Burton Step-On Bindings review

[sic t 2]

1 hour ago, scottishsurfer said:

the base plates+mini disc result in the overflexing causing ice to pack in under the heel edge overtime(roughly 30mins).

???.   Reminds me of a demo ride i took on a Burton CustomX w slot binding system !!!  I walked away from Burton that day (and my beloved Burton Balances) never to return. God, did I ever love those boards. ?,

I did ski near u in 2008 once.   But it was on a slalom water ski on Loch Gill in Sligo. Well, wrong Island but close for a New Yorker's mind i guess :). 

[scottishsurfer]

I've never tried the Burton channel system but my friends don't really rate its chances against me, i have somewhat of a reputation for destroying bindings. After I broke 5 Rome disks in the space of 3 months the warranty department gave up and sent me the old 3hole/4x4 disks since there apparently stronger so now i just bend the chassis but atleast i can still ride for the day and when i finish i just dismantle them and bend the heel loop straight again.

In total in the 3 years since i started riding im sitting at(none were due to park or lift related accidents)

3 highs backs
1 sp/gnu binding footbed/base broken in half
2 twisted union heel loop
1 rome heel loop
5 disks

Hopefully at some point ill get to demo the step-ins i just hope when i do its not on the terms of if i break it ive bought it..... 

[svr]

Reviving an old thread as the search did not give me too many new updates.

 

Anyone have any new thoughts or feedback on the Step-On system?

 

i am getting the Step-On X bindings and Ion Step-On boots (as I have heard the Ion Step-On is actually stiffer than the Driver X).

 

i will post some reviews and comparisons with my current Driver X and Now O-drives once setup arrives.

cheers and pray for snow.

[carvedog]

I am just here for the popcorn. 

 

[barryj]

 Also curious..........

[softbootsurfer]

I have been told by some Knowledgable people they work great...that the heal locked down is really a big deal on the frontside turns now, personally though I wonder about 120 to 130 days of use, so for now, i still have hundreds of days left on my 3 straps... 

[Kneel]

Step On X released today.  Just ordered for my son along with the Ion SO.  Fortunately we are the same size.  Two thumbs up for genetics.   

[scottishsurfer]

I did try them and well i hated them it felt like the flat of your foot was attached to the board but there was zero lateral support in the boots

[Lurch]

On 11/4/2020 at 4:29 PM, svr said:

 getting the Step-On X bindings and Ion Step-On boots 

Sandy interesting to see the SI version of Ion get an extra Boa strap across the ankle that the regular Ions dont have - should help with response and cure the ballooning of the upper cuff typical of the Drivers. Look forward to the report.

[svr]

New setup arrived today! 

Burton Ion Step-On boots and Burton Step-On X bindings.

Boots are just as stiff as my 2020 Driver X and bindings are a little heavier than my Now O-Drive’s but still very light (I do not think anything out there right now will be as light as the O-drives though).

Cannot wait to try it on snow

Just floor surfing, there is a little tiny bit of play (but that is a good thing as it will help allow for snow to be stuck underfoot and it is no worse than my O-drives feel with the Driver X and that slight bit of play is obviously where the weird clicking noise every single Step-On review talks about), but once you put start to put board on edge it is a locked in feel more responsive than a side by side test with my O-drives...the real test will be on snow ️ but so far I am optimistic

Getting into in them is easy, getting out is a little interesting and will take some time to perfect, but the easiest method seems to be to raise heal out of the mechanism and then twist like you do on MTB SPD type pedals.

 

cheers and more to follow,

sandy

#radairsnowboards #tanker201

[softbootsurfer]

I bet you are gonna like that frontside bottom turn 

Enjoy !!

[svr]

Thought I would share a couple more findings with the new StepOn X and Ion StepOn setup I got...

Was bored today, and did some more floor surfing and wear testing between my setups.

My normal setup is Burton Driver X boots with Booster World Cup straps and Now O-drive bindings with Burton old school over the top toe straps (I hate toe caps).

Retail price cost difference in my setups:

Driver X boots with Booster Straps and Now O-drive Bindings with OTT toe strap = $1077.90

Ion StepOn boots and StepOn X bindings = $929.90.

Setups side by side are incredibly close in feel, flex and responsiveness...so close that the decision is going to have to be made after I can get on snow with them... I am very impressed with what Burton has done with the StepOn.

Although the Ion boots are a little bit softer laterally than the Driver X, they are a lot more comfortable to walk in and the Snugger Boa strap on the Ions allows you to change the stiffness pretty significantly when you crank it up.

Here are the weight comparisons between the StepOn X bindings and Now O-Drive bindings (which are one of the lightest strap bindings available today). Both weights include discs and mounting hardware

Now O-Drives: 922 grams/binding

StepOn X: 868 grams/binding

 

Boot comparison by weight is:

Driver X (size 11): 1180 grams/boot

Ion StepOn (size 11): 1300 grams/boot

I also replaced the standard forward lean screws and added longer stainless steel forward lean screws that give me more forward lean, but also make it a little more difficult to engage second click on heel, but I think it will be worth a little more effort to lock it in as this feels way more responsive and locked in while just playing around.

cannot wait to get on snow

Edited November 15, 2020 by svr
Spelling error

[Lurch]

1 hour ago, svr said:

Snugger Boa strap on the Ions allows you to change the stiffness pretty significantly

@svr does the boa make a noticeable improvement to heel lockdown? 

