Forum Republic Review And Buying Advice
Forum Republic 2013 - 2010 Review by The Good Ride
The Forum Republic is the most aggressive binding in Forums line and makes for a binding that will work with more than just a freestyle board. We all liked this binding and it has a lot of similar qualities to the Burton Mission.
Ethics Statement: We don’t get paid by the manufacturer to write these reviews. No one is perfect and we do make money from the “Where To Buy” links below, but this is our best attempt at an honest and objective review from an average riders’ perspective.
For 2011 the Republic has a completely overhauled baseplate for the new cool tech that allows a much better flex under foot similar to Burton’s Re:Flex Technology.
For 2012 Forum added a canting system to the binding which is a softer foam to make it easier to lean into the board. It makes riding easier on your ankles, knees, and hips while also making it easier to ride. We like this tech and feel this is a solid follow up upgrade after so many upgrades in 2011.
The 2013 Forum Republic is pretty much the same as the 2012 which isn’t a bad thing. Forum makes freestyle gear but this hits a wider scope of riders and isn’t bad if you are looking for a mid flexing all mountain binding. The price is right also. So if you like the Tech that Burton and Forum offer in their high-end bindings but don’t want to pay the high price then the Republic will be a good call.
We all liked this binding and it has a lot of similar qualities to the Burton Mission. Both perform well but at the same time don’t scream out anything but hey we aren’t going to let you down anywhere. The one thing we like with the republic is the tech underneath the feet that is similar to Burton’s Re:Flex tech that allows more flex underfoot when buttering which is pretty cool. Toe Straps are great and although don’t look super sturdy they are probably some of the most comfortable over the toe straps out there. If you want to get old school and put them on the top of the foot they won’t fit as well but will do ok. Forum and Burton boots are very similar so they fit all of us who had them on really well. Those of us that were wearing other boots worked well here too.