K2 Lien FS Review and Buying Advice

K2 Lien FS 2016 - 2015 Review by The Good Ride

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The K2 Lein FS is the replacement for the IPO which we liked and had a good time on.  I didn’t have a lot of time on this binding as I did with the IPO but like the Lein AT I had a good time for the short time I was on it.  It left me wanting to get to know it better.

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Days: 2
Riders: James, Peter, and Jimbo
Boots: Burton SLX, Salomon F3.0, Burton Fiend LTD, Burton Hail
Boards: K2 Cool Bean Never Summer Proto,

Flex: Pretty soft and gummy in the high back but not too soft to be weird.

Adjustability: I really like how K2 deals with the toolless adjustability thing.  It’s very fast and easy. The toe straps are some of my favorites but my only concern is they look like they might not last 100 days.  Still, they fit around a boot really well.

Comfort: Very comfortable.  Often times the ankle strap can be the biggest culprit when it comes to causing pressure points and this binding didn’t really have any for the short time I rode them.

Turn Initiation: It has that same kind of feeling like the old IPO’s where you think it’s going to be really slow but it offers more response than you would expect edge to edge.

Buttering: This new tripod tech along with the mini disc seems to make a board butter better than the past K2 models it replaced.  I’d really like to see K2 work on tech similar to this instead of rejuvenating the old click in line and working on the Cinch bindings. Yeah, it takes a little longer to get on but you get so much more out of your ride down.

Boot Support: My boots felt supported on the outer side but free on the inside which was perfect for a freestyle oriented binding.

Ratchet System: Didn’t call out to me saying this is butter smooth but it also didn’t have any glitchy glide to it.  They work and that’s all you need.

Shock Absorption: Solid shock absorption that’s up there. The Proto is a pretty shock absorbent board and so are the Burton Hails so I didn’t need that much from the binding this day. Still, it felt like they were doing their part in rough snow.

All in all, this seems like a good binding and I would like to spend more time on. I applaud K2 for making such big changes with the Lein AT and Lein FS and I’d like to see them focus on more tech like this.