Which boots for f2 silberpfeil

[Guest Surfer_D]

Hi Guys,

I have to buy some new boots for this season. Can you recomend any good ones?

I'm searching for full carving boots. Currently I owe Reichle boots, I have no Idea what the model is but it's 5 years old and it's killing me.

On deeluxe site they have 3 models. WHat do you think about Suzuka model?

http://www.deeluxe.com/

Thanks

[Ray]

Originally posted by Surfer_D

Hi Guys,

I have to buy some new boots for this season. Can you recomend any good ones?

I'm searching for full carving boots. Currently I owe Reichle boots, I have no Idea what the model is but it's 5 years old and it's killing me.

On deeluxe site they have 3 models. WHat do you think about Suzuka model?

http://www.deeluxe.com/

Thanks

My opinion is that it does not really matter what board you ride.

What matters the most is that the boots delivers the best possible fit for your feet.

I have tried many boots with many different boards in the last 15 years and perfect fit will bring you the best results.

Both, the Deeluxe Suzuka and the Indy are a good choice.

[fin]

Surfer_D,

I agree with Ray, your boots should be functional for lots of different boards. However, you should also pick a boot that works best for your style.

The Suzuka is by far the best "do-all" boot available. It uses the new generation shell and comes with the top of the line Thermo-Flex liner. I suspect your older Raichles are SB series shell (older) and regular liner?

Also, seeing as you already have a Rachle/DFeeluxe boot you can also do the shell test and see if you have the correct size or not. Go HERE for details on the test.

[kamran]

Yesterday we went to kirkwood (very good coverage for this time of the year) and yes,..my raichle 423s were hurting me again (already hitmolded the thermoliners). On the chair my buddy with raichle boots was also complaing about his boots "always" hurting him (he had hitmolded them too). Funny thing is..we ran into this other carver there with HEAD boots, and he also started complaining about his 2 previous raichle boots,..being so uncomfortable as hell. He was happy with his new HEAD though.

The general notion here is that raichle boots are one of the best, but I beg to differ now. Used to think it was me, but now I hear and see more people complaining. BTW, I did all the testing and it is the right size for me,..I really could use good boots.

P.S. years ago..I had old pair of raichles (413??) and UPS (second generation/pink color)boots,..and those were both good and comfortable.

[D-Sub]

surfer

depending on what size you wear, I have a pair of 03/04 suzukas, brand new shell, liners have only two days on them. Theyre size 27

email me through bomber if interested.

I'll third the "boots/board dont necessarily need to match" thing

[kiwanoron]

I have Ridden in, Burton(wind and fire) Rachle/Deeluxe (Suzuka and the first Rachle boots that came out with intec system)...I just bought a pair of Head boots last season and I would have to say they are the best boot I have ever ridden in...NO Pain, I did take out the Head liners and replace them with Thermo-Flex liners...Again it is very Important to make sure the boots fit correct...Living in FL the past two years, I have only put in 10 - 12 days on the snow each season - I hope to change that this season!

P.S. the Suzuka was also nice but I like the fit of the Head(My foot may be different than yours?).

I hope this helps!

~RON

[Guest Randy S.]

No offense Fin, but I had old SB Raichles and the new style Raichle/Deeluxe boots don't fit my foot well. I tried a couple of different versions w/out luck. I finally got UPS boots (I have a wide foot with a somewhat high instep). The UPS with Raichle thermoflex liners work pretty well for me. The new Deeluxe boots may work well for you and lots of people have had good luck. I don't like the ratchet buckles, but that's personal prefernce. I'm planning to get the new Head boots from a shop in Tahoe that's going to stock them this season. Again, sorry Fin, but I have to support any local shop that will stock any carving gear, even if it ends up being more expensive than buying from BOL. The Head boots are supposed to fit a wide foot well. We'll see. I'll post a review after riding them a bit. Other folks (pro and amateur) I've spoken with have liked them.

[Mark.Andersen]

I agree, the fit was different from the SB/LeMans to the AF/Suzuka. I think the length was fairly similar, so size may be similar, but the shape of the boot didn't agree with my feet. I decided to stick with the SB style boots.

That said, thermos might have solved all my problems, but I was more comfortable staying with what I knew. However, the OP said that the Raichles he has are killing him, so perhaps change is good in this case.

[kamran]

Randy,

If UPS is working for you,..why HEAD?

I heard the LTD shop in south tahoe is going to carry HEADs,..I'm gonna stop by and check them out within the next few weeks.

[Guest Randy S.]

Originally posted by chooblaykhan

.why HEAD?

