bebop_monk

2012 Union Atlas Binding Review

Rider Stats: 5'8”, 185lbs, size 8.5 Ride FUL's, Yes GBoH 155, all mountain freestyle.

Having loved my Flites, and hating some Cartels I picked up, I went and picked up some Atlas' to pair with my Yes GBoH. Setup up was very easy, since its the same basic design as the flites, so I just mirrored my settings on those. Also a very good looking binding.

The Good:
-Very responsive. The biggest problem I had with the Cartels was the lack of response. Not so with these, toeside and heelside response were excellent.
-Extremely comfy. The heel strap is great, and the toecap is a big improvement over the ones on my flites.
-The flex is a great match with my GBoH, being on the softer side of medium. Allows me to butter around when I want to, but still have enough support when I'm hard charging runs.
-Adjustability. I would have to say that the Cartels were too adjustable, just too many micro adjustments that you could make for my taste. These however, have just a few settings, that are effective and are very easy to setup.
-Shock absorption. These have excellent shock absorbeion, I don't worry at all doing drops at all.

The Bad:
-Unions seem to have a problem with buckle release, and these are no exception. Its not a huge inconvenience, but I do wish they loosen up a bit easier at the end of run, especially the toe straps.

The Ugly:
-I think its just a defect with my binding, but my front binding's highback angle adjuster pops loose a few times a day. I ride with no forward lean, so it doesn't effect performance, but its still a pain in the ass to deal with when it happens. If I did ride with some forward lean, this probably would be very inconvenient. That said, it only happens on my front binding, so I think it's just a defect and I'll prob contact Union about it to see if I can get it replaced.

Final Thoughts:
These bindings are great for a medium to medium soft all mountain freestyle board. I would say that they are flexible enough that if you like stiffer bindings in the park, you would be happy with these as well. I'd give it 4.5/5 stars, and would def recommend them.