I shared the design office with the binding designer at Tech Nine when the toe caps came out. I engineered the boards and was always arguing how the toe caps were a waste of time and were useless. Especially because the toe caps back then were using too much excess materials, so it added so much more length past the boots. I would show them the way it hung over when the board was tilted over and how it would drag on the ground or could even kick you off your edge when going up a half pipe. They got what I was saying but the buyers wanted that junk and now it's all there is. I kept a stack of the supposed "low end" straps that were made for my bindings and made my own custom ones in the sample room. The other good part of the over the top strap is the lateral movement, bending my knee inwards was easier for grabs. Great topic. Binding companies should really offer both.
Both hold your toes down, both can have compatibility issues with boots. Neither is going to change your riding significantly. To ensure fit, take your boots to the shop when you buy bindings.
The force when toe cap is over the toes does actually pull down and backwards. The diagonal force when positioned over the toes is composed of a horizontal force (towards highback) and perpendicular force (downwards). Therefore, technically it does help to pull boots backwards, however is a small force as it is just a component of the force depending on the angle of the strap. 🙃
This brings me back to uni physics class. Decomposition of force was one of the first lectures. Still, whether or not it actually has any effect is still debatable. The heel strap already pulls you into the binding with more force, so the main benefit of the toe strap is to stop your foot from rotating side to side or up and down. That being said, some of the newer toe caps are amazing. You can hardly even feel them there but you’re still locked in.
In theory, yes. But the actual horizontal net force on the boot will probably be close to zero since the horizontal force pushing the boot back into the binding will be opposed by the friction between the between the boot and binding. And this frictional force increases as you pull the strap. Science y'all! 🤓
The toe strap pulls the boot horizontally ~ Fx = AcosΘ N and down Fy = AsinΘ N. Definitely helps significantly for park riders, or anyone who might land something on a edge. Even then, newer toe straps are rarely the first to drag.
Well, once again you make total sense ! The force vector applied to the binding are in line with your logic. Sorry no arguments from me. I ride the Now Drive and I do put the toe strap on the front of my boot on my front foot, but on top of my boot on my back foot to reduce drag on the snow ! ( size 12 Ride Insano, F: +27, B: +9 ) .
toe caps are for comfort, not for performance. thats why i always ride them, thats why i always liked em. as for a "step in convenience" its also great, not all of us are so clumsy that would stand on the straps all the time :) its not that those problems didnt exist its just that they made some things easier.. on the other hand, there is one BIG problem with all new/expensive burton bindings.. and that is double take buckles (and ladder with teeth on both sides), which is often filled in with fresh snow esp. in low temp and very dry snow.. and then the buckle can jam and you cannot take your boot out. that was a real "fixing a problem that does not exist".
Thanks for your good videos. I started to ride in1993. Was a true pleasure to cruize on snow with soft boots. But during years and years i often have a pain on feet particularly on long heelside "traversées". I felt oblige to apply a lot of pression on toe strat and thats squeeze m'y feet. I change several Times boots and bindings and it was Always the same...And last season After 20 years of riding i changed for unions with cap straps , keeping my k2 boots. And no more pain with same control. My opinion is that cap strap apply pressure on the most solid part of the boot ( even for bad boots) so cap strap can compensate a bad boot design or at least a bad boot fitting with toes flyi g in the boot. But fully agree with you regarding the drawbacks particularly on chairlifts.
Thanks! hi Lars, so I got my yes Drive bindings “medium”, ride insano boot size 10 and noticed that it’s a tight fit going to a medium binding setup on my Korea cafe racer plus and was hoping you could answer a couple questions. Please let me know if that’s doable and if this is the way to do it.
Hi Lars, are you running any forward lean on these bindings? I adjusted mine one click from how they came. Seems like there are only 4 clicks total available click positions. Cheers!
@@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel Thanks Lars! Definitely felt it after adjusting both by one click forward but I liked the riding position that it put me in. The Korua Cafe Racer Plus definitely wore me out by the end of the day but guess it'll get better the more I ride that setup. I've always got the K2 Simple Pleasures if Im looking to dial back the intensity. BTW I just purchased the Burton toe straps for over the top and less obstacles when one footing. Thanks for your content brother! Cheers!
It dawned on me last year to give this a go and I haven't looked back. I do ride the Ride Fuse(same toe cap & heel spine as you) though, so maybe thats why it works so well for me as well. I wanna add that I ride Union & their toe straps still work pretty well over the top. I noticed Arthur Longo switched back to over the top as well & he rides Union. I swear that I read somewhere that union tried to make a toe strap that works for both ways. Another thing you didn't complain about is that when worn over the front of the toe, the excess ladder(especially the toe side) length dig into the snow on carves when in soft snow or slush.
I put Rome Aux toe straps on my Drive Pros. I really didn’t like the stock ones at all. They wouldn’t stay on my foot and were too bulky. Rome Aux straps are my favorites. They form to the boot so well and are very low profile. I wear mine 80% over the top of my toes and just a bit over the cap. Your logic does make total sense having it over the toe and especially the leverage on heelsides. I just really love the feel of the Rome straps this way.
My madness is that I do my toe straps first to jam my heel into the highback before I do the ankle strap. If not, I feel like snow is preventing me from being ‘in’ the binding - unless I really crank the ankle strap too tight for comfort. The toe strap is for position and the ankle strap for support. Love the channel BTW. You’re doing a service to snowboarding.
Aside from all other considerations, I tried some FLUX CV this year, it's actually the first cap strap that stays on without much volume, without the strap probing out also. Before buying wide af boards, I was either get toes crushed by the top strap, or mess with cap straps fooling around. I'm surprised by the CVs. They are stiff enough, the high back rotates almost as much as Burton's do. I don't work for them, happy they could offer a mountain worker discount.
I've had combos of very stiff boots and lots of forward lean where I couldn't get my heels back in the bindings without the assistance of straps, and the heel strap couldn't reach the ratchet. So in that case, closing the toe strap over the edge of the boot did help seat my boots back far enough to close the heel strap. But in most cases I'd agree with you that the toe strap doesn't need to hold your boots back, just down. That said, no plastic strap will ever transfer force as effectively as steel bails. Plate bindings best bindings! Bring on the boot rants!
Started riding in 89 and agree with your gripes. Getting the toe caps to fit correctly take forever to get just right on a new set of bindings or boots. Regarding the floppy straps, I've found that pushing the highback down over the straps tends to keep them in place in the lift line. I agree, it's a stupid design that solves a non issue. Thanks for the heads up on the Burton OTB straps!
This! The leverage gain was a game changer for me. It seems subtle, but once I moved back to OTT my carving stepped up a level. One can really feel the difference. Add to that the toe drag issue, and it's just a no brainer. I have almost the same binding setup (Now ODrive, and OTT straps)
I literally couldn't agree more with this. Mine are always slipping off the front of my boot from dragging in the snow while carving, it genuinely drives me crazy. I would say at least 60% of my runs they've slipped off by the time I reach the chairlift. I don't even have a great deal of overhang, they just seem to catch on any patches of variable terrain. You just gave me the push I needed to buy some OTT straps for my bataleon atoms, thanks Lars! P.s. I also had a pair of Drives last season and the floppy straps are indeed more trouble than they're worth. The worst is if the toe strap manages to get underneath the board as you're getting off the lift!
I set up dozens of boards per week at the shop I work at. Theres so many boot toe cap shapes out there that don’t fit perfectly in some modern binding cap straps: Union and Burton. I see a lot of people wearing their Union cap straps literally on the tippy toes of their boots and it’s really not doing much. Burton cap straps are so wide that they kind of just hug the tippy toe of some peoples narrow toe boots. Definitely a loss of power that could be solve with something that sits mostly over the toe. Most cap straps need a specific toe box height and width to be secure and that can’t always be the case.
Thanks so much for this! It is helpful to get confirmation from someone with equal or more experience! The people who comment how awesome their cap strap is mostly have seen two or three combinations (if that) of boots/bindings. You and I seemingly come from that retail background where you REALLY see things.... :-)
I used to switch the straps to buckle on the inside of the boot because it was easier for me to reach. Seems that would solve the kink strap problem of it being in the way of the stop pad too. No longer an issue with step-ons
On a twin tip kiteboard I use my curled up toes to lever down my heals but on a snowboard I am standing on the ball of my feet to drive a toe side and pretty much stand on my heels when I switch edges at speed. For a lip slide style side hit I do lever off my toe to modulate the pressure on the heel but it is a gross action not a subtle one - the front strap over the top of the toes may be necessary for the tentative riders (as opposed to aggressive riders) but I switch weighting very quickly so doubt I will notice a difference - will pay more attention this season and even try a run with front straps looser and tighter/ over and front capped. I enjoy your fun posts...
Thanks to you I’m going to try over the toe set up this weekend. I was super into toe caps when they first came out but I’ve found that my back foot toe cap strap often rides up. It’s happened with many different combinations of boots and bindings.
I agree with you on this one, each and every time I go carving hard, my back foot's toe ratchet gets clogged with snow because it sticks out and collects snow. So many times I had to hit it hard or free it from conpressed snow to unstrap and get back to the lifts. I hope those OTT straps are still available around
Simple and obvious answer. If i put the toe strap forward instead of on the toe, the ratchet drags on the snow or eventually breaks when leaning on the turns ....more noticeable on back foot because more toe drag. I also noticed that when the strap is on the toes, it gives a really better hold of boot, limits the twist of the boot in the binding (most when pushing in backside turns) and by thus gives more accuracy. Strap forward toe fashion is real shit 😅 We are still thinking the same 😊
All good points. For me I started using the toe cap style back in the day mainly because with the strap over my toes, it would squash my toes, as back then I had much softer boots. It was much more comfortable to have them away from my toes and digging into the toe cap.
