Flow Bindings

[Rag-Doll 0]

 Originally Posted By: Kumapix

nice touch with the video



it'd be a good service if the guy came into the bc and hiked for me (he can pull me on a sled behind him) then he can test the slope and dig himself out of an avy.

I'm sure there is some enterprising fellow in Niseko writing all this down! I like the idea of having someome to talk up your shredding to the girls in the bar. It's so tiresome having to do that yourself. It would be much better to sit and have a quite drink while some other bloke goes on about how fast and steep and deep it you were.

They should also allow you to reserve the best powder stashes so that you don't have to kill yourself getting first lifts, and if it takes you until 10am to get your shit together and get on the hill, well no worries, the freshies are still there waiting for you because 5 big blokes with guns and anger management issues have been keeping the poachers at bay.

[HelperElfMissy 42]

Well back on topic boys (ahem!)

 

We switched my 10yr old into Flows the last trip. He struggled with his bindings the first time around. He is a little on the pudding side and had to sit, struggle, whine - "Mum, Dad can you help me!", before he had to get up on his toe edge and turn to get going.

 

We had a spare pair of Flows (they were a bit too tight for Dad and the kid has the same size foot as ME!) and tried them out. NIRVANA! The kid scoots off the lift, still standing jams his foot into the binding and one little reach behind snaps the highback up - and he is away.

 

Meanwhile Mummy is still doing the ratchets on the 8yr olds bindings and then getting started on her own!

[indosnm 0]

Flows rock.

I changed back in 98 and I've never looked back.

[gogalago 0]

Last season was my first on Flows, and plan to repeat it for this one.

a few other random points, I remember:

 

- They are heavier than other bindings, but they are lighter than my 4 (?) season old Flux's that they replaced. Think this is the area they were most criticized in and made big improvements from the earlier models. Go compare the real things and the real difference is minimal, esp in the higher end models.

- You can't put them on sitting down. This is mostly not a problem.

- You can put them on while moving.

- They don't fold up so well, so sometimes you find issues with roofracks, boardbags and other places where boards might try to fit.(you can remove the "strap" though to get them smaller, but that can be painful if you haven't done the marker trick)

- There is a fifth screw to deal with if you want to remove the binding or even tighten the others. Its also smaller than usual size which means that the available dull and semi-stripped screwdriver might not be much use, and is another thing to lose when you try to move your binding back on the lift. They would probably be fine without the screw-cover that it holds on, but haven't tried that yet.

- In general they are very comfy, but they introduce a few new options for being uncomfy.

- Related to comfiness, they take a bit of adjusting, or in most cases, just being confident in loosening them up. You really need to mark the strap length!

- They are beautiful things when you are session a smaller kicker or rail and want to strap in every two or three minutes. But thats not to say they are the best for hitting kickers and rails at all..

- The high back hangs of the edge when you are skating so you will have at least one fun moment of falling forward suddenly as you hook it on the the ticket gate/fencepost/crowd while scooting though.

- I was in the habit of carrying my board by the "hoop" around the ankle before...

 

I have quite a few first-track memories from last season that are entirely attributable to to quick strap-ins. In 6 seasons of riding I don't think I ever once had moments to think that my bindings rocked, but in the seventh I had many. The next set of bindings I buy will be regular ones to have around for the odd occasion the Flows aren't convenient but will be buying more Flows after that for sure.

[scottr6675 0]

IMHO i think flows are lacking. they are v ery hard to fine tune, ande tend to be on the stiff side, almost likw riding in hard boots for my money...not enough good reasons to take the risk, and lots of reasons not to..

[dizzy 0]

--Best bindings I've ever owed in 17 years snowboarding

--Rock solid

--Takes asspolutely no time to get them on and off (near a chair lift or in avalanche terrain)

--Fifth screw? Never used it

--Currently use 06-07 NXT AT (light as two feathers) and AMP 5 (more sturdy)

--I like the feeling of wearing slippers

if you have problems putting them on whilst on a slope, you should turn around so that your toes are facing the mountain. dig a ledge with ur board and you're in.

 

love 'em

[Rag-Doll 0]

All good stuff. They definitely work and work well, they're just not THE solution to The Great Binding Problem that plagues snowboarding.

[Ezorisu 0]

One of my 2 chronic riding buddies uses Flow Bindings. He loves them and will probably get another set this season. As a counterpoint, my other riding buddy and myself use "regular" strap bindings and consistently get in faster and have less fitting problems. He has (so far) never had a component failure (like a broken cable). They are comparatively heavy unless you get the high-dollar ones.

[Rag-Doll 0]

Here is a gross generalisation with not much to back it up....I reckon most bindings work fairly well and so for most punters, whatever they get and get used to is what they like. Read enough gear reviews and the two general themes of the comments are 1 - crap, because the user experienced the statistically inevitable material failure or didn't use the product correctly or 2 - they loved the product.

 

Flow binding work. Like everything else in life they represent a compromise and whether, having bought them, you continue to use them will depend on what is important to you. For me, I spend enough time during the week sitting on my arse, I don't particularly want to do it in the snow. Any system that will hold my foot to the board like a 6 inch nail but doesn't require me to sit down is going to have a lot of appeal. If it doesn't crush my toes or weigh a tonne or wreck my board, all the better. I use flows but would be happy to upgrade if something better came along. Getting the right binding is about as important as getting the right boot.

[Mantas 3]

 Originally Posted By: Rag-Doll

Getting the right binding is about as important as getting the right boot.

The right binding for you that is.

Everybody is different and will have different shaped feet, different riding style, different preferences.
I actually own one set of Flows and one set of Strap ups and I chop and change them according to whatever blows my hair back on the day.

[spook 0]

i thought you didn't have much hair?

[spook 0]

and good post rag doll... i make calls about equipment based on past experience (as i'm sure we all do), but after having stuff break on me it's very hard to go back to the same brand

[Rag-Doll 0]

In response to Mantas's post - No no no no! who cares about the binding being right for you as long as it is the binding that shaun white uses. What is foot pain, what is price, what is sloppy response when compared to the warm inner feeling of knowing that what is on your foot is the same type of binding that mr white et al is holding in the magazine? The right kind of binding is the latest binding available and, preferrably, the rarest on the mountain.

[spook 0]

and preferably the blingest too

this season i want a binding that somehow incorporates those ridiculous gansta face bandanas

[Tubby Beaver 209]

maybe we can fit some of those laser that were attached to dolphins to your bindings, then you can "smoke" some hommies when you ride by....Ride by shooting!!

[Mantas 3]

 Originally Posted By: spook

i thought you didn't have much hair?

Hey...It might be going grey, but it aint going anywhere.

I heard someone say that (what ever blows your hair back) on another thread when they were giving Soubs a baging and I liked it, and I'm gunna use it from now on.

RD

[aranarthx 0]

I'll throw a take on this, cause I have some cinch's. They are pretty much the combination of strap in's and flows. They have all the benefits and negatives of flow's for stepping in and going at the top of the hill, which can suck sometimes in deep conditions when you need to get te back reclined prior to inserting the foot, but other times you just bend over, pull up and go. No more watching the skiiers half-way down the mountain as you start. They have the nice adjustable tension of straps though, since they are just straps with a reclining back. A bit heavier, but doesn't make much difference to me. And the thin metal clip retainer on the back likes to get get deformed and bent during packing and moving. Overall excellent though.

-Daniel