Who here has used Naxos and Freerides?

[bad_roo]

Which are better? NX21 or Freerides? Just curious...

[bagtagley]

I've fondled both at the store. The Naxos smell WAY better.

[yesIsaidyes]

I have naxos (not the 21) and find them confidence inspiring and burly...have had no pre-release issues but have not landed them backwards either. The double pivot touring mode is a definite improvement over Diamer IMHO.

[Core Shot]

I have skied both (but not the new Naxo NX21) and I find Naxo un-inspiring.
Had bootout of toe at max DIN when ski chuddered on an icy patch and I was off balance. prelease should not have happened IMHO.
Others have reported some naxo retention issues also.
Fritschis haven't done that to me, but they do have the auto-tele feature.

[bio-smear]

Anyone have anything to add re: durabililty? I've heard the Fritschis get sloppy after a while, from wear of the plastic parts. I haven't looked close enough at either in the shop to inspect.

Edit: There are a shitload of threads re: this if you search.

[Bzzzt]

I skied Gotamas with Naxo's NX01 (first generation) bindings for 5 days until one of the link rods broke. Then I switched to Freerides (on the same skis) because no shops carried Naxo. I immediately noticed that the Freerides were WAY stiffer.

The skis felt completely different, much more solid feel, more control, better edge grip (thought not that spectacular compared to an alpine set-up) and I could also see that they flexed less. The Naxos are better for touring on the flats, but as soon as it gets steep, the double link advantage is minimal.

I know Naxo has beefed up the rods and made some other changes, but even if the rods don't break, the design allows more flex than on Freerides. They heel pieces are also more flexible. I think you will notice this if you try them both in a store: Put on boots, step into the bindings, and edge the ski.

Durability: One of my Freerides became a bit sloppy after two seasons (~70 days), and Outdoor, the Norwegian Fritcshi representative, replaced both bindings with the new red/white model free of charge. I would'nt worry about that, unless you plan to charge down icy slopes most of the time.

[ulty_guy]

a bit random, but...

i have been skiing on grey and yellow freerides mounted about -1 on a pair of cmh explosivs (who's like is already supposedly further back the normal explosiv, on a 180, i'm 73.5 cm from the tail) and have NEVER felt backseated by them. i've now skied 2 pairs of the white/red version and have had to adjust slightly to the backseated feeling on both of them. both the white/red versions i've skied have been mounted at the recommended line for the ski. has anyone else experienced this?

[Greguar]

I had a pair of NX01 bindings. Had major prerelease issues on high speed powder turns with the din at 12. I weigh 175lbs. Also had issues with the heel retainer releasing into touring mode on heavy powder days (happened twice in 1 year), this is fixed on the NX21 with the locking mechanism. I broke the heel piece once this year and then a month later snapped the toe piece. My roommate has the NX21 binding and these components do not seem to have changed at all. I picked up a pair of Free Rides and they are way burlier. The heel retaining issue seems to be a non-issue because the force of snow pushes them into the locking position, unless you are riding switch. Pre-release on the Free Rides has also been a non-issue to this point and I have pushed them as hard or harder than the Naxos. Product support on Naxo is FANTASTIC though. I wish that I could give the company more support, but being stranded in the backcountry with broken gear is unacceptable.

[Hugh Jardon]

No Naxo problems ever. I have two years on two pairs. Seen every binding break that's ever been released for bc skiing. Most break at lift areas. This is a good article on AT binders:

http://www.telemarktips.com/AlpTouring3.html

[Merlyn]

No experience on the Naxo's, but my Freerides have seen regular backcountry use and occasional resort use without any problems.

I have never inadvertently gone into touring mode, but this may be a combination of my light weight (150 lbs), the use of size small Freerides (less potential to flex), and not using a soft ski (Inspired's - okay, not a stiff ski, but not Pocket Rocket soft). I have heard of bigger/more aggressive guys having issues, though.

I don't like to use Freerides at the resort for two reasons: first, there's little or no ramp angle compared with my regular alpine bindings (Solly's) (however, this can be remedied by removing the shim under the toe or adding a shim under the heel; do a search 'cause there's a couple of threads on this). Second, my Freerides (grey and yellow ones) have some slop compared to my alpine bindings (not noticeable in powder but noticeable on hardpack - they just don't seem as precise on harder snow). Lou Dawson wrote an article on his www.wildsnow.com site in which he found Freerides and Naxos to have about the same amount of play as a regular alpine binding, but I'm not convinced.

That being said, my Freerides worked great during three weeks this past summer in Bariloche and Las Lenas.

Bottom line: the Freerides have a proven track record (albeit with a few quirks), while the NX21 are still a question mark.