# Adidas Tactical ADV tongue pressure



## benjinyc (Feb 24, 2017)

since these have traditional laces, you should just be able to loosen the section above your instep to ease the pressure

Only issues I've had are my arches getting sore after a bit, perhaps i need some aftermarket insoles

*saw 2019/20s ADVs and didn't like the looks so quickly snagged this years as a backup pair for my current ones. Best boots i've ever ridden in


----------



## bazman (Jan 15, 2017)

I have these boots and had the same issue.

I loosened the laces and manually softened the tongues by flexing them back and forwards to break them in. Helped a lot

I also removed the laces from the strap things near the ankle as way too hard to get boots on and off with those laced in. I have noticed some wear on the laces though as they now run against the boot edge, so will probably put them back in again.

Hopefully the above will make sense to those that have these boots. Pics would explain better but can't do that at the mo


----------



## jonswhite (Feb 26, 2018)

bazman said:


> I have these boots and had the same issue.
> 
> I loosened the laces and manually softened the tongues by flexing them back and forwards to break them in. Helped a lot
> 
> ...


That makes sense - I tried a bit of the flexing, but removing that ankle lace too whilst they break in is a good call.
Best get tongue flexing!


----------



## SteezyRidah303 (Oct 5, 2010)

benjinyc said:


> since these have traditional laces, you should just be able to loosen the section above your instep to ease the pressure
> 
> Only issues I've had are my arches getting sore after a bit, perhaps i need some aftermarket insoles
> 
> *saw 2019/20s ADVs and didn't like the looks so quickly snagged this years as a backup pair for my current ones. Best boots i've ever ridden in


I loved them as well for about 20 days then tehy were donezo...my arches cant take another day in those things...loved how they look tho wish the flex lasted longer


----------



## Funks (Dec 28, 2015)

SteezyRidah303 said:


> I loved them as well for about 20 days then tehy were donezo...my arches cant take another day in those things...loved how they look tho wish the flex lasted longer




I got two pairs, they’ve been awesome for me. Is it the cuff flex feature that it has that makes it turn into a noodle after a while?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


----------



## benjinyc (Feb 24, 2017)

SteezyRidah303 said:


> I loved them as well for about 20 days then tehy were donezo...my arches cant take another day in those things...loved how they look tho wish the flex lasted longer


what about inserts?, I've been contemplating getting a set of those


----------



## Funks (Dec 28, 2015)

SteezyRidah303 said:


> I loved them as well for about 20 days then tehy were donezo...my arches cant take another day in those things...loved how they look tho wish the flex lasted longer


TJ of Board Addiction (You Tuber) said the same thing. The Tactical ADV's just go limp (didn't last the season), so he's looking for a different boot

https://youtu.be/3eS8G75m6jE?t=3022


----------



## Yeahti87 (Jan 17, 2019)

I had like 15-20 days in a pair and then sized down half a size and so far 15 days in. The pressure point is a well know issue but as mentioned above you man up and break the boot on the slope or just do it manually at that instep point. It does break in and becomes super comfy as this is the only issue with them. As for flex, I would rate it 6/7 out of then box, a hair softer than Response I tried before that were a strong 7 flex. After breakin in they stay 5/10 flex. I sold the bigger pair to my friend after these 15-20 days, he put some 10-12 days more in them and I don’t see any less flex compared to mine after 15 days. Another friend runs the same model as well for 20~~ days and also says the pressure point is gone and the flex retention is good.
As for the model 2017/2018 I have, the durability is really good, the only thing that fails are these 3 glued stripes on the sides - they fold and somehow crack in slightly but that’s purely cosmetic. For 2018/2019 they used the stitching instead of glue so I assume it is fixed.


----------



## benjinyc (Feb 24, 2017)

they upgraded 2020's model with a stiffer higher quality liner

Silver Ultralons to Gold Ultralons


----------



## Funks (Dec 28, 2015)

benjinyc said:


> they upgraded 2020's model with a stiffer higher quality liner
> 
> Silver Ultralons to Gold Ultralons


Didn't really understand why the Acerra's had the Gold Liner, and the Tactical ADV's had the Silver liner. Personally don't like BOA boots myself, those plastic dials / parts IMO are just a bad idea from a durability perspective.


