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Which Is the Best Rear Entry binder for 2012?

Best 2012 rear entry Bindings Flow vs Gnu vs K2?

48K views 47 replies 21 participants last post by  Gdog42 
#1 · (Edited)
I'm looking to get a new pair of bindings for my Gnu Carbon Credit Banana Rocker board. I'm very partial to the speed entry/rear entry style since I don't ever ride deep pow over here on the east coast. I like a little flex to mess around with in the park also I don't want the stiffest binding since my current board is on the soft side.

I did some research and there are people that hate Flow's and there are also people that swear by them. I also like fastec's designs for Gnu's bindings this season but they are a new design with barely any reviews or info on them. K2's look the same since 07 ish when cinch premiered.

So i'm looking for actual personal opinions on these 2 which seem to be the coming into this season.

Flow NXT (AT, ATSE, FSE, FRX) vs Gnu (Park, Choice, Mutant, Agro) vs K2 Cinch CTX

I currently Ride K2 Cinch CTX's that i've had for a while but I'm looking to try something new and if I hate it I can always go back to Cinch's since i've tried them already.

any others i'm missing in this catagory?
 
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#4 ·
I'm likely to be upgrading the deck soon to a GNU Riders Choice which is why I wanna stick to the NXT series for the flows as well. Money isn't the issue I'm just wondering which is the best performance, response, and light weight.

The Gnu's look really good cosmetically but are so new that I haven't been able to find anything except that crappy fastec's they had couple years back. The new ones actually look light, and adjustable which is what has me interested in them.

the gnu's are kind of in between between the k2s and the flows in my eyes I'd really love to hear anything about them.
 
#8 ·
I don't mind my cinch CTX's they served me well for the past 3 years just looking to try out the competition to see what I like best.

the only improvements I would ask for from the k2's is to make them lighter and work on highback adjustability since that was lacking otherwise it was a solid binding for me
 
#41 ·
the only improvements I would ask for from the k2's is to make them lighter and work on highback adjustability since that was lacking otherwise it was a solid binding for me
I think you can rotate the highbacks on the new ones, but when you mess with the forward lean, you need a 4mm hex wrench to fix the cable tension which is a PITA. What other type of adjustment are you looking for?
 
#13 ·
i picked up the GNU Choice for this year.

first impression after mounting them are that they are really well built. the Choice are mid flex for more all around riding. i like to have a bit more response, even in the park. they are also surprisingly light weight.

the adjustments on them are super quick and easy all around - at first the toe straps werent staying put on my boot fronts, but after adjusting them towards the heel base more and they are fitting very snug. If youre a fan of adjusting your lean often, then you will enjoy the very precise lean tuning.

another thing that is appealing about the GNUs is the classic strap designs. i like having a toe strap better than the one piece flow design because it eliminates the slight toe lift that you get with the flows (at least this is what i noticed when trying them at the local shop).

the ankle auto release strap is just awesome. enough said on that.

overall these seem like theyre going to be pretty sweet. i will add more once i get a few days on them...
 
#14 ·
Thanks for your input please keep us updated. I really do like the Gnu's I may give them a shot before I try the flows. I chose k2 cinch's based on the traditional strap design my first time around and now I wanna try the Gnu's because they seem similar to the flows but split strap
 
#15 ·
Last i saw you had the same adjustability problems with Cinch and Gnu. you can't get enough toe overhang over the gas pedal killing your toeside feel.

Don't worry too much about boot to Flow fit. Some are easier than others, but I've been fine getting them adjusted to Ride, Burton, Salomon, K2, and DC.
 
#19 ·
you can't get enough toe overhang over the gas pedal killing your toeside feel.
This piqued my interest. I have TFFS (Tiny-fucking-foot-syndrome) and have some issues with getting any toe overhang at all off of most mens bindings. How much toe overhang do you find gives you optimal feel off of the gas pedal? How much effect do you think it has to have no overhang on toeside turns?
 
#20 ·
Ideally you want about 2-3cm or overhang over the binding edge, heel and toe.

Stand with your feet on the stairs (bottom stair, don't hurt yourself). Is it easier to fall over the edge with your toes flush or overhanging a bit? Same principle.

Really its that you want this overhang over the edge of your board. But since you don't want your bindings hanging over your board, you have your boots hanging over your bindings.
 
#23 ·
love my K2 CTX especially because I got them for $120 last season. They are better than the Flows because you can use them also as a regular binding. I could not find the GNU back then, and of course I would never pay full price for brand new whateva. Always wait one season, wait for discounts, get the deal, save a bunch and pay the season pass with that.

