Buyers Guide - Wakeboard Bindings
Ronix Bindings | Liquid Force Bindings | Hyperlite Bindings | O'Brien Bindings | Jobe Bindings | Connelly Bindings
Wakeboard Bindings (or boots) are one of the two key parts to any wakeboard setup. The bindings are placed and screwed onto the board, enabling you to stay locked in and hit features and obstacles.
When it comes to Wakeboard Boots, it might be hard to choose from. That’s why we’ve written this Buyers Guide to help make that decision easier, and find your yen with your setup!
There are some key differences between the different types of boots on offer, which are all explained below:
One of the biggest differences between the boots is the fit. An Open Toe boot will perform and feel a lot different to a Closed Toe Boot. So what are the differences?
An Open Toe boot is also really good for someone with a quick growing span, again due to the size range of the boot. But will lack in performance and response.
These boots also improve responsiveness and feel of your setup, and that’s due to you being able to get locked in a lot more than the previous style of boot. Warmth is also one of the main differences, especially in the Winter a Closed Toe boot will be a lot warmer than an Open Toe Boot. So the total package is a lot better as closed toe boots will offer much better response and feel also the sizing is true so if you’re a uk 9 you’re get a uk 9 binding, The liners used are much better to a point like the Ronix Intuition liners are heat molded to your feet so the fit is 100% perfect.
For more info on heat molding your Bindings give us a call in store 01202 738448
The Hyperlite System Boot stays on your foot when you dethatch from the Chassis, which stays on your wakeboard. This is preferred by Advanced Riders, simply because they can engage more of the upper leg into turns and edging. These types of boot tend to be stiffer around the lower part of the binding, which in turn gives you a more cushioning and impact-friendly feel.
If you’re wakeboarding at a local cable these boots make it much easier when walking back to the dock over stony or uneven surfaces.
In Wakeboarding, the boots tend to be geared to 3 different types of people, Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced. Each of these categories fit different needs, which is why the boots vary a little in price and fit.
At S2AS, we’ve found that the softer bindings tend to be built around the needs for a beginner, with it being more forgiving in riding and comfort, than an Intermediate or Advanced boot.
Flex is the term used to refer to how stiff or soft the wakeboard boots are. Stiff boots provide extra ankle support, while softer ones grant more freedom and movement when it comes to doing tricks. If you’re familiar with snowboarding, then this is pretty much the same! Beginners should consider wakeboard bindings with more flex, in other words ones that are softer, for more manoeuvrability on the water.
You can use pretty much any binding, anywhere! Unlike boards, Boots and Bindings aren’t specifically designed for boat or cable riding, so you don’t have to fork out and get 2 sets of bindings for different riding styles.
Through testing, at S2AS we’ve found that a Stiffer Binding and a Softer Board makes for the perfect Cable Setup. This is apparent when it comes to features, because you can really press that board as hard as you can but still get the feel out of it. For Boat, we recommend a completely Stiff Setup. Stiffer on the boat is really good for improving edging and will get you feeling a lot more confident than if you had a softer binding. Although, if you did want a bit more cushioning and forgiveness out of your ride you could go for a slightly softer binding as well.
One rule we tend to go to is that a heavier guy might want to go for a stiffer binding to start off with, as opposed to one that’s softer. This is simply because the amount of force needed to flex the binding properly will be much less on a heavier guy than on someone who’s maybe a bit lighter, think of it as compensating for the weight.
With Wakeboard Boots, we tend to go by standard trainer size. We don’t recommend going up or down a size, simply because it won’t fit your foot properly. Especially when going up a size, the amount of response you lose is tremendous (believe me, we’ve tried it). The gap in the boot from where its too big allows for heel lift and toe movement, which fills up with water and makes your foot slide around in the boot.
Going a size smaller isn’t recommended either, due to the boot not being able to give enough to make your riding comfy. One of the common things we see with people that buy smaller bindings is they tend to end up with a cramped toe-box, in turn making them get off the cable or boat due to cramped or un-comfy feet.
See here for a full list of out Wakeboard bindings in store
SLINGSHOT | RONIX | LIQUID FORCE | HYPERLITE | O'BRIEN | JOBE | CONNELLY