----------



## benjinyc (Feb 24, 2017)

I think they underestimated the popularity of the ADVs


----------



## Funks (Dec 28, 2015)

Review from Board Archive - doesn't hold it's flex. I've only had it for 18 riding days this year - so can't comment if they turn into a noodle after 25.


----------



## Yeahti87 (Jan 17, 2019)

Funks said:


> Review from Board Archive - doesn't hold it's flex. I've only had it for 18 riding days this year - so can't comment if they turn into a noodle after 25.


I doubt TJ would sacrifice 75 days of the season just to post a vid ‚100 days after’ ? They might have gone softer but for sure still good to enjoy these 75 days extra


----------



## Paxford (Jan 7, 2019)

jonswhite said:


> Hi. Got a pair of these from last year. Ridden in them for about a week and getting really painful pressure on top of my insteps. Everything else about them is great.
> Does anyone have any great ideas about how to soften off the tongue just in this area?
> I’m currently lacing them really loosely over the instep but this isn’t doing much except letting my foot slide about too much.


Have you tried other lacing techniques yet? I'm not sure how you are getting the rest of the boot tight when one area is laced loosely.

You can skip zones like the instep by rearranging the lacing. So many variations there, but basically instead of crossing over the tongue take the lace directly from one eyelet to the one above it. That should reduce the pressure in that area but still allow you to tighten the rest of the boot.


----------



## IceCoastFiend (Jan 16, 2020)

jonswhite said:


> That makes sense - I tried a bit of the flexing, but removing that ankle lace too whilst they break in is a good call.
> Best get tongue flexing!


Just picked up the 2020s and haven't ridden yet, but have been wearing them in the house. I definitely feel a pressure point at the top of my instep, and honestly it's making my toes tingle a bit. I loosened everything up, but it still feels bad in there. Did your tongue flexing or undoing the lace through the nylon strap work for you? I haven't ridden yet, so still have a chance to return them. It would be too bad though, I really want that boost outsole under me!


----------



## jonswhite (Feb 26, 2018)

My problem is a high instep. I followed Burton Avenger’s boot fit video and also did a lot of tongue flexing to soften them off. Was all good. Got about 20 days on them last season and was happy.


----------



## bazman (Jan 15, 2017)

jonswhite said:


> Hi. Got a pair of these from last year. Ridden in them for about a week and getting really painful pressure on top of my insteps. Everything else about them is great.
> Does anyone have any great ideas about how to soften off the tongue just in this area?
> I’m currently lacing them really loosely over the instep but this isn’t doing much except letting my foot slide about too much.


I have these boots and had the same problem to start with. It does go away after a while, but you can speed up the process by unlacing the boots and flexing the tongue with your hands to soften it up above the instep. 

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk


----------



## Yeahti87 (Jan 17, 2019)

I had 10,5 US then sized down to 10 US I’m mostly riding now and now I also got 9,5 US (working on packing these out, still a bit painful but bearable).
Like all the guys commented here, it will soften up or you can speed it up by hand flexing. And make sure you set the forward lean to the boot, I experimented yesterday and put too much forward lean on the Falcors and the pain was back in these broken-in 10 US because the broken-in flex point in the instep moved from the instep of my feet that way.
And yes, the boost is phenomenal, grab any other boots, stomp your heels on the floor. The breaking-in period discomfort is well worth it.


----------



## vodkaboarder (Feb 9, 2013)

I've got 20 days on my ADVs. They are FINALLY starting to feel better but that pressure point from the tongue was horrible for at least two weeks. Still kinda sucks now. I've never had boots that have been so miserable to break in before.

Finding traditional lace boots that don't suck is becoming harder and harder each season.


