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KilaTsunami
October, 2024

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My end all FKS thread (feel free to sticky)

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CTD
Posts: 6300 - Karma: 348
ok. we all know that the rossignol/look FKS bindings are what a majority of the pros use. therefore everyone on NS feels the need to buy them. however, what people fail to realize, is that a pro level binding like that comes with its own very unique set of quirks, and they are designed 100% to be used by people who need a binding of that caliber, and are willing to "pay for it".

what i mean by this, is there is a stage in your skiing where you hit a wall with consumer bindings. i do not want to say what kind of problems these may be, but when you hit that wall, you will certainly know it. if you do not have problems with bindings such as salomon S912tis, z12s, look/rossi px/pivots, by all means, STAY WITH THEM! they are far easier to own and ski with, and when something like a brake gets broken, they are FAR easier to repair.

the oldschool FKS on the other hand is a HUGE pain in the ass. every time you fall, the heel almost always needs reset. the brakes are a massive downfall, the forward pressure adjustments tend to loosen, the toe lacks an upward release, which means you have to either accept that sacrifice, or switch it with a different one that does (again, a huge pain in the ass, it requires technical know-how to make sure it all works together).


so pretty much, the bottom line is this:
yes. Rossignol FKS bindings are one of the best preforming bindings in the world. however, that performance is a huge sacrifice for usability, and for 95% of the skiing population will never be able to tell the difference between that and a high end consumer binding, AND they will be far happier with that high end consumer binding.
Dec 7 2006 10:39PM
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MALONE
Posts: 3819 - Karma: 73
Nope
Dec 7 2006 10:45PM
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SkiingNinja
Posts: 1966 - Karma: 902
why would rossi market them to the public then?
Dec 7 2006 10:46PM
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KillerMonkey
Posts: 6436 - Karma: 109
well theres also the thing about cranking the DIN so that your legs will fall off before your skis do but thats another topic.
Dec 7 2006 10:49PM
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garrett.
Posts: 9304 - Karma: 3,670
^maybe so that those skiers that actually need them can get them..think about dude

just because some people arent pros doesnt mean that they dont need that binding. and what about someone thats like 6' 5" 250, i bet he would pop out of everything but these. so yes, some public need them but not all of them do
Dec 7 2006 10:49PM
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SkiingNinja
Posts: 1966 - Karma: 902
thats what i was implying.
Dec 7 2006 10:51PM
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MALONE
Posts: 3819 - Karma: 73
your whole post is straight bullshit, somebody turn on the lights! This fool is in the m'fuckin dark.
Dec 7 2006 10:51PM
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skidemon22
Posts: 4423 - Karma: 1,946
speaking of the fks, any word on a tow piece?
Dec 7 2006 10:53PM
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garrett.
Posts: 9304 - Karma: 3,670
no you wernt. you were making it sound like ' why should rossi make the fks series availible to the public'
Dec 7 2006 11:01PM
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CTD
Posts: 6300 - Karma: 348
again, theres that "wall" i was talking about with traditional bindings. and dont get me wrong, i love my Look TT9s, but if it wasnt something where i really needed them, id definatly be on the pivots. they are just a pain, when normal bindings are set and forget.
Dec 7 2006 11:03PM
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SkiingNinja
Posts: 1966 - Karma: 902
i was saying if they were only for pros and such then why would they be available to the public, sorry if i came across the wrong way. but who cares anyway. let it go
Dec 7 2006 11:04PM
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Powforbreakfast.
Posts: 2226 - Karma: 417
well, i use fks 120's... the 120's DO have an upwards toe release, and wern't that much more expensive than my scratch 120's.  yea, the brakes would be hard to replace, but the mechanism of realease for the heel is sooooo much safer for skiing switch and twisting falls.  it's extremely close in weight to scratch 120's, too.  so nice.
Dec 8 2006 1:12AM
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pDails
Posts: 1238 - Karma: 75
i fully understand that your just going to say "if you dont know what they are then you arent good enough to need to know" or something of the sort because 99% of people on this site love to bash,

