The sad thing about an idea is when you fall so far in love with it that you can’t see the end result not being worth the actual investment to bring it to fruition. The snowboard world is home to a plethora of these bad ideas that lurk in the underbelly of our industry. SIA is always a great area to find these bad ideas, typically these are delegated to the far back corner often near the bathrooms so the stench of feces can help accentuate the level of shittiness these products exude.
Well low and behold this year one of these crap products made its way into the mainstream. For some reason the powers that be at SIA (read $$$$ spent) decided to let one of these horribly bad ideas get into a heavily trafficked area. Oh but it gets better still as the geographical location of this company comes from that magical arm pit of the universe, yes that’s right it’s another BroCal product! I would like to be the first to welcome Manic Snowboard Bindings to you.
Yes that’s right it has a suspension system oh but lets not forget it’s made out of 100% Magnesium. Now for those of you that don’t know Magnesium is a metal you don’t really want anywhere near your feet due to the fact it’s prone to breakage. There’s a reason Aluminum is used in the bases, disks, and heel cups, it’s a stronger metal. Magnesium is not.
Now lets think about this for a second, dead spots impair the natural flex of a board, risers impair the natural flex of a board, suspension definitely impairs the natural flex as well. So what the hell does this steamy turd do? It impairs the natural flex! How in the hell is this providing optimal performance when it’s about 2 inches wider than any other binding on the market and sits about an inch higher? Can anyone explain that one to me? And what about mounting this thing up, how the hell do you do that with a super extended screw or what? This is a recipe for disaster.
Now here’s another thing to consider when you’re sitting higher up on the board with a suspension system, you’re changing the whole dynamics and geometry of riding. Sure you’ll get better leverage on edge but how in the fuck does something with 4 springs allow for an even flex when powering through turns? Yes you can adjust them to your desired setting but still you’re elevated further off the board.
Now the beauty of these guys having prime real estate next to the Skullcandy booth was that you could over hear some of the absurd claims they made. At one point one of their people (he had a thick Texas accent which does not bode well in Colorado country) exclaimed that it was like Burtons EST. How the fuck is it like EST, EST gives better board feel by putting you closer to the board. This thing doesn’t do that.
Their marketing is all about reducing chatter because evidently all these new foams, gels, and cushions the industry has introduced aren’t doing that. Sorry but technology in boards, boots, and especially BINDINGS has come such a long way that chatter is pretty minimal these days and if you actually know how to ride you can use your body to absorb what’s left over.
But the true kicker for the absurdity of this junk show is that evidently it costs them $1,500 dollars to make and retails for $3,000. Who the fuck spends that much on bindings? That’s more than a Libtech Cygnus or a Burton Method. If you’re buying this you better have a tattooed tramp stamp that says “Compensating”. Seriously three grand is like a really expensive mortgage payment, hell do you know how many hookers and blow you could get down on Colfax Avenue at SIA for that price?
Now if there’s one thing that this product proves, it’s that BroCal is truly the epicenter of shitty snowboard related products. So to the first person that can send me a photo of them riding a Bitch Board with a Strap Pad and these monstrosities while rocking the snowboard pole I’ll send you a brand new snowboard. If you can actually get video of you riding with said set up I’ll give you a complete set up. (Disclaimer snowboard may or may not be new and may or may not be unrideable but will be 100% kook free)
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33 Responses
Hilarious. Please put up more posts of products like this they’re always a good read
Posted on February 8th, 2010 at 8:10 am
Hey Bra!
I invented binding suspension to take the bite off of all those jumps I knuckle… That means you cleared it right, if you make it to the knuckle? Even it doesn’t I’ll just kick your ass if you say I’m wrong cause I’m from SoCal and I’m straight suburban gangsta.
Well anyway bro, I’m off in my lifted off-road truck decked out with Famous stickers to mob some paved streets and highways.
Posted on February 8th, 2010 at 4:56 pm
Why do these shitty companies always claim that they are the future of snowboarding?
Posted on February 8th, 2010 at 7:59 pm
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This post was mentioned on Twitter by SHREDunion: angry’s POV – Binding Suspension from BroCal http://bit.ly/cqNfew...