----------



## ralphsandwich (Dec 12, 2020)

jonswhite said:


> Hi. Got a pair of these from last year. Ridden in them for about a week and getting really painful pressure on top of my insteps. Everything else about them is great.
> Does anyone have any great ideas about how to soften off the tongue just in this area?
> I’m currently lacing them really loosely over the instep but this isn’t doing much except letting my foot slide about too much.


these boots are defective. I have permanent tingling in my big toe after riding these twice. I even got them stretched which was extremely painful. they may be fine if you have a flat dorsal foot but if you have a bit of a hump at the proximal tarsometatarsal joint then you will experience pain or tendon/nerve injury like I did. the extremely hard plastic tongue makes no sense to me but I see some people on here seem to like this boot.


----------



## poppanev (2 mo ago)

Has anybody tried any kind of insert for the break-in period? I've got that pressure point on the top of the foot and am about 10 days into the break-in and not looking forward to another 15 of forefoot pressure before these feel good. It seems like the joint over the instep where the tongue is sewn collapses into the foot; so I was thinking filling the area over the top of my foot with some cushion to prevent that collapse and disperse the pressure. These boots are great in every other regard and I'm hoping to make them work.


----------



## Yeahti87 (Jan 17, 2019)

poppanev said:


> Has anybody tried any kind of insert for the break-in period? I've got that pressure point on the top of the food and am about 10 days into the break-in and not looking forward to another 15 of forefoot pressure before these feel good. It seems like the joint over the instep where the tongue is sewn collapses into the foot; so I was thinking filling the area over the top of my foot with some cushion to prevent that collapse and disperse the pressure. These boots are great in every other regard and I'm hoping to make them work.


An easy fix.
I’ve had like 4 new pairs while downsizing.
Make sure the lace is not looped through that part until you break in the boot. It also helps with getting in and out when they are brand new.
Report back how it worked for you:


----------



## poppanev (2 mo ago)

Yeahti87 said:


> An easy fix.
> I’ve had like 4 new pairs while downsizing.
> Make sure the lace is not looped through that part until you break in the boot. It also helps with getting in and out when they are brand new.
> Report back how it worked for you:
> View attachment 165167


Thanks for the tip! I'll give it a shot on the mountain today and report back


----------



## bazman (Jan 15, 2017)

Yeahti87 said:


> An easy fix.
> I’ve had like 4 new pairs while downsizing.
> Make sure the lace is not looped through that part until you break in the boot. It also helps with getting in and out when they are brand new.
> Report back how it worked for you:
> View attachment 165167


Yeah I did the same on my first pair, although skipped it on my second pair as I could never get the laces back in again once they had softened up


----------



## poppanev (2 mo ago)

Yeahti87 said:


> An easy fix.
> I’ve had like 4 new pairs while downsizing.
> Make sure the lace is not looped through that part until you break in the boot. It also helps with getting in and out when they are brand new.
> Report back how it worked for you:
> View attachment 165167





poppanev said:


> Thanks for the tip! I'll give it a shot on the mountain today and report back


I tried a few things:
Skipped that ankle strap lace as recommended. It felt a little better. l then also skipped the very bottom lace loops - I couldn't really tell a difference there. I then added some neoprene over the instep which helped a little more. And this is where I got crazy with inserts and basically tried to prevent that tongue joint from collapsing by slamming some foam in there. I added a thin layer of soft foam over that neoprene and added some hard foam directly under the tongue collapse/pressure point. That was highly unsuccessful. I ripped out the hard foam from under the tongue, kept the other two (neoprene and soft foam), relaced through the very bottom loops, and skipped that ankle strap. This combo worked the best for me. I still feel that pressure, but it is now a lot more tame.


----------



## dwdesign (Mar 30, 2011)

Both of my Tactical ADV and Lexicons took about 15 days without heat molding for the instep pressure to alleviate on my feet.


----------



## dwdesign (Mar 30, 2011)

bazman said:


> Yeah I did the same on my first pair, although skipped it on my second pair as I could never get the laces back in again once they had softened up


Take the liner out of the boot shell and then you can thread the laces back through the loop easily.


----------

