Alkasquawlik

Agree with me on this, Nike is the "hot" name in snowboard boots right now. Everyone wants them. Not everyones' feet will fit into their boots, but when people hear "Nike boots! Outlet! Cheap, cheap prices!" and run to buy them regardless of fit, there will be a decent amount of people whose feet don't fit the boot, and then will complain about them.

Like I said, Nike is a huge name in snowboarding footwear right now. A bigger name equals more boots sold, which in turn increases the chance for people to dislike the boots for whatever reason, and tell people about their experiences.

That's your problem. You should have tried on at least some other boots to see if the ZF1s were the best for your feet. You do realize that many companies make a size 5 woman's boot? And that ALL those boots vary in shape, size, and fitment?

Clearly you do not know how boots are supposed to fit, otherwise you would've avoided Nikes and gone with another, better fitting boot.

Go into your local shop and get fitted for a proper pair of boots.

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sizzle

I got a pair of DKs this year. I am coming off Ion's which i liked, but I wanted something softer. Used them on opening day with no issues, loved the flex of them. I was a skeptic, but after trying them on and riding them they were exactly what I was looking for. Not sure how long they are gonna last according to some feedback I have seen in this thread, but I figured I would find out instead hating via hearsay.

duh

I like the Nikes, they are a comfy boot that lasts longer than the average boot. I know quite a few very experienced riders who have put 100+ days on them with no issues. I tried to hate on them when they entered the industry, even gave Danny no end of shit when he signed with them. I stayed away from them until 2 seasons ago and finally got a pair of Kaijus to test, instant love. I held on to them after testing and have put many, many days on them since.

As far as them being an outside company trying to break into our industry: K2 and Ride are owned by a giant conglomerate with no action sports background, Vans is a boat shoe company owned by Vanity Fair, Thirty-Two is a skate shoe company, Salomon is a ski company, DC is a skate clothing company (droors) that is now owned by a surf clothing company... There are very few snowboard specific companies making boots, and those that are either make shit boots or hire people from companies like Nike to help develop the technology.

The truth is that Nike has a long history of making shoes and boots for a large base of applications. Nike is not afraid to throw money at product development. They had a rocky start with some horrible liners but instead of dying they completely revamped the entire liner, with great success. The best part of the whole Nike boot is that every other stagnant boot manufacturer has had to step up their game over the last few seasons to compete for customers.

I'm back in Vans for the most part this season and truly miss my Nikes.

Nivek

Bahaha they last long. They're made of cardboard. They do not last. Everyone I know blows them apart in 60 days.

K2 has no sporting background? They got their start making skis... Their parent company started by making sleeping bags. Nice try there. Ride started as an independent brand. Vans did start off with a boat shoe yeah, but they didn't start making real money till Dogtown got ahold of the Era's. Their legitimate heritage is skate shoes. And since when is starting as a skate shoe company before boots a bad thing? Did snowboarding not evolve from skating?
Salomon, fine. Maybe read THIS though, and they make some of the best boots on the market with one of the most universal fits. I sell more Salomon's than anything else. Including Nikes. I can literally say nothing, and just put them in whatever Nike they ask for and then a Salomon and 9 times out of 10 they'll pick Salomon. Oh and I guess you'll have to boycott Volcom now as they're owned by Prada.

Nike learned with SB that they don't necessarily need to make a great product to sell it. It has a swoosh, it will sell.

I have some Ites sitting here in front of me. They DO NOT look or feel like a $400 boot. Traditional laces for fucks sake, are you shitting me? Traditional laces on a $400 boot? Wanna know what a $400 boot should get you? Go look at Deeluxe Spark XV's. Or Flow Hylites which give you zonal boa AND zonal liner lacing. K2 Thraxis that gives you dual zone and boa Conda. Not to mention I've had to re-lace and replace the locks on I think 6 or 7 pairs of this years Nikes already. I welcome Adidas cause they'll kick Nike in the ass, and Nike needs a kick in the ass.

Nike's outerwear is great though.

