I have done more than try one on. I’ve worked with two guys who have been factory team boot techs for Head, as mentioned. And a third who “knows my feet”, and knows the boot. I don’t honestly believe that anybody in the business would have more expertise.
@Philpug , we didn’t just flatten the zeppa, which I agree for me is always standard practice, it was put on a belt to make it almost paper thin. We were talking of every option. Opening the shell, thinning the liner and base of the tongue options.....all of the usual stuff.
I think this boot can work for 99% of the population. I am the other 1%, I guess.
The fact is that some boots work better with different foot and ankle shapes better. Or, put differently, some anatomies make it so difficult that as @markojp suggests, it’s not worth it. I agree with @BGreen that you can do an awful lot with heat, and every other weapon in the bootfitting tool box. But even if you get to the point where it might “fit”, the question of how it then performs, holds up, etc. comes into play.
The decision here is that the degree of trying to make it fit was not worth it. Not like I’m a WC athlete under contract who pretty much “has to be in the white boot.”
The guys who I have had look at making this work are both not just “good”, but are friends of ours. Both were clear that “This isn’t going to work, well.” Keep in mind that an RS140 isn’t a Head plug, with a TON of shell thickness to work with, grind, manipulate. {Not that any of that would help with the instep}. I made the comment about custom clogs. Head custom molds and builds clogs for at least a half dozen of their men. And a couple of women. One of the comments was that “your foot and ankle look like XX’s...and no way can any of the stock shapes fit him”. So the comments were that even in the RS, my hoof would be an issue. I trust these two opinions. So I decided not to try. I also had to buy the boots, which is always a factor.
I have a friend with a fused ankle, the result of a bad bike crash 20 years ago who is in this boot, the shell looks pretty deformed, after all of the work to accomdate him. Most in that ankle cup area, and the cuff. But as one of the boot guys explained, that’s a different issue. I was saying that XX’s foot is SO screwed up, how can these not be made to work well for me?
And the feedback. “Make them work” covers a lot of ground. You have better options.
There are so many other good boots out there...plenty. And other great liner options. I tend to have pretty long term relationships with my boots. At least the shells. Liners, plates, sole lugs, buckles and Boosters all get replaced along the way, in some cases a few times. Last shells had well over 500 days. I don’t keep exact count, unlike some here like to.
I’m all good. But, this is a great boot design and build quality. And for many, many of my friends who have exited a plug {it happens when you are my age, and no longer racing...for some of us}, it has proven to be just a great boot. Seems like universal love.
Please, not need to try to convince me that it’s a solution for me, or can be made to be one. I don’t need to waste anybody’s time on that. It isn’t. Langes, BD’s and Zips work for what my wife refers to as my Shrek feet. They take “plenty” of work as well. Five hours on the last pair of shells...knowing exactly what needed to be done.
About 14 years ago, I was in need of a new boot. I had broken the shell on a Doberman, which is hard to do. Those boots had taken a lot of work to get right. So..one of my friends suggests that I really ought to consider having Stroltz boot built for me. “At my age...ha!” O was all of 50. Not in the states, in Austria. I did. They were pieces of art. The liner was a thing of beauty. And I skied in them for parts of four days before they were set aside to collect dust. They built them to accomdate my foot, and to also make entry reasonably easy, etc. they were about the length of my normal BSL, but they looked ginormous. Like big enough for me to focus on them and for others to stare! My kids and wife were in tears laughling. Funny. But yeah, they were built to fit my foot!
By the way, knock on wood, I have never had a Lower leg or foot injury in 60 years of competitive sports. You look at my ankle and foot and it was built for the duration.
A week after nixing the Stroltz, a few pounds of plastic ground out, a lot of heat, moving a couple of buckles, blah-blah, back into a plug, Lange ZB clog, ZC cuff. Which lasted a long time.
For anybody looking at this kind of boot.....give the Head a hard look! It’s been very popular since it was first introduced, for good reason. Plus, they do look cool. Always a plus.
