Wrong Flex boot???

A snowHead

Decathlon were selling some stuff at the end of last season and i saw some Head edge 70 Ski boots .As they are a wider fit than my salomons i bought them.

Im 6ft ,15st and cruise around blue/reds and the odd black .

I wasn't thinking about the flex when i bought them and now reading on other threads they may be to soft .

Im not sure if to sell them now as they are new and buy a higher flex .Would a Head 80 flex make much difference

A snowHead

@wasley,

Why did you want a wider fit?

Flex 80 vs 70 probably not noticed.

Your weight I would think 110 plus...

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

You weight more than me and I find 120s a touch on the soft side... My Current boots are 130's and they feel about right for my weight. I think at your height and weight you need to be in a 115 or so minimum. Also, go to a proper boot fitter and not decathlon.

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I ending up tying myself in knots with boot flex. These two videos helped my understand. They both say that numbers are only relevant to a range of boots from one brand. You cannot compare an 80 flex in brand A to an 80 flex in brand B.
I would try them on and do the exercise in the first video with the green and yellow lines. This will give you an idea. I am 6 foot 4, 18 stone and a solid itermediate and have head boots with an 80 flex. I assumed they were too soft, but I have done the exercise and they are about spot on. (I have a problem with boots being too big, but that is a different issue).
Cheers
Smag

http://youtube.com/v/bX2NUkdggkw

http://youtube.com/v/xZJg-lcv2oA

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with your stats i would be looking at a 120-130 flex boot, it is true that the brands all flex differently for the same number (especially in a warm shop)

there is an edge 125 available which may be more suitable or Atomic make the Hawx Magna in 130 flex, this all release on the boot fit being good for you

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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

It does annoy me slightly whenever boot questions are raised that the only possible solution is to go to a bootfitter, we all know that this is the ideal solution however, financial considerations need to be accounted for. I for one bought a pair of boots 15 years ago, they wore away so much that were not good with the bindings, some kind friend who could no longer ski gave me his boots, terrible fit but no money so I've been living with them. I'm now trawling the internet looking for 4 season old boots with a budget limit of about €125, and even then I'm pushing it.
I suppose the moral of this post is spare a thought for people who strongly share the same passion as yourselves, but, for whatever reason, do not have the means to walk into a fancy shop somewhere in the world and spend in excess of €500 for the perfect boots!

Rant over, happy new year to you all! (it's due to start snowing in two days time!!!!!!!!!!!)

After all it is free

For comparison purposes, I use an Atomic 80 flex all-mountain boot. I am 5' 10" and weigh about 10.5 st

I am a decent piste skier (not expert) and CEM previously suggested 80 flex is a little on the soft side for my level.

However, my boots have a custom fitted (goo-injected) liner, which has stiffened the flex characteristics to the point where the boots work well for me. Before the custom liner was fitted they were definitely too soft at speed, especially on warm days.

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I have to sing the praises of professional bootfitters too, despite the extra costs. They prevented my shins from bleeding and becoming infected and took my skiing to a new level of enjoyment and performance.

Perhaps some people are lucky enough to get a good fit from an off-the-shelf boot, but unfortunately I'm not one of those people.

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@lordf, It's not about being happy to "compromise", I would dearly love to have someone custom make a liner for my feet, but it costs money that I do not have, the compromise may well be that my children don't get to go to ski club and learn to ski, and I would maybe have to sacrifice a season of skiing! I'll stick to trawling the budget sites like eko and snowinn, not planning on buying 2nd hand by the way, just the old stock! 2nd hand skis are fine though! Alaways great bargains on Leboncoin!

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Ive sold the Ski boots and was fortunate to get £120 for them .I did venture in to a few Ski shop and they all recommended 90+ flex but Im like a few of the others i cant afford to spend £250-500 on boots .
So ive been looking on Eko ,Glisshop , and new ones on ebay

I do have a little birthday money left over so was think of spending around £100ish on the boots and any money left over on custom footbeds as that is the one thing all the bootfitters recommend.