[svr]

6 hours ago, Lurch said:

@svr does the boa make a noticeable improvement to heel lockdown? 

@Lurch yes it makes a huge improvement. Without it the boot would be too flexible and you would get at least some heel movement, especially after you break in the boots.

cheers,

sandy

[softbootsurfer]

That sounds great, my feedback from those that have been using these, is the difference having the Heal LOCKED down, for the Front ( Toe ) side turns? That of course is why I added a 3rd strap years ago, to help that turn...I am nervous about to much play or breakdown in the boots, after 120 day season, even the Malamutes broke down after a couple weeks...thank you for your feedback on these, once on Snow I assume you will be Smiling  

[RoroSnow]

On 11/4/2020 at 7:29 AM, svr said:

i will post some reviews and comparisons with my current Driver X and Now O-drives once setup arrives.

cheers and pray for snow.

 

Reviving that thread a bit as I may go towards Step-Ons  probably sooner than later because of too many problems with my lowback when sitting and getting in/out my current bindings that I like "tight"....(Drake Radar teaching/Franken CatekFR2 freecarving).

So @svr  are you able to provide some more feedback about your set of Step-ons with Ion boots, especially about their behaviour while carving ( play in the binding, response, wear, boot flex and so on....) ?........

Cheers !  

[svr]

4 hours ago, RoroSnow said:

 

Reviving that thread a bit as I may go towards Step-Ons  probably sooner than later because of too many problems with my lowback when sitting and getting in/out my current bindings that I like "tight"....(Drake Radar teaching/Franken CatekFR2 freecarving).

So @svr  are you able to provide some more feedback about your set of Step-ons with Ion boots, especially about their behaviour while carving ( play in the binding, response, wear, boot flex and so on....) ?........

Cheers !  

@RoroSnow 

So I sold my StepOn setup...

I think it is a very good system, but for driving 170+ boards there is just not enough structural support in the boots...I was able to ride them for eight days in pretty much every kind of condition from windblown ice to heavy wet pacnorwest cold mashed potatoes to ultralight powder and overall they are pretty good, just not quite there for my Tankers...they are super easy to get into but I also found that getting out of them was not as fast or easy as regular strap bindings...great concept, but not quite what I want... I am now back on custom Union Atlas bindings with Kazu highbacks and carbon FC baseplates as well as a pair of Union Atlas FCs and Burton DriverX boots.

cheers,

sandy

[scottishsurfer]

On 1/31/2021 at 2:36 PM, svr said:

there is just not enough structural support in the boots.

My gut instinct is they made the boots like that to reduce the amount of force that could possibly be applied to the boot and binding interface to reduce the likely hood of failure

[Rob Stevens]

A solution without a problem. 

[Neil Gendzwill]

7 minutes ago, Rob Stevens said:

A solution without a problem. 

There’s a problem for some of us. I have a lot of trouble strapping in due to mobility issues with my left hip.  I can do it but it’s a pretty good comedy show for my friends. No problem with my hard boots with the stepins. A good softboot solution would be welcome. 

[Rob Stevens]

2 minutes ago, Neil Gendzwill said:

There’s a problem for some of us. I have a lot of trouble strapping in due to mobility issues with my left hip.  I can do it but it’s a pretty good comedy show for my friends. No problem with my hard boots with the stepins. A good softboot solution would be welcome. 

I think that strapping in standing up is a skill missing from lots of people’s repertoires. I’ve had more than a few people who weren’t able to do it without discomfort doing it just fine with a few pointers. 
If you say you can’t, you can’t, so I’ll take your word for it. 
In its current design, I’d say that if you have to bend over to release it, it’s not where it needs to be. The mod shown earlier in the thread should be an add on you can buy at POS. 
going back to my original statement though, to use any binding properly, you need to clear the snow out of the baseplate first, so you should stop at the top to do it right. Unless you’re carrying a broom, you’ve got to bend over to do that, so I really don’t see any step in system as removing the bending over part. 
 

[Neil Gendzwill]

It’s not only technique, it’s mechanical. I have severe arthritis in my hip, bone on bone with spurs. I’m getting better at it with practice. 

[JRAZZ]

I think this is good to have even if it's not the right solution for you personally. I like the Flow NX2 precisely because they are easy to get in and out. 

The fact is that many people really like having the ability to step in and that the convenience greatly enhances their experience.

Besides, even if they did not get it absolutely right, trying and having the courage to try is the first step in improving. 

[svr]

So after two ankle strap failures from two different companies since selling my StepOn setup, I have decided to go for a second round with the StepOn X and Ion StepOn boots.

I already machined down some screws to give me more forward lean and added power straps to the boots and am now just waiting for the 2022 bindings to be released as Burton has said they will make the new Toe Hook 2.0 available to previous StepOn owners (probably have to buy them, but I am ok with that).

I also intend to make a couple mods/additions to my boot liners for added lateral support.

looking forward to this winter and trying out the mods I am planning. Will post feedback after getting back on snow.

cheers,

sandy

[barryj]

On 2/18/2021 at 11:51 AM, Neil Gendzwill said:

trouble strapping in due to mobility issues

Getting in was aok.   Reaching the Step On's  minuscule release lever was an uncomfortable streeeetch for me and it doesn't seem they have made any changes or improvements to the latest editions.