UPDATE: Check out our review of the 2018/2019 Ride Rodeo here

• Price: £190
• Sizes: M, L, XL
• Flex: 4
• Entry System: Classic
• RIDESNOWBOARDS.COM

Built for freestyle, the Ride Rodeo binding is the go-to model for park destroyers like Spencer Schubert. Combining a forgiving flex with lightweight performance, no feature is safe from this one.

For 2016/17 there have been a couple of significant changes made to the Ride Rodeo. First off, it’s the only one to feature the new ‘Squad’ highback. This has a large, flat section that supports you during presses and the like, but it’s fairly flexible from side to side. It’s also a little thinner than average, which means they’ve achieved a lighter weight without having to add any cutaways.

“Heavy-hitting park riders will find what they’re after, but you don’t have to be soaring over 100-foot kickers to appreciate it”

While you can definitely have your fun on the smaller stuff, the Ride Rodeo is built for so much more. As you can plainly see, the majority of the chassis is made from ultra-light aluminium, which is damn near impossible to break. Thrash this one as hard as you like, and it’ll barely break a sweat – plus the reduced-size disc means that you get better board flex and feel. As for shock-absorption, a full layer of EVA has got you covered.

It’s also been given a ‘Wedgie’ – and not in the Nelson Muntz way. When your strap in, the tiltled footpad sits your boot at an angle of 2.5 degrees (with the highest point on the outside of the foot). This gets your leg joints more naturally aligned, which can ease knee pain and even increase the size of your ollies. If you ride with a wide stance, you’ll really feel the benefit of the Wedgie footbeds.

There’s more aluminium in the binding ratchets, which are hollow to reduce the weight even further. The redesigned toe strap can be used in two different ways, and the asymmetrical ankle strap is especially designed for freestyle.

Heavy-hitting park riders will find what they’re after in the Ride Rodeo, but you don’t have to be soaring over 100-foot kickers to appreciate it. Freestyle fans of all kinds should get this on their shortlist.