svr
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Posts posted by svr
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Define mass produced...
I think the best Softboot carver I have ridden is the Stranda Cheater 177 and 200.
For shorter boards, I would put the Fullbag Diamond Blade 163 and the Asym Nidecker Tracer 161 (regular) up there as well.
But depending on how you define mass production, the Nidecker is the closest to mass produced.
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@slopestar sorry, saw it sold
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32 minutes ago, lonbordin said:
@lonbordin the forward lean is complex in that it is three separate pieces that can all move so the lean won’t stay in place.
as far as flex, the binding assembly around your boot is 10/10 and feels almost like a cast on the sides of your boot and there is almost zero side flex..once in the bindings and locked in the whole binding is probably a 8 - 10 out of 10 in its current state dependent upon how tight you crank everything.
in its current version, a hardbooter would probably enjoy the feel and connection that it provides and the weight is not that bad when considering what a good set of alpine hardboots weigh.
when they lighten it up, it will probably get a little softer and provide a little more board feedback.
cheers,
sandy
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Not bad really, they are a little heavy in their current design and very over built/engineered and this makes them pretty damp so that you feel very little input from the board but otherwise, they ride as well as any regular strap bindings.
also, they are working to simplify the forward lean adjuster as it is a bit too complicated in current design.
they are implementing a lot of changes into the next version, so it should be a pretty interesting binding.
cheers,
sandy
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So I got to try a pair of these while in Japan and must say that they are much better than I thought.
they are still working on bringing the overall weight down, but the system works amazingly well even in wet heavy snow it did not get clogged up or have any issues.
i still prefer some other setups, but this is a very solid alternative to the other step in/on systems on the market today.
cheers,
sandy
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13 minutes ago, MR. JOHN DEERE ! said:
So I noticed allot of guys and gals on these for the Italian BX teams.
anyone know who makes these, just wondering.
Those are K2’s (Formula’s to be exact).
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On 1/7/2020 at 4:46 AM, Thomas Mondrup said:
I just bougth the same model 167oversize. Does anyone know the model year?
2004-05 made at the Voelkl factory in Germany.
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10 minutes ago, Lurch said:
Sandy is there any noticeable lag/deadband between heel and and toe with the skatetech?
@Lurch On the Now Recon and the Jones Apollo, there is not any more delay/lag than all of the other “minimal contact baseplates out there from everyone except Flux who have taken the opposite approach and maximize their baseplate to board contact.
I have not noticed any lag on the O-drive as the hanger is stiffer than the Recon/Apollo and I am only using the hard bushings. I am thinking to make a few hard snow carving runs with my gopro pointed at the bindings just to see how much they move on the pivots. Will let you know how that turns out
cheers,
sandy
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18 hours ago, John Gilmour said:
The now binding is interesting in concept as it offers some sort of isolating suspension and turn commitment (like the old Funky hard binding ) but at a huge cost in weight . Still there are times I sorta wish I was off the fancy Union FC and back on my heavier FORCE DLX. So maybe the Now bindings are like that ??? Anyone ridden them both at speeds over 40 on hard snow?
@John Gilmour yes, I have ridden the 2019-20 Now O-drives at 40+ on multiple occasions with my 201 Team Edition Tanker in hard snow and they perform exceptionally well.
I am so impressed with them as I was very skeptical of both the skatetech and their response after riding the Jones/Now Apollo’s (which were a bit soft for my tastes).
The O-drive is in a different league compared to the Apollo, Burton Genisis X, Union Force/Forged FC/Atlas, Flow NX2-CX or GT.
The only Softboot bindings this year that are more responsive are the Flux XV, but they have zero padding or dampening and are very brutal as they transmit every single thing from the board straight up into your legs and lower back (I had a very expensive early season as I bought all of the above bindings before the O-drives. Should have just bit the bullet and bought them first and it would have saved me time and money).
The O-drives are not bindings suited for everyone of course, but they do perform as advertised and are simple, ultra-light, and high performance with good straps and ratchets.
cheers,
sandy
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From what I have seen, there is a pretty big mix of bindings at BX events.
recent winners at SBX event in BC (both men’s and women’s categories) were on K2 Formula bindings.
Burton Cartels, X-Base are still very popular too as well as a lot of older Burton C60’s.
F2 team uses the F2 branded SP Fastec bindings, and there are also a lot of various Union’s (Force, Atlas, Falcor).
As mentioned above, Palmer plates are still very prevalent and Geckos can be seen a lot too.
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28 minutes ago, Mac81 said:
John, these are great tips!
Now I am learning to do body carving on softboots -15°+15° duck stance.
This is not easy job, especially here in Europe, Poland I never ever seen anyone doing it. So noone to ask for advice...
This is me trying:
I was thinking which bindings would help me doing the job.
I am considering:
- Rome Black Series ,
- Rome Targa
- Flux XV
I am leanimg toward Rome Black Series because of weight , responsivness and adjustabiility.
But I am still not sure...
Maybe somthing else ?
Any help?
@Mac81 the Flux XVs are super light and super responsive, but have zero cushioning and can be a bit harsh on the legs.
i like them, but I like the Now O-drives even more as the addition of slight dampening and a little bit of cushioning goes a long way towards making my riding more fun for the whole day.
cheers,
sandy
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1 hour ago, Shred Gruumer said:
Good to know The stick goes both ways...uh wait did I say that out loud...doh..
