Stay connected in the wind. This forum is for anyone who rides the wind, winter or summer, on whatever board suits their fancy. Share the stoke, find out where people are going, ask any question, share your discoveries, and discuss any esoteric idea you may have related to the pursuit of wind. Please keep it positive.
I just ordered a set of Flow step-in's. Steve B. showed me his and I fell in love with them. Most of the snowkite boards are ok to use downhill. Nobile has a vid that states this about there board particularly. http://www.nobilekiteboarding.com/artic ... #siteId/58
wind is my crack "SO GIVE IT TO ME I NEED IT...
come on just one more knot".
I used flows for the last two years and found them defective, at least for kiting. when I would crash backwards and drag they often open. it posed a thret to my weak ankles.
I am going back to k2 Clickers this winter. I have found them to be the best thing for snowkiting
I have used Flows for the last 6 years and have never had any issues with them ever, step in's even if not Flows are probably the easiest to use, but if your used to the others I would use what you most comfortable with.
I'm switching this year to Flow's. I used K2 Clickers for the past several years and found them to work well, but the boots were not as comfortable. Probably just needed new boots, but I already had the flows anyway.
I've got two pairs of Clicker bindings to sell if anyone is interested. $20/pair includes shipping. I'll post it in the classifieds too.
Flows work great, slight sales pitch...the house has a good stock at the moment but get in early as the selection thins the nearer you get to xmas.
K2 has come out with a binding called the cinch, they released it about 2 years ago. Like the flow it has a system that tightens the hi back locking you in. The difference is you have an ankle and toe strap which can be tuned to your preferred tension. I've not used them but they seem OK.
Clickers work OK but if the snows wet the preassure from the foot will cause the snow to turn to ice and build up in the binding. Eventually you cannot click in without chipping out the ice. A fun thing to do while you're attached to a kite. The ankle support is built into the boot which makes them heavy and cluncky compared to regular boots which can be used with the K2 and Flow.
Mark ...give me a call 715 781 2474 and I'll get you set up with a Venture Board. Great for kiting and the local hills.
Stroh .. I find that strange .. Maybe you dont have enough forward lean on the bindings ? The GOOD and the BAD thing about flows is that they are Highly adjustable. You can have them set up with not enough forward lean and can easily open. Flow's have more support than any other binding on the market. And FYI Flow's are not a step-in In the kiting world support isn't as much as an issue as the snowboard world. An easy example of this that you may relate to and others.
How many Pro snowboarders do you see riding K2 clickers ? 0
How many Pro's snowboarders ride Flow? Several
I used to work for Flow I have alot of experience with this. Hope this helps your mind may be set, but I like to set the record straight when I see misstatements on Flow. GL
Tom
The real pro isnt the one who doesn't make a mistake. The real pro is the one that does the best job hiding it!
I think that the problem happens when you crash and get dragged backwards. Snow can catch in the release lever and activate it. I had it happen to me before.
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That is when they would open on me.
But I do admit they could have been set with too little forward lean. But being that we are on our heel side most of the time I find forward lean extremely uncomfortable. alot of people ride without highbacks because of the uncomfort. I set them up as neutral as I could but my foot was still tight against the high back
k2 hasn’t made clickers for many years. Why would pros be using them?
I think I liked step in allot more because they were more flexible they kind of leaned side to side.
Another thing I like about step ins is that I don't have to bend down to get my foot locked in.
Weight issues... yes step-in boots are going to be heavier. But if you compare it to the weight of traditional boots & bindings together the weight is about the same
I have herd about the problem of clickers icing up from tons of people but I used them for around 6 years and never once had the problem. Clicker boots have stainless steel spikes on both boots you kick your binding a few times and the ice falls off... completely. I had more of a problem with normal binding getting the ice locked in the base it just makes them uncomfortable (it puts a lump of ice under your foot) but you can still get them on. You could clear most of the ice and snow with ordinary binding just kicking it with your boot.
With flows you can’t clear ice out because the top of the binding is covered up. When I needed to clear ice I would have to use a screw driver for the flows. I have had the ice build up so much that I couldn’t get my foot far enough in to the binding to lock the high back.