I’m riding flow bindings for over a decade now and I absolutely love em. They are nit for everyone since they’re less adjustable but I really like the strap design. They’re also pretty neat for carving since their high back design doesn’t sick out as much as traditional bindings.
Thanks to Lars, I found out my old boots were too big and causing me to have to crank the bejesus out of my binding straps to feel secure. I recently got a new pair of Ride boots with a similar toe box to the Insano, and thought “cool” now I can use my Union hybrid strap (circa 2010) in front of the toe instead of OTT (never felt like I had enough control unless OTT before). The strap kept coming up and going OTT by the time I was at the bottom so I switched back to OTT, and with a proper fitting boot, I don’t have to crank my straps very tight at all.
So I don’t remember old toe straps causing pain. But I do remember thinking the original burton toe caps were great cause I didn't feel anything. But man those early caps were terrible. Hmm another thing I'm going to go recheck the fit now, thanks Lars!
All valid points very well put across. I don’t like flappy straps. For the same reasons. I think most riders don’t carve (but wish they could) like you do. I’ve just got some Supermatic’s. But I am 52 and not very flexible so for my one week a year on snow now (😢) I’m hoping they will be just what I need 🤞🏼
The supermatics are great. One thing I messed up was getting a large instead of medium. The sales person who helped should have suggested a smaller size instead. I'm a short guy at 5'4" and the board is big enough for the bindings not to give me drag from toes and heel. But trying to carve heel side the bindings being bulky washes me out. Well I'm assuming it only because toe side I can feel it but heel side I don't get that same feel. Also just sitting down in the snow and seeing it as I lean the heel as far back as possible to see where the bindings are in contact with the snow. One thing you must do is setting up the bindings that you are able to get in and out easily. You'll have to adjust minutely occasionally once on mountain too. I've had issues when I know it's too tight to easily slip in, I won't fully lock in when I think I am. Quite scary the first couple times it happened as I was turning. But once you have the fitting dialed in.. it's so easy to get every time. I've even tried many times getting off the lift, literally step in while gliding and instantly riding already. No stopping, sitting or standing, stepping in, and ratcheting in like regular bindings. Pretty fun. The biggest issue I do have with the bindings is releasing my back foot when ice is trapped in the ratchet system. If it gets packed and ice up, pressing the lever will be hard or not work. I have to do some hops sometimes to loosen the ice. Then you'll be able to release the ratchet but it'll still give you a hard time pressing down. Another issue is if somehow the pivot point (knob) for the upper binding slips past the area it's supposed to sit in, it'll stuck between the ratchet mechanism. When it goes past that you'll have to wrench it out by fully engaging the ratchet and trying to get the knob to slip out. You'll get it if you look at it. I've had it happen twice and I was not happy with that while being on top of the mountain. The two times it happened was due to the high back standing up and the chair lift pushing it down, which forced the pivot point (knob) to drive through the ratcheting. Not concrete but that's my most likely answer. I've had them for one season last year already riding almost 60 days. This season 5 days so far. It was either the supermatics or Burton stepins. I have a Burton board with the channel system and as tight as I can get the bindings stationary they do twist a bit for some reason. My other boards with the traditional 4 screw system work perfectly fine.
Supermatic works very well!! Too bulky behind the heels for me, but the concept may well be the best 'step in' system for softboots regarding ride feel. Much better than Burton StepOn in my humble opinion having tried both.
@@kitjunya I'm not intending to carve hard. I'll be hunting/hiking for pow at every possibility. If not pow then general resort riding and larking around 😁 Yes the Supermatic's are bulky and heavy. But my Ride Warpig and Ride LTD binding are pretty heavy. So I've gone with a KORUA Tranni finder as it's a bit lighter I think. Can't wait to try it all out.
@@mankybrains Thanks for the tips. I've tilted my board onto the heel edge and it gets to maybe 80-85º before the heel cups touch the floor. I think I should be fine. Noted re the pivot knob. I'll try and be careful 🤙🏼
I love when you rant and present your strong opinions. The question I have is; how long has the industry been using single molded foam outsoles? The cap strap may be helpful in keeping the relatively slippery foam outsole of a lower end boot from slipping forward when turning heel side. Truth be told I am a ski boot fitter by trade and a good thirty percent of my day is spent explaining to people that if you press your calf back against the forward lean of the boot (in this case binding) your toe slips forward, this could defiantly happen in your snowboard bindings if the outsole of the boot doesn't effectively grip the footbed of the binding. personally from a comfort perspective I prefer the cap strap, however I have a smaller than average foot and boot overhang has never been a big concern for me. though I have had snowboard boot fitting customers that did not tolerate pressure on the ends of their toes well in order to prevent the binding from effectively shortening the boot. Secondary question: how do you set up the forward lean of your binding? that may have an impact on your preference.
I'd say when you push against the forward lean of the boot - also on a snowboard boot - the first thing that moves is the foot inside the boot, jamming your toes against the end of the boot. Since almost every foot board on almost every binding is EVA foam, which is soft enough to actually get indentations from the boot's tread, there's always too much friction for the boot to actually slide forward on the foot board - in particular with a properly done up ankle strap. - I ride with quite a bit of forward lean, and I bend my knees. I never get calf bite, which would indicate that I don't bend my knees and push into the highbacks too much, as you suggest. I also don't have any real issue with cap straps - other than more boot drag. I'm just pointing out that I find the design has more weaknesses than strengths.
Thank you for this post and all the useful information. Can you speak to those of us who use a rear entry binding. I have been using a rear entry for over 15 years to avoid having to sit for any reason (due to back issues). I'm currently using the GNU Freedom bindings and they have a toe cap type set up. I haven't used a traditional binding in awhile and have even been considering the new Nidecker Supermatic bindings, but curious about how, if any, my riding may be effected by not using a traditional binding. Cheers!
Supermatics work! Best system out there, IMO. Only draw back is that the heel cup is very thick and may cause heel drag for advanced level carving. This is an issue with all step in systems but FLOW.
I have ridden with both no preference but I would like to quote some basic physics in saying by lengthening the lever will increase the amount of force you can apply. So moving the leverage point from the top of the toe out to the tip of the toe (1” or 1.5” max) might still allow you to apply more pressure to the bindings. Just a thought…
@@mattl6689 I don’t think that’s correct due to the angle a toe cap strap is pulling in. Seems logical to me. But hey, what do I know?! I just think most cap straps are rather badly designed and OTT is so simple and just works very well.
Some interesting points. I rode with Tommen Bjerknaes in the late 90's in Stryn and he didn't use toe straps at all. said he didn't think they were necessary.
With caps I don’t feel any added support or leverage. Might as well not use a toe strap but with a OTT placed just in front of the ball of my foot I do feel a bit more responsive transferring to my heal
Good topic. For me, it's non-negotiable, but I'm just one dude. I have ludicrously wide feet and the whole reason I snowboard instead of ski in the first place is to avoid boot pain. When modern toe straps first came out I was instantly sold. I basically can't overtighten them or even feel them and the response is very good. My biggest problem with toe straps now is when they slide up and turn into OTT straps, which is affected by the exact size and model combination of boot and binding. Toe drag is also a bummer, but I'm willing to run risers or an even wider board before I'd squeeze my feet from the sides with a retro toestrap or run steeper angles.
Thanks for sharing!! Still sounds like a boot problem to me. I can't envision how I would feel pressure along the sides of the toe box in my boots. They're literally plastic... hahaha :-)
Toe cap for my narrower boards that I’d boot out on as the limitation to edge angle as it’s more comfy and doesn’t cut circulation off in my toes. Otherwise over the toe for the fun carving boards
You just throw away a 9 year binding adjustment research!!! If its true i was realy tring to solve a problem that didnt exist... fak! it makes sense....... thank you!
The OGs were pretty crappy I find. Plastic with EVA foam padding, all stiff and in the wrong place, too far up the boot. But depends on the company, I guess.
I agree with you Lars that NOW never came up with a solid toe strap design. Didn't matter which iteration they never seemed to stay in place when put in the "halfway" position of the two positions you describe. I ended up getting Jones branded (obviously also produced by Now) toe straps which work much better. Also agree that most toe straps are not designed to go on top despite claims by the manufacturers
Great video! I feel the same about over the toe straps! Can you also share which replacement ladder straps work with the drive binding on toe and also which one for the ankle. This would be greatly appreciated!
I've got Now Drives and I have always hated the toe strap. I've had so many issues with the ladder tips breaking, ratchet freezing, and the boot sliding/popping out of strap entirely. Absolute garbage. I have "upgraded" to some new Jones straps, so let's see how they perform. But you've convinced me to try placing it over the toes. Might need a different ladder without a kink to make that work, but I'm in. Let's go! However! Even though you have convinced me to go back to over the toe (like when I was first starting in snowboarding many years ago), I'm not sure I'm with you on the leverage being better/greater. The whole function of the straps is to keep your boot sole and heel connected firmly to the binding. If you can keep the area under the very tip of the toe securely planted to the binding, then that should be resulting in the maximum amount of leverage. Over the toe and toe cap straps should both be able to achieve this, no? I think most important will be how good your strap is. In the case of the old Now straps, it's obvious over the toe would have secured my toe so much better. But perhaps I could have switched to a different cap that would have held it just as well as your over the toe strap. Regardless, you got me. I should have realized myself that there was another option and not just blindly continuing with what I had. Very clear now just how much longer my boot is with the toe cap on the end, and that my ratchets were freezing up because how much closer to the edge they need to be to connect with the toe cap. Stoked to try over the toe and potentially not break more hardware, and especially not be slowed down on a powder race by frozen ratchets. Cheers Edit: seems I might try to jerry rig that Burton strap on like you have done. My Jones straps definitely will not work.
