Now accepting advise on a Freeride Setup - Snowboarding Forum

BoardTheSnow73 · 05-10-2009, 02:23 PM

So I'm still fairly new to snowboarding but spent a good amount of time riding this winter. I got comfortable carving down diamonds and really liked the feeling.... that is, until the runs got beaten to hell over the course of the day and my board started to chatter, and I had to tighten down my boots and bindings until my feet went numb to get the response I wanted. My current setup is: K2 Format Wide 165, Drake Super Sports, and Burton Motos. It works well for just screwing around and would be fine if I ever wanted to learn freestyle, but I really would like to get some better equipment for Freeriding.
I have done some research and included some options I am looking into below. Any input, comparisons, or options I should eliminate would be appreciated. I am 6'3" 250 if it helps.

Board: I am pretty familiar with my options here. Just waiting to find something stiffer and a little longer(167-169) on a good deal. One question though... I know a lot of companies are now coming out with rockers now... Should I stay away from these?

Bindings: ???
Rome - Arsenal
Solomon - Caliber
Flux - Super Titan, Super Diamond
Drake - Podium
Ride - SPi
Union - Force

Boots: Obviously, in a perfect world I would be able to try them on before I buy them. I have only seen some of the Solomon's and Buton in the local stores though, so I was wondering if there was one that might be worth getting and possibly returning if they don't fit.
My foot is pretty average as far as width and arch go.

Solomon - Malamute(9/10 Stiffness), Synapse 8/10, F24 8/10, F22 7/10
Burton - Driver X 10/10, Ion 8/10
Northwave - Decade SL 8/10
ThirtyTwo - Prime 8/10, Circuit 9/10, Focus 8/10
Deeluxe - Empire 6+2+2/10, ID TF SCL 5+2+2/10 .....Anyone actually have experience with this Backtrack and TPS Shield tech, if it works I think I will try these. I like their power strap too

.

Sorry if this is kind of long, I just wanted to answer the questions about Me/My Riding that I'm sure would come up.

stoepstyle · 05-10-2009, 04:51 PM

Not all burton boots are crap. I say talk to your store.

I ride a Never Summer Legacy-R and it has the Rocker & camber or R&C or whatever. I like it alot I just find a little lack of responsiveness when bombing groomers (maybe just me). In the chop and powder its amazing.

Except for the arsenals all those bindings look a little soft for straight up freeride. Maybe your looking for just a little farther away from park?

RidePowder · 05-10-2009, 05:50 PM

I would suggest not talking to your store. but finding reviews from consumers. stores are trying to sell you something, the ONLY instance I have ever come across commercial integrity was from original longboards when they flat out told me after my riding style, that I might be happier with boards from a different company..

you wont get that from a store, and its difficult to wade through the endless piles of crap that are " dude this shit is tight" or "these boots suck the big one". The best experience Ive had with boots is from Rome, they are comfortable and mold to your foot over time, DURABLE! a hundred times better than my 32's, warm, good hold.. everything I want in a boot.

BoardTheSnow73 · 05-10-2009, 07:35 PM

"Not all burton boots are crap. I say talk to your store."

I don't really have any problems with Burton. I realized when I bought my Moto's that they were not going to be stiff (i think they had a 3 of 10 stiffness rating). I had been told that it would be easier to learn with more flexible gear. At first they were kind of a mid-flex, but after breaking them in, I might as well be wearing my high-tops. I wouldn't have any issue with buying the Driver-X, they are supposed to be some of the stiffest boots out there.

"I ride a Never Summer Legacy-R and it has the Rocker & camber or R&C or whatever. I like it alot I just find a little lack of responsiveness when bombing groomers (maybe just me). In the chop and powder its amazing. "

Funny, this is the reason I posed the rocker question.... I've had my eye on the Legacy-r. I'm jealouse.

"Except for the arsenals all those bindings look a little soft for straight up freeride. Maybe your looking for just a little farther away from park?"