Posted on February 8th, 2010 at 8:37 pm
I thought EST was a crock?
I can’t imagine how anyone can come up with a straight faced marketing plan predicated on selling bindings that are 10x more expensive than the top of the line. These are terrible from a technical and business standpoint. Honestly if their MFG costs are $1500 a pair they are doing it wrong.
Also on the materials, most of the time when someone is referring to something as “magnesium” it’s actually an alloy, same with aluminum. Free or pure magnesium would be terrible to utilize as an engineering component. The strength of the alloy has a lot more to do with the tempering process than the actual composition. For example Aluminum Alloy 6061 which I think is pretty commonly utilized in snowboard bindings can have yield strength ranging from 8,000 psi to 40,000 psi depending on the temper process. A common magnesium alloy such as AZ91D will be something like 20,000. Even though it’s half, you still have to generate a lot more force than you would want with any part of your body to deform it. To be honest my understanding is that magnesium alloys have an advantage from a weight perspective (35% or so lighter weight than aluminum) for sure, but the machining process for them can actually be less expensive than aluminum. I am sure these dumbasses are saying magnesium because they think it sounds super tech but in reality it’s just another way to get from point a to b.
Just out of curiosity do you have a sense for how well reps understand the components of what they are selling? I am sure it varies greatly but are there any companies that have guys that actually know what goes into the product down to the nitty gritty and what it actually means? It seems like there is a ton of hype out there.
Posted on February 8th, 2010 at 9:18 pm
Amazing! The price point is 10 times beyond even Burton’s binding prices and you weren’t kidding when you said springs. Looks like bed springs…maybe someone should make a tempur-pedic binding. I’m really curious to see how many they’ll sell.
I’m down with what MightDumplings is saying about Magnesium. Lighter and as strong which is why it’s used in automotive racing wheel applications (though flammable believe it or not) but I think overkill in a binding application.
Posted on February 9th, 2010 at 3:21 am
lol those things suck because they are different
Posted on February 9th, 2010 at 5:34 am
@7 – No they suck because they are a poor excuse for a product. Seriously, would you invest your money in a company with a flag-ship product that costs 10x the typical product in the market, provides no discernible benefits over existing products and likely introduces points for mechanical failure and increased maintenance to a relatively stable platform? If your board chatters enough that you feel the need to get $3,000 bindings with ZOMG Titanium Springs!!! it’s time to get a new board or quit riding on gravel.
Just to give some more color to how clownshoes these guys are, here is their press release for those that can stomach it:
http://www.prlog.org/10506002-manic-snow-set-to-debut-the-future-of-snowboarding-at-the-2010-snowsports-industries-america-show.html
I had no idea $700 Billion was spent on ski and snowboard equipment last year. That is nearly 4x the value of all cars sold in the US during the year 2006. Snowboarders are taking over, brah.
Posted on February 9th, 2010 at 9:40 am
Checked out their site, they don’t even show the product. Rough. I guess it’s still suuuper top secret.
Posted on February 9th, 2010 at 2:55 pm
ok… maybe for a straightline, bombed run into a 70 footer, these could prove helpful. other than that… i just don’t get it. i compare it to getting the best road bike, then throwing a suspension fork on it. it takes away from the whole… sometimes, a soft ride is not so good. even before the complete insanity of the price, these things are stupid… if they were 50% of the price of a normal binding, i wouldn’t think of it. at 15X the price of my current binding… i think i’ll stay away.
from the article:
“94 percent of snowboarders said they would ‘possibly buy’ or ‘definitely buy’ a product based on the promise of increased performance.” …….. well….. yeah… what do you think we are? fucking stupid? if you mentioned that the performance product was moronic and costs thousands, you might get a little less than 94%.
but hey.. the co-founder is a dr… he must know what he’s doing.
Posted on February 9th, 2010 at 6:03 pm
Now you can have a gaper gap on your head and on your board!!!!!
How do you ollie these bitches, you couldn’t load the deck up because your ‘suspension’ is going to suck all that energy up. Stupid idea.
And, anyone who has been on a splitboard knows that being higher up off of the deck really blows. Which is why there are now splitboard binding companies that make bindings to get your lower. (which sell for a tenth of the cost of these pieces of shit.
