BINDINGS

[scrub]

I don’t know any one that rides BM but I have seen a bunch of lost and lonely drive plates on the mountain.

[tracer]

Bah. Ordered a pair of those Niedecker Supermatics from a European boardsport chain (Blue Tomato). Turns out they couldn't deliver on time (flying tomorrow), so no dice.

The galling thing is they were probably sitting in the local shop yesterday and I could've swung by. Ah well.

[Snowdaddy]

i’m still not convinced SkateTech works that much differently than a fully dampened base like a Strata or Atlas, or even Arbor’s System X base.

need to give them another try though. had some Jones mounted up at a demo and they just were not dialed in properly. couldn’t make a heel side turn for the life of me.

It would be interesting to have someone smart do some sort of mathematical analysis and give a number to what the potential benefits would be. I'd love for it to be zero. And I don't ever tell anyone to not buy any other bindings. I think most all the brands are rad and obviously work really very well. As far as I'm aware, there isn't anyone riding nows in the Olympics, so if you can do quad corks all day long on those other bindings they're clearly high performing equipment.

I only tried NOWs to say I had tried them and was looking forward to saying they were a gimmick. I had (still have really) a very strong bias against people adding complexity to snowboard gear saying they solved a problem that in a sense, we didn't have. Overcoming that to me was a surprise and I really had to put a lot of thought into understanding that because, of course, nobody wants to be the fool.

And as much as I'm willing to say it's a small benefit and on the margin maybe inconsequential, and I'd love to have more options for bindings to pick from... Still, personally I don't want to be riding anything else anymore.

I'm not going to pretend to be smart enough to do some calculations, but here are my two cents on this. You tilt a board by lifting the board up. Not pressing the edge down. So in a toe side turn it's the lifting of the heel that changes the board angle. I think this is partly why Burton Step Ons are so responsive.

Even if the board tilts by lifting the heel the pivot point is the toe side edge. This means that if you move the leverage towards the toe side you will have a better momentum. By raising the heel you will create a triangle and move the whole center towards the toe. But a book like an atlas on the it's back on the floor. It's easier to tilt it if you put your hand nearer to where the edge would be. Even easier with some "boot overhang".

I've checked my Mercury and compared it to the Flux. Those bushings on the toe or heel side that would create the pivot points aren't really that different to my other bindings. They ordinary ones will also push down into the board.

I'm not saying the Now/Jones don't make a difference. Maybe they do a little. Personally I think why I enjoy them is because they take away vibrations without being squishy.

Anyways... I think it's not so much about driving force into the edge, but more about momentum. And since so many like them they aren't at least not worth buying.

[scrub]

Dumb question:

Any of y’all put a men's size 9 32 TM2 or similar boot in a large Burton Lexa binding? I found a set of 2016 for a good price and according to the size chart it should work.

[fubuki]

I've had a few pair of Now bindings and they didn't really jive with me, but to each their own. Current favorite is the Rome Cleaver. I personally like all the adjustability and they've been flawless. I like a pretty stiff binding and these fit the bill. Also have Katanas, which I like to run on my softer boards.

I'm also running BM CorPros on my Dynamo and that's a great combo. I prefer them to the Transfers I had in the past.

[kimchi]

I'm not going to pretend to be smart enough to do some calculations, but here are my two cents on this. You tilt a board by lifting the board up. Not pressing the edge down. So in a toe side turn it's the lifting of the heel that changes the board angle. I think this is partly why Burton Step Ons are so responsive.

[...]

I'm not saying the Now/Jones don't make a difference. Maybe they do a little. Personally I think why I enjoy them is because they take away vibrations without being squishy.

Bolded is absolutely true. I found Step Ons notably more responsive than I'd expect out that setup because I had an additional point of contact and more leverage over the edge. Only rode them a day and the boots don't fit me, but I enjoyed the sensation and it was an interesting realization.

This is one the reasons I don't actually know if I like "SkateTech," despite almost exclusively riding NOW and Jones bindings. I can't separate out the SkateTech system from other design elements of those bindings, namely a high, supportive heelcup that sits flush with the boot creates a huge amount of boot contact compared to other bindings. Like if Burton had the exact same design for more heelcup support, but with a Reflex baseplate, I don't know if that means I'd like Burtons better.

[C.Fuzzy]

I'm not going to pretend to be smart enough to do some calculations, but here are my two cents on this. You tilt a board by lifting the board up. Not pressing the edge down. So in a toe side turn it's the lifting of the heel that changes the board angle. I think this is partly why Burton Step Ons are so responsive.

[...]

I'm not saying the Now/Jones don't make a difference. Maybe they do a little. Personally I think why I enjoy them is because they take away vibrations without being squishy.

Bolded is absolutely true. I found Step Ons notably more responsive than I'd expect out that setup because I had an additional point of contact and more leverage over the edge. Only rode them a day and the boots don't fit me, but I enjoyed the sensation and it was an interesting realization.

This is one the reasons I don't actually know if I like "SkateTech," despite almost exclusively riding NOW and Jones bindings. I can't separate out the SkateTech system from other design elements of those bindings, namely a high, supportive heelcup that sits flush with the boot creates a huge amount of boot contact compared to other bindings. Like if Burton had the exact same design for more heelcup support, but with a Reflex baseplate, I don't know if that means I'd like Burtons better.

NOW Step ons. D0 the du.

[Spenser]

I think a lot of people tend to overthink skate tech, and in my opinion, part of that is the way they (NOW) choose to explain it with all the skateboard truck references. Personally, I think it's misleading, and almost a little incorrect, but I understand why they do it that way. You are certainly still getting the board on edge by pulling the opposing edge, whether with your ankle strap for toeside, or leveraging the highback & toe strap for your heel edge. Same as any binding. However, there is an energy transfer & leverage happening to the edge, it's just not the reason the board is tilting. Again, that's the same with any binding. All they have done is simply made a small adjustment to baseplate design to utilize that leverage and energy transfer in a way that's a bit "better" than traditional baseplates, which simply flex as a byproduct of the design. NOW took a byproduct and tapped into it. Whether or not someone notices a difference or finds it useful to them is irrelevant, I'm just saying that's what the design is doing. It's subtle, but there, and I will literally pay money if you can find any other binding that gives me the same feeling and connection to my boards as these.

Even for fans of NOW, it's important to remember that a lot of what we like about the bindings are their features, independent of skate tech, none of which are exclusive to the brand. Higher heelcup, thicker & damp base padding, rubber dampening at key points, etc.

All bindings are good, but for me and many others, nothing else is on my radar anymore. As I said earlier in the thread, I was only trying them to get it out of the way, after years of hearing "hype" and having friends recommend them. Fully expected to feel "meh" and continue riding what I previously loved. Damn, was I wrong. And further, I wasn't expecting to hate my previously beloved binders, but I did after two days borrowing drives. To each their own, but they are not a gimmick - however, that certainly doesn't mean everyone will like them or find the package any better than anything else.

[RedsMissingJacket]

Dumb question:

Any of y’all put a men's size 9 32 TM2 or similar boot in a large Burton Lexa binding? I found a set of 2016 for a good price and according to the size chart it should work.

It's been awhile but I'm 95% sure I rode size 9.5 TM2s (2012ish?) in large lexas for a season (they were frankened to hell – might have been medium cartels with Lexa straps)

[ad1105]

Does anyone have info on the next three Custom House drops from Union?