It has been tough to find any mainstream company that sells a freeridish binding. I have read through countless descriptions on manufacturers websites that are ambiguous as hell. They are way to busy trying not to alienate any niche that they don't tell you what the thing is actually good for. I have tried to find the bindings that sounded the least freestyle oriented and mention the fact that they have power and response. Couldn't all companies just put a little visual in the corner of the screen, like Rome does, that shows a flex meter for forward, back, and lateral lean?! After all, a picture is worth a thousand words (and a diagram is something like ten thousand).
A good example of ambiguous marketing:
Drakes website states for the podium "Heli drops and backcountry excursions are this binding’s best friend. Put them up to any challenge and their high performance won’t let you down." One review site I found said "The Podium bindings are new from Drake this year offering a wide range of performance with various adjustments. Excellent setup for freestyle riding."

Which is it going to be?

Gardner · 05-10-2009, 08:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BoardTheSnow73

I got comfortable carving down diamonds and really liked the feeling...

Considered moving to hard-boots and a carving board?

BoardTheSnow73 · 05-14-2009, 08:13 PM

I don't know much about hard booting but I sneaked onto Bomberonline.com's forum and read a little bit. At some point in time I would love to try it

but I don't think it is what I am really looking for. I would like to use my new setup about 80+% of the time but I don't think the typical terrain & conditions at the mountains nearby would get the most out of hard boots. I won't just be rocketing down wide groomers, I would also like to ride powder, trees, and hit the occasional natural kicker (all of which would work better on a little bit shorter, wider board with a more relaxed stance).

On another note..... As far as bindings go, I read a good review in the Equipment Review section about the Ride CAD. Posted this question there with no reply.....has anyone tried the Ride CAD and Rome Arsenal that could compare the two?

05-16-2009, 05:46 PM

I would stay away from a hard bood setup unless your racing....hard boot and their relevant binding system wont give nearly as much responsiveness as a normal strap-on binding...since you like the chop and powder, stay with the norm.

legallyillegal · 05-21-2009, 04:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BoardTheSnow73

On another note..... As far as bindings go, I read a good review in the Equipment Review section about the Ride CAD. Posted this question there with no reply.....has anyone tried the Ride CAD and Rome Arsenal that could compare the two?

The CADs are on a completely different level compared to Arsenals.

Going cheap? Get the Arsenals.
Money grows in your trees? Get the CADs.

05-10-2009, 02:23 PM	#1 (permalink)
BoardTheSnow73 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Boise, ID Posts: 169	Now accepting advise on a Freeride Setup So I'm still fairly new to snowboarding but spent a good amount of time riding this winter. I got comfortable carving down diamonds and really liked the feeling.... that is, until the runs got beaten to hell over the course of the day and my board started to chatter, and I had to tighten down my boots and bindings until my feet went numb to get the response I wanted. My current setup is: K2 Format Wide 165, Drake Super Sports, and Burton Motos. It works well for just screwing around and would be fine if I ever wanted to learn freestyle, but I really would like to get some better equipment for Freeriding. I have done some research and included some options I am looking into below. Any input, comparisons, or options I should eliminate would be appreciated. I am 6'3" 250 if it helps. Board: I am pretty familiar with my options here. Just waiting to find something stiffer and a little longer(167-169) on a good deal. One question though... I know a lot of companies are now coming out with rockers now... Should I stay away from these? Bindings: ??? Rome - Arsenal Solomon - Caliber Flux - Super Titan, Super Diamond Drake - Podium Ride - SPi Union - Force Boots: Obviously, in a perfect world I would be able to try them on before I buy them. I have only seen some of the Solomon's and Buton in the local stores though, so I was wondering if there was one that might be worth getting and possibly returning if they don't fit. My foot is pretty average as far as width and arch go. Solomon - Malamute(9/10 Stiffness), Synapse 8/10, F24 8/10, F22 7/10 Burton - Driver X 10/10, Ion 8/10 Northwave - Decade SL 8/10 ThirtyTwo - Prime 8/10, Circuit 9/10, Focus 8/10 Deeluxe - Empire 6+2+2/10, ID TF SCL 5+2+2/10 .....Anyone actually have experience with this Backtrack and TPS Shield tech, if it works I think I will try these. I like their power strap too. Sorry if this is kind of long, I just wanted to answer the questions about Me/My Riding that I'm sure would come up.

