Streetboard Tune Up
How to correctly set up your Softcore Bindings.
This is by far the most important factor in your boards strength, where you place your feet dictates where the pressure of your landings is going to go. So of course, it's important to make sure they are placed correctly. This article aims to make it a bit clearer with pictures to show people thinking of starting how easy it is. Please Note - This article was written when the Softcore Bindings on the market were made by Frontal, The Softcore Bindings made by Dimension are almost identical and these instructions are still accurate.
*Click some of the pictures to enlarge*
Firstly, you will need a 3/8th inch spanner and a philips head screwdriver to be able to fit your bindings.
In your pack you should have all the fitting hardware - 8 bolts, 8 washers, 8 nuts, 2 left side straps and 2 right side straps - you may find this process easier if you connect the heel strap up first (1, 2, 3) so you know you are bolting them in the right way round.
Your feet want to be directly centered over the Kingpin bolt and truck axle so that the shock is absorbed through the trucks. Too far either to the outside or inside of your crossbar will put unnecessary pressure on your bar and could cause it to break prematurely.
Place your foot on top of the kingpin and truck axle area, then place one side strap snug up against your shoe. Using one of the included washers, place it on top of the strap matching the hole in the strap, place up against your shoe and bolt in place in the desired hole on the footplate.
It is important to put your bolts in from underneath the footplate and up out through the top through the strap, washer and then the nyloc nut. Placing your bolt this way round will prevent your board catching when you are trying slides on your footplates.
Repeat this process for the other hole on this side and tighten, so that one side strap is now fixed.
Then wrap the heel strap around the heel of your shoe (you will most likely need to adjust the heel strap's length so that your foot stays in it's desired place and the holes on the straps match the holes on the footplates).
As before, repeat the process of fitting the strap to the footplate and tighten it down.
You should now have one footplate fully set up. If you find the main foot strap is too tight to fit over your shoes, the bindings have 3 seperate holes so you can adjust the size of the strap to make it fit perfectly. Likewise, you may find the initial set up is too big, therefore you can make it smaller. You may also want to try tightening the laces on your shoes for an extra snug fit.
All that is left to do now is to repeat this process again for your other foot. Make sure all the bolts are tightened securely (including the one's holding your bindings together).
Some riders prefer to ride with their feet pointing outwards, this is called "Duck Stance". If you prefer to ride like this you need to try as best you can to make sure an even amount of your foot is on either side of the kingpin to try and distribute your weight evenly. It is not guaranteed that riding in this stance will make your bars last as long, it really depends on the rider. Another thing to take into consideration with this stance is it can allow for you to be more prone to knee and ankle injuries due to the extra pivoting space on twisted landings.
To make your bindings last longer - always do them up after skating. This will at least double your bindings' life.
Now get out there and skate!