Guest OCD Posted January 6, 2006 Report Share Posted January 6, 2006 I need a little advice. Each year I go riding my boots give me grief and I inevitably loose my left big toe nail. I’ve have my boots punched out at the toe, my liners re-baked and all sorts of other things done to resolve the issue. A carver and tech at a local shop suggested that it might not be the boots that are at issue but the way I have my binding set up. I’ve been riding consistently for six years with heal lifts on both my front and back bindings, no toe lift on the front. He is sure that this is putting too much forward pressure on the toe and hence the issue. Does anyone have any thoughts or past experience with this problem? I use F2 Proflex titanium step-ins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dano Posted January 6, 2006 Report Share Posted January 6, 2006 What, no pictures? C'mon now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajcannon Posted January 6, 2006 Report Share Posted January 6, 2006 man...that is just nasty. I've got a relative who have toenail problems and she just had her big toenails removed. Weird looking, but let's face it..the darn things aren't good for much other than problems. I say take 'em off! Will insurance cover that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tim Tuthill Posted January 6, 2006 Report Share Posted January 6, 2006 OCD: Your boots may be too wide? That was my problem. I changed from Raichle/Deelux, too wide, to Burton Fires. I had Burton Reactors when I started. The Fires are the same last. My toe moved all over in the Raichle boots. You may need to narrow your boot?? IMHO?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bschurman Posted January 6, 2006 Report Share Posted January 6, 2006 Wait a sec. You ride with heel lift on both bindings? So you are riding in starters blocks? I would definitly say that this is your problem. I would start with putting toe lift in the front and heel lift in the rear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big mario Posted January 6, 2006 Report Share Posted January 6, 2006 Jeff, I thought you were a little different, bein' a canadian and all, but jeez mario see you sat? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tdinardo Posted January 6, 2006 Report Share Posted January 6, 2006 We need some pics! I thought I was in bad shape because I used to have to wrap my big toes with sports tape to prevent skin and toenail damage (no longer a problem with my Stratos Pros), but toe nails falling out and surgical removal of parts of the toe? Wow! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tdinardo Posted January 6, 2006 Report Share Posted January 6, 2006 Pictures are available but I need someone to host them. Any takers? I can host. Email them to me at tdinardo at mythem dot com. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carvedog Posted January 6, 2006 Report Share Posted January 6, 2006 I have many seasons of 100 plus days and found with custom footbeds and injected liners all of my foot problems went away. Even after a 6 or 7 hour day I am happy in my boots. It would seem to me that the only way you would have toenail problems is with movement and subsequent friction in the toe box area. With appropriate padding and tightness you should have no or very little movement in that area. I tighten my boots down enough that I usually have to pop my buckles on the lift for the little extra circulation when I am carving hard. When teaching I loosen them one or two twists depending on temp and don't have problems or need to pop buckles then either. My two cents - good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Pushee Posted January 6, 2006 Report Share Posted January 6, 2006 OCD, What boots are you using, and how do you set them up when you ride? When riding trees/bumps/crud, I used to use walk mode. Now that I understand the powder setting, that's what I use. I think the backward flex allowed by walk mode can allow your leg to leverage the foot forward and jam the toe. No, I don't want to see pics - Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjl Posted January 6, 2006 Report Share Posted January 6, 2006 If you aren't sliding around in your boots maybe you just need to mold extra space around your toes when heatmolding your liners. The toebox I think they call it. I cut off the toes of a super thick sock, use that as a cap, and put that around my toes (along with a bunch of tissue paper stuck between each of my toes) when I mold my boots. Also, you can usually pull your toes away from the front of your boot, as well as prevent yourself from sliding forwards by tightening the cuff buckles a lot (pulls your shin backwards in the boot). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest OCD Posted January 7, 2006 Report Share Posted January 7, 2006 Thanks for the help. I have tried all of the above. I was hoping that the toe / heal lift situation was the key. It did get me thinking about my set up though. Do most riders only have a heal lift on the rear binding and the toe in the front and how does that change your riding? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philistine Posted January 7, 2006 Report Share Posted January 7, 2006 My toenail wasn't black anymore, but it was on it's way out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tdinardo Posted January 7, 2006 Report Share Posted January 7, 2006 Pictures are available but I need someone to host them. Any takers? Jeff's hardcore evil black-toe surgical solution. When in doubt cut it off! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hans Posted January 7, 2006 Report Share Posted January 7, 2006 I need a little advice. Each year I go riding my boots give me grief and I inevitably loose my left big toe nail. I’ve have my boots punched out at the toe, my liners re-baked and all sorts of other things done to resolve the issue. A carver and tech at a local shop suggested that it might not be the boots that are at issue but the way I have my binding set up. I’ve been riding consistently for six years with heal lifts on both my front and back bindings, no toe lift on the front. He is sure that this is putting too much forward pressure on the toe and hence the issue. Does anyone have any thoughts or past experience with this problem? I use F2 Proflex titanium step-ins. Hi, OCD I don't know if you are using custom footbeds in your boots. I did have some serious problems with sore forefeet in the past till I let made some custom footbeds for my boots. Your feet will be raised a little in your shoes so that your forefeet will relax more. But I think you have let it all done. Just my experience. Hope you will solve the problem. Greets, Hans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeW Posted January 7, 2006 Report Share Posted January 7, 2006 slightly off topics -- feet. i bought a new pair of boots (softies -- DC) slightly bigger than normal. oh my god. i cant tell you how great it feels. for years, ive been struggling with serious pains in my feet. now i realized it helps if you go a bit bigger than normal sizing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tdinardo Posted January 7, 2006 Report Share Posted January 7, 2006 slightly off topics -- feet. i bought a new pair of boots (softies -- DC) slightly bigger than normal. oh my god. i cant tell you how great it feels. for years, ive been struggling with serious pains in my feet. now i realized it helps if you go a bit bigger than normal sizing. The crux of the issue is not "bigger" or "smaller" but "correct". E.g. all size 28's are not size 28's as each manufacturers shell shape can very dramatically. The only way you can assure proper boot fit is by shell sizing with an experienced boot fitter. A 28 may feel great for the first 3-5 days, but after the liner packs in, you may end up with something 1-3 sizes too big, and you can never make a big boot smaller. A good boot-fitter can make a small boot bigger though... Good shell fit, custom footbeds, and a boot-fitting god=ahhhhh!...(or in Jeff's case, surgical removal of the offending body parts.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest OCD Posted January 7, 2006 Report Share Posted January 7, 2006 I tried the custom food beds and it didn’t help, if fact it compacted the toe are even more. Maybe my boots are just not right for my feet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tdinardo Posted January 7, 2006 Report Share Posted January 7, 2006 I tried the custom food beds and it didn’t help, if fact it compacted the toe are even more. Maybe my boots are just not right for my feet. Take the liner out of your shell and put your foot in the shell with your big toe gently touching the front of the shell. You should have 1-1 1/2 fingers of space between your heel and the back of the shell. Are any parts of your foot touching the shell besides the tip of your big toe? Are your toes actually curling up inside the liner? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Sub Posted January 7, 2006 Report Share Posted January 7, 2006 Im goin with the "why do you have heel lift on your front foot" school first. seriously, kill that! a little toe lift on front, more heel lift on back if you want. rock that for a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tdinardo Posted January 7, 2006 Report Share Posted January 7, 2006 Im goin with the "why do you have heel lift on your front foot" school first. seriously, kill that! a little toe lift on front, more heel lift on back if you want. rock that for a while. I definitely agree with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Sub Posted January 7, 2006 Report Share Posted January 7, 2006 if that fails, cut off the toe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tdinardo Posted January 7, 2006 Report Share Posted January 7, 2006 if that fails, cut off the toe Bolt cutters work well for that. Make sure you have your waxing iron handy to cauterize the raw area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Houghton Posted January 7, 2006 Report Share Posted January 7, 2006 We use the side cutters for toes, but for the big toe it takes two or even sometimes three tries to sever it completely. Bolt cutters are only good if you catch it right at the joint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carvedog Posted January 7, 2006 Report Share Posted January 7, 2006 are sick. We are talking about someone with some serious issues here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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