# Gnu Mutant Backdoor Binding Preview 2013



## Leo (Nov 24, 2009)

These are currently walking in Flow's shadow.


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## Wiredsport (Sep 16, 2009)

Leo said:


> These are currently walking in Flow's shadow.


Hi Leo,

Each has its loyalists. Consider all of the nearly stagnant binding companies out there and how evolved these systems are becoming. Interesting also that for some budgets Gnu will be the only active strap system. Contraband won't be going forward next year so I am very stoked to see these great companies pushing to one up each other.


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## Leo (Nov 24, 2009)

Yea, the pricing scheme is what's going to keep GNU and Cinch alive. 

In terms of tech, neither GNU nor Cinch offers an advantage over the NX2. Buyers with deeper wallets were previously choosing those options over Flow because of the different tech. If these Flows turn out to perform as promised, I don't see GNU or Cinch offering an advantage (again, for buyers who aren't concerned about pricing).

Of course, as always, just my opinion. Fun discussion topic. Thanks for all the great sneak peaks so far! Keep em coming Wired!


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## Wiredsport (Sep 16, 2009)

PS:

Burton EST disks will be available for 2013 as well.


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## comclovin (Mar 30, 2009)

Leo said:


> Yea, the pricing scheme is what's going to keep GNU and Cinch alive.
> 
> In terms of tech, neither GNU nor Cinch offers an advantage over the NX2. Buyers with deeper wallets were previously choosing those options over Flow because of the different tech. If these Flows turn out to perform as promised, I don't see GNU or Cinch offering an advantage (again, for buyers who aren't concerned about pricing).
> 
> Of course, as always, just my opinion. Fun discussion topic. Thanks for all the great sneak peaks so far! Keep em coming Wired!


Pricing on the NX2s are probably in the mid $300's much like the NXT FSE and NXT FRX I would imagine. That price point can be hard to swallow for a lot of people. If GNU and Cinch offer comparable functionality for less money, people will definitely still consider them. Again, there are also the GNU and Cinch fans, much like the Flow fans, who love and support their brands as well. Definitely an interesting discussion, and will be interesting to see how the sales stack up.


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## P3 Mammoth (Dec 3, 2011)

Have you tried the fastec bindings from GNU? If not, try them. The extra ankle adjustment gives you a more precise connection to your boot and getting in and out is easier than the Flow design. That is why Flow is changing their design.


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## Lowlyffe (Jun 8, 2011)

P3 Mammoth said:


> Have you tried the fastec bindings from GNU? If not, try them. The extra ankle adjustment gives you a more precise connection to your boot and getting in and out is easier than the Flow design. That is why Flow is changing their design.


I own both the Flow Nxt Atse and Gnu choice bindings for my boards. In my opinion the Flow has a higher build quality however like the above posters mentioned price was a consideration. My ATSE bindings are fantastic however dialing them in was a bit of a hassle. I ended up using them on my Park deck because Getting back into them after a sesh in deep pow was a bit of a disaster. My pow deck i went with the GNU choices, i felt they offered similar utility and performance, a lower price point with some but minimal sacrifices. I think the new Flows are gonna be awesome but again pricing will have to be a consideration if i make the move. Ymmv.


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## baker (Nov 7, 2010)

They looks like the copy of SP United bindings SP? worldwide snowboarding


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## john doe (Nov 6, 2009)

Not a copy. Just another brand. They are all Fastec bindings. Kind of like how Lib, Gnu, and Roxy are all Mervin


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## aznguy133 (Dec 29, 2012)

Wiredsport said:


> PS:
> 
> Burton EST disks will be available for 2013 as well.


Really want to get these bindings, but will they come with the burton EST channel mounting discs? Do I just use 2 screws per bindings? Or where can I buy the disc?


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## Barto (Jan 18, 2012)

Got some 2012 Mutants last year. I think they are a best of both worlds situation between rear entry and traditional straps. You can really dial in the top strap and still easily get in and out. I also really like the chair lift release that pops the top strap up. Rear entry is a must for a small hill like what I ride on 90% of the time.

My only complaint with the Mutants is the crappy latches on the toe strap. It is really easy for ice to get into them and pop them up causing you to have absolutely nothing holding your toe. I'm using zip ties to secure them now. If I wasn't, these bindings would be unusable.

