Binding Model: Ride A-6
Binding Size: Medium
Stance and Angles: 21.5 Wide 15 Negative 12 Goofy
Boot Used: K2 Thraxis
Boot Size: 10
Board Used: Telos Mike Ranquet
Rider Weight: 200lbs
Location: Arapahoe Basin
Conditions: Mix of clouds and blue skies, low to moderate winds, cold temps, fresh snow in excess of a foot in spots, perfect corduroy under the fresh snow, lumpy pushed around snow, chop, chunder, and typical after storm conditions.
Binding Adjustability: This binding keeps it real simple with its adjustability. You have flip cams on the toe and heel strap to lengthen or shorten them as needed. There’s the forward lean adjustment for cranking that up if you so feel inclined add to that the ability to rotate it if that’s your cup of tea. The footbed has a little movement back and forward. Finally the heel cup is adjustable to help center the boot in the binding.
Straps: The heel strap is a two piece design with a harder plastic skeleton with a softer more forgiving material on the underside. This gives it the ability to be forgiving where you want it but allow you to drive into it through the instep of your boot. The toe strap has a large cut out and fits almost all boot shapes with relative ease. At the end of the day they did their job and did it exceptionally well.
Ratchets: When Ride redesigned their ratchets they created some of the most fluid and smooth ones in their lineup I’ve ever used. They climb well, release better, and stay locked in. Honestly, what more could you ask for?
Highbacks: This is softer and has more lateral give to it when you really drive back into it. The center is a little beefier but it’s still not an overly stiff highback. With the shaping it’s designed to cradle the back spine of the boot and you notice that right away, this also gives it a little natural forward lean.
Binding Flex: With the aluminum base you do get a more rigid feel underneath. This gives it power where you want it but the straps make up for that rigid feel by having more give in them. Overall it comes in just below a middle of the road flex.
Ride: While the aluminum baseplate is stiffer it doesn’t have as big of a dead spot as its composite counterpart. Add to that the beveling of the chassis and you notice that it has more lateral roll when you drive into a turn or press it. This makes it feel a little more surfy and playful.
Rider in Mind: All mountain rider on a budget.
Personal Thoughts: This wasn’t a bad binding for what it was. It has the perfect blend of adjustability to price to make it competent for most level of riders. The canting in the footbed is a little overkill but I’m not a canting guy in my bindings.
Comparable Bindings: Union STR, Burton Mission, K2 Indy
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