Hello and welcome to my Ride C-6 bindings review.
In this review I will take a look at the C-6 as all-mountain snowboard bindings.
Ride completely re-hauled their binding line-up for 2021, so it was great to get the chance to get on the C-6.
As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the C-6 a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how they compare with other all-mountain bindings.
Overall Rating
Bindings: Ride C-6
Price: $299 (USD recommended retail)
Style: All-Mountain
Flex Rating: Medium (6/10)
Flex Feel: Medium (6/10)
Rating Score: 81.2/100
Compared to other Men’s All-Mountain Bindings
Out of the 24 men’s all-mountain bindings that I rated:
Overview of the C-6’s Specs
Check out the tables for the C-6’s specs and available sizes.
Specs
Style: | All-Mountain |
Price: | $299 - BUYING OPTIONS |
Ability Level: |  |
Flex: |  |
Weight: | Heavy |
Mounts To: | 2 x 4 | 4 x 4 | Channel |
Sizing
SIZE | US BOOT SIZE | EURO BOOT SIZE | UK BOOT SIZE |
|---|---|---|---|
S | 4-8 | 35-40.5 | 3-7 |
M | 6-10 | 37-43.5 | 5-9 |
L | 10.5+ | 43.5-50+ | 9-14+ |
Who are the C-6 Most Suited To?
The C-6 are a great option for anyone looking for a solid all-round binding with pretty good response and great adjustability but at a decent price-point.
Not for beginners, a little too stiff for that, unless you're a bigger guy.
Matches boards with flex 4/10 to 7/10, but best match to 5 or 6 flex, IMO.
The C-6 in More Detail
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the C-6 are capable of.
Demo Info
Bindings: Ride C-6 2021, Large
Date: January 11, 2021
Conditions: Visibility was pretty poor for the most part, 25% in some areas.
Cold wind at around 20KPH (12MPH) and -5°C (23°F) with wind - around 1°C (34°F) without wind.
24 hour snow: 8cm
48 hour snow: 8cm
7 day snow: 80cm
On groomer: A little on the slushy side. Medium-soft overall.
Off groomer: Very similar to on-groomer
Bindings angles: +15/-15
Stance Width: 565mm (22.2”)
Board tested with: YES Greats 2019
Boots tested with: Adidas Tactical ADV size 9.5
Baseplate Length: 27cm (10.63”) – that’s measured on the top of the footbed. 26.2cm (10.31") on the underside of the baseplate – it angles up to the top of the footbed.
Highback Height: 21cm (8.27”)
Weight: 1160 grams (2lbs, 9oz)
* for one binding, including screws and disc. The average weight of a small sample size of around 30 bindings (2019, 2020 & 2021 models) I weighed, was 895 grams. The lightest was 760 grams and the heaviest was 1,160grams. So the C-6 is the heaviest that I've weighed. That said, it's an L and I could have also ridden the M (and if I bought these would buy the M most likely, which would be a little lighter).
Mounting
Really straight forward mounting process. The stance width adjustability is good which does make getting your exact stance a bit more of a process, but worth it for that stance width adjustability.
They are quite long. With low profile 9.5s, they sat too far back to heel to begin with and was too much heel overhang with not enough toe overhang. However, because you can adjust the heel cup on these bad boys, that was easy solved. And I found that I could fit my 9.5 Tactical ADVs in the L fine - I would still recommend going M for that size, but the adjustability of these bindings, means they did fit my boots, even out of sizing recommendations.
With being quite long they also easily reached the edges of my wide-ish YES Greats without gas pedal extension. So on a regular width board these would be bordering on being too long, so the M would be a better fit for most regular width boards too.
Flex
In Hand: Relatively easy rotation of highback, but nothing super soft. Pulling back it feels pretty solid but not immovable
While Riding: A little stiffer than my control bindings (Burton Malavita), but certainly a mid flex. I think 6/10 pretty accurate or maybe pushing 6.5.
Responsiveness
Just a touch more power for carving than the Malavitas but with a little less in terms of maneuverability at slower speeds versus the Malavitas, which is pretty typical for stiffer bindings.
Board Feel/Butterability
Board feel not great. Which is typical of Ride bindings and it seems like the revamped line-up hasn't changed that.
Pop/Ollie Power
Maybe a hair less than Malavita, but nothing significant. Pretty normal in that respect.