K2 rocks!
 
#25 ·
I have been riding flow NXT AT for 2 seasons and they are a good binding. The biggest problem I find with flows is getting your foot kicked in hard enough to avoid the heel catching as you lift the highback. It is a fine line between having the binding tight enough and actually being able to get your foot in.
I have just purchased to SP fastec "mountain" bindings. Firstly they are LIGHT, featherweight actually +1. Then there is the flip up buckle that gives you the much needed room within the binding straps when trying to lift the highback +2. In my opinion flow has been outdone as fastec has addressed the main issue that I have with flows. The fastec just needs to withstand the durability test now.
 
#28 ·
I have the AT's on one of my boards. I have heel problems on the AT's, but not with the FSE's. I looked closer and found why.

The AT's have a plastic/composite highback which is wider than the FSE aluminum. Therefore it is narrower in the pivot point and heel area and caused the grief. I'm waiting on Flow to finish getting the rest of the parts and I'm upgrading my AT highbacks to aluminum like on my FSE's.
 
#30 ·
I rode Flow Quattro SE's all last year. This year I wanted to try something a little different so I bought the GNU Choice binding and I couldnt be any happier. I just got back from Vermont and rode the GNU's all week except for the last day. I rode the Flow's the last day and after half way through the day I went back and got my GNU Danny Kass board with my GNU bindings. I just sold my Flow's on ebay after I got back because I was very pleased with the GNU's. I can make the GNU's tighter then the flows and they dont hurt my feet. The high back is also nicer on the GNU's. I hope this helps.
 
#37 ·
Lol you guys just need to get the k2's or Gnu's since they don't have that problem cause the straps lift up you get your foot in properly and then the high back comes up no problem every time. Modding ur boots / bindings is ridiculous. No one should have to do that.
 
#40 ·
Gnu mutants v ctx v flow

I consider myself an intermediate rider staying to to mountain and not the park. I have been using the ctxs for about 3 years and have loved them. Once they are dialed in they are quick and easy to get in and out and perform well. Two days ago I decided to try the mutants combined with my carbon credit. It took a bit to get everything adjusted but once they were were a bit easier to get in and out of - snapping the back up was much easier. On the down side the toe strap would sometimes move and have to be tweaked a bit to get your foot in the right spot to lock up. The ctxs are a bit more set it and forget it, but I am noticing the mutants are more responsive and less forgiving. I am going to stick with the mutants for now because I feel like they have better power transfer and sensitivity controlling the board. The lighter weight is also noticeable. Everything has a learning curve and 2days on the mountain are not enough for me to give a final decision but I think I am having more fun with the mutants. Last thing is the ankle strap pressure release is a cool feature if you like your bindings set tight.
 
#43 ·
I consider myself an intermediate rider staying to to mountain and not the park. I have been using the ctxs for about 3 years and have loved them. Once they are dialed in they are quick and easy to get in and out and perform well. Two days ago I decided to try the mutants combined with my carbon credit. It took a bit to get everything adjusted but once they were were a bit easier to get in and out of - snapping the back up was much easier. On the down side the toe strap would sometimes move and have to be tweaked a bit to get your foot in the right spot to lock up. The ctxs are a bit more set it and forget it, but I am noticing the mutants are more responsive and less forgiving. I am going to stick with the mutants for now because I feel like they have better power transfer and sensitivity controlling the board. The lighter weight is also noticeable. Everything has a learning curve and 2days on the mountain are not enough for me to give a final decision but I think I am having more fun with the mutants. Last thing is the ankle strap pressure release is a cool feature if you like your bindings set tight.
Keep us posted if you make any more trips.

I would like to demo these myself still haven't pulled the trigger on anything yet since my CTX's are holding up well.
 
#44 ·
As a Flow NXT-FSE (red ones) user for three seasons, I wouldn't buy them again. I couldn't recommend Flow bindings to anyone. If I was going to buy rear entry bindings again I would probably go for K2-Cinch. I don't like the new Hybrid strap on NX2-SE and K2-Cinch has big rachets that can be easily adjusted with gloves. It is very difficult to adjust thos little Flow rachets on my current bindings with gloves, and NX2-SE has little rachets as well.

The main problem is Flow bindings is very few people figure out how to set them up properly to avoid heel lift, and even if you do, you need to adjust them on the mountain repeatedly. On the front foot, it is possible to eliminate the heel lift completely by sliding your boot in, closing the binding and tightening the straps as much as possible. You don't need to remove that boot so its ok. On the back foot, you will get a little bit of heel lift, but its minimal if binding is set up correctly. You still won't don't get the same response from back foot and front foot. Fortunately the front foot response is more important in general. When using this setup, it is possible to hard carve precisely in Flow bindings without problems. During ride, snow can build up under your back boot and freeze, so binding cleanup after unstrapping is necessary.

