# Binding experiment and theory�???



## Taylor_Gang (Aug 28, 2013)

*Binding experiment and theory…???*

I am very “ANAL” and a little OCD’d when it comes to binding flex/size and how it affects my riding progression, comfort and performance.

My binding experiment: 

Buy 2 different models (within a brand) of bindings in 2 different sizes and switch the base and high backs between the 2 to achieve different flex and size characteristics in order to get better comfort, performance and ride quality.

Park: Larger base + Softer flex _ Smaller High back + Stiffer flex

Freeride/Groomers: Smaller base + Stiffer flex _ Larger High back + Softer flex

My theory:

Park - Larger base in a softer flex affords better stability and comfort for boxes, rails, jumps etc. Smaller high back in a stiffer flex affords better control while still providing tweakability/mobility. 

Freeride/groomers - Smaller base with a stiffer flex provides better response for charging and drawing out lines. Larger high back in a softer flex provides a “surfier” feel while still providing support.

Has anyone tried this…??? I know that snowboarders have been doing binding MODS for YEARS. But I myself have never done it and I am wanting to try this. 

Any changes or suggestions to my experiment…???

I am thinking of getting the Flux RL (soft) in a medium and the Flux DS (stiff) in a small and switching the highbacks in order to get the results above.


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## linvillegorge (Jul 6, 2009)

What do I think? I think you're overthinking the hell out of it.

Also, in no way, shape, or form does the Flux DS qualify as stiff or anything even remotely close to stiff.


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## BurtonAvenger (Aug 14, 2007)

Shut your fucking brain off and just ride. Binding flex is secondary to boot fit/flex. Sounds like you just need to find a boot that fits your needs and go from there.


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## Brewtown (Feb 16, 2014)

I'm all for tinkering to dial in your set up but a few things about this don't make sense to me. 

There are a lot of people on this forum who know more about physics than I do but I don't think a smaller base would give you more response. More overhang would give you more leverage, but I believe you would want that leverage out closer to the edges of the board. I could be completely wrong on this though. 

A larger base for more stability? Maybe, but I don't think it would really make that much difference, especially if the binding has adjustable gas pedals. Most importantly the bigger baseplate will be much too wide. If you like the idea of some play side to side for park riding I'd just buy some salomon bindings with shadowfit to achieve that effect rather than having a poorly fit binding. Unless your a perfect in between boot size you would probably have issues getting the straps to fit as well. 

Now flex all comes down to preference, however you can also just shop for bindings that fit what your looking for. You can definitely find bindings with a soft baseplate and stiffer highback or a soft highback and stiff baseplate. Or go ahead and get two different bindings from the same company and mix and match until you find what you like, only trouble there is you run the risk of loving one set and hating the other. Either way I wouldn't mess with size, I just don't see that working out.


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## Trabi75 (Dec 12, 2014)

That made my brain hurt. If you want to try endless combinations get Now select bindings with all 3 bushings. I haven't tried them but supposed to be tons of combos. I actually have the stiffer drives.they have 2 different bushings but I haven't been bothered to switch them out. I'm too busy riding. Even though they are easy to customize,I don't get caught up in it.
+1 on getting the boots you like. Nothing has made a difference in my riding more than boots. Started boarding in the early 90s and alot of riders still just wore sorrels,so did I when I started.after a few times I sought out snowboard boots due to an ankle injury (northwaves and super cheap back then) difference was night and day. Since iuse stuff til it falls apart, everytime I get new boots I find riding so much easier.


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## rambob (Mar 5, 2011)

BurtonAvenger said:


> Shut your fucking brain off and just ride. Binding flex is secondary to boot fit/flex. Sounds like you just need to find a boot that fits your needs and go from there.


^^^^^^ X 2 ^^^^^^ THen SHRED. WTF


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## snowklinger (Aug 30, 2011)

bindings are for spring breakers and tourists


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## neni (Dec 24, 2012)

Haha, that's funny, your the opposite of me: bindings are the last part of the gear I put a though in 

Anyway... my thoughts to your experiment: I wouldn’t mock with the baseplate size. Larger than suitable for the boot = loss of leverage. Also the bigger size will be wider. I assume your experiment will not result in the aimed more stability but rather in loss of boot hold and response.

What exactly do you imply with "freeride"? Some think of pow, some of carving, but usually it implies sort of an aggressive style... if that's what you mean, a soft highback is kind of useless. I take a stiff highback over a soft any day, be it surfing pow, cruising moguls, charging groomers or carving hard. It's there when you need the response, if you don't want it, reduce the lean and ignore it.
E.g. I have stiff bindings n boots and get the different riding feels out of the _boots_. The "surfy" feel with having the boots rather loosely tightened; the responsive direct feel with having them tightly laced.


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## SnowDragon (Apr 23, 2012)

Have you tried changing the length and "flex" of the screws used to hold the bindings on to the board?
Shorter, softer screws for freestyle maneuverability versus longer, stiffer screws for freeride/hard charging?

And how about trying different screws for holding the high back to the heelcup? That could change the feel of the bindings as well!

Have you switched out the dial that adjusts the high back lean? Harder versus softer dial? Length of the dial?

I think you're really on to something here.
Please return with the findings of your experiment(s) and share your new knowledge with the rest of us.

(Sarcasm is us...)


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## slyder (Jan 18, 2010)

why would I spend $400 on 2 sets of bindings to inter mix them assuming $200 ea. 
At this point buy 2 separate bindings that fit the 2 different condtions. 
IE not me can't afford it but almost everyone here has several boards in their quivers. Park board, Pow board, Carving board, Rock board, Groomer board, shit board to borrow to newbie buddy board.

