Flow vs. Strap Ins

[sn0wb0rdr32]

Very Recently I bought a new setup... i had to step out of the old board i had... but anyways i had been seriously thinking about flow-in bindings, but i hadn't found any suitable enough and was a little tentative into buing bindings that i hadnt even tried before... I need some pros and cons and some opinions on which ppl think are better... gettin ready for my next board already

[e.]

i ride strap-in, but i have heard flows kick ass for only those who are super anal about fine tuning. Flows need to be played with and tweaked so that they fit u and everytime u remove them from the board u have to go thru it all again.

[pipedreams18]

yeaa i'd go with some sweet strap-ins......... just to be comfortable

[sambrown8022]

i used to have some flows...they were good for quick strap ins cause i was a beginner...i had them for 2 seasons...but after i used them alot they broke in to much and started giving me blisters when i went toeside...then they always got filled up with ice and stuff so it was a pain...but ive been rocking strap ins fo about 6 seasons now and i can easily strap in faster with my burton missions than guys that are struggling trying to kick in to their flows...if you think about it...how good can something be if you have to kick it to make it work... :D

[e.]

see look here it is again. the same topic

[Satan]

never ride flows. they suck ass. they best bindings are high end Ride bindings like the Teams or the Migs. i got well over 120 days on my Ride Teams this year and they're still perfect. plus if you can breakem Ride will give you new ones even if they are old. they don't think people can breakem.

[gerard]

One question I have about flows, how do they actually work, you slide your foot in and lock it somehow?

[kennancow]

stay away from the flows. i used to work at a board shop and people used to come back with busted bindigns all hte time...same with ride strap in bindings (more often than any other). i gotta say high end burtons work best for me. (PI MD)

[iridewithpride]

I have the same question as Gerald, how do flows work? But it sounds like they break too much, so go with strap ins. I have Ride strap ins and I haven't had a problem with them since I brought them.

[gerard]

It's gerard thank you very much! :lol:

[Grill]

You slip your foot in and lock the high back with a cable.

I still think Flows are the pinnacle of ghey.

[ride jersey]

flows suck sometimes u see people eat snow just because there flows broke ive had rides for a couple years and they havent broken yet
go with strap ins

[iridewithpride]

Ohh, I think I've seen them before. I think K2 makes them too. Sorry Gerard.

[LoserGuy]

i wear strap in. I kinda like the extra kick it gives you, but strapping in is a pain in the ass. I was thinking of getting flow soon...

[Grill]

Ohh, I think I've seen them before. I think K2 makes them too. Sorry Gerard.

The K2 Cinch is similer in how you get in and out of the binding, but Flows have a sleeve that covers the top of the foot instead of straps. Funny thing is that everyone I know with K2 Cinchs uses the straps instead of the high back to put them on and take them off (thus defeating the point).

[sn0wb0rdr32]

see ive heard some things like they are more responsive than straps but ive never tried them. Itd be nice if iyou could try em be4 you buy em.

[Grill]

see ive heard some things like they are more responsive than straps but ive never tried them. Itd be nice if iyou could try em be4 you buy em.

More responsive? Someone's been blowing smoke up your ass. Just stop being lazy and buy straps. :lol:

If you're really set on Flows then you should be able to rent a board with Flows at most shops.

[sn0wb0rdr32]

i already bought straps i jus wanna hear what other ppl have to say bout it

[e.]

yea, which ones did u end up getting

[sn0wb0rdr32]

ride LX you get what you pay for... didnt really have the cash flow to go anymore bc i also bought new bored and boots with it... my old board was trash

[Grill]

LX's are good bindings. They'll outlast all the other kit you have and you won't snap a strap.

[Moocher_88]

Straps are deff better, my friends dad had flow, and he just ate it one time....It was pretty funny actually

[BlaqkAudio]

I heard from a lot of people that Flow's break very easily.

[e.]

funny how no one even ever considers step-ins as an option to snowboarding.

[Grill]

funny how no one even ever considers step-ins as an option to snowboarding.

I'd rather duct tape my feet to the damn board than ride step-ins.

[*DrEw*]