Enjoy the boots! And the season.
@Philpug , we didn’t just flatten the zeppa, which I agree for me is always standard practice, it was put on a belt to make it almost paper thin. We were talking of every option. Opening the shell, thinning the liner and base of the tongue options.....all of the usual stuff.
I think this boot can work for 99% of the population. I am the other 1%, I guess.
The fact is that some boots work better with different foot and ankle shapes better. Or, put differently, some anatomies make it so difficult that as @markojp suggests, it’s not worth it. I agree with @BGreen that you can do an awful lot with heat, and every other weapon in the bootfitting tool box. But even if you get to the point where it might “fit”, the question of how it then performs, holds up, etc. comes into play.
The decision here is that the degree of trying to make it fit was not worth it. Not like I’m a WC athlete under contract who pretty much “has to be in the white boot.”
The guys who I have had look at making this work are both not just “good”, but are friends of ours. Both were clear that “This isn’t going to work, well.” Keep in mind that an RS140 isn’t a Head plug, with a TON of shell thickness to work with, grind, manipulate. {Not that any of that would help with the instep}. I made the comment about custom clogs. Head custom molds and builds clogs for at least a half dozen of their men. And a couple of women. One of the comments was that “your foot and ankle look like XX’s...and no way can any of the stock shapes fit him”. So the comments were that even in the RS, my hoof would be an issue. I trust these two opinions. So I decided not to try. I also had to buy the boots, which is always a factor.
I have a friend with a fused ankle, the result of a bad bike crash 20 years ago who is in this boot, the shell looks pretty deformed, after all of the work to accomdate him. Most in that ankle cup area, and the cuff. But as one of the boot guys explained, that’s a different issue. I was saying that XX’s foot is SO screwed up, how can these not be made to work well for me?
And the feedback. “Make them work” covers a lot of ground. You have better options.
There are so many other good boots out there...plenty. And other great liner options. I tend to have pretty long term relationships with my boots. At least the shells. Liners, plates, sole lugs, buckles and Boosters all get replaced along the way, in some cases a few times. Last shells had well over 500 days. I don’t keep exact count, unlike some here like to.
I’m all good. But, this is a great boot design and build quality. And for many, many of my friends who have exited a plug {it happens when you are my age, and no longer racing...for some of us}, it has proven to be just a great boot. Seems like universal love.
Please, not need to try to convince me that it’s a solution for me, or can be made to be one. I don’t need to waste anybody’s time on that. It isn’t. Langes, BD’s and Zips work for what my wife refers to as my Shrek feet. They take “plenty” of work as well. Five hours on the last pair of shells...knowing exactly what needed to be done.
About 14 years ago, I was in need of a new boot. I had broken the shell on a Doberman, which is hard to do. Those boots had taken a lot of work to get right. So..one of my friends suggests that I really ought to consider having Stroltz boot built for me. “At my age...ha!” O was all of 50. Not in the states, in Austria. I did. They were pieces of art. The liner was a thing of beauty. And I skied in them for parts of four days before they were set aside to collect dust. They built them to accomdate my foot, and to also make entry reasonably easy, etc. they were about the length of my normal BSL, but they looked ginormous. Like big enough for me to focus on them and for others to stare! My kids and wife were in tears laughling. Funny. But yeah, they were built to fit my foot!
By the way, knock on wood, I have never had a Lower leg or foot injury in 60 years of competitive sports. You look at my ankle and foot and it was built for the duration.
A week after nixing the Stroltz, a few pounds of plastic ground out, a lot of heat, moving a couple of buckles, blah-blah, back into a plug, Lange ZB clog, ZC cuff. Which lasted a long time.
For anybody looking at this kind of boot.....give the Head a hard look! It’s been very popular since it was first introduced, for good reason. Plus, they do look cool. Always a plus.
Enjoy the boots! And the season.
