Anyone here successfully downsized on a zipfit by stretching out the toe (a little)?
I'm thinking of trying out a 25 (274 foot, 26 shell) and stretching the toe with some heat and a broom handle.
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Anyone here successfully downsized on a zipfit by stretching out the toe (a little)?
I'm thinking of trying out a 25 (274 foot, 26 shell) and stretching the toe with some heat and a broom handle.
I'm curious, why?
Ever try to heat and stretch neoprene? I've not, but my guess is the combination of materials (the fabric outer and the rubber inner) that make up neoprene would not like it.
Do you have the liners in hand? There's a good amount of give to that toe box. I am sure my skinny feet (that also happen to measure 274) would be ok in a 25 ZF although happier in the 26.
Thanks!Quote:
Originally Posted by Ocean
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It's hard to find my size in the used market so I'm exploring other options. Bought a pair of 27s a while back and they bunch up too much in the shell. I don't have any 25s in hand. The stretching idea came from a vid where a shop owner used the technique with a stock liner which likely has more pliant materials (and comes with less fear of fucking it up) than a ZF.Quote:
Originally Posted by FlimFlamvanHam
Quote:
Originally Posted by ntblanks
are they a new pair of 27s or how used are they and are you looking to move them?
Buying used ZipFits at all is a little challenging as people don't seem to sell them frequently. But I have had luck with a couple pairs of 26.5s. I don't think the neoprene toe would stretch permanently but if you are, or know someone who is, patient and good with stitching you could probably re-craft the toe a bit by adding some extra neoprene.Quote:
Originally Posted by ntblanks
Yeah, I was gonna post them up to GS as a WTT for some 26s. They are in good shape and a medium-to-lower volume model (I'm guessing gara). Can pm you some pics if you want.Quote:
Originally Posted by SoVT Joey
Are the zipfit people putting their feet in the liners and then in the boots?
I did the questionnaire on the website and this came up... but I've always struggled so hard to get my liners back into the shells (with no feet) that I can't picture how this works.
Insight?
It's easier to put your liner on then into the boot. Not really feasible to put empty zipfits into shells, ime. Your foot is strong and dense. it opens up the scaffo. You can help it along by opening up the scaffo with your hands. Easier when boots are warm inside, of course.Quote:
Originally Posted by Shorty_J
Ignore the first 20 seconds of this video, but the actual on / off part is what I've done and it makes it pretty easy.Quote:
Originally Posted by Shorty_J
https://youtu.be/BUli9WRIh0A?t=22
^^^ thanks for that.
I think I might try that with my stock liners before I commit to a zipfit purchase.
With warm boots and my feet in the liners it requires minimal effort on my part especially if i toe out a bit and use my hand to push on the back of my heel. I also have a bit of Sailkote sprayed inside the boot. I usually tuck my boots up under the dash on the passenger side to heat them up.Quote:
Originally Posted by Shorty_J
Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums
This !!! Warm/hot shells are the secret to good living and easy liner access.Quote:
Originally Posted by swissbro
FTWQuote:
Originally Posted by swissbro
Yes this. Zipfits easier then booting up with a stock liner already in the shell even when warm.Quote:
Originally Posted by ntblanks
Sent from my SM-G998U using Tapatalk
That’s just making you spend more days skiing without zipfits before you spend the same amount of money to eventually buy zipfits.Quote:
Originally Posted by Shorty_J
Yeah that's fair but the zipfits are going to cost almost double what I paid for the brand new boots so I'd like to make sure my short and fat and inflexible body is OK with the process before I drop that much coin.Quote:
Originally Posted by Judo Chop!
[emoji854]
https://www.amazon.ca/Ski-and-Snowbo.../dp/B009WA7TRQQuote:
Originally Posted by Shorty_J
Nice... thanks!Quote:
Originally Posted by Judo Chop!
As mentioned previously and shown in the video, liners on foot, then foot/liner into boot. Reverse for taking off.
Warm boots (and liners) are sooo nice and so much easier to put on. If you’re spending the coin on zipfits, a few more dollars won’t hurt… get yourself a heated boot bag too!
Is it crazy to consider a freeride (hv) for a lv (97 last) boot?
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A tiny spritz of silicone spray into your shells every now and then helps too.
Unless you're in a shell that's 3 sizes too big then the answer is yesQuote:
Originally Posted by Charlie Don't Surf
Copy. That's definitely not the case so I'll put that thought to bed.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lord Thomas
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I just bought some freerides for my x-max's (98mm last) based on Chris at zipfit's advice. I have a narrow heel and skinny legs, and he said the higher volume liner would fill out the space in the cuff better.Quote:
Originally Posted by Charlie Don't Surf
The freeride wasn't even on my radar initially - I was between the gara lv and hv. But Chris pointed me more towards the freeride. Between the freeride and the gara HV Chris said the volume is similar, but the freeride has the cutouts around the cuff, which sounded better for me since I do a fair amount of walking in these boots.
Only have 1 day in them so far. Fit is great around my heel. Still working on instep tightness, but I don't think that'd be any different in the lower volume liners. Fit around calf is decent, and should be great after a couple more days of skiing and getting things broken in.
