Ok, so the time in the season has come for me to pick up some new bindings. I currently have SPi's on my Rome Flag and I love them, but I'm just looking for a change.
I've narrowed my choices down to three but am open to other educated suggestions. Here are the 3 I'm considering:
1. Rome Targa
2. Union Force DLX
3. Burton P1
I am predominantly a free rider at this point and love the responsiveness of my SPi's but am looking for something a bit more flexible for comfort factor. I've played with both the Targa's and the P1's and found them both to be outstanding, and I really never like Burton hard goods but the straps are super cushy and the base is flexible but not soft... The Targa is very similar to my SPi's but lighter, a bit more flexible and has a million adjustments.
I have not had had a chance to ride the Union's but have played with them in the store and every person I speak to about them freaking loves them so I'm definitely willing to check them out. Another outside option are the Flow NX-AT's but I'm pretty sure I want a true strap binding.
One guy said "Great overall binding with plenty of features. The footstrap is padded well and come with easy on/off ratcheting binding. The highback is adjustable for forward lean as well as rotation so that it is parallel with the heel edge. It also has an adjustable toe plate fit your size boot. It also comes standard with a toe cap strap to securely hold in the boot. Great performance binding without crushing your foot."
One guy said "Great overall binding with plenty of features. The footstrap is padded well and come with easy on/off ratcheting binding. The highback is adjustable for forward lean as well as rotation so that it is parallel with the heel edge. It also has an adjustable toe plate fit your size boot. It also comes standard with a toe cap strap to securely hold in the boot. Great performance binding without crushing your foot."
wtf? are you a noob? theyre clunky heavy made in a sweatshop in portugeze and suck fat whale chode. no burton bindings i tell everyone NONE! they come in and i turn them right into the rides and the romes. def the romes buddy theyre the elite last year this year and for years to come. story behind rome. 2 burton techs quit and made rome because they didnt like how burton was running the business and now theyre owning the shit out of the snowboarding industry. rome everything rome rome rome, and i ride a forum and ride bindings but next year its def rome bindings and maybe a rome board in the mix MAYBE!
Ive got some Burton Triads and I think they are the best money Ive spent on anything snowboarding in a very long time. Super responsive but super comfy.
Yeah I demo'd all 3 this weekend and I actually ruled out the Union's. Though they were comfortable and the leather straps are super fresh and comfy the convertible toe cap slipped up way too often and they just didn't feel as nice as the P1's and Targa's. Now the problem I'm having with the decision is the targa's were nice but the Burton's were actually a bunch more comfortable. At the places suggestion I tried a set of Flow NXT-AT's and a also a pair of I believe Triad's it was either those or the C60's and now I'm not sure what to do again. The flows were super comfy and ultra easy to get in and out of though a bit heavier. The burton's were very responsive and the straps were the most comfortable strap I've ever used on any set of strap bindings. So now it's do I go flow or do I just suck it up and go with the Burton bindings and give them a shot again
i heard so many good things about the union bindings so i order a pair of Cadet DLX along with my 2007 Burton P1s. I was not impressed with the build quality of the Unions. The straps just don't compare to the straps on the Burton. I have yet to test on the mountain. The Unions are DEFINITEly lighter, but just don't feel as solid. I can take photos and post if you want, but the Unions are probably going back.
Don't get me wrong, the Union's were super fresh, ultra light and very very comfortable, but that said both the Rome and Burton's were better. The P1's were a bit too flexy in the highback for my taste which is why the shop let me demo a set of C02's... i figured out it was them by looking at the pictures. I am super torn now though. I have basically narrowed down my selection to two pairs I really wasn't even considering until riding them. I have moral issues with both brands having had bad experiences with Burton in my past and with Flow as nice as they were I don't know if I'm ready to go that route. I will say I am super impressed with their build quality and I also bought my gf a Flow Infinia board for x-mas and it is absolutely sick...I like it better than my Rome! I don't know... The price of the Burton's has me leaning more towards the Flows and they were really super comfortable and responsive...
i have burton P1s and they are super sick.
very responsive but the highbacks are flexible
as you mentioned. i personally love my P1s, and
i like the flex cause its super forgiving
but still deals out tons of performance.
That's why they suggested I try the CO2's...they have a stiffer highback than the P1's but have the same super cushy straps for the comfort factor. I really don't know what to do now though. I'm a little put off by the idea of riding flows eventhough they really were super comfy and uber responsive, that and The burton's are super adjustable, lighter and have the most comfortable straps I've ever used
you go back country, like to go freestyle on occasion, or only have the 1 binding for multiple boards. Personally, I ride Flows because of the responsiveness and no pressure points. However, I'm thinking about going strap because they are easier to set-up and reconfigure. BTW, I freeride and have only 1 binding but 3 boards.
I can't really speak much on any other brands, but I gotta sya that after riding the burton cartel's, I don't think I'd ever pay full price for another binding that isnt just as light, and has a toe-strap cap.
That being said, when you demo'ed the burton's, did the forward lean adjustment screw keep backing off? not that it'd spin around completely, but even just 1/4 turn?... mine does for some odd reason, and its a bit of a pain, but other than that its no worries...
romes and rides are as light and have toestrap caps tard and theyre way better and way more comftorble and have a better warranty although you dont need it because in time your cartel highbacks and the custom highbacks crack. number 1 customer complaint!
I ride Flows (not the NXTs, a couple of years old - pro 11 or something?) and tried the Targas a few weeks ago; definitely less comfortable than Flows (i.e. the pressure points of the straps, even after much adjustment, were definitely more noticable than the flows).