but what is the difference between fks and like scratch 120? what makes it safer in twisting falls? if it seems to come un adjusted so much then why would anyone want to use them? just some of my questions. just trying to expand my skiing knowledge.
Dec 8 2006 1:57AM
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powfoka
Posts: 2709 - Karma: 160
it is a much higher quality bindng all metal the reson those are still around is because they dont break!!!!!
Dec 8 2006 1:59AM
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skimasterflex
Posts: 2064 - Karma: 16
I don't think this rant applies as much to FKS 120s cuz they are the best of both worlds.
Dec 8 2006 3:11AM
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skimasterflex
Posts: 2064 - Karma: 16
Oh and by the way I have Ninja Black P18 Wides for sale if anyone is interested pm me or check out my gear swap thread.

I do here what this guy is saying though. I have this conversation with guys all the time

them: the Look Px12 is not enough for me I'm gonna be dropping cliffs and stuff.
ME: what din do you normally ski at?
them: 9 or 10.
Me: Have you broken the look or salomon 12 din bindings before?
Them: Well no not yet
Me: Than what do you get out of a 2-3lbs heavier binding with a higher number on it that means nothing to you?
Them: but I'm 6'3"!
Me: But you're 175lbs and have a 330mm boot sole and you ski at 9 just fine!

Honestly the PX12ti and Salomon Z12 will hold you at your recommended setting. If you haven't hit a point in your skiing where these bindings break when you ski them hard then there is no reason to ski a metal construction end of story. Is the FKS heel better? Yes, a little bit. So get the 120 if you must have the sweet heel and roll with the plastic toe with upward release so you don't break your tib/fib.

When they make a 110mm brake version of the FKS 120 (which will be by this spring I hear) MANY of us P18ers will switch to it you watch. Except those of us with small boots that require higher retention in the toes and ski at 12+ which is very few people.

Dec 8 2006 3:22AM
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Jarle
Posts: 278 - Karma: 321
Another thing is that you dont want your bindning workin even close to the top of the din. The binding works best in the middle (example for my solly 916, it works best at 12-13). So turning up a 12 binding to 10 is just stupid.


And who the hell want their binding too release upwards??
Dec 8 2006 4:17AM
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Jib_This
Posts: 8272 - Karma: 9
A 12 DIN binding at 10 is just fucking fine.

Anyone who wants to not tear their ACL in a backwards twisting fall wants upwards release on their toe. I guess you're way too cool to ever have to deal with such a common type of fall though, and always stick your landings, so yeah, SICK BRO!
Dec 8 2006 4:34AM
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ArmadaFreerider8
Posts: 4565 - Karma: 10
can someone answer that?
Dec 8 2006 6:45AM
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bass_munkie
Posts: 300 - Karma: 10
there are different bindings on the fks series with different pros and cons but if you wanna compare the fks 120 and the scratch120 (same as p12) then basically you're getting a stronger construction (more metal) but that adds weight. you also get a different heel piece which in certain circumstances can be a safer release on twisting falls but on the whole all the look/rossi bindings are good for twisting falls.

in conclusion - as long as a binding can support you and release when it needs to without breaking when skied hard you're good with it, there's no need to spend the extra cash cos' it can come with sacrifice.
Dec 8 2006 8:02AM
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CTD
Posts: 6300 - Karma: 348
ok. the breakdown between FKS heels and the old pivot heels= nothing. the fks allows for slightly more forward pressure, as well as providing a stiffer contact to the ski. again, 95% of you would NEVER be able to tell the difference. it wasnt after a good 10 years of skiing that i could detect any type of differnce in the skiing "feel" of looks and sollys. the PX on the other hand, well, i personally feel thats a pretty shitty binding. fuck um. get old pivots or salomons.

