What's the deal with Atomic bindings?...

IE · 09-16-2004, 05:09 PM

Everyone on here seems to think they are crap. I've never skied on them, so I have no idea. Fill me in?

**dubu** · 09-16-2004, 05:21 PM

I They seem to release me in really crappy times. And after 20ish days the plastic under foot is cracked the housing that had the anti friction pad, which cant be super good.

Personally I like Solys better.

O yea I have cr614 with tankers

**phUnk** · 09-16-2004, 05:29 PM

Originally posted by nikita333
Fill me in?

Everyone on here seems to think they are crap.

**dipstik** · 09-16-2004, 05:41 PM

Mine (race 412 model) pre-released a lot, and I had to make sure my boots and bindings were completly clear of any snow or else I wouldn't click in.

That and after 2 seasons they broke down and wouldn't hold my boot in, even at max DIN. (I could literally kick my skis off)

**Jumper Bones** · 09-16-2004, 06:24 PM

Has anybody had a chance to peep the NEOX bindings? I mean the non-circuit-board-equipped model...is it significantly different from the other Atomic shitballs?

**Ski Beaver** · 09-16-2004, 06:59 PM

Originally posted by nikita333
Fill me in?

um, no thanks.

**seldon** · 09-16-2004, 07:01 PM

Like pocket rockets, the question is always "Why they suck..."

**PeachesN'Cream** · 09-16-2004, 11:49 PM

lets just say i blame a good portion of my blown shoulder and 5k dollar surgery on F-ING atomic binders.

so no i really don't like them much.

**joshbu** · 09-17-2004, 10:37 AM

Originally posted by Jumper Bones
Has anybody had a chance to peep the NEOX bindings? I mean the non-circuit-board-equipped model...is it significantly different from the other Atomic shitballs?

**Jumper Bones** · 09-17-2004, 11:38 AM

Wow. thanks Josh, I thought it was part of the discussion of Atomic's general shittiness...

**descender** · 09-17-2004, 11:53 AM

I had them a few years back and did experience pre-release problems. My friend's broke. They are also heavy, and they suck

**skideeppow** · 09-17-2004, 12:05 PM

race springs work great, all metal housing. Would not touch retail bindings.

**skea 457** · 09-17-2004, 01:58 PM

They have pathetic elasticity so they pre-release if you give them a short sharp shock like if you it a small lump of ice at speed. Yet they still cling on in slow twisting falls. A broken collar bone and a tweaked ACL later I ditched those pieces of crap and will never go back.

Go Look/Rossi!

**train07** · 09-17-2004, 02:42 PM

I've got the 614 race and 614 xcentrix (both metal housed)...no problems and I do think I hammer on these things at 200lbs....I've read the stories and am wary but not convinced yet. Had I read the stories prepurchase I would not have bought Atomic bindings and would have considered that a wise move based on some "sound" ? advice....but I repeat I have had no problems.
I think I read here that the Look Rossis are not compatible with Alpine Trekkers...something to consider.

**Below Zero** · 09-17-2004, 04:37 PM

Never skied Atomic bindings, but I saw in the October Powder that they totally redesigned them this year - so they must have been shit before.

**supercow** · 09-19-2004, 06:46 AM

I skied a pair of Atomic Rex's last year at Smuggs, the ski was great, however, NOT so stoked on the 412 binders that were on there. First off, bindings are a subjective thing and as they are the only thing on your skis that's gonna decide whether you stay in or come out its important that we have confidence in them. It doesn't matter what fabulous technology is in the binding if I don't feel like its gonna save my ass it isn't going on my ski.

My first thoughts on the ski/binding was DAMN this is a lot lighter then my G4/977 setup. Toss the skis down and click in, the mechanism that clamps you in on the atomics is a lot softer feeling and sounding then my salomons it didn't feel like my boot was being held in properly, is that a subjective thing, yes but like I said it was enough to get me to click out and check for snow. Which leads to my second problem, the release function required only a light push of my pole to release me from the binding where my sallies almost require a crowbar to get out of. Once I finally got my boot in the binding it felt like it was much more clunky then any other binding I've been in. Markers have a disticntive "lets go ski some groomers and make perfectly carved turns" whoosh clink as you click in its a very techie type sound. Where Salomons just make a big loud "your boot is in here and isn't coming out unless it absolutely has to" clunk it's a really solid sound and I love hearing it. The Atomics sounded like there were 8,000 moving parts and if one of them failed you'd be screwed. It wasn't the most confidence inspiring sound. Yeah I know its crazy comparing the sound binders make when you click in but I'm sure everyone in here could describe why they love their particular brand of binding because of certain little things about them that have ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with performance.

