bindings for EC

Post by **Daedalus** » Thursday 29 October 2009, 20:23

hy guy's,

i have just ordered my Swoard 175 XH and was wandering which binding would be best for it.

My current binding is Proflex Intec Titanium which i used for several years on my Proton GS 172 without any problems or breaking parts.
And they have seen some stress testing with my weight ...

in the equipment part of the swoard home page it says that i schould not use Intec because they are too stiff
thats ok for me ... why not try something new
but in the posts of this forum i read a lot about breaking bails on every "conventional" binding and that is a no go !

since there is no safety mechanism on snowboard bindings like on ski the basic function of a binding is to keep the boot attached to the snowboard in every case that can be anticipated
i like my knees like they are now and not twisted after a broken bail ...

are there bindings out there with bails that can withstand the forces of ec ?
or is it possible to use intec with one of the dampened bindings out there (OS2 (with D3 Elastomer upgrade), TD3, Intec Titanflex) whithout having the problem of crossed knees during hard turns or even a broken board(which is, in my opinion, a much lesser safety problem than a broken bail)

money is not a problem when it comes to safety ....

greetings from Austria and thanks in advance for advice

Post by **Transistor Rhythm** » Thursday 29 October 2009, 20:49

All of them can break. It's up to you to replace them before they break by themselves, spare parts can be ordered from http://www.carversparadise.com - some people carry spare bails with them just to be sure. Maybe someone else can tell after how many riding days you're supposed to replace them. I nevere broke one yet.

F2 Race Titanium or Bomber mounted flat are the best options. I don't know if bail quality on the Bombers are better than F2, I think they are the same diameter altough the Bombers as a whole look a lot more sturdy.

Post by **Whitey** » Friday 30 October 2009, 12:47

Transistor Rhythm wrote:All of them can break. It's up to you to replace them before they break by themselves, spare parts can be ordered from http://www.carversparadise.com

IMHO, better option for F2 spare parts is Ebay. There you can find Proflex/F2 bindings for reasonable price. CarversParadise spare parts prices are very high.

Post by **Transistor Rhythm** » Friday 30 October 2009, 13:03

Whitey wrote:IMHO, better option for F2 spare parts is Ebay. There you can find Proflex/F2 bindings for reasonable price. CarversParadise spare parts prices are very high.

35 euro for spare front block + bail for a 200 euro binding is not very high in my opinion. Plus you could be replacing a weakened bail for another one that already has fatigue when you buy second hand ones. If a used binding was in such a good shape I would dare to use the bails I would probably not use it for spare parts in the first place

I do buy brand new whole sets on eBay though. Very nice prices indeed!

Post by **Whitey** » Friday 30 October 2009, 13:13

35 euro for spare front block + bail for a 200 euro binding is not very high in my opinion. Plus you could be replacing a weakened bail for another one that already has fatigue when you buy second hand ones.

Well, that is personal opinion, of course. Anyway, for that price you can find from Ebay the complete set of bails (2 front, 2 back) and all the bottom nuts as well. And new ones, of course

Post by **Transistor Rhythm** » Friday 30 October 2009, 13:27

Interesting. But how did you find them? Can't find them by going to plate bindings. Only spare intec heels and cables.

Post by **Whitey** » Friday 30 October 2009, 13:42

Last winter I bought 2 sets of new Proflex binding sets from there, ~30 € /set. Bails and nuts are exactly the same than in F2, so you just unmount them and put in place in F2. Simple as that.

Post by **Hans** » Friday 30 October 2009, 14:34

Try your own intecs/setup with the board at first and feel/see how things go/feel.

You always can decide otherwise. There are enough carvers/ec-ers out there with an intecsetup

Post by **sorro** » Friday 30 October 2009, 15:36

http://cgi.ebay.fr/Proflex-freecarve-bi ... 3356f0c2ee

I already bought several sets to him, to have spare bails for my F2 race titanium, no pb with the bails and with the seller...

Post by **starikashka** » Friday 30 October 2009, 21:02

I tried F2 and Cateck bindings in both versions - regular and intec. i did not feel the difference when i changed Catek to F2.
Only experienced and old riders can feel the difference and unfortunately nobody gave clear explanation that i could understand why it should be different....So, Hans said good thing - try what you have.

Post by **Daedalus** » Saturday 31 October 2009, 11:10

thank you all for the input

those of you who told me to just get spare parts did encurage me to stay with intec
i wont buy a binding and expecting it to break during my next carve

Hans is right, i will try my own binding/boot setup first an then decide where to improve next
in that way the difference in riding which comes from the board will be much more distinctive and i may know more what i need from my bindings / boots

Post by **Transistor Rhythm** » Saturday 31 October 2009, 18:51

I ride intec too by the way. I like intec more when I ride a narrow board and I'm using one set of bindings at the moment. I don't think the difference between riding intec or regular bindings is as important for EC as things as bootflex, board or correct technique.

Post by **rilliet** » Sunday 1 November 2009, 11:28

Daedalus,

All depends on your weight. Up to 80 - 85 kg, no problem with the F2 race titanium, bail braking is rare and can be easily controlled by changing them sometimes, ie: at the beginning of each season if you want to be sure not to brake. But if you are heavier (that's why you have a XH board) then I don't have the experience to give you the proper advise and you have to test by yourself or find another heavy rider who would share is experience.
Anyway, the heavier you are, the softer your boots and binding will be for you. So what is stiff for me (I'm 81 kg) will be much softer for you. So an intec system with a lot of dampening and flex system may work for you even if it does not work for me. You have to test and we will all be happy that you share your experience with us.

Jacques

Post by **starikashka** » Sunday 1 November 2009, 12:59

Jaques, i`m 95 kg. I can share my experience about bindings

i did it many times.

Maintenance will reduce the risk - 100% agree!!