Binding setup for Burton Pj

[carvedog]

Seriously people...just answer the question posed and leave the commentary out of it.

Someone complained about his bindings saying he should get new ones. Why? They obviously are not broke and continue to work for him so why spend money on a new set of bindings when he is apparently happy with what he's got. If it ain't broke, why fix it?

No you do not need a new set up unless you are unhappy with what you got! New does not always mean better and just because someone likes something new does not mean it will be right for you.........

My gear is nearly 10 years old and I love every minute I am on it. There may be better stuff out there but I leave the hill happy with what I have.

Seriously guy if you don't want commentary don't post stuff on an open forum.

People, especially new to the sport should know the dangers of using old equipment. So before you get back up on your high horse, know that almost all my gear is over 10 years old. I am not what you call an early adopter. :rolleyes:

Those particular bindings are 15 to 18 years old, they weren't that great to begin with, as long as the OP knows the dangers of riding equipment that could break at any time then he can make an informed decision.

I personally think it is a good skill to know how to ride/slide out of a situation with one foot out of or coming out of a broken binding. There is no one I know ( that rides plates regularly ) that has not had a binding failure.

Last year on one memorable and fun day, I broke a bail on my burton plates (old rental plates ), my buddy Guy exploded a pair of the bindings shown above and Chris broke a bail on a set of TD1s. All in one day.

No one was hurt and we all got repairs made and saved our day.

I am not sure how you can tell by looking at them that they are not already broken. I have learned how to use an oil swipe and flour to check for micro cracks in the bails on burton bindings. Pretty sure the OP doesn't/hasn't. Although the plastic is usually what fails on these bindings.

So when people offer "commentary" on the safety of different gear it usually has some personal experience behind it. Exchange of info leads to making better informed decisions that could save someone's knees.

If someone is riding these at intro carve levels on a mellow hill they will probably be fine. If they were wanting to ride the Alta chutes at Jackson or Cody, Granite or something else I wouldn't even ride with them. There are areas there that are true "fall you die" terrain. With a foot detached binding failure you could sustain at the least major injury and the worst......well we don't want to go there.

This is a discussion forum. Discuss. It's good. Don't get butthurt if people disagree.

[Erik J]

I have to agree with bodea & carvedog here.

My personal experience with those bindings was very bad. The bindings that I had didn't just crack but actually blew apart and released my foot mid turn. This happened once on the front binding and once on the rear binding in seperate instances (I stupidly tried to fix them myself). If I remember right, the plastic was actually a brittle plate that seems to crack easily, especially when it's REALLY cold out. This isn't so much a gear preference as it is a safety issue. The last thing you want is to be sliding downhill with one leg attached to a plank.

[Bordy]

Seriously people...just answer the question posed and leave the commentary out of it.

Someone complained about his bindings saying he should get new ones. Why? They obviously are not broke and continue to work for him so why spend money on a new set of bindings when he is apparently happy with what he's got. If it ain't broke, why fix it?

No you do not need a new set up unless you are unhappy with what you got! New does not always mean better and just because someone likes something new does not mean it will be right for you. IMO if you are happy and enjoy the performance of what you are riding than save your money and spend it on a trip somewhere and enjoy the experience or invest it and be responsible.

My gear is nearly 10 years old and I love every minute I am on it. There may be better stuff out there but I leave the hill happy with what I have. Don't chase the dragon thinking if you just have this new piece of equipment you will find that high you are looking for. Instead, work on your technique, find the right angles for you, perfect your cant, etc... Most people think they need something new but never found how to ride what they had properly in the first place.

The OP's bindings are just plan dangerous, Becuase they were the first year of the variplate 3 hole pattern it was a brand new base plate that was manufactored out of brittle plastic that only gets dryer and more brittle with age.

Do Not Ride Them you will pay the price.

The PJ should work just fine that year had some glue issues and is prone to seperation of the laminates leading to fractured cores but not the kind of failur that will twist off your leg like when only one of your bindings break.

[Bordy]

There is some gear elitism here, but I think it's really only directed at people who should be riding top shelf gear but for some reason they're not. I can see how this would come across the wrong way, and would look like we think <i>everyone</i> should be riding top shelf gear. We don't.

This is soo true...... I love it when one minute some poster brags about how bad assss they are and how they have been riding forever and kill it then some one sugest they try new gear to see how much better it is and suddenly we are gear elitest. I Have never recomendid new sexy gear to a new rider..... And I am the biggest "elitest" on the site which I don't get since, besides Old snowboards.com and maybe a lurker or two I have the biggest quiver of all kinds of gear here????????? How are you a elitest if you own a bit of everything?

If you don't want to ride with all the help new gear provides we really don't care, but if we offer suggestions about what new gear is good people arguee the point.

silly interweb....