flow ever comes out with cant beds, nothing will even come close to being that comfortable I would imagine.

Over the past few years, Flow has had major improvements. One of the main ones is the mini ratchets. These work similar to traditional ratchets so setup time is cut down by a good margin. They also totally resolve the powder issue. You can just release the outer two ratchets and use it like any other binding. The SE line of Flow bindings take this a step further by only using two outer mini ratchets and two tooless adjustable inner straps. This is the same type of setup found on traditional bindings.

Flows do take time to dial in and especially to get used to. The feel is quite different. Although they give you better edge response, overall response is better from traditional bindings. Not by much though. I can do anything in my Flows that I can in my 390 Bosses.

Before you get on Flows, try insoles first. Those might help a ton. If not, Flow is your best bet in terms of binding comfort. 0 pressure points is awesome

Oh, anything bellow the M9 series is so-so. Above that, they are sick. Make sure to call Flow and ask for spare parts when you order your bindings.

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www.aGNARchy.com Reviews and David Z's rants

pencap75

I agree with you that Flow should do canted footbeds.

I was a long time Flow user but switched to Ride recently for canted footbeds.

Would go back to Flows if they did a proper cant bed. I rigged up a ghetto canted footbed for my NXT-AT but it didn't work quite as well.

As for the OP, another negative about Flows is the foward lean... it is adjustable, but you really can't dial it properly without affecting how tight or loose you are in the bindings. Also don't buy anything less than an M-9.

slyder

doylerules,

I read your post 2x and not really sure what more info you need. I know you are trying to get rid of foot pain, but you have nailed the info on these bindings.

My kids and I have NXT ATSE, M9's, and Fives. We love them. My kids M9's took a little more to set up, he wanted more toe pressure. I got a tip from our local Flow pro. Move the front strap closer to the heel, the front strap has a few different positions you can choose.

I love the power strap as I would get strap pain in my Bent Metal bindings. I don't in the NXT, but you can still over tighten them to get strap pain. I found out the hard way.

I have a ton of adjustments on my NXT's.

• high back angle
• toe strap tightness and pressure
• toe and heel ramps
• padding on base and toe/heel ramp
• metal ratchets, with slip lock so it won't tighten on last rachet down

As to this point if you adjust the forward lean and the strap is to tight just loosen the strap closest to you one click. This will give you the forward lean with the exact same pressure on the cable.

It took me about a full day to get used to these. Learning to adjust them takes some time too. I can now adjust them very quickly and nearly blind folded. I mention this because I have a roof rack on my car so I need to fold the high back under the power strap which means I need to reset them every trip to the hill, 2-3 times a week.

I have been riding a lot like I said, anywhere from 1-3 times a week since 1st weekend of Dec. The only failure I had was a screw started to come loose where the toe strap bolts to the base plate and it was only one binding. The other one was just fine. Plus I usually go over them and I have never noticed anything ready to break, tearing or wearing out. SO from my experience the reliability is there.

I hope this helps and good luck on finding a more comfortable solution

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Thanks
-Slyder

doylerules

i was more or less looking for responses from people that have actually ridden them, and their thoughts and weather or not they have had the same problems as me. i pretty much got the answers i was looking for. i ordered a set of NXT-FSE's. fingers crossed that it helps to fix my issues

slyder

Hope it helps your foot pain, they are a great binding. I love mine

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Thanks
-Slyder

Nivek

If you feel like your foot is being crushed side to side then maybe with your wide boots your bindings are just too narrow.

The Flow strap is definitely the most comfortable I've ridden and I hope that the FSE's work for you, that's what I hope to be comin my way soon.

If those don't help try Flux. They make some of the widest fitting bindings I know of and their straps are super comfy.

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2014 Flow Rush LTD 153 $200
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