I can't really complain about anything on the NOW bindings. I find their cap strap works very well in the grand scheme of things. But I just find it unnecessary. And the hinge thing is convenient at surface level - it simply creates another problem for solving one that never bothered me. Good luck!! Thanks for the comment!
@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel Hey Lars, now that I have some OTT straps on the way, how did you setup yours? Can you swap the Now buckles onto it, or did you buy some Burton/other buckles to go with it?
Lots of tweaks to my bindings. Most relevant to this conversation is that I reinstalled the rear toe strap in reverse (left-to-right) to keep the ratchet away from the snow. (It was coming undone on contact with groomers). My toe strap is only a hair line in front of the boot and doesn't bother me. +1 waiting for the boot rant.
Hey Lars - Happy Winter Time!!!! Great rant on toe strap issues - I ride with Flow NX2 Cabon bindings, I love the rear entry and set and forget "Power strap", super for hard carving. I like the "Fusion" design with over the toe versus "hybrid" which is like a toe cap. I did notice that your footbeds are canted outward while my are canted inward - is that your preferred setup? Love the Strada Cheater and Pipeliner 2.0 I got last year off of your reviews - thank you for bringing the Stranda brand to my attention.
Great insight, i thought about it a while back, but you manage to put my thoughts into words better than i ever could, dope video! Worst part about these toe straps, i'm unable to get over the top straps, because they're not selling these in my country, lol. Also a quick question, how are the Now bindings with a wide boot? Not 2 narrow? Also did you replace your original now drive pro connectors along with the ott straps? if so, which ones did you get?
As I said in the video, I replaced the flex hinge connectors with the standard ones, which were old stock at a NOW dealer. NOW bindings Hanger 2 and 3 are likely wide enough. However, in the overlapping boot sizes it can get tricky with certain boot brands. A Vans 10.5 will be tight in a medium, while a Ride and K2 will still fit easily in an 11.....
In all seriousness with my 2005 Mission / Burtons I sometimes use the toe strap to pull my heel in. I have poor mobility (always have) and it sometimes helps to get my boot in to use a combo of the toe strap and scooting my foot back. Each other own. I don’t think it makes much difference.
I think it might depend on the brand. I don't have a problem with my K2 toe straps staying in place, neither do my kids with Burton. I do have a piar of old Burton bindings with a toe cap that don't stay in place well.
i kept braker the ladder strap on my back foot running it over the toes, im pretty sure its from carving and having it dig in the snow. so i go about 80% over the toes now and haven’t broken one since. funny topic everyone seems to have there set ways🤙🏼
I have some 2009 Union bindings which have a hybrid toe strap. It goes over the top but it also has an additional plastic bit which you can hook over the top front of the toe, but you don't have to. Seems to work quite well and I think I might run these bindings this year. They changed the strap to a toe cap design from 2010.
@@FATFORKS Union has always used a flat strap with an outer "frame" that allows you to push the toe of the boot into the center, so you can run it either way - this was their original design when released in fall 2005, same as your 2009s. They have altered the exact design over the years, but have never used a "formed" cap strap. I really liked the style you're referring to & still have some, but my personal favorite came out in 2014 - the smallest of the styles with the open hole in the middle, which always fit my boots best as a cap strap, but I've been running the same 2014 pair over the top since 2016. The cool thing about their design - especially the original - was even when run like a cap strap at the front of the boot, they were still pulling down instead of at such an angle, so you had good leverage.
@@spenserak Actually I have the '14 Contact with the hole in the toe strap too. I was thinking it was 2010. I also didn't really think of running it over the top but you're right about that because it's flat. I also have a newer Contact Pro with the webbing toe strap but I guess that can also go over the top or maybe just a bit over the toe as it's flexible. Unfortunately my new DC boots barely fit into any of my bindings cos they're so wide at the heel.
Regarding the heel straps being in the way/getting out of the way, the Arbor straps are so good for this. Instead of being floppy, it's just pre-curved to sit over the side it's attached to. Too bad they have that big heel hoop I've mentioned before. Anyone know if an arbor strap can go on a Union binding? Certainly can't go on a Now style.
Been riding since 1989, and I prefer the toe cap. I think they both hold just as well, but there's less pressure on my toes with the cap. They're designed in such a way now that they don't interfere with anything. I never have a hard time getting low and carving deep. It doesn't affect the response for me either way, and I've tried newer toe straps, no difference. It doesn't push the boot back, that's what the ankle strap does, and I never heard anyone say the opposite...maybe the companies did, but I was not aware of it. And I'm not looking to run a hard boot, I'm not a skier. It's about comfort for me, with no performance impact.
Hi Lars, I’m thinking about getting the OTT straps and would like to know what size are you running? I’m about the same boot size as you so whatever you are running would probably work for me. Thanks for all the videos!
Interesting take on this! I will try this for sure. Did you managed to use the ladders, tongue, buckles with the Burton OTT strap? Or is it better to buy the Burton spareparts? I'm using Union bindings and was wondering if I just van use those Parts and order the Burton OTT strap.. Thanks for this video, love learning new stuff and you explain it very well for my brain to understand it :D I'll get you some welldeserved coffees very soon!
Haha, thanks for that!! The buckle is the hardest part. NOW and Burton are compatible, so I was able to mount the OG NOW buckle to the OTT. All is requires is the Burton screw, since the OTT strap has a different thread diameter to mount the buckle. Ladders and tongues are compatible. I'm using all NOW parts. I have not tried this with Unions, so I can't quite help there, sorry!
Never tried. Probably good quality. As a brand I'm not so sure......... they're a bit in financial trouble from what I've heard.... selling out a bit.... But whatever. If the boards are good, who cares, haha! :-)
@@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel straps loosen while riding. Seems to me that the toe cap is better positioned to prevent the boot from creeping forward.
Agree with the flappy straps, they get in the way terribly, more trouble than they’re worth. Toe vs over, I definitely prefer toe. There is more rigidity to the boot - insanos have a rubber toe that the toe strap grips super well. .. but the main reason is I have a large forefoot and really don’t need additional pressure there. YMMV otherwise, suspect the difference is trivial. You know more than me obviously but I don’t subscribe to the ‘lifting toes’ trigger for heelside .. the high back is where all the leverage it and I doubt that I can flex my foot enough to make a difference against the binding, strap and boot flex, even as a strong rider.
Started riding in 93 too! Didn't get serious until high school in the last 90s. Prefer the new style. I have Drive Pros too. The old over the top method added a wear pattern to my boots and eventually put a slight pressure on my foot. The new placement and design doesnt do that. I'm a size 11 riding Nitro Capital TLS & Burton Ion Boa
Hello 👋 Snowboard instructor here. First of all, very nice video, was very funny/interesting. Now,let’s get down to business. I want to start saying that I have ride for 12~ years and I am 25 years old and I don’t use your set up. I am saying this because I am sure that the biggest point on this topic is feeling and how you are use to. I definitely have less experience then you, but this could also be a good thing, for exercise, I was whit my old snowboard Teacher (he coached me for like 8 years and we ride together very often) and we went to a “try stuff event” in Hintertux, and we tried the step on both for the first time. Even tho I think my coach is still better than me, it was much easier for me to adapt and get use to it. Same here. An other thing I think it can not be excluded is the “cultural” factor. Having the strap over your toes is something usually associated whit people that just started, especially when the strap and the boot doesn’t fit well one and other (unlikely yours), so people that use the over the toes strap doesn’t have a “good reputation” because is like having a big gap between mask and helmet (At list here is something that happens). AKA both works and are fine, go for the one that makes you more comfortable 😂 (Sorry for bad English, but is my second language)
I just got some Jones mercury bindings and am excited to use skate tech. The way these bindings are set up with out an adjustable heal cup I'm not able to get my exact stance width I normally use. A 1/4 inch difference isn't a big deal right?
My stances vary between 51 and 55cm between different boards. That's over 1.5".... I used to believe that everyone needs to find their one stance. That is simply silly and actually dysfunctional at times. So don't worry about 1/4", you'll be good!
I already have over the toes strap from Burton on my bindings. I am buying union atlas binding and if I am not wrong that they market their toe straps can go over the toes by default ? Anyone has expirience with that ?
I wanna see free body diagrams! (Yeah I’m a physicist). I got my first board in ‘86 so I’m familiar with the OTT, but I’m not going back. You’re absolutely right that it can add to toe drag, pop off, and a lot of them really do suck… but I think it really does help to hold the boot back and take some pressure off the ankle strap and instep. I put Burton Genesis Hammock ankle straps on a lot of my bindings, though the Bataleon Infinity are great too… and the Rome/Bataleon toe straps seem to fit all my boots really well. I really ought to swap those onto some others. Everyone talks about board quivers… but I’ve got binding & boot quivers too. 😂 For bindings: my highbacks are always rotated and I hate canting.
(1) I think you may be a little bit wrong in here, because the toe-strap provides a greater lever when pulling with the toes; (2) the boot fixation, despite modern boots & bindings, may be tiny bit of a thing on hardpack and ice, we're talking 1/3 millimeter that matters, but yes, mostly it is not; (3) if not on hardpack/ice, you can ride with toe strap open without noticing till you're back on the chairlift; (4) the decisive factor is the tightness of the boots in toes area, or the ability to tighten the boot there, and that's the weak point of most of modern boots, as they reduced the frontmost loop of the inner lacing.
On 1 and 2 I think I will stick to my point and disagree :-) On 3 I agree to a degree... On 4 I definitely agree as in: current softboots are just not good enough!