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duh

In case you don't know who owns K2 and Ride (as well as many others) here you go: Jarden - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

My point is that most of the players in the boot market right now started in other industries and saw oppurtunity to cash in on the snowboarding bandwagon. Nike has just as much right to make snowboard products as any company that makes boat shoes, skate shoes, jars or any other damned thing for that matter. And yes the boots will last 100+ days. Too many of my friends have gotten that many days of serious riding for me to think anything else.

As far as laces on a four hundred dollar boot goes, yes please. I've ridden about every different take on alternative lacing devices and still stand firm that laces are the best. Some of the current crop of full lace boots with boa in the heels such as the Vans Reverb and the DC Kush are pretty promising though. Too bad Boa changes their dials every couple years and somehow manages to make each generation less user friendly from a repair aspect. So for me laces are still the superior option and I would demand it of a $400 dollar boot.

Nivek

I know who Jarden is. They made sleeping bags.

And you talk about "cashing in". When K2 Started they saw instantly that they had to run the snowboard side completely independent of the ski side. If you read the article I posted you know that Salomon Snowboards got its start with Brad Stewart, who also helped start Morrow. As I stated already, though they may be owned by Jaden now, Ride began as an independent snowboard brand. Skate shoe brands cashing in? If you're a snowboarder that doesn't skate you're missing something. And back when all these companies were popping up, they're pro's skated first. Why wouldn't they make the jump to snowboard boots.

I don't give a shit that Nike wants to get into the market. Did you not see my comment on Adidas? I welcome them. And I do so cause I trust them to make a great product. My problem with Nike is they aren't selling a good boot, they're selling swooshes. If they jumped in with a great boot that pushed the boot market I'd be all for it. But they aren't. I like the brand. I do my long runs in Free's and they make my favorite running shorts. They made some of the best hockey skates I ever owned. But they don't seem to have bothered to learn what makes a good snowboard boot.

As for boa, they've been easy to replace as long as I've ever had them. And this latest dial doesn't even need a tool.

I'm not necessarily knocking laces as a whole. I still have some laced boots and really like them, but the only difference between the Kaiju and Ites is the adjustable stiffness. Leave laces on the Kaiju and do a fast lace on the Ites. Part of a boots cost is lacing systems, being that Ites are traditional lace (which is cheap as shit to make) they should not be $400. You get all the same construction, except better built, and features minus the honestly superfluous adjustable stiffness from every other $400 boot but they're using some sort of more-expensive-to-manufacture fast lace system. Where then is the extra cost of the Ites or Kaijus?

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Alkasquawlik

traditional laces > everything else.

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Slush Puppie

The nike liners expand back to the the original shape a little over time. If they fitted fine at one point, they probably will again. Unless your feet have grown.

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Nivek

How is this a good thing? Shouldn't a heat moldable liner stay molded?

Nearly the entire snowboard market disagrees with you, so....

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Alkasquawlik

I couldn't caer less what the "entire snowboard market" agrees or disagrees with haha, I like traditional laces. The only reason there are so many speed lacing systems out there, is because they're easy to sell and people are lazy. Our entire women's boot line is BOA, since girls love them and they're such an easy sell to beginner/intermediate riders. The only boot womens boot we have that isn't a speed lacing system is the women's Vapen, and it's one of the most popular boots. Same thing with men, the traditional laced Lashed and the Nike boots are our best selling boots. What was the statistic again, 95% of people who snowboard go between 5-10 days in a year. Of course people like that are going to enjoy BOA/Fasttrack/Speedzone, and I can see why.

I, for one, am glad Nike makes a high end boot that still adheres to a traditional lacing system. It's one major factor in why I choose to ride them.
I broke a pair of BOA bindings on a wakeboard when they first came out, and will never ever ride a pair of boots with them for that reason. I was never a fan of Speedzone, and can lace up my boots just as fast, so found no reason to switch. Have fun that day your BOA or SZ laces break, and your day is shot. I can go into the pro shop and buy $5 B Bomber laces and be back on the hill in 10 minutes.

But ya, fuck paying $300-400 a boot and being forced into some stupid lacing system. Obviously there's a market demand for it, or Nike wouldn't be doing so well. I guess the market does agree with me..

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