grigorib wrote: ↑Tue Jul 28, 2020 2:11 am
Straps introduce risk of broken ankles. Lose them and never look back
I agree this risk is real, however there is a fix.
Get the right straps to mitigate this "risk"
And the deckpads play a part in this mitigation as well, the diamond shape grip pads are evil, they grip too much, a top tip from the pro riders who love straps but need to move feet around fast and reliably, and be sure they are released quickly and easily during high speed wipe outs, they say that with diamond grip pads, its best to either rub the diamond grip parts down to a smooth finish rubber grip under the straps or simply avoid these pads and get the smooth grip pads now seen on many boards, (and these pads are "easy" to fit and for sale) even moses boards have started to use this much better smooth grip pad on their T35 and T22, but still use evil diamond grip on their T38, however the moses type bulky old school straps are not great for easy foot release, so using these type of old school straps with diamond grip pads is an accident waiting to happen in my view, and after a few nasty wipe outs myself i would urge users of this system to modify their strap situation in some way,
making the strap bigger, as me and others tried is defo not the way to sort it, that can make for all sorts of bad crash situations including early foot release just at the point of take off when boosting.
just go for the front Y straps that are now available from Groove and other supply outlets around europe, they are perfect for good hold and great easy quick release under sudden load, and many boards now have the centerline row of strap screws up front as well, and these are perfect for Y straps, they are softer less bulky and don't absorb water.
never had a twisted ankle since using this combination of "soft" Y straps and smooth deck pads.
be careful with your choice of soft Y strap, the early Y strap from groove from 2 years back with the harder grey top reinforcement is not great at quick release and can twist the foot or even tear apart at the screw fixing, I broke two of the old straps this way, but the new black soft Y straps from groove are the type to put your trust in, perfect? probably!