Stupid fucking idea.
Posted on February 10th, 2010 at 12:12 pm
I saw those at ISPO yesterday and they were, among some other crazy stuff, the funniest things ever. Can’t believe how much money those guys spent on this joke.
Posted on February 10th, 2010 at 3:21 pm
I saw the bindings in Denver as well – they actually retail at $300 not $3,000. Not sure if I would get on a pair but I spoke with a few guys who demo’d the bindings and they were pretty impressed. Check out Union (best binding on the market) – they are using magnesium and they say its significantly stronger than aluminum…Anyway, get your crap atleast fairly close to accurate.
Posted on February 13th, 2010 at 3:15 pm
Interesting Nevy since your comment basically mirrors that of the email I got from one of the founders. Hmm coincidence? Or is this a no talent ass clown that backs a shitty product that was only reviewed by the people in their company? Yeah buddy fucking stoked on this. Keep fueling my fire of anger and hate.
Posted on February 14th, 2010 at 12:43 am
Ok, before all the shit talking starts about new products, lets try riding a pair. Not sure how you can form an opinion on a product you have never set your foot on. I’m also curious how you came up with this $3000 price tag. The bindings retail for $299. They are made of AZ31b magnesium from METAL MART of the U.S. and the springs are betaC titanium. You can check this information out for authenticity or again just form your own opinion without doing your research. I have spent years designing and testing the platform of this binding. It is the combination of spring rate, elastromere rate and EVA pad that make these bindings work. And in regards to the mounting comment, this is a two plate design. A foot plate and a base plate. The base plate mounts to the board through an index just like any other binding. No long screws. Many other boarders with unbiased opinions have rode on these bindings and have fully enjoyed the performance of this platform. I am personally inviting you and any other doubters that you can round up to come and ride a pair of my bindings. Then you can form a real opinion, not just one to generate hate for an innovative new product…Just like skiers did when snowboards were introduced. Props to BURTON and all those open to new ideas and those willing to try something new. And by the way, if you were to buy the product you would still have $2700 to spend on hookers and blow on Colfax Avenue. PEACE!!!
Posted on February 14th, 2010 at 5:53 pm
@NEVY
The fact you claim Union as the best bindings on the market shows your ignorance and your ability to ride the hype machine and drink the C3wl-Aid.
@carl
Go back to NorCal brah and peddle your useless shit to those who ride Ed Hardy. Any rider with half a fucking brain could tell these fucking things will blow apart. But hey, if they are so solid and legit, send a pair for a true review. Gurantee we could blow them apart in less than one day. Put your fucking money where your mouth is…. bro!
Posted on February 14th, 2010 at 6:37 pm
hey nevy… i happen to live fairly close to where you guys are located. i am willing to demo these for a day and document it on video! if they ride good.. they ride good! if they suck.. they suck. either way, i am more than open to trying these things out. send me a pair and if u want em back after the demo, i will send them back! we will see if i can press or pop with these things! haha what i am pumpd on is that i wont have to pop like normal! i can jus load my weight down and spring up! makes popping switch unnecessary for people tho, so that might be a plus!
Posted on February 14th, 2010 at 10:15 pm
Man I love controversy it just drives up hits. So lets see we’ve gotten 1 supporter talking about these, 1 owner, and 1 email. This is almost to the point it warrants a follow up. Damn I love the small minds of the people behind this company that feel only rainbows and sunshine should be talked about their product. I’m pretty sure as a U.S. citizen I have the right to free speech and in doing so it allows me to have my site here and continue roasting shitty products, ideas, and all things wrong with snowboarding.
I’ll be the first to admit that I probably put the MSRP down wrong, but I’ll also say I went with what I was told from someone else in this industry I’d trust a hell of a lot more than you guys. Sorry but buying your way in doesn’t mean shit in this industry and I’m not the type of person that’s scared of new ideas I back reverse camber 110%, I back Flow bindings 110%, I also call out bull shit 110%/
Who are these “many other boarders” cause I’m not seeing any reviews of these anywhere and you definitely didn’t come to the On Snow Demo so that leaves me to speculate that these “unbiased” riders are just your friends. Like my intern said put your money where your mouth is send one to me, send one to Cole, send one to my intern. But actually put the potential for a real review in the hands of the people that are actually steering snowboarding.
