Wide board and confused

[ratboy]

Hi,
I have been getting a bit of conflicting information from sales people and I was hoping for some of your opinions to sort this out. I purchased a wide board and bindings at a ski swap but I need to replace the bindings, I use a size 13 boot and the bindings are too small. I was looking for something with a plastic base and metal heel cup, I've been told that this will provide good support with a bit of give for board flex. I have also been given the advise that I should go with all metal (aluminum) base because of my large boots, he said it will stabilize my board and the plastic would move around too much. I was under the impression that the industry was moving away from metal bases because they don't allow proper board flexing. Let me know what you think.
I ride a 5150 pacer wide cap board, width=269mm, length=156cm. I weigh 200 to 210 lbs.

Thank you.

[MARK]

Hi,
I have been getting a bit of conflicting information from sales people and I was hoping for some of your opinions to sort this out. I purchased a wide board and bindings at a ski swap but I need to replace the bindings, I use a size 13 boot and the bindings are too small. I was looking for something with a plastic base and metal heel cup, I've been told that this will provide good support with a bit of give for board flex. I have also been given the advise that I should go with all metal (aluminum) base because of my large boots, he said it will stabilize my board and the plastic would move around too much. I was under the impression that the industry was moving away from metal bases because they don't allow proper board flexing. Let me know what you think.
I ride a 5150 pacer wide cap board, width=269mm, length=156cm. I weigh 200 to 210 lbs.

Thank you.
A great question. For starters, both types of baseplates have their positives. Aluminum reacts much faster, but also is less forgiving meaning that if the rider makes a weighting mistake then he/she will be more likely to eat it if not an experienced rider. Composite baseplates are more forgiving(they flex more) which make them great for a beginner, someone of low body weight, or for freestyle when forgiveness is needed on off balanced landings. It can be said that aluminum does not allow for the board to follow it's natural flex patterns. This is addressed by adding padding under the baseplates which compresses when the board is flexed. The other reason for this padding is to dampen vibrations as metal carries them more than plastic does.

Tha's the reasoning behind the different materials, here's your advice with your body weight in mind. Go with aluminum if you are mostly freeriding and not spending all day in the park. Go with composite if you are hanging in the park or are a complete beginner. Considering your weight, I would go with a stiffer composite if you go this route. If it's mentiuoned, look for something with glass reinforcement. The higher the %, the stiffer the baseplate. 15% can comonly be found.

Binding choice for you will be important becasue of your wide board. Find a couple of models that your boot fit well into(be sure to take your boot AND board along). Next, place bindings where they will mounted and at your preferred angles. Now check to see how close the centered(across the board) binding baseplates come to the board's edges. The problem with a wide board, besides it being slower edge to edge, is that you can lose edge pressure due to binding baseplates not being long enough. Look for the one that comes closest to the board's edges. I would highly recommend a binding that has an adjustable toe ramp to solve this problem as well as an adjustable heel cup to aid in centering your boot across the board. I would consider these to adjustable features as must haves for your situation.

[ratboy]

Thanks for the response Mark, great advice. Your advice to make sure that the bindings span the width of the board makes perfect sense, yet I have had a least 3 shops try to sell me their largest bindings that were at least 3/4 inches away from the either side. It just didn't look right to me. I will try to find some stiff composite bindings as a compromise, my problem is I don't want to spend too much on them.
Thanks again.

[MARK]

Thanks for the response Mark, great advice. Your advice to make sure that the bindings span the width of the board makes perfect sense, yet I have had a least 3 shops try to sell me their largest bindings that were at least 3/4 inches away from the either side. It just didn't look right to me. I will try to find some stiff composite bindings as a compromise, my problem is I don't want to spend too much on them.
Thanks again.
3/4" away is about the norm for a wide board. Be suer to get one with an adjustable toe ramp(aka gas pedal) and all will be fine.

[Rampage]

Something Mark hinted around to, but needs to be clearly addressed is your size and weight. These matter drastically! I have an 11 boot, am about 6' 3" and am right at 240 lbs. I have trashed about 5 pairs of composite bindings. Either at the adjustment point of the heel cup or at the baseplate. The craziest part is that I'm not seen as an aggressive rider. Two years ago, I switched to Rides EX series and their Mig series bindings. No more wobble!! Granted the Migs are way on the expensive side, but I have no problems with the price of the EXs. I've ridden them for two years with not even a scratch. It kind of has a bit to do with how and where you ride. There is far less pressure applied to a binding in powder than ice or pack I believe.