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Lobster Freestyle:What Bindings to get?

6K views 24 replies 9 participants last post by  jza 
#1 ·
So I just picked up my new 2013 Lobster Freestyle 152.
I will be aloud to get new binding for Christmas and I wanted to know which to get.
For now they will be rocking my pair of 2010/2011 Burton missions. The missions are a pretty solid bindings but I want a breath of fresh air so to speak.
So I have been very interested in Burtons "Re-Flex" disk plate.
I was considering either.

The 2013 Burton Malavita Reflex.
The 2013 Burton Cartel Reflex
The 2013 Burton Cobra Shark Reflex
And the 2013 Burton Mission Reflex.

I know those are all Burton bindings (and a lot of people on this forum have mixed opinions on burton) But I wanted some suggestions from you guys and some reasons why. You guys never have steered me wrong in the past and I don't think you will be starting now.
The Boots I have are the Nike Zoom Force 1 just to give an idea of footprint size ect.

Please Reply

PS. After last winter I think I will want to stay away from Union especially with my new boots.
 
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#9 ·
If you think about it the mission bindings get cartel hand-me-downs every couple years so if you buy new missions its like buying a year or two old cartel. Pretty sweet i think. I dunno how you ride but cartel highbacks are the standard for responsiveness between jibbing and steeps imo
 
#10 ·
this.

If you want to save money, the missions or cobrasharks are great value. Cartel reflex vs malavita reflex? I'd get the cartels just because I'm not a big fan of the asym strap on the vitas, and the heel hammock is a weak point (as in, chances are it might get ripped)
 
#11 ·
Mine ripped, and, word on the street is that anymountain was up to their ass in ripped Malavitas.

I still like them though.

Supes, are you talking about last year's cartel? I think, for this year, they all have the asymsuperstrap.

(do you call yours the Asym SupraStrap?)

I still say swtichbacks....try something else.
 
#13 ·
I think we need to consolidate threads, because I JUST said over on another thread that aside from the highbacks the feature list on the Cartels vs Vitas are identical (I think, I was being lazy) aside from the highbacks.

I hope the asym react strap is a typo, as I think it would make more sense to be on the "more aggressive" cartel. And the comfy-womfy asym regular strap would be more at home on the parky-warky (but serious when you need them to be) Malavita.
 
#14 ·
The Malavita is now stiffer than the Cartel despite what Burton says. And they do have a bit of a different shaped baseplate. Same glass content. Honestly it probably doesn't make a difference. But the highback on the Cartel is much softer than the Malavita now. That's where it gets noticeably softer.
 
#18 ·
1. You're clearly not proto-ing for burton or union. That's a shame, because I feel like they make the best clamps out right now. Super curious about the NOW bindings though.

2. Aware, but I was using transitive properties. You were saying this year's Cartel Highback is soft. I know it to be stiffer than last year's, so I compared the malavitas to last year's cartel and feel that it's about the same. So perhaps this year's cartel is the unintelligible 3% stiffer than the Vitas.

Anyway, I think torsional softness is a good thing, I only want my bindings to be stiff straight back anyway.
 
#23 · (Edited)
Any Switchbacks that were on MTN last year were proto's and they were a constant work in progress.

The final products came with a locking highback. If you have a pair in your hand you can get what I am talking about. The straps dont have screw and bolt like most other brands do,.. they feature for lack of a better word a pin that holds the ankle strap into place. Just trying to reassure to anyone who has doubts about these bindings that they are in fact well thought out and executed perfectly. Only thing these are missing is a forward lean adjuster.

Helgason pro models also have permanently attached highback unlike the regular models which are just "clicked in" to the baseplace. I tried to pull one of the highbacks off a binding the other day and couldn't do it easily like I could to a proto pair last year

Word is they have been going NUTS in Europe and they have already done a re-order for THIS season. Colors also carry over into next years line up so you aren't going to have any trouble fitting next years parts onto this years bindings and there will be new colorways added.

Bataleon has really thought this idea through and it is just another way they are making something extremely exclusive to them that no one has ever done before. It is most definitely a great product and it's better product than some bindings that have been produced by big companies for years
 
#25 ·
Helping the local rep has helped a lot with a lot of the stuff that I know. If it is a product I am behind I have no problem doing some research. Far too many people bash bataleons tech for one simple reason... it's different from what the traditional snowboard/binding/outerwear looks/rides/feels like.

I am flattered by that comment, Phony
 
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