'06 LF Alpha opinions?

I'm looking for new bindings that won't break the bank, but are still nice. I want to keep it < $200. I can get Alpha's for around $140 or so. Does anyone have any experience with these, and have an opinion on them?

Thanks,
J

Yeah i sold mine after 3 times using them... they are not the most sturdy bindings and a pain in the butt to get on... not to mention the fact that my toes always fell asleep

Mine were really tight when they were new so I stuffed them with baseballs and golf balls to break them in. Now they are pretty comfortable and easy to get into with a little shaving cream. Being middle aged and fat makes getting out of them a bit of a challenge for me.

I never had a problem getting in or out, but after about 10 mins my feet would kill me. They would deff. shorten my ride time. My feet would start to turn blue until i took them off and let blood run back to my feet. I switched to transits 07 and really like them. No problems at all now.

I have a pair of 05 Alphas that are a decent binding, but there is no comparison between those and the 06 Transits that I have this year. The transits are so much better all around. I got my Transits for under 200 on Ebay.

Hmmm. Thanks to everybody for responding. I might have to reconsider based on your responses. For the guys whose feet went numb or hurt - do you think it was just because the bindings run small and you might've been better off with a size bigger?

Thanks!
J

(Message edited by wristy_j on June 10, 2007)

I have a wide foot and have usually can only comfortably wear 2e-4e wide shoes. I imagine that this is most likely the reason why mine feet fit so badly. In my opinion, binding are one of the most important part of your setup. You should find a pair that really feel good on your feet and hold your foot it good. I did the same thing as you last year. I was searching eBay for a good deal. When I found one, I would read peoples reviews until I had read enough good ones to convinces myself they were good for me. I ended up going through different 4 pairs of bindings. This year I just bite the built, tried on bindings for myself and found one that fit good for me. I'm not saying that you shouldn't buy used or look for a good deal, just try them on first and base your decision mostly on your experiences instead of mostly on others. Hope this helps.

Chad - You're right, and I'm starting to rethink the way I'm going about this. I might hit a local shop and try on some '07s. I can still get a nice pair for < $300. It would suck to drop $140 on ebay, wait for them to ship, put them on my board, go out and spend a day figuring out that I hate them, and start all over.

Thanks,
J

the 06 and 07 watsons are killer i picked up a pair of the 06 open toed watsons and am in love. As chad was saying the bindings are probably the most important so make sure you love them

I have the 06's used them for 10 months or so. They are good bindings IMO, but when I bought my 07 CWB Factions, they} went to the boat board. I liked them, but I like the factions a lot better.

I have the 05's and they work great. I don't know if the 06's are a lot different but I never need anything to get in or get out of my pair. I where a size 10 shoe and have the larges. They lace all the way down the front so they are easy to loosen up. The only liquid force bindings I've ridden that you need shaving cream for are the Ultras. If you want bindings that can flex and let you poke out grabs than there a good choice. If you want a stiffer binding go with the transits. I'm an intermediate rider meaning I can do a couple different inverts, 360's, and big 180's into the flats and they work fine for me. Hope this helps.

Joe - that does help, but based on the opinions of others and stuff I've read elsewhere (and due to the fact that '06 Alphas are EXTREMELY available, which makes me suspicious), I went to return the boards I demo'd this past weekend, and they happened to have a pair of '06 Watsons that fit me perfectly and were super comfy. They were 25% off, so I nabbed them. $285 + tax. I can't wait to ride them. That's about twice what I was going to spend on the Alphas, but hopefully it'll be worth it.

J

they will be worth it thats what i have and i love them

ya go with something else...