I don't mean to be pissing people off. I am just stating my opinion. I feel that step ins are the better choice for snowkiting
mdh01 wrote:I'm switching this year to Flow's. I used K2 Clickers for the past several years and found them to work well, but the boots were not as comfortable. Probably just needed new boots, but I already had the flows anyway.
I've got two pairs of Clicker bindings to sell if anyone is interested. $20/pair includes shipping. I'll post it in the classifieds too.
Mark
mdh001 @ gmail.com
yeah after a few years the boots got really uncomfortable. my first pair made it for 5 years before the medal suports started pokeing me. but I also rode ALOT for an entire season I lived at Big Sky resort and rode just about every day. I would say I got my moneys worth out of thoes boots
I've got the burton style klicker bindings and love them. I ride with the high backs off and all the stiffiners in the boots removed for more of a water feel. They actually feel very similar to the wake boots I use on the water. This gives me alot of confidence on the snow cus it feels just like the water.
Like Jon said, I've never had problems with iceing, except on the bottom of the binding, just like everyone else. My bindings work by clamping the sides of the boot to the binding, not the bottom. They never ice up. The real problem is that no company is manufacturing clickers any more, because they suck for snowboarding, but they kick ass for kiting. I get some funny looks when I go to the slopes though, with the switchblade mounted and clicker bindings.
I've been riding my board and boot setup for 4 years now, this will be the fifth, and both have held up well. The board is getting a little tired, but I love it and woun't give it up till it breaks in half or something. Almost all that riding has been on crappy minnesota kiting conditions, so I'd say the board has done well. The boots are still super comfortable and perfectly worn in.
This isn't a dis againct flows, I've never riden them, I just can't see how it could get any better for kiting than klickers.
My K2 Union board liked to lose an edge when I was flying across White Bear Lake last winter. Also, it preferred to turn upwind on me, and liked to go submarining when riding on the 2 feet of blizzard snow. To ride across the wind, I had to skid the rear of the board out about 10 degrees. Everytime I looked back, the board tracks had some amount of sideslip to them. According to K2, the Union sidecut radius is 8m, which is great for mountain carving, but not so much for holding a straight line.
This winter, I will be trying a Best 157 kite snowboard. I just picked it up last Sunday, and mounted the bindings tonight. It has a 20m sidecut radius, and is actually wider through the waist than my Union wideboard (which is a nice surprise). I am looking forward to snow so I can compare boards.
You make a good point Stroh. Step-in boots break down faster than standard snowboard boots because there is no exoskeleton the same as a strap and a Flow. For kiting your points make sense. Me I'm a snowboarder 1st Kiter 2nd . I'll stick with Flows
However anyone has a question regarding Flow's ask away I do have a few years experience with them.
Laters
Tom
The real pro isnt the one who doesn't make a mistake. The real pro is the one that does the best job hiding it!
U can pick your friends, Just don't pick your nose! I use the "old-school" Burton step- ins, too. I bought them thanks to a clearance price at the House. I don't know what I'll do when the boots wear out...probably go with the FLOW! I'm gonna try going backless this season, especially on my switchblade set-up to see what Eric & Denis are talking about. I thought they'd be easier for kiting to get the board attached after launching the kite...I was WRONG! I still have to use the conventional method of launching after putting on the board. I stiil wish someone else would put the clickers back into production!! JRN
Avery. If you're just going to use them for kiting just get inexpensive ones. The benefits designed into the upmarket flows, stiffness, reaction,lightness etc etc are not really relevant for kiting.
Just make sure you take the boot you're going to use into the store and make sure they go in and out of the binding well and you cannot go wrong. Boots with lots of excess bulk rubber, padding , shock absorption on the ankle do not work too well with Flows, they tend to hang up when you close the hi back.
I'm gonna try going backless this season, especially on my switchblade set-up to see what Eric & Denis are talking about. I thought they'd be easier for kiting to get the board attached after launching the kite...I was WRONG! I still have to use the conventional method of launching after putting on the board. I stiil wish someone else would put the clickers back into production!! JRN