It'll be interesting to see what you go for though; I'm looking at getting some strapped bindings next week when I head up to Tahoe (I've just started riding off-piste powder properly, and from the one time I got stuck, I don't want to be using Flows in deep powder...), so let us know which way you go.
Well if you like your Ride Bindings but want something more flexible check out something from the mobility collection, Ride Delta Movement, Ride Beta Movement etc. They are specifically designed to be more flexible for park riding and are just as durable as the SPI, RX, Cad etc. It would really be worth checking out. I myself am also looking for a change and my #1 choice is going to be The Rome Targa if I don't go Ride Alpha etc. I looked at them yesterday at a local shop and the construction reminds me a lot of Ride but I've heard the straps are a little more comfy. My second choice would be Union as well. Burton does make a good binding but I just don't trust their shit. They just don't seem to be built as solid as my Rides are (a lot more plastic etc, and as Ride says, plastic is for TOYS!)
The Targa was my #1 choice also and then I tried them and they were essentially the same as my SPi's. I just feel like I might as well just buy another pair of them if I'm going go there. I think you'll like the Unions better than the Targa when you try them, I did...
I looked at the other Rides and I'm intrigued but I just need to try another brand out... I just haven't decided which way to go. I also was prett impressed with the Bent Metal Biscuits I saw this week also. I'm trying to work out a demo for them tomorrow but I don't think the guy will let me do that.
In regards to the underpadding on the Rome Bindings, that's a Ride binding development, they've been doing that for like 5yrs + now and Burton does it also but on the Idiom which is the CO2 with the SZ top buckle.
if you want to get into freestyle, you can adjust the binding to be softer by moving the straps around, and make them more responsive for freeride by doing the same. the customability of rome bindings are amazing, and i dont feel like im going to break the highback when i rotate it around a bit. other bindings highbacks, especially burton, feel cheap and flimsy so i dont even bother trying to rotate those.
plus you get a 2 year warranty on your rome bindings. the straps are so comfortable, and the rubber piece that goes between the base of the binding and the board pretty much eliminates any vibrations while riding, which is nice. i honestly cannot say enough good stuff about the bindings.
rome as a company is legit as hell too. i needed convertable disks so i could put my 390s on my burton, so i emailed rome, 2 days later they are at my house. same with some ladders for my older 390s last season.
I hear you. Another binding I've been eyeing lately is the Drake Mentor. Convertible strap, durable, and the price isn't all that bad on them either considering it's a high end binding.
flippin unions, i would say noone uses more quality, magnesium buckles, cnc machined heecups, zytel glass base with lifetime warrany, urethane bushings between base and board (to help with board feel and flex).
I'm starting to think I'm gonna go with either the Flows or now I'm seriously looking at the Raiden Phantom or R8 as well as the Bent Metal Step-In bindings...I'm still thinking about the Union Force's again also... too many options for me...
dont need a link to find out. just go to any mountain on a weekend. or go to a snowboard shop and touch the burton highbacks. feels like fisher price shit.
step-in bindings never work how theyre supposed to. and flows are too much of a pain to get adjusted too and ive also seen them break and ive heard that when you turn on your toe edge it hurts like a biotch. ride and rome. look into them the ride beta mvmnts and above and the rome 390 and targas. the targas have soo much tecnonology but not overwhelming and still flexible comftorble and lightweight. ALOT LIGHETR THAN CLUNKY CLINGY BURTONS...
I own the cartels and theyre fine for me. theyre 08s so idk where ur coming from.
and the plastic or cf high back materials are basically universal on all bindings.
I was looking for where the "number one complaint" was about cartel/custom high backs cracking?
Also, is any of this truth or burton-hating?
It is the usual Burton hating bull shit. Kids are jealous becuase they either cant afford Burton stuff, or they simply think bashing Burton makes them sound cool and experienced. If you search around on this forum, you will see that the zumiez guy bashes Burton bindings everytime he posts.
Burton makes some of the nicest bindings out there. They use extremely high quality plastics and when you consider how many or sold, they are very few problems with them. That being said, all bindings are subject to breaking in the right conditions. It just happens to be that everytime a Burton binding breaks, the hate bandwagoners jump on it and make a big deal out of it. I have used Bent Metal, Flow, K2, Burton and Rome and all companies make quality stuff.
im not bashing burton for the sake of bashing burton. in another thread i even stated the dominant is one of the best park boards around. but comparing the burton bindings material to others is nonsense. ride usues aluminum. hold a rome and a burton binding in your hands and feel the difference. my missions on my dom last year were great, very comfortbable and responsive---until they broke a week after getting them. the warrantied pairs screws that held the hihgback in kept coming out. lame.
no im with you on that last sentence. but ride romes k2's all out performe burtons in everyway. i have tons of people that i know that withouth questioning them they say that they hate their burtons in every aspect. and the peoples riding styles vairy. and if i cant afford shitty ass cartels customs or p1's? then why the FUCK IS IT IM RIDING RIDE BETA MVMNTS AND ROME TARGAS ON MY OTHER BOARD?!?!?!?! tell me that and then get back to me. stfu. people will bash a company because of what they have experience first or second hand. not because they are jealous that everyone eles has them. its a fucking cliquche. everyone wants burton boards bindings and boots because of the name not because of the quality. and that high output plastic or whatever bullshit? psh bend a pair of targas or 390 highbacks, you can bend them to the board practically, now go bend a pair of p1's or cartel or customs half as far as romes, YOULL CRACK EM RIGHT IN HALF!
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