How Tight are Your Bindings?

[onewheat]

I was told most knee pain when riding is due to the wrong angle of the boots. Too angled out and riding duck-footed is hard on the knees. Also, too straight forward could be hard on them as well. It is something you have to play with.

[Nick911]

Don't think I have a stance issue I know my knees get hurt when 1) I land on top the wake or 2) I crash and lose only one binding, like a rotation thing. Played hockey my whole life so knees and ankles are very strong and am a very advanced snowboarder.

My question I guess is: should my bindings be so tight that my feet DO NOT come out when crashing, or, should both feet eject?

I am planning on hiring a pro for a day or two this spring to do some lessons though will certainly rework my stance. Am getting a new setup this year too Ronix Frank and Bill or Time Bomb and One Bindings.

[mikeg205]

ok nick - what's your age...I was complaining about knee pain while cycling (peddling) @ 50 my chiropractor friend said - welcome to the 50's....

[madcityskier]

As has Ben stated, the biggest thing is to not have one come off and one stay on. That is hoe you end up hurting a knee or hip. I used to go the far side of small (med/large double boots
Mon size 13's) after seeing a friend get hit in the head by a ski, requiring several stitched. As I've aged I don't push so hard if I'm running late. Now I'm about comfort. XL and rtp.

[Tristarboarder]

Tight as you can pull the strings..

[GoneBoatN]

Originally Posted by mikeg205

ok nick - what's your age...I was complaining about knee pain while cycling (peddling) @ 50 my chiropractor friend said - welcome to the 50's....

Age - denial becomes more important with every year.
Pain - weakness leaving your body.
chiropractor friend - those two words just don't go together well.

[GoneBoatN]

Originally Posted by Nick911

...and One Bindings...

My son has Ones. I have Cells. The Cells fit me a lot better. My feet feel like the are "down" in the boot much better. I have never come out of my cells even with the laces not too tight. I've taken plenty of spills in them. Try both if you have not already. I guess a lot depends upon your foot and your preferences.

[mikeg205]

Originally Posted by GoneBoatN

Age - denial becomes more important with every year.
Pain - weakness leaving your body.
chiropractor friend - those two words just don't go together well.

Agree, agree agree... the 2 guys in my cycling club I can't keep up with are older than me... we average 18-19mph... the oldest guy who's retired in his late 50's trains every day (every day) http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1N1-12E23B8B8FA3CCA8.html

the chiropractor is good to know - helps us understand how we age and how to keep us pain free by letting us know what muscles need to be strong. i.e. cycling strengthens the muscle tendons, ligaments around the knees.

as to denial - My doctor is an enabler......I told him at my last physical my most of my friends can't keep up with me... so he tells me get younger friends...lol...

[bcd]

I have Ones, and they fit tight. My theory is you're better off putting them as tight as possible. If you have them too loose to come out, you can't control the board. If you have them loose to come out, you are increasing the number of times you come out, which increases the odds that only one foot will come out and cause a knee injury. Even if your binding is loose, if one foot stays in, it will still be able to twist the knee, causing damage.

The downside with tight bindings is the front edge catches can really. I have still ejected a few times, like going too big on a backroll and overrotating it into the flats.

[swatguy]

What bindings are you running? Make/model.....closed toe open toe


Tightness has two definitions regarding wakeboarding bindings. They should fit very snug/ tight with out any laces pulled. No slop.

Then there is the tightness after you pull the laces. How right to crank down the laces depends on the binding. Some bindings are stiff some are made more flexible. You should always have to give a bit of muscle on the tug to strap them in. You want the bindings to be snug and have constants pressure on the tongue area as well.

Almost all the high end bindings no mater how hard you pull the laces have some worth of give for a major wipeout and will release off your feet in a high speed edge catch. The most common mistake for newbs is actually thinking a looser binding will help prevent injuries because your foot will release. However this will make you more prone as you have experienced te one foot in and one foot out crash. That is going to do the most severe damage to you legs, knees, ankles and hips. Don't be afraid to cinch em down, but most importantly make sure the fit correctly . There are several different ways to aid in the break in process.

Again not knowing what binding you have I would also agree with spending more money in a binding and going with a lesser board. Same goes in the snowboard industry. Spend your money on a quality boot. You get more performance from the boot to board contact in both sports than the actual board itself.