I actually read the YES Drive 2025 manual, and noticed they claim their toe strap was designed to be used either OTT or over the cap. Having ridden it in the OTT position for several days (I like it more than over the cap), and it seemed like it does a good enough job, I'm wondering what's the benefit of the Burton OTT strap? :) Would you be willing to share which hinge connectors you replaced the NOW / YES ones with? It is indeed annoying on the back foot, as I had to keep tucking it under collapsed highback to not step on the straps when I got off the chair lifts.
I replaced the connectors with the old NOW one, which are hard to find. The Burton strap sits flatter as an OTT and just feels a bit better to me. There's no actual need to buy those. You're right, the Yes/NOW ones are good enough. My video isn't aiming at that particular binding, but just the general thought of running OTT.
A distant memory from over 20yrs ago, but wasn’t it MFM and Hebbel that were the first to run it. Tech Nine was the first company to offer followed by Burton… I think. My memory has seen better days though
Hi, what is your opinion on all these fast entry bindinge, talking Burton Step On, Clew, Nidecker Step In, Flow Rear Entry? I'm the only snowboarder in my Skiing group and it sucks to be the last one being ready to drive after the Chairlift :D I love the safe feeling of my Strap Binding, but I would be ready for an update on something easier/faster, but only if i feel as safe as I am used to in the strap binding! Thank you very much for your videos. Liebe Grüße aus Österreich!
@@matthiasg.4826 Nidecker Supermatic is IMO the best one. They all have draw backs. But to me that one offers the convenience without changing the ride feel and making you need a special boot. Clew is just a terrible design.
Not totally agree but you have some good points. At the same time however, most of the time most of us are not riding super stiff and responsive boot and binding so as long as the strap holds the boot relatively tight (which both types does), it doesnt really matters.
I love my Rome Auxtech toes, BUT, they’re not perfect. You do have to make sure you’re perfectly on the boot. Makes me wanna mount my old Burton Customs.
my og burton cartels that suck for a lot of reason.. the toe straps then did it right. soft, two lines over the tip of the toe so one goes on top, one goes in front. ironically still rocking 2013 32 boots in them. setups soft as shit but they had the toe straps dialed 15 years ago
Interesting! Another binding "modification" I've thought about for those of us with Jones/Yes/Now bindings is to swap out my right highback for a left one to get more support straight back as I ride posi/posi so I'll get two "front" highback. Is this a crazy idea?
@@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel Cool! I picked up the Mercury and they've got a great curve on the outside of the binding and appears to give great support, but they're really "flat" on the inside. Clearly made to be ridden in a duck stance
@@SuperPhelix everything is made to be ridden in a duck stance! hahaha.... That's my whole point around this topic. The industry literally suggests that posi posi has no right to exist, hahaha....
all makes sense, except I have yet to find a toe strap that sits right for size 47 boots - even an XL binding. I need a toe strap, not a toe-joint strap, especially when my toes are already being squished. Someone come up with a barefoot design snowboard boot please! I am going to try blowing out the plastic with my hard-boots, if I can find a good boot-fitter.
don't agree on the toe straps, but I have small feet so the cap style works fine for me. However I totally agree on the floppy strap thing, I hate that. Where did you get the parts to eliminate that?
I don't like having to think about how tight I want that many straps so I just do on the toe as tight as I can reasonably get it and the rigid part of the toebox just bears that. If you want to do "on the toe" with a Now binding and have it actually stay, the Jones 3D 2.0 toe strap is a bolt on replacement. IMO the stock NOW strap should be thought of as over the toe only.
nah, toe cups hold the boot back AND down. taking stress off the ankle strap's duties. some trade off with increased toe strap drag and broken ladders at extreme angles ( i think they might require a stiffer boot?) But the difference is increased ankle precision and rotation. FOR: bro's that seek binding/boot interface with wide range of motion with a predictable increase of resistance as rotation moves away from neutral eg stiff boots with loose freestyle zero forward lean bindings for finesse based style posture ranges. Also why I ride burton SLX boot with burton "malavita wingback" binding (after market mod btw)
yup, I use the Rome toe straps, enter my foot toe fiirst, ratchet the toe strap. Then lift up my heel and push down and one or two more clicks I'm locked. I'd change but Im really old and its muscle memory now. BTW, I need ninja tunes on a couple of my Strandas, is your cell still the same Lars?
I ride Bent Metals, I like them cause they are pretty basic and do the job. I've never tried them OTT, but I could if I wanted, I'll maybe experiment next time I'm up the hill. Not a fan of the hinged strap for the same reasons you point out.
Funny that this video came out 2 days after I got my 2001 Capita BSOD with Technine MFM bindings out of my parents basement before they donated it 😂 IIRC those were the first bindings with toe caps. Edit - just did a search on the channel, and didn’t see any videos on aftermarket liners. Seems that you aren’t using the stock Intuition liners that come with the Insanos unless you have a different year than me. Liners on my Insanos are finally reaching the end of their life, the shell still seems to have enough life to run another Intuition into the ground, and would love to hear your thoughts on this topic. I’d be particularly interested in thoughts on alternatives to Intuition like Remind or maybe even ZipFits. The owner of remind seemed to be very open to sending out liners to other knowledgeable industry professionals when he was on Angry Snowboarders channel, so might be worth reaching out to them for a pair to demo. Keep up the awesome work. This is hands down the most informative snowboard channel I’ve found on YT, and am so glad to finally have a nerdy single-plank source for information on tuning/setup. If you’re ever in Colorado, don’t hesitate to reach out for anything you might need!
Love this!! Thank you so much for the kindness! Yes, I use aftermarket Intuition liners. Either the ld FX-Race or the current DH dual density tongue liners in 9mm thickness (low volume), which depends on your shell fit. I can only fit one finger behind the heel when standing in socks inside the shell of the boot without the liners. If you have 1.5 to 2 finghers, you want the medium volume, 12mm liners. I have not tried Remind, I'll reach out to them. I have tried zip fits in a shop. Too stiff! Otherwise maybe the best liner concept ever!!
On a slightly related note, how much toe and heel overhang (over the board) is acceptable in general? I have about 2 or 2.5 cm overhang on both the toe and heel. I’m not an aggressive carver like yourself, so I’ve always assumed it’s fine. Love the content as always. 🤙
Using union force classics and run the cap on the toes. But this just may make me wanna switch to using the strap over the toe. Seeing that like it gives better leverage performance on heel. Gonna try it out when im back in the snow, Interesting…
Your OTT straps look quite big. Did you get size large, or are they just a bigger strap compared to cap style? I just ordered mediums for my Jones Mercuries with 10.5 Burton Driver X boots. Looking forward to getting back to my toe strap setup from the 90s! Cheers Lars.
I shared the design office with the binding designer at Tech Nine when the toe caps came out. I engineered the boards and was always arguing how the toe caps were a waste of time and were useless. Especially because the toe caps back then were using too much excess materials, so it added so much more length past the boots. I would show them the way it hung over when the board was tilted over and how it would drag on the ground or could even kick you off your edge when going up a half pipe. They got what I was saying but the buyers wanted that junk and now it's all there is. I kept a stack of the supposed "low end" straps that were made for my bindings and made my own custom ones in the sample room. The other good part of the over the top strap is the lateral movement, bending my knee inwards was easier for grabs. Great topic. Binding companies should really offer both.
This is gold!! Thank you so much for sharing!!! 🙏🙂👌✌️
@@frankstringfellow151 heinous period of equipment
Totally looking forward to a boot rant.
Beat me to it
You argument on toe strap leverage makes perfect sense and never crossed my mind before.
Haven’t had an issue the hinges in my way yet, though.
Both hold your toes down, both can have compatibility issues with boots. Neither is going to change your riding significantly. To ensure fit, take your boots to the shop when you buy bindings.
The force when toe cap is over the toes does actually pull down and backwards. The diagonal force when positioned over the toes is composed of a horizontal force (towards highback) and perpendicular force (downwards).
Therefore, technically it does help to pull boots backwards, however is a small force as it is just a component of the force depending on the angle of the strap. 🙃
This brings me back to uni physics class. Decomposition of force was one of the first lectures.
Still, whether or not it actually has any effect is still debatable. The heel strap already pulls you into the binding with more force, so the main benefit of the toe strap is to stop your foot from rotating side to side or up and down.
That being said, some of the newer toe caps are amazing. You can hardly even feel them there but you’re still locked in.
I was thinking the same thing just learnt about the sin and cos stuff
In theory, yes. But the actual horizontal net force on the boot will probably be close to zero since the horizontal force pushing the boot back into the binding will be opposed by the friction between the between the boot and binding. And this frictional force increases as you pull the strap. Science y'all! 🤓
The toe strap pulls the boot horizontally ~ Fx = AcosΘ N and down Fy = AsinΘ N. Definitely helps significantly for park riders, or anyone who might land something on a edge. Even then, newer toe straps are rarely the first to drag.
I like what Rome did with the toe caps. They don’t flop over and they pull straight up with the extra strapping.
Well, once again you make total sense ! The force vector applied to the binding are in line with your logic. Sorry no arguments from me. I ride the Now Drive and I do put the toe strap on the front of my boot on my front foot, but on top of my boot on my back foot to reduce drag on the snow ! ( size 12 Ride Insano, F: +27, B: +9 ) .
toe caps are for comfort, not for performance. thats why i always ride them, thats why i always liked em. as for a "step in convenience" its also great, not all of us are so clumsy that would stand on the straps all the time :) its not that those problems didnt exist its just that they made some things easier..
on the other hand, there is one BIG problem with all new/expensive burton bindings.. and that is double take buckles (and ladder with teeth on both sides), which is often filled in with fresh snow esp. in low temp and very dry snow.. and then the buckle can jam and you cannot take your boot out. that was a real "fixing a problem that does not exist".