Everyone needs a little head now and then!

The UPS boots have been OK, but haven't held up that well to heavy use. On my left foot the two middle buckles wore through one another. The walk/ride mechanism doesn't like to stay in walk mode when I ride/walk in powder. The screws in the toe pieces are set too close to the surface so they've both worn down (can't remove them w/out drilling now) and they slide on hard/wet surfaces and they scratch my bindings and boards. The liners that came with them are only so-so and while the Raichle ones work, I had to add a lot of extra padding which makes it a pain to take the liners in/out for drying every day.

From what I can tell, the head boots are made much better. Per my contact at Elite Feet, they are made like real ski boots and therefore afford bootfitters the ability to truly customize them. Elite Feet at Squaw is stocking them and should have them in by next week. I'm going up on Halloween to get a pair. You are welcome to drive up with me and Arvin if you want.

[kamran]

Thanks Randy, I am trying to get myself excused from this stupid halloween party next saturday and smoggle myself to kirkwood. Let's hope I can manage it.

[Guest thomas_m]

I have the Head Stratos Pro, bought from Bomber - added a custom footbed and love them. They're my first hardboot so can't compare them to Raichle's. I can only compare to my softboots, 32 Team Ones with a heatmoulded Intuition liner and custom footbed.

The Heads are MILES more comfortable, ride all day with no pain. The softboots really start getting to me after a while, especially on the ride back up the lifts toward the end of the day.

The only problem I have with the Head boots is that they are orange...

T.

[Mike T]

I picked up a pair of '02 Heads on closeout this fall. They are the old see-thru yellow Stratos-LTDs. (No better than your orange ones, Thomas....)

I mainly decided to try out Heads because I am f%^&*%g sick and tired of repairing and replacing damaged cant assmblies on the SB series boots. (I asked Michelle about the Suzukas, she said they still have a plastic cant assembly, aalthough there is only one so it's only half the hassle. The Heads use metal for the critical parts. ) Oh, and they were $199 at Startingate.

They passed the shell test for sizing with flying colors (1.5 fingers), but after a week of trying I could not get a good fit with the stock liners. My footbed didn't want to sit in the bottom right and there is a nasty ridge over the toes on the shell, which the liner didn't insulate me from, and I knew that even if I was able to break them in OK, my toes would be balck and blue and in pain all winter.

A thermoflex liner fixed everything, and even though I have a "narrow Raichle" foot, the Heads feel just as the Raichles did clipped into my TD2s and doing some living room surfing. I can't wait to try them out on the snow.

I love the metal micro-adjust buckles and the metal cant parts. I do however like the buckle placement on the Raichles much better. The Raichles have one buckle at the toe, one at the ankle, and two on the shin. The Heads have one on the toe, one on the front of the arch, one on the ankle, and one on the shin. A Booster strap is an absolute must-have. I have the "regular" booster strap and may wind up getting the stiffer "race" one.

The LTDs, which are one model below the Stratos Pro, came with two tongues. The softer tongue makes them a little stiffer than my old Raichle 325's with the hard tongue in there. I used to prefer the softer tongue on the 325's except for hero snow so this will take some getting used to. Fortunately you can change the feel on the Heads by adjusting the forward lean / forward flex (setting it for more flex with less lean makes it feel more like a stiffer Raichle). I definitley see mysefl riding powder in walk mode.

I'll post a review of how they perform once I've ridden them some.

[Art]

I also bought the stratos last year and love the fit. Like Thomas I had a custom foot bed put in (they were fine w/o) and had some small adjustments made to the stock liner. After years in the Raichles, these are a great boot. Only time will tell how they hold up (Raichles lasted 8 years) and I do have some small nits to pick. The forward lean and spring tension could be a little more user friendly. And I am a little suspect about the sole pads (Fin do you carry these?) Other than that, they are great boots (especially for the sale price).

[Scorpio]

I bought a pair of Head Vectors at the end of last season, put some orthotics in it and baked the partially moldable liner. I have yet to try it but am looking forward to it. I was using a pair of 413's last season which I didn't care for too much. I didn't like the Raichle buckles all too much but these microadjustment buckles on the heads look and seem a lot easier to adjust. The only think about the Heads I'm a little unsure about is the height of the boot. My raichles went pretty high on the calf whereas the heads run low. The raichle liners seem to be taller but I think the shell height is pretty much the same. I just tried on the boots the other day and realized that I'm gonna need some adjustments around my right ankle. If anybody is thinking about getting orthotics, I recommend Surefoot. They have pretty good service.