On the Atomics there apears to be very little boot to binding contact even less so then a Marker binding, and substantially less then a Salomon binder, I can't compare it to a look/rossi because I've never skied one. There also apeared to be a lot more plastic on the Atomics which is why the ski and binding combo felt so light.

I didn't have any releases/prereleases while skiing and the bindings seemed to work but like I said above binding choice is the most subjective equipment that we make. I used Marker bindings on pretty much all of my skis, never had real problems or so I thought. I got my first pair of fat skis and had to go with a salomon binder, and I will never go back to Marker again, not because salomon has better technology, I think the salomon heelpeice design is at least 10 years old?, but because salomon binders feel better and they allow me to use alpine trekkers for BC which a look/rossi won't. After my expirence with Atomic I would NEVER think about using a pair of their bindings unless I absolutely had to

**Telepath** · 09-19-2004, 07:11 AM

I like and trust the 1018 Atomic binders as much as my old Look TT9/ZRs and Salomon 916s. Have never had a prerelease with these bindings and feel abslutely confident on them. Only drawback is that the plastic plate under the forefoot cracks on some binders and need to be replaced; no good but 've never had a problem getting new ones and they on't seem to blow completely; they just develop cracks over a week or so untill they're changed. The ability to adjust my binders lengthwise is imo the main advantae of this binder and definately worth chanfing the plastic thingy from time to time. hopefuly no more as I'm in the process of having some custom pieces made..). True, the click-in sound of the binders is less solid than SlamOns and doesn't "look" as safe as the Look which has a huge movement involved and thus prolly feels/looks safer. But experience has told me that it doesn't matter.

Now the lesser bindings liek the 614 and the new plasticky neox thingies might be perfect for the rental/mass turism market but nothing I'd advise my friends to get....

Get a 1018, live with the weight and enjoy the adjustability or get something else.

**Dexter Rutecki** · 09-19-2004, 07:21 AM

Atomics are simply cosmetically changed ESS bindings, right? So how come I never heard anything bad about ESS back in the day?

**Spats** · 09-19-2004, 10:55 AM

I´ve been using Looks with Trekkers. Just keep the short heel elevator up. If you´re doing long flat tours Trekkers and alpine bindings are the wrong gear anyway.

**Spats** · 09-19-2004, 10:58 AM

Originally posted by Dexter Rutecki
Atomics are simply cosmetically changed ESS bindings, right? So how come I never heard anything bad about ESS back in the day?

The ESS binders I had back in the 80s were really simple and looked nothing like the current Atomics. The toepiece basically was an old Look/Salomon style rotary toepiece mounted on the track, and the heel was just like everyone else´s.

The new ones look a lot more complicated; perhaps it´s the diagonal release.

**FNG** · 09-19-2004, 12:54 PM

"What's the deal with Atomic Binders?" /Jerry Seinfeld

They're a mix between new tech and old tech, and I'm not big fan of being a guinee (sp?) pig.

**H8NOSNO** · 09-19-2004, 01:39 PM

I ran 614's last year on big daddy's with hesitation and to see why the binding is so hated. I'll admit they do suck but with a couple tricks they aren't too bad. The easy exit on the heelpiece mentioned is b/c the leverage ratio is made lower to provide less force to exit. Atomic sells this as a feature only they have. There is not a lot of contact boot-to-binding. Try stepping in with the heelpiece locked down at recommended forward pressure, it almost works. My other gripe is the adjustability of the binding. Under the toepiece is a metal track that the toe piece slides on and after a few weeks the track bent upwards giving a lose-wing-salomon-wiggle feel to the binding. This play felt like crap, I could wiggle my boot side to side with no ski moving. The fix was clamping the track in and down. This makes it almost impossible to slide the binding fore and aft, but I never really messed with it in the first place. This years neox binding apparently was designed by an ex-salomon engineer. I have only heard good things so far about the new binding but you cannot lock out upward release on the toe so I won't be using them.