Thanks for your good videos. I started to ride in1993. Was a true pleasure to cruize on snow with soft boots. But during years and years i often have a pain on feet particularly on long heelside "traversées". I felt oblige to apply a lot of pression on toe strat and thats squeeze m'y feet. I change several Times boots and bindings and it was Always the same...And last season After 20 years of riding i changed for unions with cap straps , keeping my k2 boots. And no more pain with same control. My opinion is that cap strap apply pressure on the most solid part of the boot ( even for bad boots) so cap strap can compensate a bad boot design or at least a bad boot fitting with toes flyi g in the boot. But fully agree with you regarding the drawbacks particularly on chairlifts.
Thanks
Awesome! Thank you!!🙏
Just discovered your channel from the boot series and you really know your stuff man. Great content, keep it up!
Thanks!! That's so great to hear!!
I changed mine to over the toe. Phenomenal. No more loose straps after bucking around in tracked out chop and chunder!
love this!!
Thanks! hi Lars, so I got my yes Drive bindings “medium”, ride insano boot size 10 and noticed that it’s a tight fit going to a medium binding setup on my Korea cafe racer plus and was hoping you could answer a couple questions. Please let me know if that’s doable and if this is the way to do it.
@@vstags sure. Thank you for the tip!
I think the fit is perfect. Not squeezing into the heel cup, just perfectly held in place.
Hi Lars, are you running any forward lean on these bindings? I adjusted mine one click from how they came. Seems like there are only 4 clicks total available click positions. Cheers!
@@vstags yes. One click in the front. Two in the back. NOW fwdl set to zero matches my boot's lean and is already more than most bindings.
@@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel Thanks Lars! Definitely felt it after adjusting both by one click forward but I liked the riding position that it put me in. The Korua Cafe Racer Plus definitely wore me out by the end of the day but guess it'll get better the more I ride that setup. I've always got the K2 Simple Pleasures if Im looking to dial back the intensity. BTW I just purchased the Burton toe straps for over the top and less obstacles when one footing. Thanks for your content brother! Cheers!
It dawned on me last year to give this a go and I haven't looked back. I do ride the Ride Fuse(same toe cap & heel spine as you) though, so maybe thats why it works so well for me as well. I wanna add that I ride Union & their toe straps still work pretty well over the top. I noticed Arthur Longo switched back to over the top as well & he rides Union. I swear that I read somewhere that union tried to make a toe strap that works for both ways. Another thing you didn't complain about is that when worn over the front of the toe, the excess ladder(especially the toe side) length dig into the snow on carves when in soft snow or slush.
I put Rome Aux toe straps on my Drive Pros. I really didn’t like the stock ones at all. They wouldn’t stay on my foot and were too bulky. Rome Aux straps are my favorites. They form to the boot so well and are very low profile. I wear mine 80% over the top of my toes and just a bit over the cap. Your logic does make total sense having it over the toe and especially the leverage on heelsides. I just really love the feel of the Rome straps this way.
My madness is that I do my toe straps first to jam my heel into the highback before I do the ankle strap. If not, I feel like snow is preventing me from being ‘in’ the binding - unless I really crank the ankle strap too tight for comfort. The toe strap is for position and the ankle strap for support. Love the channel BTW. You’re doing a service to snowboarding.
Thanks for saying that!!
Aside from all other considerations, I tried some FLUX CV this year, it's actually the first cap strap that stays on without much volume, without the strap probing out also. Before buying wide af boards, I was either get toes crushed by the top strap, or mess with cap straps fooling around. I'm surprised by the CVs. They are stiff enough, the high back rotates almost as much as Burton's do. I don't work for them, happy they could offer a mountain worker discount.
Great point about the floppy straps when getting off a lift!
I've had combos of very stiff boots and lots of forward lean where I couldn't get my heels back in the bindings without the assistance of straps, and the heel strap couldn't reach the ratchet. So in that case, closing the toe strap over the edge of the boot did help seat my boots back far enough to close the heel strap. But in most cases I'd agree with you that the toe strap doesn't need to hold your boots back, just down.
That said, no plastic strap will ever transfer force as effectively as steel bails. Plate bindings best bindings! Bring on the boot rants!
Started riding in 89 and agree with your gripes. Getting the toe caps to fit correctly take forever to get just right on a new set of bindings or boots.
Regarding the floppy straps, I've found that pushing the highback down over the straps tends to keep them in place in the lift line. I agree, it's a stupid design that solves a non issue.
Thanks for the heads up on the Burton OTB straps!
This! The leverage gain was a game changer for me. It seems subtle, but once I moved back to OTT my carving stepped up a level. One can really feel the difference. Add to that the toe drag issue, and it's just a no brainer. I have almost the same binding setup (Now ODrive, and OTT straps)
I literally couldn't agree more with this. Mine are always slipping off the front of my boot from dragging in the snow while carving, it genuinely drives me crazy. I would say at least 60% of my runs they've slipped off by the time I reach the chairlift. I don't even have a great deal of overhang, they just seem to catch on any patches of variable terrain. You just gave me the push I needed to buy some OTT straps for my bataleon atoms, thanks Lars!
P.s. I also had a pair of Drives last season and the floppy straps are indeed more trouble than they're worth. The worst is if the toe strap manages to get underneath the board as you're getting off the lift!
I set up dozens of boards per week at the shop I work at. Theres so many boot toe cap shapes out there that don’t fit perfectly in some modern binding cap straps: Union and Burton. I see a lot of people wearing their Union cap straps literally on the tippy toes of their boots and it’s really not doing much. Burton cap straps are so wide that they kind of just hug the tippy toe of some peoples narrow toe boots. Definitely a loss of power that could be solve with something that sits mostly over the toe. Most cap straps need a specific toe box height and width to be secure and that can’t always be the case.
Thanks so much for this! It is helpful to get confirmation from someone with equal or more experience! The people who comment how awesome their cap strap is mostly have seen two or three combinations (if that) of boots/bindings. You and I seemingly come from that retail background where you REALLY see things.... :-)
I used to switch the straps to buckle on the inside of the boot because it was easier for me to reach. Seems that would solve the kink strap problem of it being in the way of the stop pad too. No longer an issue with step-ons
On a twin tip kiteboard I use my curled up toes to lever down my heals but on a snowboard I am standing on the ball of my feet to drive a toe side and pretty much stand on my heels when I switch edges at speed. For a lip slide style side hit I do lever off my toe to modulate the pressure on the heel but it is a gross action not a subtle one - the front strap over the top of the toes may be necessary for the tentative riders (as opposed to aggressive riders) but I switch weighting very quickly so doubt I will notice a difference - will pay more attention this season and even try a run with front straps looser and tighter/ over and front capped. I enjoy your fun posts...
Thanks to you I’m going to try over the toe set up this weekend. I was super into toe caps when they first came out but I’ve found that my back foot toe cap strap often rides up. It’s happened with many different combinations of boots and bindings.
I agree with you on this one, each and every time I go carving hard, my back foot's toe ratchet gets clogged with snow because it sticks out and collects snow. So many times I had to hit it hard or free it from conpressed snow to unstrap and get back to the lifts. I hope those OTT straps are still available around
I Love that snow nerdy thinks.
And I Love my flow Fuse binding for me best strap.
Simple and obvious answer. If i put the toe strap forward instead of on the toe, the ratchet drags on the snow or eventually breaks when leaning on the turns ....more noticeable on back foot because more toe drag.
I also noticed that when the strap is on the toes, it gives a really better hold of boot, limits the twist of the boot in the binding (most when pushing in backside turns) and by thus gives more accuracy.
Strap forward toe fashion is real shit 😅
We are still thinking the same 😊
All good points. For me I started using the toe cap style back in the day mainly because with the strap over my toes, it would squash my toes, as back then I had much softer boots. It was much more comfortable to have them away from my toes and digging into the toe cap.
Haha just got to the end when you addressed this :). Yeah these were vans way back in 2001, pretty soft.
I’m riding flow bindings for over a decade now and I absolutely love em. They are nit for everyone since they’re less adjustable but I really like the strap design. They’re also pretty neat for carving since their high back design doesn’t sick out as much as traditional bindings.
They really helped out my feet.
Been interested to try them. They just started making them with a cap though because people said the old ones were too hard to get into
Thanks to Lars, I found out my old boots were too big and causing me to have to crank the bejesus out of my binding straps to feel secure. I recently got a new pair of Ride boots with a similar toe box to the Insano, and thought “cool” now I can use my Union hybrid strap (circa 2010) in front of the toe instead of OTT (never felt like I had enough control unless OTT before). The strap kept coming up and going OTT by the time I was at the bottom so I switched back to OTT, and with a proper fitting boot, I don’t have to crank my straps very tight at all.
Boom! Real life evidence! :-) Thanks for sharing!!
I think you're 100% right on this about the toe cap
So I don’t remember old toe straps causing pain. But I do remember thinking the original burton toe caps were great cause I didn't feel anything. But man those early caps were terrible. Hmm another thing I'm going to go recheck the fit now, thanks Lars!
Old Burton toe caps on the Cartels and P1’s were horrible. They’d come up every time.
All valid points very well put across. I don’t like flappy straps. For the same reasons.
I think most riders don’t carve (but wish they could) like you do.
I’ve just got some Supermatic’s. But I am 52 and not very flexible so for my one week a year on snow now (😢) I’m hoping they will be just what I need 🤞🏼
The supermatics are great. One thing I messed up was getting a large instead of medium. The sales person who helped should have suggested a smaller size instead. I'm a short guy at 5'4" and the board is big enough for the bindings not to give me drag from toes and heel. But trying to carve heel side the bindings being bulky washes me out. Well I'm assuming it only because toe side I can feel it but heel side I don't get that same feel. Also just sitting down in the snow and seeing it as I lean the heel as far back as possible to see where the bindings are in contact with the snow.