:mad: yea i went from strap to click to flow back to strap, and theres no way im gunna go back to flows! they are soo gay i mean they feel like **** especially if you freeride, and for the backside rider, when they block up with snow then you cant get them off... with strap ins you never go wrong

~~~~~DrEw

[damato]

Flows are wack they break to easy, they are made out of aluminum and I dont find it faster to strap into them.

Basically with a Flow binding the back drops down you slide your foot in and then there is a lock type thing that you pull up to lock the back of the binding in place...

cool when they first came out but really just worthless!!

[WhoDak]

Nidecker...they make the toughest bindings out there.

[Justine]

Wow, nobody likes flows huh?? I've had my flows for two seasons now and I LOVE them. They do require some adjustment the first time you ride but you don't have to readjust them unless you're taking them apart to transport your board or whatever. If you mess with your bindings a lot I wouldn't recommend them though. They're good for easy slip in and consistent fit because you set them and leave them alone.

If you haven't seen them check them out in a shop before you make a decision. They have full coverage on top with adjustments on either side. The rear entry back lays flat and then is locked up once your foot is in place. I find they're very comfortable once you get them set and offer a lot of responsiveness. I can imagine they would really get clogged up if you were riding powder all the time though.

[snowboardnguy90]

strap bindings aren't all that bad. I can have myself strapped in under a minute. I mean, a minute! people are buying these flow bindings to shave off the single minute it takes to strap in?

[Ace]

I recently purchased some flow teams and i like um... ive heard that overtime the tension on the cable loosens but for the year ive had them they r a nice binding

[csufsnwbrdr]

I've had Flow Pro-11 Bindings for two seasons not and have absolutely no probelm with em and totally love em. As for everybody that's sayin there causeing blisters...might try changing your boots, kinda doubt its the bindings and the clogging...it just doesn't. Any snow that does get into the buckles or anything is pushed out when you release em and you kick any snow right thru when you step into em that may have been on the mounting plate. Far as the adjustments, they are right, if you are picky like me, they do make a difference. Mine are like a fire and forget setup, I step into em at the base right before I get on the chair for the first time for the day, totally loosen all the buckles up and then set the strap part that goes over the boot back down tightening it with the buckles and lcoking the buckles, then snap up the highback and tweek the thumbscrew as needed. The buckles have locks to keep it set there the rest of the day...never comes loose unless you do it. The high back with the flip down has a thumb screw to adjust the tension on the wire to bring the highback more into your boot or loosen it away, you might tweek that a little every now and then but for the most part its fine. I will say you do get what you pay for, I checked out a few at sports authority and copelands and online before I settled, the ones at sports authority (amp ones at the time) the flip down on the high back didn't lock in with a snap, mine do though, wouldn't recommend them unless the flip down does snap lock in when its up-possibility of comin loose. They did look cheaper too, the plastic just wasn't the same as the pro-11's I have and the buckles straps were kinda cheaper more brittle than how mine are-much more flexible. Best thing I could tell ya, its kinda expensive, but get the ones that are not lower end...no sense having a upper end board you spent $2-300 and $100 bindings, doesn't do justice to the board in my opinion, might as well go all out and do it right once.

My set ups all '04- burton bullet 157 with pro-11's, couldn't be happier.

[Outlaw Boards]

The Flows have a cable that attaches to the baseplate and the highback. The high back folds down, so you can stick your foot in then you pull the high back up, and it locks in some how. I saw a kid land a trick in the pipe, and the highback basically blew up, and his foot came flying out. That was enough for me to see. About once every 5 years someone comes out with some new engenious step-in type system, they pretty much all suck. Good for rental boards at resorts I guess. Just get some strap bindings with a nice big heel strap. I like Drakes. You can have my straps when you pry them from my cold dead hands!!!

[wootang71]

at the squaw tradeshow last season, i asked why the flow reps had their back foot boot heels duct taped up. sometimes, that lever of a highback rips boots apart. and i think flows look goofy.

[andrewhyman]

i would say strip ins i love mine

[lulucore]

flows were the best investment i've ever made

[lulucore]

flows stay in good shape if you take care of them, as with all equipment, you have to take precautions to make sure all your screws are tightened up. odds are, the accident was the kid's fault for not checking his equipment before hitting the pipe

[sn0wb0rdr32]

im glad we finally got some differing opinions i was beginning to think that flows had no backers

[Jessica]

I tried em out once, I didnt really like them because i felt i had no support. I prefer stap ins much better ankle support wise.

[tweakedtail22]

i bought some flow bindings at the beginning of last season-- i wasnt sure if i would like them bc when i was riging strap-ins i wore them tight and i wasnt sure if i could get the same feeling with the flows. but ive had really good luck with them and they feel like a strap-in without the occasional toe cramps from overtightening... to answer ur question of how they work, you unclip a clip on the back of the high backwhich allows it to fold back, opposite of a strap in folding down (forward).. then u just slide your foot in the strap and fold the hiback back up and lock ur foot into place.. i really like the quickness

[Crash Override]

man the k2 cinch rock, unless you fall and get the cable releases stuck in the snow then the board flies off...not fun...but i like them a lot better then flow cause they have the straps too so you can set it right each time real fast then just step in and out with ease since the highback folds down.

oh and someone mentioned no one talks about stepins...i like burtons those rock, its a shame they're going out of style though

[postedonurchin]

i have a pair of flows that i traded a friend. i also have some ride prestons and drake mtx's. the rides have put up with most of my ****, and aside from the toe strap falling off cause i didnt tighten my **** one day before i went out they, are great. i would still use them except my boots are too small now.

[sn0wb0rdr32]

i really dont like steps for two reasons... snow gets stuck in the binding makin it a pain in the ass to put on... and they are way heavier

[postedonurchin]

true that... plus step-ins dont have much style, and they are big and bulky and heavier than regular straps and boots.

[Crash Override]

have you dudes seen the burtons, they don't clog cause the binding "bites" the boot and the ones my uncle rocks are about as heavy as my k2 cinch, but i guess that just means mine are heavier then most maybe??, anyway the vans line of step-in blow, yeah they jam and clog and weigh a ton, but i still like the burtons, plus you don't even have to wait to strap in, you stand up off the lift and as you stomp down you can pretty much just click right in and ride off bypassing all the fools sitting at the top