I have that boot horn I’ll send you if you want it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Shorty_J
I ran 2” of TPFE tape down the back of the shell, 1” down the middle of boot board to the toe, and 1” about 3” up the heel of the Zipfit and the boot horn wasn’t needed. I’ll hit the shell with a splash of food grade silicone spray once every 6 weeks or so and getting in is easy, getting out isn’t a problem but requires a little more effort.
Sent you a pmQuote:
Originally Posted by jmills
As always, depends mostly on the specifics of your foot and your shell. If the shell is appropriately fit for length, and you have a really low volume ankle/heel/calf, then a thicker liner may be of some benefit.Quote:
Originally Posted by Charlie Don't Surf
I unfortunately have super low volume bird bones for my ankle and heel and calf, with a low instep, but also fairly wide and bony met heads. So for me, the best combo over the past decade has been:
1) a 97-98mm last LV shell sized borderline short (5-10mm shell fit)
2) punch the shell for my big toe and heel and 5th met head
3) ditch the stock liner (way too short for my big toe in all three of the last 26.5 boots I’ve tried. This is easy to test for yourself, just wear the liners around the house for an evening without the shells. If your 1st or 2nd toe is crushed, probably time to try one size longer in an aftermarket liner).
4) replace the stock liner with a thick aftermarket liner one size up (27.5 Zipfit WC with tons of OMFit added or HV Intuition 27) along with a custom footbed in my heavily punched 26.5 shell
5) Booster strap and spoilers/shims as needed
All that to say: YMMV. But a thicker liner in a 97-98 last shell is not a completely unreasonable strategy
Good tip... thanks!Quote:
Originally Posted by jmills
What is the appropriate size of tubing for extracting the goo? I need to pull a little out of a tongue and maybe the ankle.
i have some long spoons that i've used. i found a tube frustrating cuz you have to use your fingers to pack it into the tube (which is not as easy as it sounds) whereas you can just scoop with the spoon.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lord Thomas
the whole process is messy and decidedly un-fun.
the tongue is particularly un-fun and moving the cork up the tongue as much as you can will help improve access to the cork.
something like this https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005...martRedirect=y
remold afterwards cuz the removal process is imprecise as fuck
Can zipfits help with foot numbness in a very low volume boot? Last time I went to a bootfitter for this issue, they made the boot more comfortable by grinding the footbed down, but at the expense of performance.
Are they a product I can buy and fit at home, and they might resolve the issue, as long as I get the correct model and use heat?
I’ve tried one on before, in a different tight boot, and it made said boot feel tighter initially compared to stock liner. However I didnt heat it up, nor do I know if it was the correct model for my situation.
The corsa should fit a plug, however it will make things tighter. Nothing is as low volume as the shitty plug stock liners.Quote:
Originally Posted by Velomayniac
What Mr Pretzel said. The Corsa will still take up more room. However you could likely make some concessions for circulation (grinding the boot board) and not suffer the same performance degradation as you did with the stock liner.Quote:
Originally Posted by Velomayniac
And again, ZipFit offers a $ back guarantee and their support is great. Only way to know is to try them.
With Intuitions I could put and had to put strong tension on all buckles. With the ZipFits you barely have to tension your buckles (assuming they fit your foot and shell like they should) and over my instep I leave mine pretty slack. If i put any kind of tension on that buckle I'll get numb toes.
And yeah, fit them at home. Best way to fit them is skiing in them. First few days out will probably really suck for numbness based on your situation. Call and talk to Chris and see what he says.
PSA for anyone wanting to try some Zipfits for cheap. up for sale on Mountain Project. $200, Size 26. Not my ad
https://www.mountainproject.com/foru...-of-snow-stuff
My favorite way to fit a zipfit it two glass bottles of boiling water in the boots til they are nice and toasty and then wear with shells until cold. You can do this everyday for a few and do it right before going on the mountain. Will result in a great fit from the get go in my experience.
Also dont be afraid to let me people work on your plugs if you are getting foot numbness, I know it’s annoying when they fuck up but you obviously need something done.
These aren’t for my ZBs. Those are deep in the closet were they belong. You could torture grown men with those things.
They are for Tecnica firebird 140, 96mm last, which have a normal consumer boot liner (maybe slightly upgraded). Lower volume than a Lange 97 last or Salomon 98 last, for sure, but not quite plug
Anyone with experience think those zip fits on mountainproject would fit in a true plug Doberman? 93 last
That may be the best description of Intuition I've seen. We are usually good for a couple dozen foam liners a year and maybe 50 Intuitions. Now that Zipfit is available reliably in the Great White North I can happily say I may never foam another liner again. And Intuition only for the people that think their feet are cold.Quote:
Originally Posted by FlimFlamvanHam
I recently picked up a NOS pair of World Cups I'm going to try and use in my rx130lv. There is too much cork low in the J-bar area for my Achilles and heel. I have some full cork tubes that came with the liners so I can't use an empty tube to try and collect and move that material to the tongue or the instep. Any recommendations on how to move or remove it?