This binding has been an enigma for me since 2002. I've gone through several pairs, and have given the older ones to friends who needed an upgrade.

The Good: The chassis is my favorite part of these bindings. Limited flex means direct transfer of movement from boot to board and vice versa. In short, there's no loss of movement. Pretty much bomb-proof, which is the main reason I keep coming back to Ride bindings.

The Ugly: My ankle strap hardware (nut and bolt on chassis (back foot) completely came out mid-run on my first day at Silverton last year. I am meticulous about keeping my gear tight and maintained. But the straps have always caused me grief, and this is on every pair I've owned.The plastic male part of the ankle strap interface wears out. I go through one of these on average once every 15-20 days or so. I'm guessing that it is the interface with the metal ratchets. (It used to be worse when Ride used plastic ratchets because then the teeth would straight up fall off) it's really frustrating because if I can't get my back foot dialed in right, it messes up my whole flow. I went ahead and purchased several of the backup male parts from Ride a year ago , and always carry a spare in my pocket or pack.

In short: I choose the EX each year because i know they fit, and the price is right - I am not rich, you know? The work well in every condition I go after. Just have to be prepared to do some frankenstein work after day 15 or so.I think this year I'll try a model higher, but still keeping it real with Ride.

So I'm half way through my second trip with these bindings and the top strap is missing when I go to lock in! Maybe I just got a bad set from the factory, but it was the exact same problem as the guy - "Defective!!" - had. Check that adjustment screw before you nail em down and head to the hill! Go with the RX bindings!

Got rid of my Flows and I got these. I have piers for feet(13) and they XL's fit no problem. Work great with my Ride Fleetwood.

DEFECTIVE! I took mine out for the first time today, and the front buckle screw popped off when I tightened it for the first time. That's like, 3 seconds into use! haha, what a joke. The part that popped off is the adjustable screw that locks the front strap.

I took the left front strap off, thinking I could at least get downhill with the left main strap, and both the right foot straps... until the exact same part on the right strap popped off too!!

The defect is that the screw threads get "dethreaded", and the screw popps out... Now that I've seen the 2 screws fall out, I looked at the binding... To my amazement, ALL of their locking mechanisms use the same mechanism. You got it, the screw. So there you have it.... a binding that's "totally screwed".