When I'm ready for new bindings, I'll probably check out something like those NX2s.


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## Vaughanabe13 (Feb 2, 2012)

Agree with Barto on everything he said. I have the 2012 Gnu Choice. They rock for a lot of reasons, but at the same time they have some problems. The toe cap has really bad fasteners (not ratchets) that sometimes come loose while you're riding. The back fastener is just as bad. And the hard plastic pieces for the toe cap are just barely long enough on the largest binding size, so you always feel like they're going to come off. I might have to do what he was talking about with the zip ties. In general I feel like the toe cap is worthless on these bindings, and half the time I can't even get them tight enough on my boot, since there is no ratchet. You have to "push" them tighter and then try to clip the lever closed, but it doesn't really work.

The back strap is great and and the entry system is better than Flow, but not as durable or well-constructed. Both of my quick-release levers on the back straps got gunked up during normal riding conditions and wouldn't pop open correctly when the high back was opened. However, I contacted GNU about that and they sent me two replacement all-metal latches for free and those have worked great. If only they would improve their construction/build quality I think these would be better than the Flows. 

Also, these are a nightmare to put on when you're on a significant slope. They're awesome on flat snow or nearly-flat snow, but they become very hard to strap in if you're on a slope. I suppose you could probably say the same thing about the Flows, except these have two points you have to latch before you're done.

The button you press on the lift hill to release tension on the back strap is both brilliant and awesome. However, you only really need that feature if you have a heavier board, and I'm guessing most people would use these on a lighter park board. Also, the button can be hard to activate sometimes.

Overall I think these fastec bindings have great potential, but they definitely need a few more iterations and to fix the problems mentioned above. I wouldn't buy them again until those problems are fixed.


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## Barto (Jan 18, 2012)

Here is what I did to get the toe cap dialed in.

Strap in, make the toe cap as tight as it can be with your boot in the binding. Take your boot out and make it tighter by one or two on each side. See if you can still get your boot in. If not make it looser by one step and repeat until it is tight.

For me once I had it dialed in the first time I never had to adjust it again. So I just zip tied them down and left them that way.

I tried prototypes of the Flow NX2 yesterday and they are nowhere close to as good as the Mutants in terms of feeling connected to your board. The Flow rep said the production NX2's are better, though. I believe him because I've ridden "The 5" by Flow and those where much better than the NX2's and are a lower level binding.


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## Vaughanabe13 (Feb 2, 2012)

Yes, I have tried that method with the toe cap and it works to a certain extent. The problem is the plastic piece that closes on the strip just doesn't hold the toe cap very well against high pressure. The strap seems to slip over time and eventually comes loose because the straps aren't long enough. So yeah, maybe the extra force from a zip tie would prevent it from coming loose. But at the same time, it's pretty ridiculous to use zip ties on bindings when they should just have a better design in the first place.

When the bindings are dialed in just right though, they feel almost exactly like a solid 2-strap binding, so they definitely have that going for them.


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## Barto (Jan 18, 2012)

I agree that you shouldn't have to use zip ties. That is really disappointing to me. Works great though and makes the bindings much better. My toe caps haven't moved since I did this so I'm not too upset about it.

Hopefully GNU upgrades those sometime soon because I really like the system. Good luck with yours.


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## surr3a1 (Feb 18, 2013)

*Good ones*

I am an advanced snowboarder (4-5 years). I run quite fast, do jumps, not so much powder or offtrack.

I got these last Friday and tested them over the weekend. I did some tracks and some powder.

The board that I use is GNU Carbon Credit 12/13 model - 150cm. I myself am 166cm, 73kg and got the M size of the bindings for 41 size boot (Metric system).

These are a replacement for my old Drake Super Sport.

The installment was quite fast and easy. I like very much that the center disc is metal. It was super easy to additionally adjust the foot angle by loosing the bolts. There was no need to remove them to be able to rotate the binding which is so common with other bindings.