Posted on February 14th, 2010 at 10:59 pm
@Mightydumpling: 5000 series aluminium is high in magnesium and quite strong…maybe thats the one your thinking of.
@ Angry Snowboarder: I can’t see fault with these, I mean, there is even has a sign at the of the picture that says “The Future Of Snowboarding” and the co-founder is apparantly a Doctor. Seriously, how am I to believe you when they have allllllll those things backing up there product?
This product has everything going for it, right down to the Zuma grade straps circa 1990.
Looks like i’m going to be not rocking an all burton set-up next year…
Posted on February 15th, 2010 at 12:59 am
[...] Bindings well other than normal upgrades and color changes nothing super revolutionary here. But for a good laugh check out this post. [...]
Posted on February 16th, 2010 at 6:26 am
ur a fag. u had me drawn in when u were dissing a 3g piece of shit idea. if its only a $300 piece of shit idea it could def work. know ur shit fool and stop dissin companies on what you’ve heard. in the legal world they call that hearsay, it doesn’t go very far. lighten up about CA. It pisses me off so bad when i go visit my gramps in durango and i head to the local shop only to get some smart remark about where my parents had me as a child. CO is def the spot for snwboarding but beyond winter its hard for any one to really respect ur diss on cali. i wake up and surf then go to work then snowboard or vice versa sure beats sippin cocoa all day. peace bitch
Posted on February 28th, 2010 at 2:07 pm
Kind of funny you’re defending CA but you’re from Texas. Frankly I’d be a bit appalled that I was from the asshole of the United States. Also your use of the English language leaves more to be desired. Now I have to ask since you definitely fit the description of the guy I talked to at SIA was that you? Are you butt hurt I pointed out you were a fucktard that didn’t know shit about snowboarding.
Truth is snowboarding needs less kooks with shitty ideas in it and too many people are scared to speak their minds and I’ll continue to do it cause what? Are they going to kick me out of the cool persons club for the not so cool people? Sack up kiddo you’re full of shit and just butt hurt I have bigger balls than you.
Posted on February 28th, 2010 at 9:41 pm
@thenotangrysnwbrdr: California: Bro Cal! Get the fuck over it dude. Sorry that these bindings are a fucking joke and it just gets called how it’s seen. For someone so ass hurt over it i too must think you have a vested interest in the company, or just some fuck stick douche-nozzle who gets his 3 days a year in and calls himself a snowboarder… good god, this ranks up there with dumbest fucking comment of the year. Sorry Angry or I don’t cup the balls of companies just to get free shit and say its the best thing since anal sex, brah! BTW, you cliam your from BroCal, but your IP address screams Texas, so either you are a gaping vagina and reroute your shit, or you really are a Texan fuckstick who thinks they are the greatest country in the U.S.A., either way, congrats on the stupid comment.
Posted on February 28th, 2010 at 9:52 pm
Read every word closely this time:
I am from CA. I have no affiliation with the company whatsoever. I read an article about the product in the Press Enterprise (A newspaper. You should start reading one, it will help with your piss-poor reading comprehension skills), thought the idea was retarded as fuck and took interest in researching further (as you guys did too). Typed “suspension bindings” into Google. The Angry Snowboarder was the first website on the retrieved sites list. Then I read the article and completely agreed with everything you wrote, minus the California shit; because I know you didn’t mean what you said. However, I continued reading the comment section and saw the post revealing the true price of about $300. Following this realization, I then decided to talk shit on your poor journalism. This is an attack on you as a writer, fag.
Angry says, “Also (place comma here) your use of the English language leaves more to be desired.”
WTF, hahaha are you serious? You sound like a fuckin romance novelist. U-R-A CLOWN!!!!
P.S. I shred at Mt.High and I surf on 17th or Sea Point (dog beach) in Huntington Beach. Are there even slopes in Texas? I went to San Antonio when I was like 10 and it was 112 degrees.
