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Laces or Not?

7K views 41 replies 18 participants last post by  wasaskier 
#1 ·
I was just wondering everyones opinion on boots. i need a new pair, and cannot decide between a traditional lace up boot, like the DC park boot, or something like the burton moto with the no lace system. Which ones do you like? i'm open to suggestions...
 
#3 ·
From my experience laces will yield the most custom and best fit...

But every foot is different, so a speed lace may work for you. I've had a few speed lace boots and recently went lace and I will never go back.

It's really personal preference and your foot.
 
#5 ·
To the expense remark... Boots are THE single most important item in your arsenal. You can't really judge a boot by price low or high... So you can't go buy the most pricy boot and assume it's good, and a low end boot may be perfect for you as well.


And ya, I have the Kaiju's and love them. I don't see myself in any other brand for quite some time.... Nike has infinite resources and I feel they make the best boot on the market because of that. I'm not a huge Nike person, but I buy what I feel is best.... I don't buy american vehicles either, until they step it up to the level that foreign cars are on.
 
#6 ·
^This

I agree with Milo that Nike makes a quality boot. Although from a different Nike thread, we disagree on the sizing of them.:dunno:

I have Kaiju's too and think they're great...cause they fit my feet the best. Best thing to do is try a ton of boots on. My first pair of boots, I just bought cause the guy said it was good and had it ended up being a horribly fitting boot. When I got my Kaiju's I wanted speedlaces or Boa, but the Nikes fit me so well compared to the others I couldn't pass it up. And I tried on a ton of boots from multiple stores.
 
#7 ·
I have a pair of Burton Ions with the speed lace system. They're pretty good and easy to tie up but they're starting to slip after 2 seasons. I think I'll be sending them for warranty at the end of this season.
As said before, go with the best fit. Don't even look at the prices when you're shopping.
 
#9 ·
i think laces are the most comfortable. you also don't have to worry about stuff breaking, just carry an extra pair of laces and you are set for any disaster. I don't mind taking a little longer to put on my boots to have the best fit and most comfort. I tried a double boa for a little, but didn't like it.
 
#11 ·
They way I see it, if your laces break, you can carry an extra pair or buy some for less than a dollar.
If your BOA breaks, you're SOL for a while.
And as far as convinience goes, it takes what, 30 seconds to lace up your boots as opposed to 5 seconds.
If you dont have 25 seconds to spare then you need to sit down and hit a bowl or something.
 
#12 ·
actually it takes about 10 min to change out a pair of boa laces and they are sold at almost every board shop My last pair lasted 2 seasons, without snapping and a friend has been currently using them for the past 2 seasons with no problems.

it has nothing to do with the convinience of taking 5 min vs 30 sec to lace up its more of the convinience of being on the lift or gondola and reaching down and poping out the wheel and relaxing your feet minimizing foot fatigue while your boyz are locked for the whole day. And then just pop it back in and quick spin before you strap up and your good to go.

Have you ever tried the system, more then just in the store? Or are you just repeating what other people say. Because other then being for the "lazy" rider (as people label boarders that wear boa boots) tell me some real disadvantages of the system because I havent found any yet. Ill even give you time to google it and Ill check back later. :laugh:
 
#13 ·
I've had speed laces and BOA but last season I went back to regular laces. The speed laces that I had always slipped loose and had to be retightened several times each day. The BOA boots I had were single BOA and had terrible pressure points around my ankles, maybe the double BOAs are better but for now I'm happy with laces.
 
#33 ·
It is very easy to loosen and re tighten BOA laces. No way you are going to do it as conveniently with laces. Not even close. Seconds vs minutes. That said, do you really have the urge to loosen/tighten your boots all that much at the resort? If anything I tighten mine up after a few runs. Never loosen them.

I do use boots with the BOA focus system and I have my reason for it. Over 90% of my days are spent on a splitboard. Which means I'm skinning more than I am riding down. Laces sucked for this. Just plain uncomfortable on the up for me. I wanted to loosen them, but that took too much time. With the focus system I can keep the lower section tight and loosen the uppers to make the trek up a hell of a lot more comfortable. A few seconds is all it takes for the down.

Laces are tried and true. For resort riding you really can't go wrong with them. I have broken BOA cables and they are very easy to replace. Just not as easy as laces. You'll need to have replacement cables and probably go to a shop to swap it out. A Voile strap will work as a quick fix if you bust a cable. Especially with the Focus system as the upper is what you are probably going to break. The day I busted mine, I was out in the backcountry and had no replacement cables with me. The strap did the job just fine and I continued on for the rest of the day no problem.



Not a bad idea to carry a couple of these anyway. You'd be surprised with what you can rig with one to make broken gear work.
 
#34 ·
Laces are tried and true. For resort riding you really can't go wrong with them. I have broken BOA cables and they are very easy to replace. Just not as easy as laces. You'll need to have replacement cables and probably go to a shop to swap it out. A Voile strap will work as a quick fix if you bust a cable. Especially with the Focus system as the upper is what you are probably going to break. The day I busted mine, I was out in the backcountry and had no replacement cables with me. The strap did the job just fine and I continued on for the rest of the day no problem.



Not a bad idea to carry a couple of these anyway. You'd be surprised with what you can rig with one to make broken gear work.
I have boa's, but I bought them due to the comfort of the boot, which just happened to have the boa system. Those straps look like something I should get for the just in case factor. Great idea.
 
#35 ·
I agree that the focus boa system is awesome. My next boots will probably be something with the K2 conda system.


I had some regular boa boots a couple seasons back. They were super quick and pretty easy. They did cause me some pressure points though. I like the bottom of my boots to fit a little loose, and the tops to be tight. Couldn't do it with these boots.

Now I ride laces. I like them.

Like I said, I feel like the K2 Boa Conda system with a lace up shell would be the ultimate.
 
#36 ·
If you lace your boots properly the first time, you should rarely have to re tighten lace boots....

Do a google search for how hockey players lace up. That's how I do it and my laces never come loose, but sometimes I don't hit the exact sweet spot and have to redo them
 
#42 ·
Get double BOA or traditional laces; speedlace/powerlace system is horrible

In a search for a perfect pair I probably tried like 30 pairs, from $100 to $400+
I loved double BOA but couldn't find boots that fit.
Salomon Dialogue and F20 are super comfy and I wanted to keep them, but they would never stay tight due to powerlace system.

To my surprise lowly Ride Orion were the best fit in the flex I wanted. My wallet is also pretty happy ;)
 
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