Freeride/style bindings (Delta, 390s, cartels)?

Question

looking for some bindings

anyone had any experience of any of the above bindings or any advice? other suggestions are welcomed.

Answer 1

cartels.

they're beautifully responsive....

basically all the reason David R said.

Buy them.

Answer 2

I just bought some Cartels, ridden them once. They're angled forward a little further than most bindings I've tried. Not necessarily a bad thing as it forces me to bend my knees more but it does make my legs a little more tired, however the amount of control you gain is worth it.

They were $120 online for brand new 08's in black, great deal. Very sturdy, lightweight, and have good adjustments. The cap straps are great, I couldn't ride without it after trying them.

Answer 3

I have the Rome 390's and love them.  They are very responsive, light, and comfortable.  I know people who ride Cartels; some like them; others have used the warranty plan;  Burton takes care of them, but I'd rather have something that doesn't break.  I don't know anyone who has the Ride Delta.  Ride makes good stuff - that would likely be a safe bet too.  Based on personal experience I would recommend the 390. As for other suggestions, a buddy has the Rome Targa's and is very happy with them too... if you have a few extra bucks they are a good bet.

Answer 4

I completely agree with iav8_eh. And to be perfectly honest this isn't the best place to be asking snowboarding questions, many, many of the people who answer questions here back Burton blindly and are more worried about what looks the coolest. "For every insecurity there is a product"

Looks should come before performance, but with the Rome gear you get both. Asking round on the Internet can only get you so far, go talk to some people in shops or people who have been riding for a while or at least check out a dedicated snowboarding forum!

A few notes, Ride is now owned by K2, a ski company that friends have had average experience with (early delams, breakages etc.) Although I've never ridden them, I probably wouldn't trust them without trying them out first.

Burton has bought out Forum (Jeenyus and O-matic) apparently has the highest defect rate of all the big board names (can't source this just heard it a lot) and also makes more money from soft-goods (outwear etc.) than hard-goods (boards, bindings) and as cliche as this sounds, your buying the company as well as the product. The company is about making money, not producing the best gear.

Oh for all those "Burton is tech" people, check out lib-techs magnetraction and reverse camber or some of the Rome tech (brass edges on jib boards, varying flex binding inserts etc.) And come tell me they're doing the best they can.

Rome is a smaller company (entirely snowboard based) with great philosophy. Making good gear for riders cause they're riders too. Also have great customer service, which is never a problem till something goes wrong. And I'm happy to say that their making money for the right reasons. Oh and apparently it was started by a couple of Burton engineers that left Burton cause they didn't like where they were the company was heading.

From everything I've heard and experienced, they are a great choice (without being overly expensive). But everyone you hear from is going to be biased in their opinions. So the best thing you can do is go to a store or a demo day (up the mountain) try on the gear and see how it feels to you, cause that's the best opinion your ever going to get. Happy shredding!! (sorry if it sounded a bit aggressive, just reading some of these questions/answers :D )