I did a bunch of snowboarding before esk8 so it just felt natural to have 2 bindings. I initially went into offroad esk8 well before I did any racing, so again it was good to have both feet strapped in for jumps etc.
Ive also noticed that when I do ride with only one binding, my rear foot stays mostly planted in the one position, so why not use a binding for extra leverage
I would add though, that my stance/style is pretty unconventional so if looking cool is important to you, dont ride like me 
I like the pace of mind that when i fall itās more likely my ankles will be totally fine, since itās usually either they both stay in or both come out. That and having both strapped helps me maintain control and stay planted on rough ish surfaces? kinda?
and I also put more emphasis on turning with my back foot than most riders, i like the rear so do some of the work so thereās also that.
give n take give n take
I also started with snowboarding and then went into mountainboarding first.
During my mountainboarding time I learnt that the worst falls are when one foot is stuck but the other gets out. This is why I eventually started riding heelstraps as well on the mountainboard. Then I realized they give even more control and confidence in the board doing what I tell it to do, and there was no going back.
Then from my second race on I was racing my mountainboard. During one of the races on it one of my foot managed to slip out from the shoe (which was stuck in the binding and heelstrap) and the feet that stayed in ended up with a sprained my ankle. That was over an year ago and if I go running I can still feel it sometimes, so it was pretty bad. This confirmed for me that I am best off being stuck on the board, if one feet can escape but the other canāt thatās the worst scenario by far. And added proper, tightly laced shoes to the list of must haves. People say they can escape with a single binding, but if you mess up your fall, you might end up with a messed up ankle. The risk of messing up my ankle is just too high compared to having both feet locked in.
I donāt think others run the heelstraps, but I am running the heelstraps as well for racing. Cranked down bindings and heelstraps allow me to have as direct board feel as possible, while in my opinion being much safer than having one foot stuck during a fall.
Everyone keeps asking donāt I think itās dangerous being stuck to the board. But during every fall I had so far, high speed as well, I ended up sliding on the asphalt, the board ended up sliding with me and nothing happened when I wore my protective gear, other than occasionally ruining a rim or two. So just wear proper safety gear and itās fine.
Also I guess it also helps to tame my braking force. Due to 4wd and having a 70/30 braking bias with close to 2000N total braking force, itās peace of mind that if I mess up weight distribution my foot wonāt come off the board. Kinda like the way a front binding helps for acceleration.
Very interesting, never considered that two bindings might be safer than one. Iāll have to think on that.
Iām the fastest bindingless rider right now, I think(??) I stopped riding with a binding when I built my v5, primarily out of safety concerns. No doubt that bindings make you faster- but I think Iām able to compensate not having one by fine tuning my board setup to my riding style. Definitely are a lot more sensitive to board setup (ex. Bushings, ratios, etc) when riding bindingless.
Iāve taken numerous falls in the last year that probably wouldāve had me in the hospital (or at least out of commission for a few weeks) that were entirely benign because I didnāt have a binding. Iāve witnessed numerous falls that were made substantially worse because of a binding. Probably confirmation bias tho.
Firmly in the no binding camp, for now at least.
I think that on the right setup, being completely locked on the board is safer than not being locked in at all.
The leverage bindings give you allows you to have your setup more stable, therefore less chance of a speed wobble.
Also, they allow to ride out sketchy situations that are just too challenging to ride out without bindings, which results in less falls overall, after you are used to using bindings.
For example itās much easier to not loose control when you max out truck articulation due to one way or another. Or if you slide out. Or if something unexpected happens ahead of you it makes it much easier to dodge. Also helps a ton with not losing control while panic braking.
The only time where I think running bindings is dangerous is if your main concern is crashing into something straight on.
As long as you have space to slide, you will just slide with the board on your feet without issues, even if the board is 60+ lbs. It will help you come to a stop quicker, and worst case you might end up with one or two messed up wheel rims (but I donāt think this applies with BRPs). But you must have proper protective gear for the slide and the initial impact. Without gear thereās no way to fall well. And if one foot escapes and the other doesnāt, thereās a high chance your ankle is done, this is why I always run tightly laced proper shoes and heelstraps nowadays.
Also I guess if you crash you can be back on the board quicker in a race, as all you need to do it to stand up and then you can ride again instantly. On my setup itās kinda hard to stand up though because the trucks are setup in a way that they basically donāt give me any support deep into the lean.
Also partly depends on how tight do you run your bindings. I personally didnāt run mine all that tight, it was mostly there to give me some extra leverage and keep my feet on the board from unexpected bumps. Almost every crash Iāve had my feet just slide off, never got caught with the bindings. Only one crash that my foot got stuck was me ramming into a parked car.
Back in my analog mountainboard days I had a very sketchy fall where with loose bindings my front foot got stuck but the rear escaped. I ended up ragdolling with the board on one foot. I didnāt injure myself thankfully, but that was the first eye opener that made me realize how dangerous it can be to have one foot stuck. But with analogs you want the ability to push therefore I didnāt run heelstraps. After I went electric I added the heelstraps immediately.
Great points, thanks for sharing.
Another thing to think about- by board has never flipped. Kinda nice from a maintenance/keep things nice perspective.
Unrelated, One crash I had recently with Reggie that I want to share. I was chasing him around a heel side turn, when he lost traction and fell to his butt/back. As he slide to the outside, I went to go through the gap on the inside.
Suddenly, his wheels caught traction again, but he was still on his back, so the board pivoted around him, right into my path. His front binding kept the board attached to him, and the sudden rotation caused his leg to lift the board up into the air.
His front wheels slammed into my thigh. I flew over the top of him, and my board when under. I landed on my pucks and knees, and slid it out. Just some minor bruising.
I have a feeling; if I was strapped to the board, I wouldnāt have been able to separate into a top/bottom half, and something wouldāve broken from the instant deceleration. probably my femur. Not to mention what that couldāve done to Reggie.
I actually was there for this one
1: what a weird experience for the driver that mustāve been to hear a mild thump against the back of the car and then get out to see a bunch of people on DIY esk8s with full moto gear lol.
2: it feels worth clarifying that @MichaelWA wasnāt able to brake in time and got stuck in the bindings because it was an SUV and one of his legs kinda slid under the rear bumper and got pinned between the car and board. I do think that with more speed it couldāve been pretty bad due to the way his leg was trapped and the amount of leverage the bumper and bindings had on his shin and ankle.
Iām also firmly in the pro bindings camp but I think that crash couldāve been pretty bad on his ankle if anything else went wrong primarily due to the bindings, with no bindings I think youād just body slam the back of the car and let the board run under the car.
Also worth mentioning @MichaelWA was on a board likely about 40% of his body weight which having a heavy board also imo, adds to the danger of bindings.
IMO when using bindings your chances of being in any crash at all goes down. But when not using bindings your chances of being injured in a crash go down as well.
There are a few sports that went from straps to mechanical bindings. Cycling and skiing are the first two that come to mind. I wonder if mechanical bindings would work for ESK8 racing.
The concept is there and already proven. Snowboard bindings thereās a thing called Step On bindings.
Woah, those are very cool. Iād definitely run double bindings if there was an esk8 equivalent of this.
Definitely a untapped market for such a product.
Road hurts a little more than snow
Step ons do not release like ski bindings do
I donāt snowboard/ski enough to know the nitty gritty, but the potential is there.
Long Rod HD 3-links on the Brady deck.
