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The Good Ride Take

Union Atlas Binding Review by The Good Ride

Days-8
Riders-3
Boards Used- Many but here are some.  Jones All Mountain Twin, Capita BSOD, Lib Tech Phoenix, Never Summer Proto Light.

The Union Atlas is new for 2012 and is that binding Union was missing to give you a ride that sit’s between the Union Force SL and the Union Force. So here is the breakdown on what is one of our favorite bindings for 2012.  There is a new base plate, new ankle strap, new high back and new toe strap.  The only old tech on the binding is the heel loop.

A Quick Look at the 2012 Union Atlas
     

Flex- The Flex of the Union Atlas is one of those things that are hard to characterize.  It's softer than the Union Force binding and seems to be about as soft as the Union Force SL.  Like with some Union bindings the flex doesn't match the response.  It's a lot more responsive.

Adjustability- Like all union bindings the adjustability is not there if you compare them to a binding like Burton but you can make some tweaks that will adjust it to your liking. On the flip side Unions are more accommodating as is than many other bindings and that is why they are usually the easiest to just attach and ride.

Comfort- It’ very comfortable and more supportive than the Union Force due to its new larger asymmetrical high back.  One of our biggest complaints was the old ankle straps from 2011 and below. They are just too narrow and didn’t provide the support that many other ankle straps out there have.   The Ankle strap of old use to give you this insecure feeling in chop or at higher speeds because it was soo thin and small. These new larger asymmetrical ankle straps really make this ride a lot more comfortable and give much more support than the older ankle straps. It really changes the ride.

Response- The Union Atlas along with most Union bindings offer really good turn initiation that might arguably be the best out there. At first when we rode this binding we couldn't decide if the response was good or excellent but the more we ride it the more it acts like the Union Force SL and Union Force when it comes to edge to edge transitioning.   It has that same minimal contact with the board to allow it to flex easier torsionally as well as well as generate a little better longitudinal flex.  The bottom line is the Atlas have a ride that can make boards turn easier and seem more responsive than they are.  The new base plate makes the ride feel a tad bit smoother than the old base plate on the Union Force or Asadachi

Weight- We didn't put these on a scale but they felt really light.

Lateral Movement- The new ankle strap gives you a lot more leverage when it comes to flexing the board laterally.  You can get more of a nose press going or better butter because of this larger asymmetrical ankle strap.

Dampening/Shock absorption- The footbed is very damp and provides excellent sock absorption. 

All in all We feel the Union Atlas is a great all mountain do anything type of binding that we feel will do a gret job with a wide variety of snowboards and riders. The only real issue is the lack of adjustability compared to other bindings out there.  Its a binding we will be using to test many boards this year.

A Good Ride Take on Binding Tech
Metal vs Plastic Bindings

This is a Goodride breakdown for all you that are having a tough time choosing your bindings and what to make of the material you are looking at.  Most bindings are Metal, Plastic or some combo of the 2.

Metal Bindings have a lot of great aspects.  Almost all-metal bindings are made from aluminum.  Aluminum is great when it come to weight to stiffness ratio and also pretty durable.  There is one key issue with metal/aluminum bindings; they transfer all the vibrations from the board right into your feet.  This is the same principle that pelage “bass-less” bindings, your feet got totally tired or fatigued.  The newer generations have much better/damp bases so this problem has been minimized and in some cases eliminated.   There are some companies that make great bindings despite the vibration issue with Aluminum.   Some that come to mind are Ride and Rome.

Plastic Bindings also have many great features but let’s address some technical stuff first.  Most plastic bindings are really hardened glass plastic mix.   The high-end stuff tends to have a more carbon, and carbon fiber added for extra stiffness and weight savings.  Plastic bindings really dominate the market right now and most top bindings these days are mostly or all plastic.  They can be really stiff and react well to your commands.   The new bindings finally dialed in the carbon/ fiber integration to the point that the bindings will perform with the stiffness of metal and absorb more chatter.  Most industry leaders have limited or completely eliminated metal from their bindings and we feel that with the materials used right now this is the future.  Some mostly plastic companies that we feel rock are Burton, Flux and Union.

What kind of binding should you buy?  It’s a tough call.  Both Plastic and Metal bindings offer freestyle, freeride and all mountain styles.  At this point we feel that plastic bindings are edging out metal bindings when it comes to the very high end $300+ category.  However it is a tough call in the below $300 category as to which material has the advantage.

The Good Ride Take on Capita and Union (same parent company)

Union- Union really lead the charge with the concept of eliminating the dead spot bindings create on snowboards.  Because of that they have some of if not the easiest turn initiation out of any binding we have tried.  The bindings with the Force style base plate really shows this and can make a stiff snowboard turn easier than most bindings out there.  The bindings with the Contact style base plate have a more mellow turn initiation.  The last few years many companies have picked up on this design style and Union isn't alone any more in this category.  Still Union makes some of the best bindings in the industry.  One of the only complaints we have is the buckle on the toe strap is very difficult to undo when it’s cranked down.   We would like to see something like the ankle strap buckle that releases with little effort.  Another complaint is the adjust-ability of their bindings.  You can make some minor tweaks to make the bindings work for you but Union pales in comparison to Burton when it comes to adjust-ability.  If you aren't that into adjusting and want possibly the best turn initiation in the industry the Union's are your choice. 

Capita- Capita knows how to make a good sturdy park and all mountain board.  They even have a good Pow board that’s priced appropriately for the amount of times you’ll use it a year.  As you start to look closer in the tech of Capita you can see little issues like some of their boards still have an extruded base instead of a sintered base.  You won't really see this on their high end boards like the Black Death but you will see it on their mid to entry level boards.  Because of this style of production you can sometimes find a Capita snowboard for $100-$200 less than some of their competitors in that class range.   If you are willing to put up with low tech in some places but still receive good performance Capita might be a good choice for you.

Company Info & Specs

2012 Union Atlas

Atlas

The Next Generation of Performance

Product Video

01 Stage III Base - Dupont™ Zytel® ST

• 02 Multizone Atlas Highbacks
• 03 Extruded Anodized Aluminum Heelcups
• 04 Shift on the Fly Forward Lean
• 05 Injected Dual Density Bushings
• 06 All New Direct-Connect Strap System

• 07 3D Multi-Layer Tapered Strap Core
• 08 All New Magnesium Buckles
• 09 Universal Disks
• 10 All New Open Toe Straps
• 11 Grade 8.8 Hardware
• 12 Lifetime Warranty Base

Stage III base—
Dupont™ Zytel®

New standards in perfor-
mance-to-weight ratio—
Lifetime Warranty.

All New Direct
Connect System

3D multi-layer tapered
Strap Core evenly
distributes pressure.

Multizone
Atlas Highback

Extremely Comfortable,
lightweight and responsive—
No highback bite.

Extruded Anodized
Aluminum Heelcups

Anodizing Process
adds 30% strength—
completely indestructable.

 

Pictures

2012 Union Atlas

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