purpletiesto Posted January 28, 2009 Report Share Posted January 28, 2009 Ok so I've been speaking to Bruce for a while and have decided on getting my first bardboot board! I'll be getting a 176 AM T (21.5cm waist) with F2 Race Ti bindings!! Woo! Anyway, I'm 189cm (6"2-6"3) and weigh about 82kg (180lb). I've been snowboarding for about 10 years and am relatively confident with my ability as a softboot rider. I've currently got a Never Summer Premier with Nidecker 900 Carbons. So! My problem is now which boots should I get?! I've got a skinny flat foot, and I don't want boots I will grow out of ability wise. So, which boots will team up well with this board? Any advice at all on people's experience with these boots is very much appreciated. I plan for this to be my only hardboot setup for a long time :rolleyes: I read somewhere that for wider waisted boards the Track 225s are the better choice, also for the relative softness of the AM the lateral stiffness matches well with the AM, these boots are also good. Or should I go the 325s with a BTS? I'm just reproducing things I've read here. Argh options options, well any help is more than very welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kex Posted January 28, 2009 Report Share Posted January 28, 2009 Though I'm sure some disagree, Ive heard from some people that its best to go for a stiff boot that will force you to use proper technique. I went with this path and bought deeluxe indys, because I liked the idea of learning correct technique, and I also wanted a boot that would last me for a long time. I cant say if it would have been easier to learn in a softer boot, but I havent had any trouble learning in mine. I have had trouble getting mine to fit properly, so I would say thats more important. Make sure that whatever boot you pick will fit you well if you have the opportunity to try some on. My indys seem to be a little bit too narrow for my foot, so eventually I will probably get them punched out a little. Even if you will end up buying a used pair for monetary reasons, try and find a store that sells hardboots just to get a feel for the differences between brands. If you cant, ask around here or use the search. Fit comes before performance in my book, because if you cant stand wearing them, and you are miserable while they are on your feet, it doesnt matter how well they carve! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purpletiesto Posted January 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2009 Thanks for the reply, I've read something similar to this and it's definitely an option I'm considering. Cheers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike T Posted January 28, 2009 Report Share Posted January 28, 2009 My personal opinion based on a slow, obstacle-ridden learning experience: I'm not a snowboard coach but I hope to play one on TV someday ;) 1) Getting a good fit matters more than stiff/soft. Since the 225 and 325 would fit identically, the important thing is that you pick the right size. If you have narrow feet these modela should fit you pretty well. Again, make sure you get the right size. 2) When learning, softer boots will make it easier to ride from the board up... meaning using ankle movements to start turns. This is important, as beginners tend to throw their upper body around rather than ride from the board up. 3) Softer boots make it so your stance does not have to be set up as optimally. Finding your stance is another things beginners struggle with. My opinion is to start with softer boots and go stiffer when you really feel the need... with the 225 you can try to get a stiffer tongue from a 325 or from the stiffer boots from the old SB series when you want to add more stiffness. Did Bruce have any advice on this topic? If he does, listen to his over mine. P.S. Excellent choice of board. The ultimate combination of easy to ride and high performance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purpletiesto Posted January 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2009 Hi there Mike T! Thank a lot for your response!! I've read as much as I can on the fit of the 225/325 and my feet measure 27.5/27.4 (if I remember correctly), and I'm leaning towards getting a 26MP boot. Is this a good choice? From the 3 points you made, I'm leaning towards the 225 since it sounds as though they'll make me progress quicker. I like the idea of stiffening them up later on with the 325 tongues. Yeah I've spoken to Bruce, he's a legend. He said that both boots will be great with the board so just pick up the ones that fit He told me that he's got a pair of Raichle 325s. I read on the EC carving forum (here: http://www.extremecarving.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4829&highlight=impressions ) that the current 225s are comparable to older Raichle 325s. But then again it also said that the HSP are also similar:confused: I think they were getting at the new 225s are stiffer than the older model 'soft' hardboots maybe equivalent to an intermediate stiffness of the older models. Well either that or I'm completely wrong, which is most likely the case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kex Posted January 29, 2009 Report Share Posted January 29, 2009 I would go for a 27 if I were you. I have 26.7 and 26.8 feet and my mp 26's feet quite tight on my feet. As I mentioned before I have been having bootfitting trouble, mainly because my feet are a little too wide for my indys, but aside from that, when I do a shell test (search for it it you dont know what it is), I have about 1 cm of free space behind my heel with my toes slightly touching the front of the shell. The recommended is 1-2 cm. I would imagine since the 225s and 325s are also made by deeluxe, the fit would be similar(correct me if im wrong on this). This means that your feet, which are slightly less than a centimeter larger than mine, would basically have no free space behind the heel with a shell test. What that means for you is that when you use a liner, whether stock or heat moldable, you will not have any room for the sheer volume of the liner, and your toes will be smashed. There are ways around this, such as punching out your shell, but I see no reason for a beginner to have to or want to do this. If you are a professional racer and want the tightest possible fit you can have, thats one thing. But when you are trying to learn to carve, I dont think its neccesary. Maybe its just me, I'm used to having looser shoes, but even my 26s seem really tight, even when setting aside the discomfort I am feeling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purpletiesto Posted January 29, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2009 Hey Kex, thanks a lot for you input! I'm familiar with the shell test. Pity I can't go try on any boots because this would make my life a little easier in sizing them up. I read in a thread,(here: http://www.bomberonline.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=24086&highlight=boot+size and here: http://www.bomberonline.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=226837#post226837 ), that a lot of people have gone down 1 size without any shell punching because they find that their liners pack out even after heat molding. I think the 700T are a little larger than the 325/225. Well I'm not sure which way to go now.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kex Posted January 29, 2009 Report Share Posted January 29, 2009 Hey Kex, thanks a lot for you input!I'm familiar with the shell test. Pity I can't go try on any boots because this would make my life a little easier in sizing them up. I read in a thread,(here: http://www.bomberonline.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=24086&highlight=boot+size and here: http://www.bomberonline.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=226837#post226837 ), that a lot of people have gone down 1 size without any shell punching because they find that their liners pack out even after heat molding. I think the 700T are a little larger than the 325/225. Well I'm not sure which way to go now.. Well I hear people say its better to go smaller than larger because you can make a smaller boot bigger but you cant make a big boot smaller. I disagree with this because: Ultimately, if a boot is a little too big, its still useable, you just wont get 100% out of it performance-wise. If its too small, you wont even be able to get it on your foot, or if you can, you will most likely experience mild to severe discomfort, in which case you still wont get 100% out of your boot. I'm sure others will disagree, but it seems the most painless route is to go with the larger of the two boots. just my $.02 Edit: it seems to me that the people who have gone down in boot size are experienced carvers who have tried multiple brands and sizes of boots, are devoted to the sport and are willing to spend the time and money to get their boots to fit absolutely perfectly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purpletiesto Posted January 29, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2009 Hm Yeah. I also noticed a lot of them also have 700T(from peeping at their profiles ), which, from what I've read, runs slightly larger. Correct me if I'm wrong here though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purpletiesto Posted January 30, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2009 Anyone else have any input on which boot to get? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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