2014 Rome Targa Review

incorporates the ability to change the flex/response of the ankle strap.  The Targa is an acceptable choice if you have 2 different types of boards and don’t want to spend money on 2 different bindings.  It has the ability to change the flex of the ankle strap as well.  The only problem is it’s a bit of a pain to change from board to board because it has so many parts. Also when you have many parts you have more chances for the parts to break. If you can deal with that this is a pretty responsive binding that many like.

In 2014 Rome Lightened up the base plate and changed up the canting system and also made it easier to access the disc than before.  This is all good and made the Rome Targa a lot better than before. It’s also easier to dial out.  It merits a whole new review.

Days: 1
Riders: James
Boots: Burton Ion
Boards: Jones Mountain Twin

Aprox Weight: 5lbs

Flex: Same stiff flexing high back as 2013.

Adjustability: So there is a big improvement here in terms of over all adjustability. The rest of the binding performs the same but how they constructed it this year really made it better for day in day out use. It’s a much more recommendable binding because of it. So when it’s on your board it’s the same easy almost tooless binding as before that makes it very easy to adjust binding. The problem was getting it dialed out for your boot before you put it on your board. The 2013 and below models were a serious pain in the ass and it often required a good hour to get it dialed out.  So here are the improvements:

1. The Canted Footbed has now one piece and one screw where before it use to have 2 pieces and one screw that was very hard to dial out. It also felt like it could break easy if you were someone who switched boards a lot. Now it’s the same as most bindings in the industry. Also getting the canting system set up was a huge pain in the ass too because you had to pull these EVA foam pieces in and out of

2. The Rome Targa allows you to adjust exactly to your boot size but this was by far the most difficult part of the set up process. Getting the screws in to the holes sucked and could take forever because the metal under wrap heel loop made it very difficult to adjust. One year it took me 45 min- 1hr just to align the Underwrap heel loop so the screw could get in because the metal was not properly bent in the right place. It was fucking maddening. So this year it’s got an easier track that just slides with loose screws like a lot of bindings already do.  It really works well and is a very welcome change.

3. The rubber that went between the base plate and your board to protect the under heel wrap from damaging your board is now permanently attached to the binding so it doesn’t flop around any more.  This could get frustrating.

These are all things that should of been done in the past and it’s nice to see them make this binding act and feel like normal bindings in the industry.  Reduced parts makes for a reduced chance of failure.

Comfort: Same great comfortable binding.

Heel-Toe Response: Same great heel to toe response that it had in the past and nothing has changed here.  You can dial out the support of the ankle strap like you could in the past as well.  If you want something more stiff you have it and if you want something softer you have it as well.  The stiff high back stays the same.

Tip-Tail Response: It’s better edge to edge but there is some flex under foot. It’s not the best binding when it comes to making a board flex well for butters and other flexy playing around.

Boot Support: The Rome Targa has pretty solid support and it holds a boot in just a tiny bit shy of being locked in.

Ratchet System: Rome’s ratchets are pretty good and make for easy on and off.

Shock Absorption:  Really top notch shock absorption that can handle a bad landing without too much pain.  It’s about as good as it gets.

All in all the 2014 Rome Targa is much better than the 2013 and below Rome Targa and a much better all around binding.  Its now got a much more recommendable design.

2011-2013 Rome Targa Review

Days Used- 30+

Riders Used- James, Jimbo, Mary and Peter

Boards Tested with- Lib Tech Phoenix, Rome Anthem, Rome Agent Rocker, and many more

The Rome Targa has been around for a while and although it keeps improving there are a few general themes that stick with the binding from year to year.  These are varied response and lots of adjustabilty.

In 2011 the base plate has been channeled out at the heel and toe to allow for more EVA padding and more board flexibility. The 2011 also gives you the ability to change the cant angle of the foot bed to give you more board control or keep your legs better in line with your hips. In 2012 Rome kept the changes from 2011 but added a new high back.  The one major complaint about all years is how painfully long it takes to dial these bindings out for your ride. There are so many parts compared to most bindings that it takes a good hour to set the binding for your shoe size and actually get it screwed into your board.  Still it’s a great binding and worth a look.  For 2013 not much has changed except the toe strap is now a thick  rubber that looks like it’s made of 2 materials.

Flex- These bindings have a medium/stiff back. The ankle strap with the stiff insert really holds your boot from bending and gives you very good toe side response. Before riding these we were riding the Co2’s and on the first toe side turn two of us over turned and almost washed out because the bindings were allot more responsive. There are 3 options for ankle strap stiffness.  No insert in the strap for super soft response, the soft insert for medium response and the stiff insert for super stiff response.  When you put in the soft insert it makes it like most all mountain bindings. This would be the preferred choice if you do a little of everything and don’t like to change your inserts all the time. If you take those out you have a very soft forward leaning ankle strap that is super park friendly.  The straps are hard to change out. If your that kind of person that loves to play around with your stereo system then here is the non electronic equivalent.

Comfort: You have choices of a toe strap or traditional strap, You have a soft, uniform plate that goes over your inserts and ankle straps that fit perfect for us. There was enough around the sides and a decent taper in the middle where you flex that was good for us. If you play around with the multiple adjustment options this will be one of if not the most comfortable bindings you can get. The only complaint is if you use the toe strap over the toe instead of along the top it can cause the sides of your boots to collapse and possibly put pressure on your outer toes. What they should do next round is make the toe strap a little bigger so this doesn’t happen.

Response– This is a pretty responsive binding and it offers a pretty even response from heel to toe if you use the mid to stiff flexing inserts.  The 3 ankle strap flex settings can change up the toe side response which some might like and others might not care about at all.   The 2012 and 2013 Targa is just a little more responsive than the 2011 and 2010 models due to the new asymmetrical high back that also allows for more freedom of movement and the same support as the old one.

Adjustability: There isn’t anything this binding can’t do. You can shift your backs to work with anything from a 0 degree stance to a 15/-15 degree stance.  We’d like to see more adjustability like the Burton’s have but most bindings are like the Targas instead of Burton.  We also noticed that with the curvature of the back’s you don’t really have to angle them like you would some bindings. The toe straps can go over your toe or the top of your foot. The toe strap, aside from being small, is intelligently made and works very well set up traditionally or over your toe. Sometimes it can pinch the sides but the 2013 strap is a little larger and makes the fit a little easier. The ankle strap has the standard 2 position set up. What is cool is they have attached a rubber band like strap to the ankle strap so when you hit release it flies right off.  Its removable so if you don’t like it take it off.  The one issue with the Rome Targa is it’s not easy to get everything dialed out. The biggest pain is adjusting the bindings to your foot size.  You have a metal piece connecting to a metal or plastic piece that isn’t easy to align so you can get the screw in. It drove me mad a few times trying to get these set up over the years.  Also when there are a lot of parts there are a lot of possibilities for those parts to break.  They aren’t easy to change from binding to binding and the screw that holds the 2 padding pieces together seem to be proprietary.  This is not good if you loose these.

Dampening/Shock Absorption: There is dense foam padding on the heel that goes all the way to the board. There is also a rubber liner on the bottom of the binding. This tech can absorb allot of shock and If your having speed issues it won’t be from the bindings. We really like the rubber on the base plate because it leaves less damage on the your board when you take the bindings off.  For 2011 up there is much more shock absorption in the front and back than there was in the older models.  It makes for a smooth damp ride that can offer a lot of cushioning if you need it.

Overall the Targa is pretty well made and damp.  The versatility of the ankle strap can be good for some but not for others.  Also the adjustability is a pain in the ass but if you can get it set up it might be a great binding for you.