The entry and removal are really fast but not perfect. When inserting, the foot would usually not go all the way to the front and when I lift the back plate - it would additionally push my leg to the front. This may force my heel to be lifted in the air sometimes.
I had no big issues with the straps or their adjustment. Loosing the ankle strap from the ratchet lever can be quite difficult if they are under tension. Nothing like loosing a normal strap. That of course is hardly needed but I had to do it few times.
The ratchet can be locked after an adjustment but there were cases when it popped back right after I had locked it. I would not remain locked.

I did a lot of jumping on the track (not at a park) and the landing was soft and stable. It felt good.

I read some reviews which said that the front strap would come off during riding - I can't see how this is possible. The strap was rock solid and did not move at all after the binding is locked.

One thing that I didn't like was that the base of the binding is not super stiff and when forcefully bending it at the rear, it may lift about 0.5-1mm from the base of the board. That is probably good for a beginner rider as it may forgive some mistakes but for me was somehow strange. Sometimes when I was riding on a semi-flat area of the track and was only twisting my rear foot to turn it would feel like the binding is moving as it was not mounted securely. I would stop and check only to see that it is perfectly fine... strange!

The only big issue with these is the back lever and the cable that goes through it. At the point where the cable meets the edge of the lever it is being cut through by the lever's very sharp edges. After the 2 days of riding the cable sleeve of my back foot has been seriously cut by the lever itself. I inspected the lever and noticed that the edges have been slightly dulled from the factory but definitely not enough! I will use some tools and sandpaper to make these perfect.

Overall these bindings are really good with a lot of adjustment options, sick look and quite comfortable.
I had several people ask me and comment on them while waiting for the lift.

I would definitely recommend them to anyone.

Thanks!


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## Vaughanabe13 (Feb 2, 2012)

surr3a1 said:


> I am an advanced snowboarder (4-5 years). I run quite fast, do jumps, not so much powder or offtrack.
> 
> I got these last Friday and tested them over the weekend. I did some tracks and some powder.
> 
> ...


That's a good sign if you're not having any problems with the front strap. On mine the front strap has two little clips, one on each side of the strap, and you snap the clips shut to lock down the strap. But the problem is the plastic piece that it locks to is smooth and doesn't have any retention ratchets or anything, so it's just two pieces of smooth, shiny plastic pressing against each other on both sides of the strap, which didn't feel very secure to me. Then when I ride hard, the plastic tends to slip until the point where one side of the strap comes off completely. It doesn't always do this, maybe only a few times a year. I just look at it after every few runs to make sure it still looks tight. But if you haven't had a problem, perhaps they have fixed their design a little bit.

Also, one thing I noticed about fitting my boot in the binding is that sometimes the front strap comes up too high while I'm putting in my boot, which causes my heel not to fit all the way inside the heel cup as I raise the highback. The solution for me was to just quickly tap on the toe strap to push it down toward the board, and then my boot fit right in as I raised the highback and locked it.


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## surr3a1 (Feb 18, 2013)

*Hi*

Hi there mate,

I think I understand what you mean. I had exactly the opposite issue with the front strap - it would sometimes bend down and I had to lift it a bit.

About the other issue - it must be an older model of the binding. Mine has these small dents(not sure about the right word) on the inner part of the plastic piece. On the outer side it has numbers 1,2,3 etc. If I open the claps and try to move the strap I can hear small click sound as it jumps from dent to dent. I will try to post a photo here. It was really solid. Maybe you can ask for a replacement plastic piece.

Cheers!


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## Vaughanabe13 (Feb 2, 2012)

surr3a1 said:


> Hi there mate,
> 
> I think I understand what you mean. I had exactly the opposite issue with the front strap - it would sometimes bend down and I had to lift it a bit.
> 
> ...


Cool, glad to hear it. Yeah mine are about 2 seasons old now. It's great they have been working on the design.


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## Barto (Jan 18, 2012)

Nice review surr3a1. It's nice to hear about the new models.

I've had problems with the toe strap coming loose, but mine are last year's model.


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## surr3a1 (Feb 18, 2013)

**

Well as it turns out I found a problem with the right binding. The base is not entirely flat. The rear half is just a little bent so that when I put it on the board there is an opening of around 4-5mm at the back. That was the cause for which I felt like my back foot is moving - it really was!

I wouldn't think that I caused this because in that case the material of the bindings is too soft.

I am going to the shop today to return them. I really liked these :dunno:


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