One thing you must do is setting up the bindings that you are able to get in and out easily. You'll have to adjust minutely occasionally once on mountain too. I've had issues when I know it's too tight to easily slip in, I won't fully lock in when I think I am. Quite scary the first couple times it happened as I was turning.
But once you have the fitting dialed in.. it's so easy to get every time. I've even tried many times getting off the lift, literally step in while gliding and instantly riding already. No stopping, sitting or standing, stepping in, and ratcheting in like regular bindings. Pretty fun.
The biggest issue I do have with the bindings is releasing my back foot when ice is trapped in the ratchet system. If it gets packed and ice up, pressing the lever will be hard or not work. I have to do some hops sometimes to loosen the ice. Then you'll be able to release the ratchet but it'll still give you a hard time pressing down.
Another issue is if somehow the pivot point (knob) for the upper binding slips past the area it's supposed to sit in, it'll stuck between the ratchet mechanism. When it goes past that you'll have to wrench it out by fully engaging the ratchet and trying to get the knob to slip out. You'll get it if you look at it. I've had it happen twice and I was not happy with that while being on top of the mountain. The two times it happened was due to the high back standing up and the chair lift pushing it down, which forced the pivot point (knob) to drive through the ratcheting. Not concrete but that's my most likely answer.
I've had them for one season last year already riding almost 60 days. This season 5 days so far. It was either the supermatics or Burton stepins. I have a Burton board with the channel system and as tight as I can get the bindings stationary they do twist a bit for some reason. My other boards with the traditional 4 screw system work perfectly fine.
Thanks for the insight. I wanted to try supermatic but not sure where I read it that it has a problem with heel drag when you carve hard.
Supermatic works very well!! Too bulky behind the heels for me, but the concept may well be the best 'step in' system for softboots regarding ride feel. Much better than Burton StepOn in my humble opinion having tried both.
@@kitjunya I'm not intending to carve hard. I'll be hunting/hiking for pow at every possibility. If not pow then general resort riding and larking around 😁 Yes the Supermatic's are bulky and heavy. But my Ride Warpig and Ride LTD binding are pretty heavy. So I've gone with a KORUA Tranni finder as it's a bit lighter I think. Can't wait to try it all out.
@@mankybrains Thanks for the tips. I've tilted my board onto the heel edge and it gets to maybe 80-85º before the heel cups touch the floor. I think I should be fine. Noted re the pivot knob. I'll try and be careful 🤙🏼
I love when you rant and present your strong opinions. The question I have is; how long has the industry been using single molded foam outsoles? The cap strap may be helpful in keeping the relatively slippery foam outsole of a lower end boot from slipping forward when turning heel side. Truth be told I am a ski boot fitter by trade and a good thirty percent of my day is spent explaining to people that if you press your calf back against the forward lean of the boot (in this case binding) your toe slips forward, this could defiantly happen in your snowboard bindings if the outsole of the boot doesn't effectively grip the footbed of the binding. personally from a comfort perspective I prefer the cap strap, however I have a smaller than average foot and boot overhang has never been a big concern for me. though I have had snowboard boot fitting customers that did not tolerate pressure on the ends of their toes well in order to prevent the binding from effectively shortening the boot.
Secondary question: how do you set up the forward lean of your binding? that may have an impact on your preference.
I'd say when you push against the forward lean of the boot - also on a snowboard boot - the first thing that moves is the foot inside the boot, jamming your toes against the end of the boot.
Since almost every foot board on almost every binding is EVA foam, which is soft enough to actually get indentations from the boot's tread, there's always too much friction for the boot to actually slide forward on the foot board - in particular with a properly done up ankle strap.
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I ride with quite a bit of forward lean, and I bend my knees. I never get calf bite, which would indicate that I don't bend my knees and push into the highbacks too much, as you suggest. I also don't have any real issue with cap straps - other than more boot drag. I'm just pointing out that I find the design has more weaknesses than strengths.
I also like Ride boots, perhaps the best I've owned so far, though their longevity is comparable to other brands.
Yeah, you're right. All boots break after 80 days.... The last 20 of my season always have something broken on the boot..... Drives me up the wall!! 🙂
Thank you for this post and all the useful information. Can you speak to those of us who use a rear entry binding. I have been using a rear entry for over 15 years to avoid having to sit for any reason (due to back issues). I'm currently using the GNU Freedom bindings and they have a toe cap type set up. I haven't used a traditional binding in awhile and have even been considering the new Nidecker Supermatic bindings, but curious about how, if any, my riding may be effected by not using a traditional binding. Cheers!
Supermatics work! Best system out there, IMO. Only draw back is that the heel cup is very thick and may cause heel drag for advanced level carving. This is an issue with all step in systems but FLOW.
I have ridden with both no preference but I would like to quote some basic physics in saying by lengthening the lever will increase the amount of force you can apply. So moving the leverage point from the top of the toe out to the tip of the toe (1” or 1.5” max) might still allow you to apply more pressure to the bindings. Just a thought…
@@mattl6689 I don’t think that’s correct due to the angle a toe cap strap is pulling in. Seems logical to me. But hey, what do I know?! I just think most cap straps are rather badly designed and OTT is so simple and just works very well.
Some interesting points. I rode with Tommen Bjerknaes in the late 90's in Stryn and he didn't use toe straps at all. said he didn't think they were necessary.
With caps I don’t feel any added support or leverage. Might as well not use a toe strap but with a OTT placed just in front of the ball of my foot I do feel a bit more responsive transferring to my heal
Did you need new screws and whatnot for the ratchet and ladder? The ones from my union forces do not fit
Just used the OG Burton screws to attach the ratchets. The ratchets themselves work from NOW. Unfortunately the screws don't come with the OTT straps.
Hmm okay might need to improvise! What Burton bindings are your screws from?
@@stevol6282 just grabbed them from a dealer. Spare parts...
Completely agree. Thanks for putting this in perspective
@@Dc-jg2ti thanks for the comment!! 🙏👍
Good topic. For me, it's non-negotiable, but I'm just one dude. I have ludicrously wide feet and the whole reason I snowboard instead of ski in the first place is to avoid boot pain. When modern toe straps first came out I was instantly sold. I basically can't overtighten them or even feel them and the response is very good. My biggest problem with toe straps now is when they slide up and turn into OTT straps, which is affected by the exact size and model combination of boot and binding. Toe drag is also a bummer, but I'm willing to run risers or an even wider board before I'd squeeze my feet from the sides with a retro toestrap or run steeper angles.
Thanks for sharing!! Still sounds like a boot problem to me. I can't envision how I would feel pressure along the sides of the toe box in my boots. They're literally plastic... hahaha :-)
Toe cap for my narrower boards that I’d boot out on as the limitation to edge angle as it’s more comfy and doesn’t cut circulation off in my toes. Otherwise over the toe for the fun carving boards
You just throw away a 9 year binding adjustment research!!!
If its true i was realy tring to solve a problem that didnt exist...
fak! it makes sense.......
thank you!
Just recently bought my Ride insano, such a Great Boot
I miss my old og style over the toe strap. That's what I started on back in the 90s as well.
The OGs were pretty crappy I find. Plastic with EVA foam padding, all stiff and in the wrong place, too far up the boot. But depends on the company, I guess.
I agree with you Lars that NOW never came up with a solid toe strap design. Didn't matter which iteration they never seemed to stay in place when put in the "halfway" position of the two positions you describe. I ended up getting Jones branded (obviously also produced by Now) toe straps which work much better. Also agree that most toe straps are not designed to go on top despite claims by the manufacturers
I strongly believe Rome and Bataleon have the best straps on the market, and it’s not even close! 😁
Great video! I feel the same about over the toe straps! Can you also share which replacement ladder straps work with the drive binding on toe and also which one for the ankle. This would be greatly appreciated!
I’m using an old version of the OG NOW bindings. Sorry. You’ll have to try… 🤷♂️
Thanks for what you do. Cheers.
I've got Now Drives and I have always hated the toe strap. I've had so many issues with the ladder tips breaking, ratchet freezing, and the boot sliding/popping out of strap entirely. Absolute garbage.
I have "upgraded" to some new Jones straps, so let's see how they perform. But you've convinced me to try placing it over the toes. Might need a different ladder without a kink to make that work, but I'm in. Let's go!
However! Even though you have convinced me to go back to over the toe (like when I was first starting in snowboarding many years ago), I'm not sure I'm with you on the leverage being better/greater. The whole function of the straps is to keep your boot sole and heel connected firmly to the binding. If you can keep the area under the very tip of the toe securely planted to the binding, then that should be resulting in the maximum amount of leverage. Over the toe and toe cap straps should both be able to achieve this, no? I think most important will be how good your strap is. In the case of the old Now straps, it's obvious over the toe would have secured my toe so much better. But perhaps I could have switched to a different cap that would have held it just as well as your over the toe strap.
Regardless, you got me. I should have realized myself that there was another option and not just blindly continuing with what I had. Very clear now just how much longer my boot is with the toe cap on the end, and that my ratchets were freezing up because how much closer to the edge they need to be to connect with the toe cap. Stoked to try over the toe and potentially not break more hardware, and especially not be slowed down on a powder race by frozen ratchets.
Cheers
Edit: seems I might try to jerry rig that Burton strap on like you have done. My Jones straps definitely will not work.
I can't really complain about anything on the NOW bindings. I find their cap strap works very well in the grand scheme of things. But I just find it unnecessary. And the hinge thing is convenient at surface level - it simply creates another problem for solving one that never bothered me. Good luck!! Thanks for the comment!
