Bindings revisited

[GMC]

The end of tournament season approaches and it's time to replace my aging Fluid Motions.  At the top of my list right now are the E-series and a Reflex/Wiley setup.  What I'm looking for is continued safety/release characteristics, edge/tip control, and LOTS less mass.  Anyone care to comment on experiences with either system, including the transition process from the old bindings?

I am sure someone is going to suggest RS-1s so let me just say that I tried them last year and didn't like them.  Fogman is also out of the question, and I'm not so hot on Powershells either.  That pretty much covers the hardshell market except the stuff just entering the market doesn't it?

Thanks for your input. 

[Boody]

I am still on the FM Quattros 6 after trying the E-series and the RS-1s.  Keep going back to the old standby.  I have now mounted by FM shells on the Goode plate and used the inter-lock.  Love the feel, response and simplicity.

But, back to your question.  If you don't want to buy a new set of FMs, you may be able to send them in for a rebuild.  Otherwise I would try the Reflex and wiley rear.  Lots of great skiers are on this set up which says something.

[ktm300]

I have skied with an FM front for a long time and have loved the 99.9% reliability.  It is clunky though.  I am going to try the toe clamp that they now offer instead of the power block I now have in front.  This allows us to mount the boot directly to the aluminum plate without the HDPE plate that is screwed to the bottom of the boot for the tongue and groove toe block.  The HDPE plate eventually wears out and creates some slop.   Seems a more direct connection to the ski couldn't hurt.  There have been discussions before about the weight not being an issue if it is in the center of the ski.  Not sure about that one.  I love the way the FM boot sits flat on the ski/plate.  Very solid feel.  The Reflex boot is not flat on the bottom.  I wish I could ski with a hardshell rear but just cannot do it.  Tried for two weeks with a hundred different suggestions about how to adjust it to work.  The end result was something akin to the Remi rear which is a hardshell cut down enough to allow the movement you would get in a Wiley's rear.  So, I kept my wileys.

[jdarwin]

GMC - I went from double hardshells (FM / Powershells) to the Reflex front / HO rear (or Wiley's) w/o much fuss.  The Reflex is well made, doesn't weight a ton (FM) and has does not have funky release parameters (Powershells).  The system is incredibly popular in the SC Region and has a very good reliability record w/ those that use it.  I thought I would miss a hardshell rear but quickly realized I didn't need it.

[roda]

GMC - what specifically did you not like about the RS-1's? I am also on FM and was considering a change.

[aguylikeshark]

put some boots on the postal scale quickly this morning - weights are approx for lbs multiply by 2.2

one of the heaviest setups would be a Silvretta/wiley combo. Rubber boots are heavy in general too.

 

Wiley 1.5 kg

RS-1 2.6 (Pr 1.3 each) estimated for the thicker plate which is much heavier.

Reflex est 1.5 (silvretta alone is 0.25)

FM E Series 1.0

FM Evo Z 0.9

FM Quattro Boot 1.2 (just one boot with sole plate)

FM Revo with clamp, silvretta 1.6

Powershells - shells are light, plate is big tho - don't have them here to weigh.

[GMC]

ktm - I share your suspicion that "weight in the center of the ski doesn't matter".  Surely it doesn't affect the swing weight of the ski in the plane of the water as you are turning, but in the other two planes, that weight on your feet may be harder to move outbound.  As for the Reflex boot not being flat on the bottom, I understand your point and if I order that system I will get the carbon U to improve lateral response.  Not much we can do about the rest of it though. 

Roda - I thought the RS-1 plate was very smart and the boots fit nice but I couldn't get over the idea of rubber lace tension as a release mechanism.  Also had concerns about a one foot in/one foot out release.  Obviously I'm reconsidering these given my interest in the E-series and have given passing thought to the idea that I gave up on the RS-1 bindings too early.  Ultimately it was just too much of a radical departure from what I was used to and as other threads discuss, it was not a blooming love affair.  There was not a lot of trust in that relationship so I divorced them before the prenup expired.

Can't disagree with all the comments that lots of good skiers ski a Reflex/rear rubber combo though!