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Baltfrog
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 Posted: Jan 31, 2012 11:59 am Post subject: Need help picking bindings. |
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Everything I have read, here and elsewhere points me in the direction of some Ronix closed toe bindings. I don't doubt they are the best, i just doubt whether they are right for me. Some background: I have longboarded(skateboarding) for the past ten years or so and I am very comfortable on a longboard. Tried snowboarding and I can get around but I don't really enjoy it. My wakeboarding experience is all w/ sandal bindings. I know i can't jump with these, but I am worryied about giving up that ankle freedom and finding myself in the same place i am with snowboarding. Any advice would be helpful, anybody else have similar experiences?
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TheHebrewHammer
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| Posted: Jan 31, 2012 12:10 pm Post subject: |
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Giving up that ankle freedom is what's going to protect you from injury and give you the control you need to do advanced wakeboarding tricks. That said, you can ease into the transition with a pair of softer, open-toe bindings like the Liquid Force Transits or Ultras. They'll give you the control and support you need without being too restrictive. If the 2012s are too expensive for you, there are tons of older Ultras out there for cheap and they're excellent as well.
As for the Ronix line, their quality is amazing and their design is really cool, but they don't feel all that comfortable to me. They don't conform to my foot as much as some other brands. I haven't tried any of the 2012 boots, but I don't like the way they've been doing toe-hold with a big bump in the roof of the binding. It just doesn't feel good to have my toes pinched instead of cradled.
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Baltfrog
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| Posted: Jan 31, 2012 1:11 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks for that info, how much are the open toed binding going to limit me? I don't plan on doing crazy spins or overly technical stuff. Just like to get some big air and maybe try a flip by the end of the summer. Could I do this stuff with open toe bindings or are they not good enough?
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TheHebrewHammer
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| Posted: Jan 31, 2012 2:00 pm Post subject: |
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They won't limit you at all. Open toe bindings have gotten so good these days that they're almost as nice as closed toe. Some of the world's top pro riders, notably Ben Greenwood and Bob Soven, still choose to design and ride open toe bindings. It is entirely possible to do 1080s, double flips, and indeed every trick in the book with open toe bindings. You'll be fine 
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Baltfrog
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| Posted: Jan 31, 2012 4:33 pm Post subject: |
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That's a huge relief saves me money, and provides me the comfort I'm looking for. You are a huge help sir
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TheHebrewHammer
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| Posted: Jan 31, 2012 5:35 pm Post subject: |
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Welcome! See if you can demo the bindings from a shop before you buy just to see how they fit your individual foot shape. And try them on the water if possible because they sometimes feel different under load than in the shop.
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augie
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| Posted: Feb 01, 2012 12:45 pm Post subject: |
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look into velcro open toed bindings, so much easier, specially if you visit a wake park.
liquid force vantages, slingshot has some..
As for the ronix, never ridden them, but tried on the franks and ones at a shop, OMG, must comfortable thing ever to be on my foot, but I just can't commit to closed toe bindings, afraid my toes will get smashed on hard landings.
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TheHebrewHammer
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| Posted: Feb 01, 2012 3:25 pm Post subject: |
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| augie wrote: | look into velcro open toed bindings, so much easier, specially if you visit a wake park.
liquid force vantages, slingshot has some... |
Word, this is good advice.
| augie wrote: | | I just can't commit to closed toe bindings, afraid my toes will get smashed on hard landings |
That could never happen unless the bindings were way too big for you, and even then, it's highly unlikely. Your foot is not supposed to move around in the binding, even on the hardest crashes.
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augie
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| Posted: Feb 01, 2012 5:13 pm Post subject: |
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[quote="TheHebrewHammer"] | augie wrote: |
That could never happen unless the bindings were way too big for you, and even then, it's highly unlikely. Your foot is not supposed to move around in the binding, even on the hardest crashes. |
And that may be where a good shop salesman would of made the sale, but the kid helping me didn't know how the fit should feel or if i should size down or not. I had flashbacks of trying to find the right snowboard boot, ( an epic ordeal) so I tried a size down and toes barely touched, which is good for snow, not sure about wake bindings though. Guess I just need to try more on and find a better shop person
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Baltfrog
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| Posted: Feb 02, 2012 5:10 am Post subject: |
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Closest shop is about an hour, i'll probably go down there try a few styles on in both opened and closed toe and pick from there. Not buy it there I'll turn to Ebay or one of you gents out there. I feel that because of the love for the closed toes it drives the prices of them up
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TheHebrewHammer
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| Posted: Feb 02, 2012 9:40 am Post subject: |
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| Baltfrog wrote: | | Closest shop is about an hour, i'll probably go down there try a few styles on in both opened and closed toe and pick from there. Not buy it there I'll turn to Ebay or one of you gents out there. I feel that because of the love for the closed toes it drives the prices of them up |
Closed toe bindings are better and they cost more for a reason, but the prices of the top-end bindings are getting out of hand. New 2012 Ronix boots are selling for $440-$490 and the Hyperlite System package is like $470 for the boot and the binding.