@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel Hey Lars, now that I have some OTT straps on the way, how did you setup yours? Can you swap the Now buckles onto it, or did you buy some Burton/other buckles to go with it?
@@ataft85 now buckle, Burton screw.
@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel thanks!
That was driving me crazy! What size screw is the Burton one, I was hoping to not have to buy Burton buckles just for the screws.
Agree, i find ott feels more responsive. The floppy straps don’t really bother me, i just kick them out of the way.
Lots of tweaks to my bindings. Most relevant to this conversation is that I reinstalled the rear toe strap in reverse (left-to-right) to keep the ratchet away from the snow. (It was coming undone on contact with groomers). My toe strap is only a hair line in front of the boot and doesn't bother me. +1 waiting for the boot rant.
Hey Lars - Happy Winter Time!!!! Great rant on toe strap issues - I ride with Flow NX2 Cabon bindings, I love the rear entry and set and forget "Power strap", super for hard carving. I like the "Fusion" design with over the toe versus "hybrid" which is like a toe cap.
I did notice that your footbeds are canted outward while my are canted inward - is that your preferred setup?
Love the Strada Cheater and Pipeliner 2.0 I got last year off of your reviews - thank you for bringing the Stranda brand to my attention.
@@edge2edge417 no canting on my foot beds at all. Yeah, I love those boards so much… Pipeliner is a dream!
What is funny, i used the OTT strap and flipped them, for the perfect toecap fit over the 32, and MFM releases the TechNine toecap
Great insight, i thought about it a while back, but you manage to put my thoughts into words better than i ever could, dope video! Worst part about these toe straps, i'm unable to get over the top straps, because they're not selling these in my country, lol.
Also a quick question, how are the Now bindings with a wide boot? Not 2 narrow?
Also did you replace your original now drive pro connectors along with the ott straps? if so, which ones did you get?
What do you mean with the connectors??
@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel the strap itself, the ladder
As I said in the video, I replaced the flex hinge connectors with the standard ones, which were old stock at a NOW dealer.
NOW bindings Hanger 2 and 3 are likely wide enough. However, in the overlapping boot sizes it can get tricky with certain boot brands. A Vans 10.5 will be tight in a medium, while a Ride and K2 will still fit easily in an 11.....
In all seriousness with my 2005 Mission / Burtons I sometimes use the toe strap to pull my heel in.
I have poor mobility (always have) and it sometimes helps to get my boot in to use a combo of the toe strap and scooting my foot back.
Each other own. I don’t think it makes much difference.
I think it might depend on the brand. I don't have a problem with my K2 toe straps staying in place, neither do my kids with Burton.
I do have a piar of old Burton bindings with a toe cap that don't stay in place well.
Depends on which strap on which boot (fit) and whether you ever hit your toes at all in a toe turn. But yes, some designs are better than others.
i kept braker the ladder strap on my back foot running it over the toes, im pretty sure its from carving and having it dig in the snow. so i go about 80% over the toes now and haven’t broken one since. funny topic everyone seems to have there set ways🤙🏼
I have some 2009 Union bindings which have a hybrid toe strap. It goes over the top but it also has an additional plastic bit which you can hook over the top front of the toe, but you don't have to. Seems to work quite well and I think I might run these bindings this year. They changed the strap to a toe cap design from 2010.
@@FATFORKS Union has always used a flat strap with an outer "frame" that allows you to push the toe of the boot into the center, so you can run it either way - this was their original design when released in fall 2005, same as your 2009s. They have altered the exact design over the years, but have never used a "formed" cap strap. I really liked the style you're referring to & still have some, but my personal favorite came out in 2014 - the smallest of the styles with the open hole in the middle, which always fit my boots best as a cap strap, but I've been running the same 2014 pair over the top since 2016.
The cool thing about their design - especially the original - was even when run like a cap strap at the front of the boot, they were still pulling down instead of at such an angle, so you had good leverage.
@@spenserak Actually I have the '14 Contact with the hole in the toe strap too. I was thinking it was 2010. I also didn't really think of running it over the top but you're right about that because it's flat. I also have a newer Contact Pro with the webbing toe strap but I guess that can also go over the top or maybe just a bit over the toe as it's flexible. Unfortunately my new DC boots barely fit into any of my bindings cos they're so wide at the heel.
Dang, which size DC? I've been running the transcend for a couple years now, but I'm a size 9 which always fits in medium.
@@spenserak Size 10 Judges and Size M bindings 😵
Great topic! Still learning since this is my second season. What bindings are these by the way?
NOW Drive Pro 2024
Thanks!
Regarding the heel straps being in the way/getting out of the way, the Arbor straps are so good for this. Instead of being floppy, it's just pre-curved to sit over the side it's attached to. Too bad they have that big heel hoop I've mentioned before. Anyone know if an arbor strap can go on a Union binding? Certainly can't go on a Now style.
Been riding since 1989, and I prefer the toe cap. I think they both hold just as well, but there's less pressure on my toes with the cap. They're designed in such a way now that they don't interfere with anything. I never have a hard time getting low and carving deep. It doesn't affect the response for me either way, and I've tried newer toe straps, no difference. It doesn't push the boot back, that's what the ankle strap does, and I never heard anyone say the opposite...maybe the companies did, but I was not aware of it. And I'm not looking to run a hard boot, I'm not a skier. It's about comfort for me, with no performance impact.
👍
Hi Lars, I’m thinking about getting the OTT straps and would like to know what size are you running? I’m about the same boot size as you so whatever you are running would probably work for me. Thanks for all the videos!
Size medium should work up to a size 10.5/11 boot.
my thought was that putting it over the toe helps to tilt the board easier on the toe edge turn!?
Interesting take on this! I will try this for sure. Did you managed to use the ladders, tongue, buckles with the Burton OTT strap? Or is it better to buy the Burton spareparts? I'm using Union bindings and was wondering if I just van use those Parts and order the Burton OTT strap..
Thanks for this video, love learning new stuff and you explain it very well for my brain to understand it :D I'll get you some welldeserved coffees very soon!
Haha, thanks for that!!
The buckle is the hardest part. NOW and Burton are compatible, so I was able to mount the OG NOW buckle to the OTT. All is requires is the Burton screw, since the OTT strap has a different thread diameter to mount the buckle. Ladders and tongues are compatible. I'm using all NOW parts. I have not tried this with Unions, so I can't quite help there, sorry!
Cheers, I'll try it out tho!
Curious what your take should be on Cardiff Snowcrafts snowboards. Have you tried them before?
Never tried. Probably good quality. As a brand I'm not so sure......... they're a bit in
financial trouble from what I've heard.... selling out a bit.... But whatever. If the boards are good, who cares, haha! :-)
Does the toe cap prevent the boot from creeping forward while riding?
@@Bob-ru6nw how could it? The ankle strap pulls it back! 🙂
@@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel straps loosen while riding. Seems to me that the toe cap is better positioned to prevent the boot from creeping forward.
Agree with the flappy straps, they get in the way terribly, more trouble than they’re worth.
Toe vs over, I definitely prefer toe. There is more rigidity to the boot - insanos have a rubber toe that the toe strap grips super well. .. but the main reason is I have a large forefoot and really don’t need additional pressure there. YMMV otherwise, suspect the difference is trivial.
You know more than me obviously but I don’t subscribe to the ‘lifting toes’ trigger for heelside .. the high back is where all the leverage it and I doubt that I can flex my foot enough to make a difference against the binding, strap and boot flex, even as a strong rider.
Started riding in 93 too! Didn't get serious until high school in the last 90s. Prefer the new style. I have Drive Pros too. The old over the top method added a wear pattern to my boots and eventually put a slight pressure on my foot. The new placement and design doesnt do that. I'm a size 11 riding Nitro Capital TLS & Burton Ion Boa
Hello 👋
Snowboard instructor here. First of all, very nice video, was very funny/interesting.
Now,let’s get down to business. I want to start saying that I have ride for 12~ years and I am 25 years old and I don’t use your set up. I am saying this because I am sure that the biggest point on this topic is feeling and how you are use to. I definitely have less experience then you, but this could also be a good thing, for exercise, I was whit my old snowboard Teacher (he coached me for like 8 years and we ride together very often) and we went to a “try stuff event” in Hintertux, and we tried the step on both for the first time. Even tho I think my coach is still better than me, it was much easier for me to adapt and get use to it. Same here.
An other thing I think it can not be excluded is the “cultural” factor. Having the strap over your toes is something usually associated whit people that just started, especially when the strap and the boot doesn’t fit well one and other (unlikely yours), so people that use the over the toes strap doesn’t have a “good reputation” because is like having a big gap between mask and helmet (At list here is something that happens).
AKA both works and are fine, go for the one that makes you more comfortable 😂
(Sorry for bad English, but is my second language)
Thanks for the comment! Feel free to try in German!
I'm not 100% sure that I understand what you are trying to say.
I just got some Jones mercury bindings and am excited to use skate tech. The way these bindings are set up with out an adjustable heal cup I'm not able to get my exact stance width I normally use. A 1/4 inch difference isn't a big deal right?
My stances vary between 51 and 55cm between different boards. That's over 1.5"....
I used to believe that everyone needs to find their one stance. That is simply silly and actually dysfunctional at times. So don't worry about 1/4", you'll be good!
I already have over the toes strap from Burton on my bindings. I am buying union atlas binding and if I am not wrong that they market their toe straps can go over the toes by default ? Anyone has expirience with that ?
I wanna see free body diagrams! (Yeah I’m a physicist). I got my first board in ‘86 so I’m familiar with the OTT, but I’m not going back. You’re absolutely right that it can add to toe drag, pop off, and a lot of them really do suck… but I think it really does help to hold the boot back and take some pressure off the ankle strap and instep.