Adjustability
Heel Cup: Yes! (which I really like to have for easy centering of boots)
Stance Width: Nice and adjustable - discs are very versatile
Highback Lean: Tool-less and easy to use
Ankle Strap Position: No
Toe Strap Position: No
Ankle and toe strap length: Yes tool-less and pretty easy to use
Gas pedal/toe ramp extension: Yes
Highback Rotation: Yes
Compatible with: 2 x 4 | 4 x 4 | channel
Overall these bindings are super adjustable and shouldn't have any problem fitting your boot into them, if in the size range recommendations. And even slightly out of those recommendations, you can get by too.
And fitting with board is really good too in terms of boot centering, stance width adjustments, highback rotation and gas pedal extension. Again, so long as you get the right size for the board - all those things should be easy to customize to your board.
Shock Absorption
Good amount of padding in the footbed, particularly in the heel, and overall felt like they absorbed shock well. Half a step down from my Malavitas, but still really good.
Entry/Exit
Average. Certainly not as smooth as the Malavitas and overall not that smooth in terms of ratchets. Ride bindings never were amazing in this respect and that's something else they haven't noticeably improved on, based on the C-6.
Let’s Break up this text with a Video
Comfort
Overall decently comfortable but not as comfortable as the Malavitas (but also priced a good bit lower).
Ankle Strap: Less comfortable than Malavita ankle strap for me. Not a big fan of these ankle straps
Toe Strap: Ditto ankle strap.
Canted Footbed: Yes, which is nice to see. A good amount of canting by the looks.
Padded Footbed: A good amount of padding there, particularly in the heel, which is where you want it most.
Highback: Good amount of padding up the top of the highback to soften the feel on the calves - and overall had no calf-bite, which is the main thing.
Ankle Support
Better than I remember some of Ride's older bindings. Still not super supportive, but I think there's an improvement there.
Score Breakdown and Final Verdict
Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
CARVING | 3.5 | 10.5/15 |
SLOW SPEED RESPONSE | 3.5 | 10.5/15 |
BOARD FEEL | 3.0 | 9/15 |
SHOCK ABSORPTION | 4.0 | 12/15 |
ADJUSTABILITY | 5.0 | 15/15 |
COMFORT | 4.0 | 8/10 |
ANKLE SUPPORT | 3.5 | 7/10 |
ENTRY/EXIT | 3.5 | 3.5/5 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 81.2/100 |
Overall the C-6 is a good solid binding for the price. Nothing to write home about, but nothing major to fault them on either.
I like how easy it is to determine the classification of their bindings (even if that means the names end up being a bit boring) - with the letter standing for either composite (C) or Aluminum (A) and the number for the flex.
The other most notable thing about their revamp, IMO, is the adjustability of the bindings. Bringing in the adjustable heel cup was a nice touch. And being compatible out of the box with any mounting system is always good too. Overall, one of the most adjustable bindings going around now.
More Info, Current Prices and Where to Buy Online
If you want to learn more about the C-6, are ready to buy or want to research prices and availability, check out the links below.
If you want to see how the C-6 compares to other men’s all-mountain bindings or want to check out some other options in that category, check out the next link.
Thank for the review. I use burtion kendo size 11 boots. Would your recommend large or medium c-6 bindings? In general, is it better to be at the lower end or higher end og ride binding size.. Thanks.
Hi Patrick
With 11s, I would go L for the C-6. Even with low profile 11s, like Burton boots. In general, if you’re in between sizes, then it depends on your board, IMO. For a wider board, I’d err to the larger size (just to give you a little more leverage from the longer baseplate) but for a narrower board, a Large can end up being to long for the width of the board, depending on the binding brand. But I’d first match with the boots, but if two sizes are going to match your boots, then it depends on the board.
Hope this helps
I have Burton Moto Boa 10.5 US 43.5 EU. Should I go for M or L? Is quality and carving use similar to Union STR?
Hi Gianluca
Thanks for your message. I would say the L is probably the safe bet. Though with the Moto you would likely fit in the M – and I think if you can fit in the M, it would provide the better fit, but no guarantees the Moto will fit in the M.
I would say that they are very similar in terms of carving. In terms of quality they are also similar, for the most part. But I do prefer the ankle and toe straps on the STR.
Hope this helps