I"m all for thinking outside of the box and tinkering. More thought on your part first to understand your gear. I still believe there are no dumb questions. I have asked some pretty stupid shit during my learning curve. 



GreyDragon said:


> Have you tried changing the length and "flex" of the screws used to hold the bindings on to the board?
> Shorter, softer screws for freestyle maneuverability versus longer, stiffer screws for freeride/hard charging?
> 
> And how about trying different screws for holding the high back to the heelcup? That could change the feel of the bindings as well!
> ...


I tried this a while back with one of my ladder straps and it wasn't so good. I got ejected out of my bindings


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## neni (Dec 24, 2012)

slyder said:


> IE not me can't afford it but almost everyone here has several boards in their quivers. Park board, Pow board, Carving board, Rock board, Groomer board, shit board to borrow to newbie buddy board.


You forgot the mogul board, tree board, deep n steep pow board, wide open pow board... :laugh:


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## slyder (Jan 18, 2010)

neni said:


> You forgot the mogul board, tree board, deep n steep pow board, wide open pow board... :laugh:


Now you've just gone and depressed me. Since my mountain resort has 0 trees, 0 steep, 0 pow, 0 wide open runs

My quiver is a single Arbor I bought just cuz its got AWESOME graphics with some knda binding that holds my foot to my board. 
To ride our 300 yard, YES 300 yard black diamond run. 

I"m gonna go cry now....


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## ETM (Aug 11, 2009)

slyder said:


> Now you've just gone and depressed me. Since my mountain resort has 0 trees, 0 steep, 0 pow, 0 wide open runs
> 
> My quiver is a single Arbor I bought just cuz its got AWESOME graphics with some knda binding that holds my foot to my board.
> To ride our 300 yard, YES 300 yard black diamond run.
> ...


Dude, move


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## neni (Dec 24, 2012)

slyder said:


> Now you've just gone and depressed me. Since my mountain resort has 0 trees, 0 steep, 0 pow, 0 wide open runs
> 
> My quiver is a single Arbor I bought just cuz its got AWESOME graphics with some knda binding that holds my foot to my board.
> To ride our 300 yard, YES 300 yard black diamond run.
> ...


 but thanks to that 300yard mtn you're an enthusiastic and accomplished park rider. Wanna laugh? Send me over a little drop bit too fast... I'm a clueless flailing arms ragdoll idiot when I get a bit air (no matter how sophisticated the gear is) :facepalm3::embarrased1::laugh:


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## SnowDragon (Apr 23, 2012)

Neni, as long as you're yelling "woo hoo" getting that air, then it's all good!


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## Trabi75 (Dec 12, 2014)

GreyDragon said:


> Have you tried changing the length and "flex" of the screws used to hold the bindings on to the board?
> Shorter, softer screws for freestyle maneuverability versus longer, stiffer screws for freeride/hard charging?
> 
> And how about trying different screws for holding the high back to the heelcup? That could change the feel of the bindings as well!
> ...


Make sure to get long enough screws. When your charging hard down the mountain you want to go fast and big right? You don't want the size of your screws holding you back, so get em big. You might encounter done resistance before they are tight against thing binding, so just put some elbow grease in it and crank em in all the way.


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## slyder (Jan 18, 2010)

ETM said:


> Dude, move


ETM Ya just not an option at this time. A few more years I'm eligible for retirement so maybe becoming a snowbird and going "TO" the cold instead of away from it may be an option but not now. 

Neni great pic and way to keep me motivated on those kind words. I'm not jesting when I say we have runs the entire length of that run just cropped into that photo. Until you experience Mid-West hills it's truly hard to describe. But I have fun no matter where/what I ride.


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## alchemy (Apr 28, 2014)

Union Ultras, soft, flexible base + solid carbon highback
Burton Genesis, stiff(er), responsive base + free feeling hammock back.


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## Rogue (Nov 29, 2014)

neni said:


> but thanks to that 300yard mtn you're an enthusiastic and accomplished park rider. Wanna laugh? Send me over a little drop bit too fast... I'm a clueless flailing arms ragdoll idiot when I get a bit air (no matter how sophisticated the gear is) :facepalm3::embarrased1::laugh:


Hitting the air brakes eh? This picture made me smile :moon: Love it!!!


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## mosf88 (Mar 1, 2013)

slyder said:


> Now you've just gone and depressed me. Since my mountain resort has 0 trees, 0 steep, 0 pow, 0 wide open runs
> 
> My quiver is a single Arbor I bought just cuz its got AWESOME graphics with some knda binding that holds my foot to my board.
> To ride our 300 yard, YES 300 yard black diamond run.
> ...


I know what you ride its solid and I think you'd be underwhelmed by adding boards for a specific purpose.

But those bindings though... I know you love 'dem flows but if you get another board maybe get a pair of Cartels down there you might really like them...


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## neni (Dec 24, 2012)

Rogue said:


> Hitting the air brakes eh? This picture made me smile :moon: Love it!!!


LOL


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## slyder (Jan 18, 2010)

neni said:


> LOL


that is pretty hillarious


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## neni (Dec 24, 2012)

slyder said:


> that is pretty hillarious



The similarities even include the size of the eyes in that moment :eyetwitch2:

BTW: it didn't work. No breaking, no flying. Left a huge neni-sized hole in that soft snow, laughing my ass off digging myself out :laugh:


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## snowklinger (Aug 30, 2011)

Neni the flying squirrel, smells like a promodel.


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