I put Burton Genesis Hammock ankle straps on a lot of my bindings, though the Bataleon Infinity are great too… and the Rome/Bataleon toe straps seem to fit all my boots really well. I really ought to swap those onto some others.
Everyone talks about board quivers… but I’ve got binding & boot quivers too. 😂
For bindings: my highbacks are always rotated and I hate canting.
(1) I think you may be a little bit wrong in here, because the toe-strap provides a greater lever when pulling with the toes; (2) the boot fixation, despite modern boots & bindings, may be tiny bit of a thing on hardpack and ice, we're talking 1/3 millimeter that matters, but yes, mostly it is not; (3) if not on hardpack/ice, you can ride with toe strap open without noticing till you're back on the chairlift; (4) the decisive factor is the tightness of the boots in toes area, or the ability to tighten the boot there, and that's the weak point of most of modern boots, as they reduced the frontmost loop of the inner lacing.
On 1 and 2 I think I will stick to my point and disagree :-)
On 3 I agree to a degree...
On 4 I definitely agree as in: current softboots are just not good enough!
Brilliant 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙏🏻
How don i get the inner strap without the hinge for my Jones mercurey ?
That will be a challenge..... Retailer with old stock is your only chance, I think.
I actually read the YES Drive 2025 manual, and noticed they claim their toe strap was designed to be used either OTT or over the cap. Having ridden it in the OTT position for several days (I like it more than over the cap), and it seemed like it does a good enough job, I'm wondering what's the benefit of the Burton OTT strap? :)
Would you be willing to share which hinge connectors you replaced the NOW / YES ones with? It is indeed annoying on the back foot, as I had to keep tucking it under collapsed highback to not step on the straps when I got off the chair lifts.
I replaced the connectors with the old NOW one, which are hard to find. The Burton strap sits flatter as an OTT and just feels a bit better to me. There's no actual need to buy those. You're right, the Yes/NOW ones are good enough. My video isn't aiming at that particular binding, but just the general thought of running OTT.
Thanks for that Lars. I realize what the point was, and I agree - the leverage difference is quite noticeable.
A distant memory from over 20yrs ago, but wasn’t it MFM and Hebbel that were the first to run it. Tech Nine was the first company to offer followed by Burton… I think. My memory has seen better days though
You're correct! Only just found out myself.
Can you talk about step ins?
@@Bob-ru6nw not really.
I’m with Lars on this one
Hi, what is your opinion on all these fast entry bindinge, talking Burton Step On, Clew, Nidecker Step In, Flow Rear Entry?
I'm the only snowboarder in my Skiing group and it sucks to be the last one being ready to drive after the Chairlift :D
I love the safe feeling of my Strap Binding, but I would be ready for an update on something easier/faster, but only if i feel as safe as I am used to in the strap binding!
Thank you very much for your videos.
Liebe Grüße aus Österreich!
@@matthiasg.4826 Nidecker Supermatic is IMO the best one. They all have draw backs. But to me that one offers the convenience without changing the ride feel and making you need a special boot. Clew is just a terrible design.
Not totally agree but you have some good points. At the same time however, most of the time most of us are not riding super stiff and responsive boot and binding so as long as the strap holds the boot relatively tight (which both types does), it doesnt really matters.
My Nitro capital boots got a good strong toe cap which matches perfectly with the toe strap of the Nitro phantom !! It doesn't move at all !!
Awesome!! Nice one!
I love my Rome Auxtech toes, BUT, they’re not perfect. You do have to make sure you’re perfectly on the boot.
Makes me wanna mount my old Burton Customs.
my og burton cartels that suck for a lot of reason.. the toe straps then did it right. soft, two lines over the tip of the toe so one goes on top, one goes in front. ironically still rocking 2013 32 boots in them.
setups soft as shit but they had the toe straps dialed 15 years ago
Interesting!
Another binding "modification" I've thought about for those of us with Jones/Yes/Now bindings is to swap out my right highback for a left one to get more support straight back as I ride posi/posi so I'll get two "front" highback. Is this a crazy idea?
@@SuperPhelix I’m doing that too. Have done for years. 👍 The new Drive highback doesn’t really need that anymore. Lots of curve.
@@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel Cool! I picked up the Mercury and they've got a great curve on the outside of the binding and appears to give great support, but they're really "flat" on the inside. Clearly made to be ridden in a duck stance
@@SuperPhelix everything is made to be ridden in a duck stance! hahaha.... That's my whole point around this topic. The industry literally suggests that posi posi has no right to exist, hahaha....
A bit off topic but have you seen the new YES lineup? Curious how their Airmaster XTRM binding compares to the old Now Drive CX.
Same binding.
all makes sense, except I have yet to find a toe strap that sits right for size 47 boots - even an XL binding. I need a toe strap, not a toe-joint strap, especially when my toes are already being squished. Someone come up with a barefoot design snowboard boot please! I am going to try blowing out the plastic with my hard-boots, if I can find a good boot-fitter.
don't agree on the toe straps, but I have small feet so the cap style works fine for me. However I totally agree on the floppy strap thing, I hate that. Where did you get the parts to eliminate that?
@@nickb1966 old NOW binding parts…
I feel exactly that way about both straps on that great binding...Where can I get the ankle strap ? Burton sells the over the toe strap...
It's the so called Hyperfuse 2 strap. Still in the line with the new YES bindings. Should be able to order as a spare part from YES.
That really helped. Thank you Lars.
I don't like having to think about how tight I want that many straps so I just do on the toe as tight as I can reasonably get it and the rigid part of the toebox just bears that. If you want to do "on the toe" with a Now binding and have it actually stay, the Jones 3D 2.0 toe strap is a bolt on replacement. IMO the stock NOW strap should be thought of as over the toe only.
nah, toe cups hold the boot back AND down. taking stress off the ankle strap's duties. some trade off with increased toe strap drag and broken ladders at extreme angles ( i think they might require a stiffer boot?) But the difference is increased ankle precision and rotation. FOR: bro's that seek binding/boot interface with wide range of motion with a predictable increase of resistance as rotation moves away from neutral eg stiff boots with loose freestyle zero forward lean bindings for finesse based style posture ranges.
Also why I ride burton SLX boot with burton "malavita wingback" binding (after market mod btw)
@@rideordietheyretring2tranx382 I have to disagree on this one! 🙂🙌
yup, I use the Rome toe straps, enter my foot toe fiirst, ratchet the toe strap. Then lift up my heel and push down and one or two more clicks I'm locked. I'd change but Im really old and its muscle memory now. BTW, I need ninja tunes on a couple of my Strandas, is your cell still the same Lars?
@@AirArc yes!👍
I ride Bent Metals, I like them cause they are pretty basic and do the job. I've never tried them OTT, but I could if I wanted, I'll maybe experiment next time I'm up the hill. Not a fan of the hinged strap for the same reasons you point out.
Funny that this video came out 2 days after I got my 2001 Capita BSOD with Technine MFM bindings out of my parents basement before they donated it 😂 IIRC those were the first bindings with toe caps.
Edit - just did a search on the channel, and didn’t see any videos on aftermarket liners. Seems that you aren’t using the stock Intuition liners that come with the Insanos unless you have a different year than me. Liners on my Insanos are finally reaching the end of their life, the shell still seems to have enough life to run another Intuition into the ground, and would love to hear your thoughts on this topic. I’d be particularly interested in thoughts on alternatives to Intuition like Remind or maybe even ZipFits. The owner of remind seemed to be very open to sending out liners to other knowledgeable industry professionals when he was on Angry Snowboarders channel, so might be worth reaching out to them for a pair to demo.
Keep up the awesome work. This is hands down the most informative snowboard channel I’ve found on YT, and am so glad to finally have a nerdy single-plank source for information on tuning/setup. If you’re ever in Colorado, don’t hesitate to reach out for anything you might need!
Love this!! Thank you so much for the kindness! Yes, I use aftermarket Intuition liners. Either the ld FX-Race or the current DH dual density tongue liners in 9mm thickness (low volume), which depends on your shell fit. I can only fit one finger behind the heel when standing in socks inside the shell of the boot without the liners. If you have 1.5 to 2 finghers, you want the medium volume, 12mm liners.
I have not tried Remind, I'll reach out to them.
I have tried zip fits in a shop. Too stiff! Otherwise maybe the best liner concept ever!!
On a slightly related note, how much toe and heel overhang (over the board) is acceptable in general? I have about 2 or 2.5 cm overhang on both the toe and heel. I’m not an aggressive carver like yourself, so I’ve always assumed it’s fine. Love the content as always. 🤙
ua-cam.com/video/UCTqMFBxPnU/v-deo.htmlsi=sQ5GGKRilXRFwoOR
@ thanks. You’ve got everything covered 🤙
@@MickeyT34 Awesome!! :-)
I had Burton tow straps and they were crap. Always slipping off the toes. I did what you have done and went old school. End of issue.
I ride with Burton Cartel X and Burton Photon boots, toe caps fit perfectly, dunno man
@@user-db6ov7nn4x depends on the boots if they slip or not.
I dont know if this is worse or better, but i ride the flow, which kinda look like your setup, but its one piece vs 2 pieces
Using union force classics and run the cap on the toes. But this just may make me wanna switch to using the strap over the toe. Seeing that like it gives better leverage performance on heel. Gonna try it out when im back in the snow, Interesting…
Your OTT straps look quite big. Did you get size large, or are they just a bigger strap compared to cap style? I just ordered mediums for my Jones Mercuries with 10.5 Burton Driver X boots. Looking forward to getting back to my toe strap setup from the 90s! Cheers Lars.
Medium size on mine. You will need the screw from Burton that attaches the Jones ratchet. Different thread size.