So how loud is it? Did they use any rubbers with it so it feels damp... hate loud tingy glass sounding boards... (insert metal here)
@Shred Gruumer yes it is damp and I am also not a fan of the tingy sound.
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25 minutes ago, Mr.E said:
It's a bit hard for me to tell from the web page- are these all rockered boards now?
@Mr.E they are not truly rockered as the base is flat now with decambered tip and tail profiles.
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@Shred Gruumer all of the line carve very well and are slightly torsionally stiffer than previous Tankers.
The Team Edition 201 is a whole different machine and is considerably stiffer both torsionally and longitudinally.
Bryan Sutherland and Jim McGrane have been putting the Team Edition 201 though some great use with plates (Bryan is using F2 Ti-stepins, and Jim is using TD3 stepins with yellow gaskets).
Since I am on a softboots only these days, I would defer to them for a hardboot review, but I have been doing a lot of variation testing on the entire lineup with Flux XV, Burton Genesis X, Flow NX2-CX, Flow NX2-GT, Jones Apollo, and Now O-drive bindings and I can say that my preferred setup is a stiffer Softboot (I am using Burton Driver Xs again as my Nidecker/Flow Talons are short) coupled with a medium-stiff to very stiff binding.
On the shorter Tankers a softer boot/binding combo works well and both the 171 and 181 are great freeride/freecarve all mountain boards but when you go to the 186, 201 and 201 Team Edition, I need a stiffer setup to work the boards how I want to ride (for reference I am 5’9” at roughly 220 lbs without gear, size 10.5 boot).
hope that helps,
cheers,
sandy
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@fishrising, I have seen many using the F2’s and even TD3s ( @P06781 lives them on his).
The new Standard build Tankers are a little bit stronger than the older ones and the Team Edition 201 is definitely stiff enough to handle them.
cheers,
sandy
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1 hour ago, Lurch said:
I'd like to see one of the parallel formats replaced with a GS.
Super-G please
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4 hours ago, Shred Gruumer said:
Can you compare the El Hefe's to the O Drive next please...
@Shred Gruumer sadly I cannot as I have not ridden the El Hefe in a long time.
however, I did also acquire a pair of Flux XV bindings and as far as plastic/carbon softboot bindings go, they are the stiffest ones I think that I have ever used since the introduction of the 4x4 hole pattern.
Great straps and ratchets, no cushion on the footbeds and super simple design with great forward lean and highback rotation options. Sadly no canting at all, but if you are looking for a non-metal softboot binding with ultimate feel and ultimate stiffness, the Flux XV should be on your radar.
cheers,
sandy
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3 hours ago, scottishsurfer said:
I think the high back on the Jones is a little softer Vs the odrive but everything else is largely the same
Not quite...O-drive highback is weaved carbon fiber where Apollo is flax-carbon as you pointed out, also they have the same Hanger 2.0 design, but hanger on O-drive is pressed carbon fibre, Apollo is fiberglass reinforced plastic. Straps are different and buckles are different.
had a long conversation with Now/Jones rep about this as I thought they were very similar too, but when you ride them you can feel that they are very different and the O-drive is actually quite a bit stiffer.
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8 hours ago, Deuxdiesel said:
The Jones Apollo is the same as the NOW O-Drive and about $50 less. Still $50 more than the El Hefe's though. High-end soft binding are sure expensive.
@deuxdiesel, the Apollo is way softer than the O-Drive as I have both and here is the comment from Now/Jones:
“Thanks for reaching out! The Apollos are going to be the most like the Now Drives in flex and responsiveness. The O-Drives are a couple levels up in stiffness. The O-Drives are a 10/10 stiffness rating whereas the Apollos and Drives are more like an 8/10.“
Still good bindings, but the Apollo are just slightly stiffer than the Genesis X.
cheers,
sandy
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On 10/23/2019 at 7:13 PM, Jack M said:
I switched from Burton Genesis X to Now O-Drive and I would do it again. Stiffer and more responsive.
@Jack M any updates on how you like your O-drives?
I got a pair of Jones Apollo and a pair of Genesis X and am trying to decide which to keep.
Rode the Genesis X already both with PowerPlates and by themselves and I must say that I am pleased with their performance more than I thought I would be, but I had to max out the forward lean on both bindings to make them work how I wanted them.
cheers,
sandy
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3 hours ago, neanderthal said:
Here is another comment in favor of the ultracraft
I am not sure what has changed in the spooning /3d contour in that last few seasons. Mine is about 3 y ago and the contour does not change contact on the flat or where there are edges only where the nose is elevated. It feels good in powder both self centering and improving turn initiation without any negative consequence on hardpack.
The board is stiff enough I ride with hardboots ( AT style for hiking ) and I enjoy it inbounds as well as powdercat riding.
If you ride with weight centered this board works great but I wish they made a 175 because I am used to loading the nose for aggressive turn initiation. The float is enough for my fat 21lbs in multiple feet of powder but when I forget and try to aggressively load the nose and charge into a turn - hello cartwheel.
@neanderthalCheck out the Stranda Cheater 177 as it will meet exactly what you are looking for.
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I will take them all.
what email for PayPal?
cheers,
sandy
Soft Board Bindings
in Carving Central
Posted
Popular in Europe, but they had a More than a few years of quality issues and that has led to them losing a lot of riders to the other big brands and they lost their North American distribution a while back and that has just made them harder to get so that did not help either.
Radar and Podium are both high end freeride/bx style bindings as they are on the medium-stiff to stiff side of the spectrum.