SierraSurfer Posted November 12, 2011 Report Share Posted November 12, 2011 <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> Hi all, I'm putting together a freeride all-mountain soft boot gear setup that I'm looking to make pretty aggressive, stiff, and carving capable. I've already done a lot of research and feel good about my board and boot selections but I'm not so sure about my bindings. For the board I ordered an Elan Vertigo in 162 and I found a pair of 2009 Burton Driver X’s for boots. For bindings I ordered a pair of Flux SF45’s but I’m just not sure if they’re going to be stiff enough: http://www.thegoodride.com/bindings/good-ride-favorites/400-flux-feedback-binding-review-.html If anyone has some feedback on bindings for a solid soft boot setup I’d appreciate it. I’m thinking I’d like something very stiff that can tip the board over quickly and of course hold an edge at speed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowboardfast Posted November 12, 2011 Report Share Posted November 12, 2011 For the stiffest most adjustable soft binding-Catek free ride with carbon fiber highbacks.All Board sports in Boulder CO was selling them. Give Bola a call at 303-415-1600.He also sells Nidecker bindings with carbon high backs and others. Bola also rides all this stuff and knows how to set it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
softbootsurfer Posted November 12, 2011 Report Share Posted November 12, 2011 the Stiffest SB Carving binding is a 3 strap :) only problem is you have to make your own The reason there are none is nobody Carves in SB :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slopestar Posted November 12, 2011 Report Share Posted November 12, 2011 The reason there are none is nobody Carves in SB :D speak for yourself...:D I am spending more time on the darkside! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icebiker Posted November 13, 2011 Report Share Posted November 13, 2011 the Stiffest SB Carving binding is a 3 strap :) only problem is you have to make your own The reason there are none is nobody Carves in SB :D Sierra: Search ebay for "Burton Torque". The Torque was the last 3 strap binding made by Burton and you can still find them occasionally. I don't see any on there now, but they do come around from time to time. Other than the first year models (had a smaller mounting disc), they will work with standard 3 hole and 4 hole binding patterns. I have used them for carving for years now. Though in the last year I've invested in hard boots/plate bindings, I'll still use the 3 straps/SBs from time to time depending on the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emdee406 Posted November 13, 2011 Report Share Posted November 13, 2011 I too wanted a no-nonsense 'stiff-as-you-like' carbon highback binding for SBX and couldn't find anymore of the old yellow Salomon SP PROs, so the Burton rep found me a pair of 2012 Burton Diodes last March. Minimalist, stiff and responsive, they were great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slopestar Posted November 13, 2011 Report Share Posted November 13, 2011 I too wanted a no-nonsense 'stiff-as-you-like' carbon highback binding for SBX and couldn't find anymore of the old yellow Salomon SP PROs, so the Burton rep found me a pair of 2012 Burton Diodes last March. Minimalist, stiff and responsive, they were great! Good for bx but if you can rock it over/ plan on boot out from the oversized heel cup. Flow and fastec binders are the best for avoiding heelside boot out because there is no heel cup. Sadly, they dont make the aluminum high backs like the old days. My flow high backs collapse at the hinge points and i am fressh out of forward lean to compensate for it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SierraSurfer Posted November 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 13, 2011 For the stiffest most adjustable soft binding-Catek free ride with carbon fiber highbacks.All Board sports in Boulder CO was selling them. Give Bola a call at 303-415-1600.He also sells Nidecker bindings with carbon high backs and others. Bola also rides all this stuff and knows how to set it up. The Catek's look bomb-proof but they are expensive, not surprising since they look to be a very specialized small custom shop. Fortunately I found somebody selling a pair of used carbon Nideckers in my area so I may be snagging a pair of those tomorrow. Curious if anyone has tried those Flux SF45's I was initially planning on going with. It sounds as if my gut feeling that they are not going to be stiff enough is being agreed to by most of you folks, but I would love to be proven wrong as they look decent, especially for $250 full retail. Next up, who is making good hard boots these days? I've been out of the loop and have only been skiing for the past 6 years or so, and only 2 or 3 times per season at that. Glad I didn't sell my carving board - it's a Burton Alpe 168 with Burton Race Plates. Vintage collectors gear now, as I recall both board and bindings are a 1997 model! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www.oldsnowboards.com Posted November 13, 2011 Report Share Posted November 13, 2011 Next up, who is making good hard boots these days? http://www.bomberonline.com/store/boots/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emdee406 Posted November 13, 2011 Report Share Posted November 13, 2011 Good for bx but if you can rock it over/ plan on boot out from the oversized heel cup. Flow and fastec binders are the best for avoiding heelside boot out because there is no heel cup. Sadly, they dont make the aluminum high backs like the old days. My flow high backs collapse at the hinge points and i am fressh out of forward lean to compensate for it... If you have the highback adjusted to give you decent forward lean (no FLAD), then booting out is not an issue. I use Palmer plates as well. I'm not a Flow fan, as IMHO you need 3 joints when riding softs effectively, hip, knee and ankle... The Flow effectively removes one of those from the equation and the ankle is needed for fine-tuning movements. Not much in the area of highback rotation with them either. Just my 2 cents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
