# tight vs loose



## firstpurchase (Apr 15, 2019)

hi,

On my last trip i thought it was interesting that I feel a need to have my boots & bindings real tight, while my teenaager (who's much less experienced but at a similar level or in some cases better than me), likes his b&b really loose. HOW CAN HE DO THIS i think

My teenager has done 11 days boarding, had 3 x 90 min lessons, and hurtles down the mountain, black slopes, off piste, jumps etc.
I couldn't imagine doing this with loose b&b. I've never had a lesson.

While I'm looking at boots i'm considering boot systems - do you think i might change or adjust my preference for looser fittings or am i likely to stay wanting things tight? I know this is very subjective and personal, but wonder if it's a characteristic that changes over time??

Thank you

Matt


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## royskeener (May 25, 2018)

you want things tight.


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

Yer teenager has absolutely no awareness of self preservation or responsibility due to lack of his frontal lobe development. Sir, where as yours is merely questionable. >


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## firstpurchase (Apr 15, 2019)

haha, sounds about right!

yeah if he wasn't cruising so well and looking so good it would've raised a greater alarm - instead it's had me thinking my tight settings might be inhibiting me. 

good to know, thank you for your replies

Out of interest, I just read article about Traditional lace vs Boa vs Speed lace

I've used Boa and I like it's ease to tighten and tightness but was thinking i might try Speed lace - would you say steer clear of speed lace if you favour tight settings?

Cheers


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## SlvrDragon50 (Mar 25, 2017)

firstpurchase said:


> haha, sounds about right!
> 
> yeah if he wasn't cruising so well and looking so good it would've raised a greater alarm - instead it's had me thinking my tight settings might be inhibiting me.
> 
> ...


Speedlace is just fine. All of them are just fine. Tightness is established by the fit, not the lacing system.


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## freshy (Nov 18, 2009)

Maybe your sons feet were sore? If I crank my boots super tight my high instep hurts like hell and before I finish my first run my feet are going numb, so I tend to have my lower part of my boots loose and the the upper part tight for support. I have duel zone speed laces. Or maybe you son decided he likes them loose based on nothing but a whim?
At the end of the day if your son is having fun that's what matters, as he progresses he'll figure out what works best for him.


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## firstpurchase (Apr 15, 2019)

yes he's definitely having fun so all good. he doesn't complain of sore feet. I think he just likes movement (seems so odd!)
i sometimes have the symptoms you described, i've never had a dual tightening system, perhaps that's the way forward. 
Cheers


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## buller_scott (Jun 10, 2018)

I've got dual speed lace on my Salomons, and i actually prefer it to the dual Boas i've had in the past - not sure why. 

But a decent speed lace system works fine - your feet will stay locked in, no problem.


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## Wiredsport (Sep 16, 2009)

firstpurchase said:


> hi,
> 
> On my last trip i thought it was interesting that I feel a need to have my boots & bindings real tight, while my teenaager (who's much less experienced but at a similar level or in some cases better than me), likes his b&b really loose. HOW CAN HE DO THIS i think
> 
> ...


Riding with well tensioned boots is always advised but the need to overtighten very often indicates that a boot is too large. What size boots are you using?


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## linvillegorge (Jul 6, 2009)

Both. It's why I always use traditional lace boots. Lock it down around the ankle, keep it loose in the toe box and up top.


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## Scalpelman (Dec 5, 2017)

Dual zone boa. I like the ease of easy dial in. I had dual zone speed laces prior and they work pretty smooth too. As above, tight at ankle and just snug lower zone.


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## tokyo_dom (Jan 7, 2013)

Maybe your son just wants less stiff boots than he currently has. Maybe you need stiffer boots.

There's people out there rocking bindings without highbacks. There is even people snowboarding without bindings for that ultimate 'surf' feel. If you are into that, then loosening everything up would make sense. Or if you want to feel every degree of angle on your euro carve, you probably want close to ski boots in stiffness.

Horses for courses!


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## ridethecliche (Feb 27, 2019)

The thraxis are on close out at a few places ?


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## drblast (Feb 28, 2017)

There's no right way. But if there were it would be this: Boots tight, bindings moderately tight. Everything should fit snug.

I didn't have the right gear for me until this year. Well, my boots were fine at the beginning of the season but they'd pack out too large. As the season would go on I'd overtighten the boots and bindings to compensate.

I finally found perfectly fitting stiff boots that were a half size smaller than the size I'd been riding. They're traditional lace and I take up slack in the lower and crank the shit out of the upper. Traditional lace is by far the best for being able to tighten exactly where you need to.

I've got stiff, responsive bindings (Targa) that are perfectly adjusted to the boots, so I hardly have to tighten them at all and the boot feels like it's glued to them, but with no pressure on the top of my foot or my toe. I've also got some slightly more flexible bindings (DoD) that lock the boot down just as much and are just as comfortable, but feel a bit softer with the more flexible highback and ankle strap.

If I wanted an even looser setup I'd get softer boots but same brand and same size. If I wanted to go even looser than that I'd get some of the ultra-comfy but flexy bindings like Malavita Re-flex. But at no point would I have slop in my boots or setup.

One other thing I found was that with boots 1/2 size too large, they were only stiff for a couple of weeks of riding. The extra room in the boot meant it was much easier to compress the shell and they'd soften up very quickly.

TLDR: Get properly fitting boots first and everything will be good.


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## freshy (Nov 18, 2009)

firstpurchase said:


> i've never had a dual tightening system, perhaps that's the way forward.
> Cheers


Regular laces are still my favorite, but if you have to get BOA's or speed laces dual zone if definitely what you want.


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## linvillegorge (Jul 6, 2009)

tokyo_dom said:


> Maybe your son just wants less stiff boots than he currently has. Maybe you need stiffer boots.
> 
> There's people out there rocking bindings without highbacks. There is even people snowboarding without bindings for that ultimate 'surf' feel. If you are into that, then loosening everything up would make sense. Or if you want to feel every degree of angle on your euro carve, you probably want close to ski boots in stiffness.
> 
> Horses for courses!


Several years ago Xavier De Le Rue did an interview where he said he barely even laces his boots up and keeps them very loose and that guy's one of if not the hardest charger on the planet.


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## ridethecliche (Feb 27, 2019)

drblast said:


> There's no right way. But if there were it would be this: Boots tight, bindings moderately tight. Everything should fit snug.
> 
> I didn't have the right gear for me until this year. Well, my boots were fine at the beginning of the season but they'd pack out too large. As the season would go on I'd overtighten the boots and bindings to compensate.
> 
> ...


I tried a pair of boots that were traditional lace but had a boa for locking the ankle down. They were pretty clutch!


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