the difference in bindings?

[Dave]

I was wonderring what the difference was between the 3 bindings

I'm looking for differences in
stifness
controll (for freecarving and EC)
easy to use?

Dave

The x-bone raichle are mine

[pokkis]

XBone are no-way stiff, much too loose i would say.
Standard race might be best according J&P related to stiffness.
Ease of usage both are not so good compared to Step-Ins.
Titanflex could be slightly stiffer than standard Race but i have no exact knowledge cause i dont like either of them and me personally dont like that extra height of Titanflex.
But clearly Titanflex is most reliable, it will last longer than any other of these

[NateW]

Of those three I would choose the Titanflex, simply because of strength. I have X-bones and they are too flexible so I fear they will break.... I have broken a few softboot and hardboot bindings in the past, really really really want to avoid that again, it is SCARY. I will never again depend on a piece of plastic.... With the Titanflex, the highest-stress part of the binding (the heel) is metal, bolted to a metal plate, held down with more metal. The other two bindings have too much plastic in between the boot and the board.

I have not tried Titanflex bindings myself yet, as I am even more confident in the strength of the Bomber and Catek bindings, but Titanflex seems almost as good, probably good enough.

[Dave]

Thx

I know that in the same type of binding, there are lots of variations in choice of materials.

I bought a few months ago the HOT-snowboard second hand with that X-bone step-in.

My new board:

I tried it in Landgraaf (indoor) with the step-in, and my first feeling was that the step-in is
more secure than my standaard plate-binding of snowpro.
In terms of use, it was extremely handy.

I'm curious what it will do on real snow

This HOT-snowboard is heavier than my other board with the standaard snowpro-binding.
My old board:
Perhaps all of you think that snowpro is really bad, I don't know, I don't have lots (actualy nothing )
of experience with testing well known marks as F2 and TD2.

Dave

[JonDahl]

I've never seen a pair of x-bones with the Fast heel piece! I have a pair of Snowpro Fast Race bindings that have been very good to me. The Race use 6 mm bails on them, and while they don't compete with TD2 or Catek in the area of stiffness, I'd feel comfortable racing on them. Even though they use the same base and toe pieces (5mm bail) as the Snowpro Base stepins, the are a step up in stiffness. For durability, pick the one with the most metal in key places, you probably won't go wrong.

[Dave]

And I think mine is different than most other step-in systems.
(with the release-handel on the binding and not on the shoe)

I said it before, I don't have ridden the step-in on the real snow, so I'm verry curious what it will be.

Dave

[neil_swingler]

I picked up some new Snowpro FAST race bindings very cheap off ebay.fr. Before then I used Blax and Proflex Intec bindings. The FAST step-in mechanism works at least as well as Intec and might be a bit less prone to ice build up. No cable to break either (I used to carry a spare intec heel piece in my back pack )

[Dave]

I used to carry a spare intec heel piece in my back pack

Were you so affraid that the heel-piece could break during carving?

That's indeed the weaker link in the entire system

Dave

[tigger]

hi,
i use the snowpro fast race as well, and it works fine if it is well adjusted.( be careful not to tighten the solelenght too much, or your heelpart will wear out quick). and unfortunatly there is a cabel that can break in the binding, mine broke after 3 seasons.

[neil_swingler]

I had 2 Intec cable failures. The last set have lasted a long time however. A bit dissapointed to hear about the FAST cable breaking as well though. Is it servicable at all? Maybe the best thing to carry in your backpack is a spare toe clip binding.

[tigger]

the fast cable doesnt break that often, but you have to contact the general ditributor(in germany at least) to get a new pair of heelparts price is around 45€ i think, so its nearly the same price as a new pair of FAST x bones with at ebay.

[neil_swingler]

So when my FAST cable breaks , will it be difficult to get my boot out of the binding?

Is there any warning that the cable is damaged before it breaks?

[Dave]

Therefore, I think my system is safer!
Because it hasn't got a cable

Dave

[SITO]

Dave,
Your sistem , don't have cable, so you can open the bindings always with your hands.

But don't forget to check your heel-boots pieces frequently, I have seen em in the shop and seems fragile. They are on plastic and don't have any metal pieces in where engaged the pins, the pins are in the bindings .
I broke mine two intec heels of my boots at the same time,they was also in plastic but al least they was reinforment with the metal pin, there are some pics in a post.(security step-in sitem).


Sito

[utzel]

Hy Dave,

during EC2005 I broke my regular Racebindings and switched directly to the Titanflex. (I already had bought them but did not mount because I was confused about all the posts regarding too much stiffness in Intec bindings )

I did not use the plastic spacer disk between board and binding but mounted the binding dirctly to the board, works fine, just need shorter screws

Feeling:

just pleasure to ride, evrything felt as with the standard bingings, BUT now I have easy in and out !!!