If your shop carries O'brien, be sure to check out their bindings. They're not a very popular or well advertised brand, but they make a killer product.
You'll probably be much better off buying used. You can absolutely top-of-the-line bindings for really cheap that way.
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Baltfrog
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| Posted: Feb 02, 2012 11:05 am Post subject: |
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Mr. Hammer, you seem to be a fountain of knowledge. I imagine you will tire of my questions. Thanks for the help. Obrien will definitely be on my radar. Any particular years or models to stay away from?
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TheHebrewHammer
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| Posted: Feb 02, 2012 4:07 pm Post subject: |
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| Baltfrog wrote: | | Mr. Hammer, you seem to be a fountain of knowledge. I imagine you will tire of my questions. Thanks for the help. Obrien will definitely be on my radar. Any particular years or models to stay away from? |
Haha, thanks, but I'm no expert! I've seen and done a lot in a short period of time, but in wakeboarding years, I'm still a complete noob! I really enjoy answering questions like yours because I wish someone had been there to answer my questions when I was just starting out.
As far as years, take a look at the base plates on the bindings. Back in the day, they were 8" wide. Later, 6" became the industry standard. The old 8" bindings tend to be a lot heavier than newer stuff, which is an unnecessary fault nowadays. Bindings have come a long way in recent years and there's no reason to settle for anything older than 2009 or so when newer ones are so affordable.
As for models, stay away from the CWB models that split in half and close with a hinge like a clamshell, namely the Torq (bottom pic), Vapor, Edge, and Seven. This is a seriously flawed design carried over from the past that makes for uncomfortable bindings prone to breaking and rusting. The CWB heel lock hinge models (the AA in the top pic as well as the Marius, Faction, and Answer) are fine as far as I know.
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wtwdevil
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| Posted: Feb 02, 2012 9:57 pm Post subject: |
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| I second O'Brien great quality products, I love my new Nomads.
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TheHebrewHammer
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| Posted: Feb 03, 2012 8:02 am Post subject: |
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| wtwdevil wrote: | | I second O'Brien great quality products, I love my new Nomads. |
Most comfortable bindings I have ever tried!
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JoLo_Si
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| Posted: Feb 07, 2012 9:19 am Post subject: |
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I love my '10 Ronix One's as does most everyone who has them. Not only are they comfy but really light and they have this seatbelt (some trade term) thing that lock down your heel right where it needs to be and then your foot can never slide forward in the binding.
I was coming from CWB Vapors, which I thought I really liked, so I'm a little biased. The CWB's were great for starting out because they are so easy to get into and there's actually alot of adjustemnt but there's no comparison to high quality pair of closed toes.
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dbismyname
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| Posted: Feb 08, 2012 1:02 pm Post subject: |
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| How has no one pointed out the most obvious solution ever...... Wake skate. Complete freedom and a blast to carve around on like you're wanting.
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TheHebrewHammer
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| Posted: Feb 08, 2012 3:06 pm Post subject: |
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no doubt!
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Baltfrog
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| Posted: Feb 08, 2012 4:31 pm Post subject: |
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I will definitely be getting a wake skate, I want a wakeboard too so I can get some air. When I need help picking a wake skate I will come ask you dbis as I assume you are a fan.
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dbismyname
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| Posted: Feb 15, 2012 7:58 pm Post subject: |
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| Nope i ride a slingshot Hooke with ronix franks, just thought it seemed like an obvious answer to your binding issue
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Baltfrog
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| Posted: Feb 16, 2012 6:06 am Post subject: |
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I ended up working out a trade for a ronix board with some gator ltd close toed bindings with bmock, try anything once I guess right?
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TheHebrewHammer
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| Posted: Feb 16, 2012 8:01 am Post subject: |
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Which board and what year were the bindings?
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Baltfrog
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| Posted: Feb 16, 2012 8:14 am Post subject: |
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2009 ronix one with 2011 gator ltd's
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TheHebrewHammer
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| Posted: Feb 16, 2012 1:06 pm Post subject: |
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Sounds like a pretty good package to me.
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Baltfrog
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| Posted: Feb 16, 2012 2:11 pm Post subject: |
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I'm worried they might be a tad big but if so i'll just see if I can trade em
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bmock50
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| Posted: Feb 16, 2012 2:23 pm Post subject: |
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| TheHebrewHammer wrote: | | Sounds like a pretty good package to me. |
I like the way this guy thinks!
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Baltfrog
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| Posted: Feb 16, 2012 2:29 pm Post subject: |
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Bmock for those who don't know is the gentleman who was kind enough to hook the trade up. Looking forward to it sir! Pleasure doing business
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bmock50
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| Posted: Feb 16, 2012 2:30 pm Post subject: |
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Anytime!
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