The boot thread

[jota]

He says every boot with an articulating cuff has "superior flex retention technology"

From working in retail, I agree with this statement. I actually won't buy a boot without an articulating cuff ( or a sewn in flex zone ) because in my experience they just wear out so much quicker and the flex changes so much compared to out of the box.

Except for these last two years when I have used infuse, for many years I have always used articulated cuffs. Mainly for logic. When you flex, in the middle of the boot does not deform. In other boots I saw that when flexing, the area where the ankle should be more supported was deformed. With the infuse I was very skeptical cause I didn't want anything without articulation but it works very well for me. I changed my slx because my ankles were never supported (with j-bars). The upper part of the slx supports flex.

[eleveneightnate]

@eleveneightnate fwiw my buddy who works on the Jones/YES/NOW side of Nidecker wears the Index, and said he said he thought they broke in softer than advertised. Said they were softer than his Vans Infuses.

Dang, good to know. I snagged some Rifts from Al’s for 20% off. Gonna see how they fit/feel, but I’m going into them knowing they’re probably too soft.

I tried on some Ride Lasso Pro wides yesterday. Holy crap they were insanely wide and my feet were swimming laterally even though they were the right size length wise. Sloppiest heel of any boot I’ve ever tried.

[eleveneightnate]

Rifts showed up yesterday. They're comfy for sure, probably because the liners are so plush (might pack out easier, though?). I'm an 11 in Burton, 10.5 in adidas, and these in 11s fit pretty well. I'll echo @kimchi with the toebox not being as wide as adidas, but because of the liners they aren't vice gripping my forefoot or anything. There is a hot spot for me on the top of my left foot, though.

Flex-wise, they feel good new but I'd be worried about them being too soft after breaking in. They feel like my Acerras with 3-4 seasons on them, which makes me think they'd be way too soft after that amount of time.

Footprint is pretty decent. Here they are next to my size 11 Imperials and 10.5 Acerras. Side note: they sent me the wrong color, I ordered the camo with the blue/purple soles.

IMG_2043.jpeg (4.3 MiB) Viewed 1216 times

IMG_2036.JPG (4.28 MiB) Viewed 1216 times

[kimchi]

Pretty much echoes my feelings and concerns. That liner is super plush, but I worry about how it'll hold up-- feels like a lot of potential for foam compression. If I go with a Nidecker, I might size down to a 10 and just deal with aggressive heatmolding and some pain out of box.

I notice a couple interesting things from that POV photo.

• The asymmetrical lower on the Nidecker is super obvious. I could see this implementation decreasing pressure on the outside edge of the foot, where I typically have boot fit issues.
• The toes on the Adidas are more pointed, especially by the pinky toe. Looks a little narrower at the "sixth toe" area at the metatarsal heads. My foot is wider at the "sixth toe" area and less so in the actual toe box.
• You can really see the different in fewer stitch lines and more welding on the Nidecker. I don't know how much of a difference that'll actually make, but it's visually much starker than I would have thought.

[Jean77]

How do Adidas Samba boots fit? True to size?
And, how's the sizing? Like I have 26.5 Mondo, is that 42 EU size in Adidas?

[Spenser]

Sizing and fit are two different things. If you're ordering, make sure they have a good return policy..

[kimchi]

What Spenser said. Sizing ≠ Fit.

That said, with respect to sizing, Adidas run a half size big. I wear US 10.5 in 90% of footwear and most snowboard boots, and I wear a 10 in Adidas. That's been echoed by at least five other riders I personally know who've ridden Adidas, plus a bunch of random chatter on the internet.

[Spenser]

Even with their skate shoes, I feel like I tend to want a half size down from my norm

[unsuspected]

How do Adidas Samba boots fit? True to size?
And, how's the sizing? Like I have 26.5 Mondo, is that 42 EU size in Adidas?

Yes Mondo 265 is 42 EU in Adidas. I have Mondo 270 that is 42 1/3 EU in Adidas sizing.
Have heard that Samba is the narrowest boot Adidas made but cant confirm it.

[SJF_NH]

Same here for Addidas fit. I've been a solid 9 in Burton forever, same exact fit for me in Addidas Tacticals is 8.5.