I know exactly what you mean i used step in for a while as coming from a cycling background where clip in pedals killed of leather toe straps in the late 80's. I thought step ins or flows where they way forward, last year after hiring a board for a morning in 2 Alpes during a summer cycling holiday. I realised the how good normal bindings where and promptly went back to them. The performance is great but strapping in can still be a right royal pain in the arse espicially if you happen to be some skiers.

You should try the Salomon range - they have a neat 'fastfit' front strap that means the toe strap never needs to be re-engaged, just tightened. Although it can't be more than 50% quicker than having to do up two - it does seem that way!

I've just gone the other way - onto Flows - after using hired strap-ons for years. If they fit well, they work fine. I suspect your problem was that your Flows were a size too small and loosened to accommodate your feet - which you don't mention in your post!

Whilst for extreme freestyle you would want performance over convenience, I'm happy not to be the one delaying the group while strapping on for a few years!

Yeah, I like the Salomon system and had intended getting their top of the line binding but the only one available was a cheaper model which felt very soft.

Michael, you may be right as my last set of Flows were on the small side but don't expect to wait for me!