05-10-2009, 04:51 PM	#2 (permalink)
stoepstyle Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: in the K-town Posts: 699	Not all burton boots are crap. I say talk to your store. I ride a Never Summer Legacy-R and it has the Rocker & camber or R&C or whatever. I like it alot I just find a little lack of responsiveness when bombing groomers (maybe just me). In the chop and powder its amazing. Except for the arsenals all those bindings look a little soft for straight up freeride. Maybe your looking for just a little farther away from park? Last edited by stoepstyle; 05-10-2009 at 04:53 PM.

05-10-2009, 05:50 PM	#3 (permalink)
RidePowder Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 1,264	I would suggest not talking to your store. but finding reviews from consumers. stores are trying to sell you something, the ONLY instance I have ever come across commercial integrity was from original longboards when they flat out told me after my riding style, that I might be happier with boards from a different company.. you wont get that from a store, and its difficult to wade through the endless piles of crap that are " dude this shit is tight" or "these boots suck the big one". The best experience Ive had with boots is from Rome, they are comfortable and mold to your foot over time, DURABLE! a hundred times better than my 32's, warm, good hold.. everything I want in a boot. __________________ Ze Blog: I'd Rather be Riding Tweet me you Twits: QuestforPow

05-14-2009, 08:13 PM	#6 (permalink)
BoardTheSnow73 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Boise, ID Posts: 169	Close, but no cigar... I don't know much about hard booting but I sneaked onto Bomberonline.com's forum and read a little bit. At some point in time I would love to try it but I don't think it is what I am really looking for. I would like to use my new setup about 80+% of the time but I don't think the typical terrain & conditions at the mountains nearby would get the most out of hard boots. I won't just be rocketing down wide groomers, I would also like to ride powder, trees, and hit the occasional natural kicker (all of which would work better on a little bit shorter, wider board with a more relaxed stance). On another note..... As far as bindings go, I read a good review in the Equipment Review section about the Ride CAD. Posted this question there with no reply.....has anyone tried the Ride CAD and Rome Arsenal that could compare the two? Last edited by BoardTheSnow73; 05-14-2009 at 08:21 PM.

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05-10-2009, 07:35 PM	#4 (permalink)
BoardTheSnow73 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Boise, ID Posts: 169	"Not all burton boots are crap. I say talk to your store." I don't really have any problems with Burton. I realized when I bought my Moto's that they were not going to be stiff (i think they had a 3 of 10 stiffness rating). I had been told that it would be easier to learn with more flexible gear. At first they were kind of a mid-flex, but after breaking them in, I might as well be wearing my high-tops. I wouldn't have any issue with buying the Driver-X, they are supposed to be some of the stiffest boots out there. "I ride a Never Summer Legacy-R and it has the Rocker & camber or R&C or whatever. I like it alot I just find a little lack of responsiveness when bombing groomers (maybe just me). In the chop and powder its amazing. " Funny, this is the reason I posed the rocker question.... I've had my eye on the Legacy-r. I'm jealouse. "Except for the arsenals all those bindings look a little soft for straight up freeride. Maybe your looking for just a little farther away from park?" It has been tough to find any mainstream company that sells a freeridish binding. I have read through countless descriptions on manufacturers websites that are ambiguous as hell. They are way to busy trying not to alienate any niche that they don't tell you what the thing is actually good for. I have tried to find the bindings that sounded the least freestyle oriented and mention the fact that they have power and response. Couldn't all companies just put a little visual in the corner of the screen, like Rome does, that shows a flex meter for forward, back, and lateral lean?! After all, a picture is worth a thousand words (and a diagram is something like ten thousand). A good example of ambiguous marketing: Drakes website states for the podium "Heli drops and backcountry excursions are this binding’s best friend. Put them up to any challenge and their high performance won’t let you down." One review site I found said "The Podium bindings are new from Drake this year offering a wide range of performance with various adjustments. Excellent setup for freestyle riding." Which is it going to be?

05-16-2009, 05:46 PM	#7 (permalink)
C-Bear Guest Posts: n/a	I would stay away from a hard bood setup unless your racing....hard boot and their relevant binding system wont give nearly as much responsiveness as a normal strap-on binding...since you like the chop and powder, stay with the norm.