If you need further proof of my whereabouts feel free to contact me by e-mail. Bcull001@gmail.com. Please don’t respond to me through comments on this thread, I will no longer provide hits to this website. Fuck You = D
Posted on March 2nd, 2010 at 12:56 am
HAHAHA little guy can actually string together a coherent response, almost! It’s “You’re” not “U R”. Don’t go crying that I checked your IP and called it as its shown. I bet you shred hard at Mt. High real hard those 2 days a month you go up there. I also bet when you paddle out in the line up it’s after all the good waves are gone and no ones around to watch you choke like you do on these guys dick. But hey you’re fucking “hardcore” and from BroCal you know all, dude bro brah man.
Oh no I got called a fag on the internet then you even go so far as to say fuck you to me. So what is it am I a fag or do you want to fuck me. I appreciate the offer as my gay sex appeal isn’t what it used to be with those closet cases from Cali, but unfortunately I don’t swing that way. Perhaps you should get in your car that you use to drive from the beach to Mt. High and go up to San Fran you might find what you’re looking for up there. Then you could get someone to thumb jack your fart box.
Posted on March 2nd, 2010 at 8:46 am
[...] first one comes from the binding suspension guys. This email exudes broisms and the oh so typical response of “we don’t mind what [...]
Posted on April 6th, 2010 at 12:28 pm
Yo angry snowboarder, can I just say that I generally find your shit real funny, and your advice good too, but getting involved in a childish dissing match over the web? Really? I mean for a start its over nothing because nobody has even ridden these bindings, and as snowboarders the least we can do is give this company the benifit of the doubt and let them show us they actually work to a degree. And getting mad over where people come from too? I hardly see how that can affect a companies reputation. I just think its a bit much that you and this other bloke are arguing like that over this…. I guess I’m gonna get called a gay for this post too, but oh well.
Posted on April 14th, 2010 at 10:03 am
Gordon it’s my site if I wanted to make it about unicorns and dildos I could do that. If I want to call out people that decide to shit on what I write I can do that as well. If I want to mock the over abundance of bad ideas coming out of the Bromuda triangle once again I can do that. Noticing a trend here?
Posted on April 14th, 2010 at 4:58 pm
Yeah thing is, being from the uk, I don’t know about the “Bromuda triangle”, care to elaborate?
Like I said, I like this site, as your a funny guy and have relevant points. Why on earth would I want you to change that? I just said that getting involved in an argument with some “brocal” dude over his bindings which nobody likes seems like your flogging a dead horse.
Posted on April 16th, 2010 at 1:51 pm
The Bromuda triangle stretches from the outer points of the land of brodom where bro shakes, bromances, and everything bro exists. It’s where all slimey douche bags of the industry lurk and everyone is everyones bro!
Posted on April 16th, 2010 at 7:57 pm
These are so fucking stupid. I can’t even find one video clip of someone riding these. They are going to fail horribly.
Posted on May 2nd, 2010 at 10:15 pm
[...] not a super danger to people on the slopes. OK it’s not really that bad a concept like say a binding with suspension but still did they not think this thing out? So now you have more weight on one edge, it slightly [...]
Posted on June 17th, 2010 at 6:02 am
must be nice to never have to touch anything but perfectly smooth powder….
overprivileged little snots!
first off…
Manic is lying when they say they’re the first.
straight up LIE.
they should be sued for patent and copywright infringment.
these have been around for over 10 years.
the first designs and products were crap and came out of Portland,Oregon.
can’t remember the name of the company.
the good ones came from Robert Caputo of PolrDesigns in California.
i have his 1st gen model and love them, he later made a new design that worked on snowboards and wakeboards,
if you free ride down glaciers and through huge crevaces like i do, then all the shock absorbtion you can get is invaluable. if you ride in a place that is heavily populated and the snowpack is equal to a sidewalk, suspension will help big time.
they DO hinder your riding slightly in the nice deep freshies, makes it hard to feel what the soft powder is doing under you.
on hard pack and ice, they are priceless!!!
i can carve on ice like an austrian super g skier with my shocks.(from PolrDesigns – Robert Caputo)
Posted on July 27th, 2010 at 3:02 pm
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