Boot-sizing Question

[John Bell]

So I'm thinking of buying hard boots for the first time. Stratton is too far, so I'll have to buy them online, and I'm confused about the sizing.

The alpinecarving.com site says to buy the boot whose mondo size is equal to the actual length of your foot in centimeters and to round down any fraction thereof. My foot is exactly 26.67 cm (10.5 inches) long. Thus by said rule, I should buy a mondo 26 boot. I wear a size 10 street shoe.

And yet every chart I can find and every boot I've seen for sale on eBay or here that gives a regular shoe-size comparison says that a 26 is a US 8, a 27 is a 9, and a 28 is a 10. Of course, Firestone's site says to ignore all these.

Should I *really* buy a mondo 26 boot? Going strictly by Firestone's advice, it would seem so--and yet my gut says that can't be right.

(My foot is slightly on the wide side--3.5 cm across the ball of the foot. But I don't buy shoes extra wide.)

Thanks for any help!

--John

[BlueB]

Yes! Do not buy bigger then 26 mondo - you'll be sorry after few days riding.

I've also got 26.5cm foot and best fit comes from 25.5 shells with 26 liners in them (Dalbello/Head boot).

[Mike T]

http://www.bomberonline.com/store/boots/

The link that says "Read me first - how to size your boots" says the same thing as the Carving Almanac. It's gold.

Only both of them omit one important factor: If you, like me, have flat feet, measure you feet while resting on the footbeds you will be using in your boots. The flatter your feet are, the wider margin between the "footbeds" measurement and the "flat on the floor" measurement. The "footbeds" measurement will be LESS. For me it is a FULL CM less!

I wear size 9.5 running shoes, and size 25 Deeluxe shells + themoflex liners. The hardboots kill before the liners are molded, and afterwards, they are awesome.

[John Bell]

So when people on eBay advertise the mondo size, I assume they're talking about the shells, right?

So if I buy a mondo 26, but my foot is 26.7 cm long, won't my toe be banging up against the shell of the boot?

[Mike T]

So if I buy a mondo 26, but my foot is 26.7 cm long, won't my toe be banging up against the shell of the boot?

Nope. That's not how the shells are sized. A 26 shell is sized to allow a proper fit on a foot that is (26 <= x < 27) cm long, with the liner on.

My first pair of boots was too big. It sucked. Take it from soneone who has ridden in big boots - don't do it. Your feet will cramp up something awful if they are sloshing around as you try to control the board.

When you get the boots, do the shell test (also at http://www.bomberonline.com/store/boots/Sizing_boots.pdf) and if that gives the wrong result, return them.

Shells can be made bigger by a bootfitter but not smaller...

[John Bell]

Wish I'd found that how-to page before posting this query.

'Preciate the patient answers, guys.

John

[Surf Quebec]

Do as said on alpinecarving.

My foot is 26.5 cm. I choose Track700 mondo 26.

I used to ride in Af600 mondo 27.5 and it was way too big.

I almost went for a size 25.