^now that being said, that little tiny gain in preformance comes with a ton of pain in the ass problems that trust me, are a pain to deal with. its a trade off.

the bottom line, is its just unsafe for all these kids to be rocking FKS185s cause the pros do. the MINIMUM din on those is 8, which for most people, is a fairly high din for park skiing. in many circumstances, prolly a bit too high.


and about the 120. yup. it is the best of both worlds. that particular bindings is great. again, you have to deal with the quirky heel, but if you want some more preformance than the consumer setups, but dont need the higher din. THOSE are your answer. not a ultra strong race binding.
Dec 8 2006 9:10AM
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ds.181.3
Posts: 437 - Karma: 29
How does the forward pressure loosen? Which adjust on the FKS heel controls this and how do you tell if it is correct? I was under the impression that forward pressure issues with these bindings were almost non existent. I know my stuff with bindings of the consumer type and know a good bit about the FKS's but I have little knowledge about this specific issue
Dec 8 2006 10:19AM
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nothanks
Posts: 13551 - Karma: 31
Upward release on the fks15?
Dec 8 2006 10:38AM
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ds.181.3
Posts: 437 - Karma: 29
FKS 155 doesn't have upward release.

Anyone want to answer my forward pressure question?
Dec 8 2006 11:01AM
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invaderskier36
Posts: 6192 - Karma: 41
no where near a sticky
Dec 8 2006 11:07AM
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weenox
Posts: 1568 - Karma: 19
this doesn't need to be a sticky, because you've said it in basically every single thread about fks/race stock bindings.

not that many people buy them....and i'm sure the people that do have a pretty good reason to.
Dec 8 2006 11:22AM
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titsLOL
Posts: 7485 - Karma: 396
werd. doesn't really need to be a sticky, but there's definately way too many 14 year old kids on ns with fks bindings on their thalls. the fks 12 is actually a dope choice for park skiing though, since it has the vertical toe release and is super bomb proof and a reasonable din range.
Dec 8 2006 12:21PM
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titsLOL
Posts: 7485 - Karma: 396
oh and pretty arrogant title by the way... that alone would be why it would never be stickied.
Dec 8 2006 12:22PM
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ds.181.3
Posts: 437 - Karma: 29
bump for an answer on forward pressure
Dec 8 2006 12:35PM
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ds.181.3
Posts: 437 - Karma: 29
bump, someone who knows there stuff, please answer
Dec 8 2006 1:05PM
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ds.181.3
Posts: 437 - Karma: 29
one last bumppppppppppp
Dec 8 2006 7:31PM
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bigwhite.steeze
Posts: 8227 - Karma: 1,030
how bout you just get some 4frnt deadbolts and leave it alone?
Dec 8 2006 8:00PM
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ds.181.3
Posts: 437 - Karma: 29
deadbolts are solid but the turntable design is just to hard to beat. VIST bindings are solid but the lateral heel release is not as smooth.
Dec 8 2006 8:17PM
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eheath
Posts: 61602 - Karma: 123,028
I love my fks', they are so solid. Sure they are a little bit heavier than most, but it really doesn't bother me at all.
Dec 8 2006 9:14PM
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MALONE
Posts: 3819 - Karma: 73
Theres two screws on the ends of the "arms" on the heel peice that loosen/tighten foward pressure, to keep them straight you just count threads or go by eye wich usually works.
Dec 8 2006 9:43PM
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freeski1620
Posts: 5670 - Karma: 1,718
i would just like to say that i strongly disagree with the kid who wrote this thread. i have fks bindings on all y new skis because of several reasons, i think the heel is the best degisin out. these don't pre relese. as gay as it sounds, they look cool. and i dont have to worry any about them blowing up or breaking. end of story. you don't have to be a pro to use fks bindings. i might add that i am 6'2 and 145.
Dec 8 2006 10:08PM
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Literature
Posts: 13673 - Karma: 3,085
Honestly, I would rather see a souped up all metal consumer binding designed specifically for freeskiing, meaning the brakes are wide and do not destruct in switch landings.
Dec 8 2006 11:06PM
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uni-corn
Posts: 13846 - Karma: 651
BEcause of jackasses like us who buy them.
Dec 9 2006 12:01AM
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skimasterflex
Posts: 2064 - Karma: 16
They don't, at all.

