Hello and welcome to my Ride Capo bindings review.
In this review, I will take a look at the Capos as Freeride snowboard bindings.
As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Capos a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how they compare with other Freeride bindings.
NOTE: The 2020 model was the last model of the Capo, so this review will no longer be updated.
Overall Rating
Bindings: Ride Capo Snowboard Bindings
Price: $299 (USD recommended retail)
Style: Freeride
Other Uses: Aggressive All-Mountain
Flex Rating: Medium-Stiff (7/10)
Flex Feel: Stiff (8/10)
Rating Score: 80.1/100
Compared to other Men’s Freeride Bindings
Out of the 11 Men’s Freeride bindings that I rated:
- The average price was $429 (USD)
- The average score was 85.7/100
- The highest score was 91.9/100
- The lowest score was 80.1/100
- The Capos ranked 11th out of 11
Sizing
Check out the table below for the available sizes for the Capo
| Size | Fits Men’s US Boot Sizes | Euro Boot Sizes | UK Boot Sizes |
| Medium | 5.0 – 9.0 | 36.5 – 42.0 | 4.0 – 8.0 |
| Large | 8.0 – 12.0 | 40.5 – 46.0 | 7.0 – 11.0 |
| Extra Large | 11.0 & up | 45.0 & up | 10.0 & up |
Who are the Capos Most Suited to?
These bindings are for anyone who likes their bindings stiff and really responsive and aren’t too concerned about tweakability and board feel.
Great for those who like to bomb the resort fast and hard and for backcountry missions.
Not for those that also want to be able to slow things down and play around a bit with tricks etc. They are pretty unforgiving and make you want to lock your board into a carve and hit everything with speed.
So, I would consider them aggressive all mountain to freeride bindings for advanced and more aggressive riders.
Definitely not for the beginner and not for the park, IMO. Some people like stiff bindings for the park, but I prefer something a bit softer – and even those that like them stiff for the park might want a bit more board feel than these.
The Capos in More Detail
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Capo’s are capable of.
Demo Info
Bindings: Ride Capo 2018, size L
Date: March 4th, 2017
Conditions: Plenty of fresh powder to be found. Had been puking it for a good few days leading up. Still bumpy and chundery in places as it was a Saturday but mostly soft good conditions on the groomers and plenty of powder off.
Bindings angles: +15/-15
Flex
These bindings are quite stiff. Both when trying to twist the highback and the feel on the snow. So both the highback and the baseplate are quite stiff. Ride rate them a 6, but they felt stiffer than that to me.
Manufacturer’s Flex Rating: 8/10
On Snow Feel: 8/10
Board Feel/Butterability
These aren’t the best for board feel. But that’s ok because they’re not really made for that, IMO.
The feel is great if you want that locked-in, carve-hard feel – for those who want to only live on the edges of your board anyway – unless riding in powder.
I prefer something with better board feel, but for some these will feel fine.
Adjustability
You can adjust most thing on these bindings and most things are tool-less. And the tool-less system is very easy technically speaking.
The only issue I had was that the tool-less system wasn’t that easy physically speaking.
It was quite tough to actually unclip the toe strap to adjust it. I could do it but it took some force – which is good in some ways – because you know that it’s tight – and if not’s going to be screwed in, then it’s good to have something that’s going to be tight so your toe strap doesn’t fly off!
But it’s quite difficult to unclip – I imagine on really cold days that it would be near impossible to do on the mountain – so make sure you have it well set up at home first. This is quicker than bindings that use a screw for sure but it defeats the purpose of being quick if you can’t actually do it on the fly when it’s too cold.
But this is more of a demoing problem. If you buy them, then you can set that toe strap once and it will be in the right place from then on (unless you lend them out to friends/family). A guy at the demo tent who was trying to adjust them could not get them off and had to get the rep to help him with it.
Let’s Break up this text with a Video
This guy has a higher opinion of the Ratchets than I do (not that I have low opinion of them at all – I have just tried others that I like a little better).
Shock Absorption
These had a really damp feel to them and there was plenty of padding underfoot for jump landings and just in general for comfort.
Entry/Exit
The ratchets are decently smooth on these bindings – not the best that I’ve seen but definitely smooth enough – so they’re pretty quick and easy to get in and out of.
Comfort
The toe strap is nice but I didn’t like the Ankle strap as much. There is plenty of padding underfoot and the footbed is canted. So that ticks a couple of important boxes for comfort.
The ankle strap isn’t the most comfortable that I’ve ridden – but it’s still decent and not a deal breaker but that could be an improvement.
Responsiveness
Now we are definitely in the Capo strengths territory. These bindings are really responsive. For when you do want to bomb hard and get up on that edge and carve, these bindings come into their own.
Ankle Support
A little bit loose in terms of ankle support. The ankle strap isn’t the most supportive. This is perhaps the biggest thing they could improve in terms of making these just that bit better (as well as board feel). For the type of riding that you want to be doing in these I’d like to see the ankle straps improved a little bit.
Again, not a deal breaker but something that could be improved.
Score Breakdown and Final Verdict
Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.
| FACTOR | RATING (OUT OF 5) | CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE |
| Responsiveness: | 5.0 | 35/35 |
| Adjustability: | 3.0 | 9/15 |
| Ankle Support: | 3.0 | 9/15 |
| Shock Absorption: | 4.5 | 9/10 |
| Comfort: | 3.5 | 7/10 |
| Board Feel: | 2.0 | 4/10 |
| Entry/Exit: | 3.5 | 3.5/5 |
| TOTAL after normalizing | 80.1/100 |
Overall these are very responsive bindings that are great for bombing the mountain at speed. The biggest weaknesses, IMO, would be the ankle strap and the board feel.
But really these are aren’t deal breakers and if you’re looking for quite stiff, really responsive bindings and want to save some cash, these are worth checking out. They’re $130 cheaper than the average binding in this category (of the 11 that I rated) – so if you’ve got a tight budget but you still want something stiff and really responsive, then these might be your pick.
More Info, Current Prices and Where to Buy Online
If you’re interested in learning more about the Capos, are ready to buy or want to research current prices and size availability, check out the links below.
If you want to check out some other all-mountain freeride bindings or see how the Capos compared to others, check out the next link.
>>My Top 5 Freeride Bindings
DO NOT BUY THESE!
The quality is absolute rubbish.
I wish I had never purchased them and stuck with the tried and tested Union and Burton.
Cheap plastic ladders strip. Screws are soft and strip. Plastic forward lean-adjustor cracking. This is after 10 days on the slopes. Took them back to my local store and Ride have refused to cover anything under warranty and claim it is “Because they are set up wrong”. Even the store attendant was perplexed at this as he looked over and agreed they were set up perfectly.
I am an expert rider with 10 years experience. This is my 3rd board and bindings set-up and have never had ANY previous issues with any part of my other bindings.
Hi Shep
Thanks for the input appreciate it. I don’t comment on durability aspects like this (as I don’t test gear for long enough to test durability) so it’s good to get some insights from someone who has. Sucks that they won’t honor the warranty too.
Hi!
Do these bindings fit in the burton flight attendant 2018? Because i really like Ride bindings. Or should i get the burton cartels?
Thanks for your help!
Hi Samu
Yes, the Capo is compatible with Burton snowboards – it will fit on either the 2 x 4 mountain system that most snowboards use – and also on the Channel system, which Burton uses.
Hope this helps