Heres the one's ive been looking at
http://www.ekosport.co.uk/rossignol-synergy-sensor2-100-red-trs-15-p-9-2761.html?CatalogID=N1&CategoryName=N1003
http://www.ekosport.co.uk/head-vector-100-white-black-yellow-15-p-9-2555.html?gclid=CJ20m5jznsoCFUyNGwodfqoPeQ

But im drawn towards the Head Adapt Edge as you can adjust the LAST from 102 to 104mm and as ive since found out my right foot is 2-3mm wider than my left
http://www.ekosport.co.uk/head-adapt-edge-95-trs-anthr-blk-yel-16-p-9-4319.html?gclid=CPnW5fr0nsoCFcG7GwodFKINUQ

While I take the point regarding affordability ... boot fitting and new boots are expensive ... If the question is "how do I buy a good fitting boot?"

eBay isn't the answer.

You know it makes sense.

I'm no expert and also couldn't afford to go to a pro bootfitter. I would love to and if my finances are different next I will travel down to CEM. I've received unbiased advice on here regarding measuring my feet to the best of my ability. Having unusually low volume and narrow feet eventually got some lange rx 100lv. (A whole shell size smaller than my previous salomon mission rs cf 70) Regardless off the size problem I've instantly noticed the extra stiffness in a good way! Hard to describe, but just feels more 'direct'. I'm 3 stone lighter than you so I'd think you'd definitely benefit from stiffer boots.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

A snowHead

A snowHead

@Pumba, no one is berating those who don't use fitters, people are only recommending boot fitters as the best option. However, you are berating those recommendations, which is somewhat unfair.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

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I'm intrigued by this subject, it seems to me boot fitting attitudes have changed.

I'm 6 foot 2 inches, 15 stone, narrow ankles, wide feet. I'm a decent advanced intermediate.

I've had boot problems all my life , until about 6 years ago Snow and Rock put me in a pair of Salomon X Wave boots. Incredibly ugly boots and quite heavy, but just so comfortable ( relatively speaking) , a big aspect of this being their width. The flex figure was something like 90, bit I never ever felt they weren't stiff enough, or any lack of control.

I decided to replace them last winter as they had done the best part of 30 weeks. Big mistake!! Went back to Snow and Rock, was persuaded in to a pair of Salomon X Max 120. They were far too tight width wise but I was persuaded that they would loosen up. Well after three weeks skiing and two attempts by Snow and Rock to re shape them they were still agony and I gave up and went back to my old boots.

So - is this about boot width? I have read somewhere that there really aren't any boots now aimed at us wide footed brethren. Or is this about flex?

I'm not embarrassed to admit that I don't like having painful feet all day and from my previous boots I know it's not obligatory.

I also wonder if the attitude of boot fitters has changed. They seem obsessed now with getting the smallest possible size and the tightest fit - my partner has just been persuaded in to a pair of boots that she just knows are going to hurt her, but they would not offer a comfort guarantee on a larger boot.

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Well here is my 2p worth.

It is always better to go to someone that knows what they are talking about. Not all boot fitters are good at what they do. However, when you talk of last differences etc remember that 1-2mm can make a big comfort difference and a good boot fitter will be great for this. IMHO, trying them on yourself and making your own mind up is just as good as going to shop that fits boots, but the boot fitter is clueless. See earlier posts on great and bad fitting form one shop. It is down to the individual fitter.

Scenario 1) you get a 28.5 boot because it doesn't pinch on one part of your foot. result is less response on the rest of the foot.

Scenario 2) you get a 27.5 boot because you have been properly measured. You get custom footbeds, one 1mm thinner than the other, because that 1mm less will reduce the pinching on your foot at the top/sides. Then the boot fitter will work the toes so you have wiggle room on the toes but overall grip on the rest of the foot. Result is you will ski better and enjoy the whole week.
However, not everyone can go to an Olympic medalist to get fitted Happy

But it seems to me that many shops can make this mistake so unless someone is recommended then you may end up in a lottery situation.

Regarding the can't afford comment...
If you are spending crazy money on a holiday then fair enough. But if you are wanting to go on a budget then there are ways. See here. http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=22621

Back to Boots:-

Rather than buy on ebay. Simply speak to someone at your local shop who know what they are talking about and ask advice. Explain that a new boot is out of the question but you may consider an older boot or ex demo even from a few years ago. Sometimes they will be able to provide you with a boot that will fit reasonably well and be MILES better than a second guess on ebay.

After all it is free

@wasley, how about just getting some custom footbeds made and using them in hire boots, which should be stiffer than 70? The footbeds will still be good when you are able to buy boots at a later date.