Show me one advertisment in one magazine for an FKS binding. Only Look/Rossi certified race centers deal them for the most part.
Dec 9 2006 1:24AM
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Love_Wins.
Posts: 5536 - Karma: -1
He speaks the truth, they aren't sold as a freeskiing binding at all, they are RACE STOCK...most racers run very high DIN settings (12 is like a junior binding), that's why the brakes on them are like 70mm or something, and they are designed to mount to the Rossi race plate. The fact is that MOST people don't need them, there are those super aggressive and/or heavy guys that need an all-metal, high DIN binding...other than that, most park skiers should leave them alone.
Dec 9 2006 5:13AM
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evan25
Posts: 931 - Karma: 20
well then why would rossi make a fks 120 freeride this year?

its all black same as the fks 120 but has wider brakes. if you go to and mountain i gaurantee in the park there are at least ten kids with them
Dec 9 2006 9:45AM
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Jarle
Posts: 278 - Karma: 321
It works with a 12 at 10... In the park. The bindings gets "stressed" from working near the end/beginning of the scale.

Sure,I dont stick all my fucking drops but I dont want my binding to realese ,just beacuse I lost my balance in a landing, cus that probably would make me fall into much worse thing then a little damage to my ACL... If you dont need a fks binding, you dont, but if you need one, you dont need the upwards realese. END
Dec 9 2006 9:57AM
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Love_Wins.
Posts: 5536 - Karma: -1
The FKS 120 has already been said to be exempt here because it's a 12 DIN with vertical toe release, we're talking about the FKS 185/P18 here. And you're Jarle, it's only a little ACL damage...no biggie. I honestly don't know if you're kidding or not, but as a skier I can't think of that many worse things to fall into than tearing the ACL, and I'd rather have my binding let me go every once in awhile (when I'm falling and might hurt my knees) than spend months in rehab cause I cranked the DIN way to high, and the thing clamped to me and wouldn't let go.
Dec 9 2006 11:09AM
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Jarle
Posts: 278 - Karma: 321
^^Of course I didnt joke ;) but what I wanted too say is that on many lines youd rather (it doesnt have too be completely busted) injur your acl then fall.

Ive injured it before and ive also broke my back (among others) and I can say that rehab/pain beacuse of acl is like twisting your thumb in compare.

But of course should you always adjust the din depening on what run and snow youre skiing for that moment/day. Cant really remember when i had my din at the same setting two days in a row.

Anyways, take it easy with bindings, if you dont know what youre doing, dont do it...
Dec 9 2006 1:45PM
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zerospinskier
Posts: 4867 - Karma: 350
all im gonna say is that i used to ride s912s and i thoght i loved them, and that they were great. but i had my fair share of scary knee tweaks. before those, i rode power100s, which i actually did badly stretch a ligament with. this year, i got fks 185s. (i wanted 155s, but they didnt have any) i ride my din at 8 in the front nad 9 in the back. I WAS MISSING OUT BEFORE!!!! now that ive ridden these i think the other bindings were SO obsolete. i had to crank my din on the salmons to not release when landing switch, which led to me having a hard release sideways when i fell=easy knee hurtability. but with my fks, i NEVER pop out of any sort of landing switch or anything. AND everytime i fall on a rail or anyhting, with an awkward twisting fall, they come off like butter!!! as if i had a din at around 3. its amazing. i will never ride another binding again.

i dont know about any facts, or "how they should compare" i am just making statements on personal expierence
Dec 9 2006 2:03PM
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FrOsTy29
Posts: 68 - Karma: 10
I don't agree with the weight comment!
I have Rossignol Pro 150 (I think it's kind of old FKS150) and they are LIGHTER than my Look p10!! Although they are metal, they are not heavier!
And I ride them at 8, and I can make them release by twisting on my carpet, so why would it be so dangerous for me to ride them even if I'm not a pro and a fat guy?!
I don't know if mine have upward release (It's an old round toe piece)
Dec 9 2006 4:06PM
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