Q. Where should I place bindings on "Ride Timeless"?
I need help with finding out where to place my bindings on my Ride
Timeless 167. The guy at the local board shop tells me to center them over
the set of mounting holes. This will place them about 20 to 22" apart and
about 1 foot back from the tip.
The 20 to 22" is right however when I center the bindings on the 8 screw
holes I have a 3" longer tip then tail. I can easily shift the bindings
forward to achieve the 1¹ and the 22" but I wonder if that is the proper way
to mount the bindings to this board or any board.
Can you with what the general rule would be. Or is there a web site that
might have the information I need.
Thanks for any help you could give.
David
Chance Caswell says:
The Timeless isn't a twin tip board. It has a definite nose and tail. The
inserts are shifted back of center to allow for a longer (softer) nose and a
shorter (stiffer) tail. Riding it in the middle wouldn't feel as good as
riding it farther back from the tip... you'd notice performance differences,
especially at turn initiation.
Use the slots on the binding discs to center the bindings between the
front and backside edges so that your feet are centered over the board. Don't
worry about centering the bindings from tip to tail on freeride boards,
especially a big ol' 167 Timeless.
Jon Callahan answers:
Placement of your bindings is really going to come down to what you feel
comfortable with. I broke it down below so you have some ideas of what
other riders are riding in certain terrain. This should help you out and
give you a little direction in how to set your bindings. Plus I checked
out the specs on your board so I was familiar with the deck.
The
Breakdown
Freestyle riding:
When riding park or pipe most riders will try to have the same amount of
nose and tail from their bindings. This enables a rider to perform tricks
riding their regular stance and switch stance (opposite stance). Also they
may duck (negative angles) the rear foot out making it easier to ride switch
stance. For instance, I ride with the same amount of nose and tail on my
boards with my front binding at +15 and my rear at -13.
Cruising: If you're just
cruising around the mountain and do not plan on riding switch you can go
with a centered stance at 20-22'' apart. Your angles can be +12 degrees in
the front and 0 in the rear (that is what I suggest when first trying to
find your angles). On your board having a centered stance will give you
bit longer of a nose, since your board is a directional board.
Powder: When riding powder you
usually have your stance set back which enables you to float on the deep
snow and not have to put as much effort into leaning back to stay afloat.
This stance automatically gives you a longer nose for floating on the
snow.
I hope that this helps you out and answers your questions. It may just
take a little bit of playing around with what feels comfortable but when you
find it you will know. Remember there is no wrong or right angles, it is
all what you are comfortable, this applies to your binding angles and your
stance.
Have fun and enjoy the rest of the season.
Rob Anderson answers:
Wow, this guy is over thinking things. First off, there is no right or
wrong stance placement. It a always a matter of personal preference. If the
customer is unsure of their stance, we will set it up with a common set up
that is relative to their size. It is always up to the rider to ride, and
make any adjustments that they might like to their stance, but you typically
won't know until you go riding.
Also there is a huge difference between 20 inch stance width and a 22
inch stance width. I ride a 21 inch stance width. Also the Ride timeless is
not a twin tip board, so of course there will be more nose then tail if you
get right down and measure it and it will be even more noticeable in larger
sizes. It is designed that way. Most snowboards today (80% or so) are not
true twin tips. The twin tip design is well suited for park and switch
riding, but you will find that for all mountain, all conditions, ride it all
board will either be a directional twin or a directional board. This is just
the geometries used in configuring the boards sidecut, flex pattern and
location of the inserts.
So my advice would be to set up the board the way the person at the shop
suggested (providing that this was an actual snowboarder and not a skier, mt.
biker, or general sports store sales helper). Then go riding, make mental
notes about how the board rode, mark down the current stance angles and
width, then next time out make some adjustments by either changing your
stance angles, or even adjusting your stance with.
Yes placement of the bindings on the board will also affect the way the
board rides, but I would say that you will not like the way a 167 Ride
Timeless will ride if you push your binding stance forward to get a more
symmetrical "looking" stance on the board, it is just not made that way.
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