How do you ride your Head Stratos Pro boots?

[Surf Quebec]

The boots fit my feet well but is way too rigid for me, so I've changed them and added a spring system, I'll change them again soon to add more flex.

How do you ride yours ?

[heroshmero]

I weigh 250lbs. No BTS. Silver race tongues with Deeluxe Thermo Flex Liners DCL 131.

They feel just about right to me.

[jp1]

Fully modified, orange tongues, Booster straps, BTS :) with springs softer than the Bomber yellows.

[Unicorn Poop]

Bone stock, over 170 for me, but today was my first day in them. They seemed a bit stiff, but I have nothing to compare them to. Dumb question so I don't have to take my boots apart- is the black tongue stiffer than the orange tongue?

[lafcadio]

Soft yellow tongues, BTS with yellow springs, and cut away lots of plastic. I weigh in at about 177 lbs.

Regarding tongues, black is stiffer than orange/yellow. I think there's also a silver which is even stiffer than black.

[colintkemp]

Black boots; black tongues. No mods whatsoever, but I ride with back leg in walk mode often. I'm 170 or just a bit more.

I've been on the same ones about 4 years. Love them.

[michael.a]

I weigh 200 lbs. Black boots, black tongues (in powder orange tongues), cut wings and yellow BTS.

Good configuration for an all around boot, but the boots have become too soft for when I really try to rail it so I'm going to upgrade to the silve tongue for now, and I'm not happy with how the BTS system works. I'm going to do a step by step upgrade on my other pair starting with an orange tongue and no mods, then orange/black/silver tongue and ACSS, then go back to the stock spring but with cut wings and different tongues.

[heroshmero]

Confirming tongue stiffness:

Orange is least stiff

Black is medium

Silver is most stiff

[Surf Quebec]

my HSP are red (bought them on BOL) the red tongues are like the orange ones

[Dave ESPI]

161#s and box stock, but soft tongue and I keep the rear boot top strap a bit loose and in Walk mode.

[davekempmeister]

Black boots; black tongues. No mods whatsoever, but I ride with back leg in walk mode often. I'm 170 or just a bit more.

I've been on the same ones about 4 years. Love them.

two kemps - exact same tact with the boots. only difference here is that i am 205 - 210 lbs. east coast ice will sometimes have me put the rear boot in ride mode.

[Kerrc]

I weigh 200 lbs. Black boots, black tongues (in powder orange tongues), cut wings and yellow BTS.

Good configuration for an all around boot, but the boots have become too soft for when I really try to rail it so I'm going to upgrade to the silve tongue for now, and I'm not happy with how the BTS system works. I'm going to do a step by step upgrade on my other pair starting with an orange tongue and no mods, then orange/black/silver tongue and ACSS, then go back to the stock spring but with cut wings and different tongues.

Just curious on what you found with you step by step upgrade. Did you find a combination that worked better then others? I just got a set of head stratos and have ACSS. Just have not started mods yet.

[big canuck]

240 lb'r, BTS springs (blue), boot shell punched twice, conformable liners, custom foot beds (dont remember which ones), cut the wings, Intec heels, WC Booster strap and stock head strap, stock black tounges. Think thats it....

Think I'm on year 5 on this pair...

Bliss.

Tried em all, these work the best for me.

K

[big mario]

Black tounges/boots no mods, some foward lean on the back foot, stock liners. Might spring for some new liners next season. third season on these, tippin the scales @ twofiddy

mario

[Maxlanaudiere]

6'3 180 pounds.

Installed a BTS with yellow spring and cut the wings. Still too stiff to my likings and didn't get much forward motion. My back boot kept me from getting low (that and my superhuman-concrete-flexibility) Sanded the black tongue to make it super soft (hated the orange tongue look). Still didn't like it. Took the BTS off and realised that the forward flex of my boots wasn't controlled by the BTS at all but by the boot shell. So with the BTS or without it the boots were just as stiff.

Downloaded Arnaud's pdf then took both boots appart and turned the upper cuff backward. Then every place where I saw friction marks I sanded it to remove any contact. Heel area had lots of friction and a few places betwwen the lower and upper cuff did as well. That also included grinding the little lips on the ankle buckle and adding a washer under the buckle to make sure it wouln't rub against the top boot cuff. Now without a BTS and liners the upper cuff just falls forward if you litely push it with the tip of your finger. Excellent. Now, most of the flex is controlled by the BTS and some of the resistance comes from the liner.

I personally think you should not be afraid to make these boots lean forward too much or too soft (not talking about sideways). Worst comes to worst you just crank the BTS or go with stiffer springs. That way you really let your spring system do the work.

WARNING: User experience may vary. Cut at your own risk :D

[SunSurfer]

I've relocated the ankle (3rd) buckle as well as cut a smaller amount of plastic than many. BTS and Booster straps. Intec cable on the inside of the boot.

Watch the video to see exactly what I've done and the results in terms of increased forward flex when the boot is buckled up on my leg/foot.

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/54657654?byline=0" webkitallowfullscreen="" mozallowfullscreen="" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" width="500"></iframe>

Rode these in this configuration 15 days straight at Aspen in the lead up to and during SES 2013. Raced NASTAR with them on the same trip and very happy.

182cm and 81kg.

SunSurfer

Edited March 13, 2013 by SunSurfer

[nekdut]

You relocated the ankle buckle there? Does that keep the middle two buckles from hitting each other? That appears to affect flex quite a bit when they do.

[SunSurfer]

You relocated the ankle buckle there? Does that keep the middle two buckles from hitting each other? That appears to affect flex quite a bit when they do.

I relocated the ankle buckle attachment point to the boot cuff cant adjustment attachment point.

In the original position the 3rd (ankle) buckle moves forward as the boot flexes forward so impingement is likely. However the real reason Heads are so stiff is that in the original position the 3rd buckle locks the cuff in place once it has been tightened up.

In the modified position, with the buckle attached at the axis of rotation of the cuff, there is nil/minimal movement of the 3rd buckle as the boot flexes freely forward. Only now does the excess plastic at the back of the shell and the point where the cuff rubs on the shell at the base of the rear slot become important in how the boot is able to flex forward.

In the modified position the ankle buckle now locks down the ankle even when the boot is flexed forward, because it does not move as the boot flexes. The heel hold down is also more effective than before because of the change in angle as the attachment point moves lower and pulls the foot down and into the heel of the boot liner.

As far as I can see no one has come up with this mod sequence before. It's a radical change, and so people are likely to pause for thought before they do it. It is possible to do the mod without removing the boss that sits in the curved slot. That would allow you to try it, and return to the original configuration if you don't like it.

I ridden it like this for 15 days and I won't be going back. No shin bang. Good forward flex allowing me to get lower in the turns. Perfectly adequate sideways stiffness for edge control.

This is the only photo I've got of the boot mod in action in Aspen, cropped down to show max detail. Unfortunately I was not deep in a carved turn at the time, but my rear leg is well flexed forward.

Edited March 13, 2013 by SunSurfer

[leeho730]

ACSS, cut wings and removed bits of plastics. But with zipfit liner it is relatively stiff and I love it...

[zoltan]

I use a BTS and ended up cutting a lot of plastic out before it was the BTS controlling the flex and not the shell. It was worth it.