Although the new Hybrid strap should be able to eliminate the heel lift problem completely, in my opinion the design is questionable and has small rachets. It looks more like Flow is experimenting with it.

Next season I'm probably going to buy Burton Cartels or some other traditional bindings.
 
#45 ·
Everything you said sounds like user error. Improper setup or wrong size.

I have used NXT-FSE for two seasons. I had none of the issues you describe. You should NOT get heel lift if you have the right size and set it up properly.

Also, the only time I ever had to adjust the setting was my first day out on them. Oh, and during demos when I had to constantly swap them on other boards.

You're supposed to boot up, step in, tighten down the cap, step back out, tighten the cap without the boot in a few more notches and step back in. You readjust accordingly afterwards. Once you're done, you're done. Set it and forget it.

The NX2 line has normal ratchets so not sure what you're talking about. Actually, the ratchets are bigger than some traditional bindings.

Are you a giant? :p


Sent from Verticalsports.com Free App
 
#46 · (Edited)
@Leo

I have the correct size of the bindings. Binding size - L. Boots - Burton Ion 43 EUR (UK 9), previously Flow Rift 44 EUR (UK 9.5).

The amount of strap tightening needed depends on how tightly the boot is laced up and if the boot/binding is wet/frozen or dry. So in the morning you have to set it up slightly looser to be able to slide in. Boots are Burton Ion, before had Flow Rift. After a few rides, you have to tighten the binding more as ice builds up on the inside of the strap which makes sliding in easier. If you decide to tighten/loosen the boots (lunch?), you have to adjust the bindings again. If ice builds up on the bindings adjustments may be needed again. I played with the strap and highback position/angles enough so you're not speaking with somebody who rode 3 seasons on the same settings..

Unless you tighten the bindings so much that you can't slide in anymore properly in NXT-FSE (AT or other type), you will get some heal lift. Not much - perhaps a few mm, but you will get it. There is a big difference in the feeling when the binding is manually tightened so there no heel lift at all - same feeling as in traditional bindings.

I stand by what I said and mentioned problems with Flow bindings are the main reasons why they are not very popular. I don't see experienced snowboarders around me switching to Flows because there is nothing they can gain. Nobody cares about the few extra seconds they save. Flows are mostly used by beginners (maybe 1 out of 15), and as they advance, they switch to traditional bindings.

If Flows work fine for you then keep them but ordinary people better stay away from them. So far I haven't heard anything that would save my NXT-FSEs on my board.
 
#47 · (Edited)
You can cross the K2 Cinch off your list. Don't bother with them. BOTH the guys I ride with had them last season and they BOTH broke. One had had his a couple of seasons, the other's broke on his 2nd day using them. Luckily he brought his old traditional bindings as a back-up.

On one, the cable clamp snapped just from the pressure of locking it. On the other, the heel loop snapped. :blink: Not to mention the chrome paint rubbing off them on the first day.

The problems with K2's rear-entry bindings are:
1.) They have too many moving plastic components.
2.) K2 only has a couple of rear-entry bindings. The don't specialize in them like Flow and Gnu, which for years have only been developing rear-entries.
3.) Cheap materials and construction.

For reviews on Gnu bindings, I saw a few last season on dogfunk.com, which you can still view. Here's a really detailed review of one of this season's high end Gnu bindings.
http://www.dogfunk.com/gnu-choice-snowboard-binding-mens
The guy covers a lot of important stuff that you would consider before buying bindings, and after reading it I wouldn't go with Gnu. There's also a Gnu binding review on Angry Snowboarder, which said they were ok but nothing special from what I remember.

The only ones I would consider would be Flow, but only one of their high-end bindings. Their low-end bindings are made with cheaper materials (all plastic) and I've know a guy who's Flow baseplate broke a couple of seasons ago.
The high-end ones look pretty solid though, and they have ratchets on both of the straps if you ever need them. :thumbsup:
Just read reviews of this season's Flow bindings. They've made numerous improvements in construction and performance, including having 2 separate straps.

Just make sure your boobs will fit ok with them. Sometimes that's the only problem. You can try all this out if you order from Dogfunk, which has a great return policy. If you get them there and decide you don't want them, be nice about it in the chat box and they'll give you the return label for free (free exchanges are already supposed to be free, they told me). They always have given me free return shipping, and I 've tried out and returned a lot of stuff from them! :)
 
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