softbootsurfer Posted November 13, 2011 Report Share Posted November 13, 2011 Sierra: Search ebay for "Burton Torque". The Torque was the last 3 strap binding made by Burton and you can still find them occasionally. I don't see any on there now, but they do come around from time to time. Other than the first year models (had a smaller mounting disc), they will work with standard 3 hole and 4 hole binding patterns. I have used them for carving for years now. Though in the last year I've invested in hard boots/plate bindings, I'll still use the 3 straps/SBs from time to time depending on the day. Just made a New Set couple weeks ago... It takes about 1/2 hr. to convert a set to a 3 strap binding... 4- 10/24 x 1" bolts with lock nuts, used to Lock the Highback in an upright position 2- 3/16" x 1" bolts with lock nuts and 2- 1" fender washers to hold 3rd strap on to top of highback 2 Top Straps made from Leather, Nylon whatever with ratchet buckles, basically an attached Booster Strap You do not need a Stiffer boot with the 3rd strap... You can adjust the strap when you are riding from tight for Groom to loose for Pow The major improvement for me is that the Ankle is removed as the primary Joint and the addition of the 3rd strap moves the force up toward the Top of the boot... My Son carves circles around me without a 3rd strap, so No you do not need one to Carve in SB. I started snowboarding so I could Surf down the Hill... The combination of the 3rd strap, snow conditions here and the Style of Surfing I learned many years ago on a longboard all came together for me personally and I feel fortunate to have enjoyed it all these years. The Forward flex is "similar" to a HB while the Lateral Flex is similar to an Old soft HB with a Sidewinder binding or plates. I ride with both feet in the 45 degree range which is Not what you are supposed to do with SB and if I was riding Duck I would not ever have needed a 3rd strap to begin with. The reason I do not use HB is they are to exact or to stiff Laterally to let me Play the way I like, which is a personal preference. This will be season 27 with this set up... I know what I like and it is fine with me that I live in this world somewhere between conventional SB thinking and HB thinking. This is not a promotion or an attempt to get ANYONE on this SITE to convert to a 3 strap binding or my way of Riding. I can not achieve the same dynamics as my HB friends on certain slopes or conditions but that is OK, because at the end of the day at the end of the run we are All Smiling... I appreciate my HB friends here for allowing me to share my Stoke as I certainly would not fit anywhere else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TLN Posted November 14, 2011 Report Share Posted November 14, 2011 Search for Ride CAD. They're discontinued in 2010. 09-10 was the last model. They got all you're talking about except 3 strap. Stiffest highback, base canting(like catek), bombproof. I have one, and recentrly bought one more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike T Posted November 14, 2011 Report Share Posted November 14, 2011 I too wanted a no-nonsense 'stiff-as-you-like' carbon highback binding for SBX and couldn't find anymore of the old yellow Salomon SP PROs, so the Burton rep found me a pair of 2012 Burton Diodes last March. Minimalist, stiff and responsive, they were great! I picked up a pair, set them up today. If they feel as good on snow as they do carpet-surfing I'll be a happy camper. So far C60's are my faves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John H Posted November 14, 2011 Report Share Posted November 14, 2011 I've been using C60's for a number of years and picked up some Diodes last year. I like the Diodes better than the C60's. So far the Diodes are my favorite soft boot binding. Not a fan of Flow's as I don't like how they feel when riding, anybody want a set of Flow Pro's, $20 plus shipping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slopestar Posted November 14, 2011 Report Share Posted November 14, 2011 Ill take the flows/ check links below for flows and ankles... Good luck finding what works for you Sierra. Burton heel cups=boot out Try an aluminum base plate as it minimizes the drag on heelside turns. I'm going "franken-binding" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SierraSurfer Posted November 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2011 Thanks for the suggestions all. I picked up a pair of the Nidecker carbons that someone was selling used in my area over CraigsList and I got a steal of a deal, so I'm good to go on my softie freeride setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtslalom Posted December 3, 2011 Report Share Posted December 3, 2011 SierraSurfer, I don't know if this thread is dead or not but I had the same dilema last year with trying to find a stiff pair of soft bindings to carve in. My old metal Ride bindings I had been riding in finally cracked along the base plate. I liked them so much that I went out and bought a pair of Ride Double Agents. I like these alot. I havent had any problems with them last year and had about 20+ days on them. Good Luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sic t 2 Posted December 6, 2011 Report Share Posted December 6, 2011 You got that right JT. Those old Ride bindings are the best I ever rode. The $89 LX model is still my favorite (any year). You unbolt the stock straps and throw them in the garbage. Then order the Nidecker Strap upgrade (from Catek)and you got the stiffest softboot binding to hit the snow. Problem is Catek has my money and my new straps. ouch ... and my present Nidecker's are skipping teeth now. Damn, those were good straps. Jt, I got access to a Donek Freecarve and Bomber Plates for this season. Too good not to test out at the Creek this year. Hopefully I can still ride plates. Its been a LONG time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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