# Breaking in new boots



## PalmerRider (Jan 25, 2012)

I've been riding the same Salomon F22's for about 5 years now so I was overdue for an upgrade this year. After trying on many boots and with the help of this forum I ended up with Ride Tridents. I had them out for the first time last week and I really like them. The additional stiffness gave me more confidence at higher speeds since I had more control and quicker response. My toes are touching the end of the boot and over the course of the day it started becoming more and more painful. For whatever reason it was worse with my back foot than my front foot. I'm expecting them to pack out and become more comfortable but not sure how long it will take or if there is anything I can do to help the process. My toe was bothering me for a few days after riding too. Really hoping they do break and I get more room for my toes otherwise I'm out $440.


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## jae (Nov 27, 2015)

go get a heat fitting. the place where you bought the boots should do it for free, otherwise just call around. most shops do it for $10. your back foot is probably larger than your front, mine is. 

do you have heel lift or do your feet move within the boots?


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## PalmerRider (Jan 25, 2012)

I had to buy them online since they were sold out locally. I heard that heat fitting reduces the lifespan of the boot. I don't have any heel lift but they do move around a tad. When I flex forward my toes slide back and aren't touching the tip of the boot. I was told once they are broken in this is how they will fit normally without flexing forward.


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

PalmerRider said:


> I had to buy them online since they were sold out locally. I heard that heat fitting reduces the lifespan of the boot. I don't have any heel lift but they do move around a tad. When I flex forward my toes slide back and aren't touching the tip of the boot. I was told once they are broken in this is how they will fit normally without flexing forward.


Not familiar with your boots...but hopefully there is an inner lace....re-tighten as needed to prevent your foot from slipping and consider getting an aftermarket insole that fits your feet and it will help prevent your foot from sliding forward (which occurs on the back foot when going heelside...hopefully that makes sense).


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## PalmerRider (Jan 25, 2012)

It's a triple boa with the third boa being for locking your heel down. I tightened the heel lock hoping it would help but it didn't. And you are right, they were definitely moving forward on the heel carves.


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

look at the boot faq sticky.

maybe tape a bit of foam on the tongue of the liner that is under the 3rd boa...so that when you tighten that boa, it will be pushing/holding your foot/ankle back in the heel pocket a bit better

you can also make the heel pocket a tad deeper by using a butterfly wrap

post up a pic of the inside of how the 3rd boa works as a interlace thing/function


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## jae (Nov 27, 2015)

heat fitting is up for debate on lifespan, but it won't drastically kill the lifespan of your boot. it just fast forwards the break in period which is what you're looking for. 

make sure you kick your foot back as far as possible in the boot before you tighten. I'm assuming your foot is too small for your boot and it's moving around in there, just because your toe touches your boot doesn't mean it fits. my size 10.5 feet can do that in size 12's... follow wrath's advice on the boot faq. he makes magic happen out of nothing.


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## PalmerRider (Jan 25, 2012)

wrathfuldeity said:


> PalmerRider said:
> 
> 
> > consider getting an aftermarket insole that fits your feet and it will help prevent your foot from sliding forward (which occurs on the back foot when going heelside...hopefully that makes sense).
> ...


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

No, the insole goes inside the liner...your foot will sit right on top of the insole. Most boots have shitae insoles...toss them, get insoles that match the arch of your foot...like superfeet, visseiur sole, remind and etc...you might likely have to trim them with some scissors...

really see the boot faq sticky...there are pics


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## PalmerRider (Jan 25, 2012)

Thanks for the info. I did check out the sticky thread. I'm planning on getting out tomorrow so I'm going to see if it gets any better the second time out while being more mindful of locking my heel down. If not then I'll look to make some alterations like mentioned in the sticky thread. Maybe going with an aftermarket insole is the first step.


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## ekb18c (Mar 11, 2013)

I've had success with the rice method for heat molding the boots. All you need is a throw away sock and some rice and a microwave.


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## Snow Hound (Jul 21, 2012)

They'll probably be better next time you wear them. My Malamutes took 4-5 days to get comfy and another 10 or so to break in properly.


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## PalmerRider (Jan 25, 2012)

I really locked down the heel hold boa and it seemed to help. No issue at all with the left (front) foot. After a few runs my right foot was pressing up against the end of the boot. I tightened it up and it was okay for a few runs, then back to pressing against the end of the boot. It felt fine on runs, the issue was more just standing around in lift lines and skating around. It was better today overall so I'm hoping another 2 or 3 days and I should be good. If not I may look to try an aftermarket insole first since there's not much arch support and I'm thinking that might help stop my foot from sliding forward.


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## Alonzo (Dec 30, 2015)

Hey man, I am on my second pair of Tridents, and they are the tits - my favorite boot ever. The triple boa is key and Slime-Tongue is like a new level of excellence. I crank the upper and heel-hold boas down tight before every drop, then pop them wide-open in the lift line.

I found my liners packed out by more than a half size after about 30 days riding them, which is why I down-sized from a 12 to an 11 (zero reduction in ride quality). I heat mold them using the dress socks-full-of-rice technique and find it to work well. I like using that method rather than baking them because it only heats up the inside of the liner, which make me think they'll last longer. I would suggest giving it a try. You can find instructions on the Intuition homepage.

Cheers.


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