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@SnoodyMcFlude, quite right. You can also buy boots that fit well without paying extra for expert fitting. Of course some people have 'difficult' feet or may want a performance fit, so expert fitting is probably their only solution. But I'm convinced that the vast majority of holiday/social skiers would be perfectly fine buying off the shelf boots in the correct size and enjoying their skiing without pain. Skiing is not a competition for how much you can spend, it's supposed to be about enjoyment. Pain is not enjoyment.

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I didn't find anything wrong with what Pumba said at all. It was Dr Rock who seems to think skiing is only for the wealthy. That's his problem not mine. Sorry for derailing the thread slightly. I didn't just go for something off ebay regarding boots. I did a lot of research into lasts and volume and measuring ,etc before deciding which boots I wanted then buying online from snow and rock when they went in the sale. Yes it was a gamble but could have returned them if they were horrendously wrong.

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You know it makes sense.

Look how much Warren Smith's boot is moving, 2 minutes in
http://youtube.com/v/438La_uHJyw. His knee is well over his toe. Looks like a very flexible boot?

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Most skiers are on too stiff a boot and too short a ski. Other than that, today's tip is:

Banana Bread

Butter a non-stick bread pan, then flour well. (The flour is really important for the bread to “climb” against while baking. I had not done that before, and it makes a huge difference!)

Combine and mix well the following dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside:

2 cups AP flour

¾ cup sugar

½ cup toasted coarsely chopped walnuts

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

In another medium bowl, coarsely smash 3 ripe bananas (use a large spoon or spatula and don’t puree – the banana needs to be chunky)

To the bananas, add and combine: (but try not to reduce the banana chunks)

2 large eggs, beaten

6 Tablespoons melted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

¼ cup buttermilk or plain yogurt

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently FOLD until the flour is thoroughly moistened. Pour into the prepared bread pan and spread the mixture evenly across the top.

Bake in a preheated 350-degree (F) oven for 45-50 minutes.

A snowHead

flex is a strange thing. I am 18 stone, and use a 120 flex, atomic hawx. I love them. YMMV.

A snowHead

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

The length of the lower leg bones plays a big part in how much leverage you apply in order to flex the boot. Personal geometry makes quite a difference.

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I had my boots fitted about 7 years ago by a professional boot fitter, the boots he sold me were in his words "intermediate to advanced" after getting some custom soles made I find the boots extremely comfortable and the boots fit very well.

Never really know or cared about flex but just looked and mine are 70 which after reading this thread and doing some research seems really rather to soft, also I am 6 feet 1 and 14 and a half stone, is the flex of my boots affecting my performance? Or are we talking marginal gains that only experts would see?

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

If I skied for a season I wouldn't have the boots and skis that I do now. Why? Because I ski maybe twice a year for 8-10 days.

It takes a couple of days to get my 'ski legs' back and make the boots and skis work nicely. Then I have maybe 4-6 days where everything works really nicely, then the last couple of days I want more aggressive boots and longer skis.

I'm a retired grandfather but fit (I kitesurf all year), 5'11"/81kg, Atomic Hawx 100 with Sidas custom foam increasing the flex to about 120 (so CEM told me), Volkl Code Speedwall S UVO 166s. CEM plated and routed my boots to make them play nicely with the skis - thanks CEM.

It's all a compromise unless you're doing a full season.

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Thanks for all the advice but i went and ignored it all.

I went too my local Decathlon and tried on about 6 different ski boots in all different sizes .
I found the Rossignol ALLTRACK 90 (28.5) and Head Adapt Edge (29/29.5) to be the most comfortable.

I then Found a New pair of Head Apapt Edge on Ebay and managed to get them for £69 delivered .

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

A small point about the flex of ski boots, plastics used make all the difference, Polypropelyne, polyester, polyether, grilamid, pebax and nylon are all temperature sensitive. These plastics get stiffer by aprox a factor of 5 between +15 and -15. Ergo, your boots that have a flex of 70nm in the store (testing is at 22°) are aprox 350nm at -15, your 120nm therefore 600nm. Pigmentaion, plastic thickness also make a huge difference. A boot with too much volume will need to be buckled up tight to hold the foot well and will reduce flex as the elasticity will be removed by over tightening. When you look at these factors, hopefully it will demonstrate the importance of this when choosing the right shaped boot, over flex.

Help!!

Wrong Flex boot???

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