Gnu B-Famous Review And Buying Advice
Gnu B-Famous 2017 - 2014 Review by The Good Ride
The Gnu B-Famous is their flagship binding that offers up a lot of good tech and performance for a quick strap/release binding. None of us at The Good Ride own or prefer quick release to a well made traditional strap binding but this was one of the better bindings our women tried.
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.
Flex: Nice medium to med/stiff flex that has a little play but still allows you to be aggressive.
Adjustability: Not super easy to adjust but once you get it all dialed it’s pretty quick in and out of the binding. The pressure relief button is what makes this quick release better than most of its competitors. In 2 quick motions, you can pull up the high back and pull down the quick strap. For us, that is the same 2 motions to put on your toe strap and ankle strap on a traditional binding but it is generally faster if you compare 2 people who know what they are doing with each type of binding.
Comfort: Pretty cushy ankle strap and toe strap. Most will not find pressure points with this design.
Heel-Toe Response: Gnu’s reduced contact with the board makes for quick responsive edge to edge transitioning that turns most boards really well.
Tip-Tail Response: While the edge to edge transitioning is great the ability to flex the board lengthwise isn’t quite as good. Still, it’s supportive ankle strap and the EVA foam under each contact point allows some flex underfoot.
Boot Support: Very supportive and you get a pretty locked in feel with the Gnu B-Famous
Ratchet System: Nothing special here but it’s not used much.
Shock Absorption: There is some padding above and below the base plate but it’s not that much so the shock absorption is a middle ground. It’s really damp and stable at speed though.