UPZ Boots first look

[gradyh]

After a $75 deposit and almost 2 seasons of waiting for my UPZ race boots to arrive, I finally recieved them. When I originally looked at getting these boots I was riding narrow race boards and wanted everything as stiff as possible. I had even purchased Catek step-ins last year to go along with my new boots.
Well, thanks to the Swoard, I've "seen the light". Stiffer is not better, accept maybe when racing. Seeing that nobody has used the UPZ's with the Swoard, I figuered I'd buy them and hope for the best.
At first look, they seem well built. The liner is the only concern. It seems to be about half as padded as my old boots. When I put them on in the house and buckled them down, I realized very quickly why they call them "race boots". Very stiff and quite a bit of forward lean even in walk mode. I'm sure they will loosen up with use and hopefully will allow me to walk in more of an upright position.
I will write a follow up report later this month once I get them up on the slopes, but my guess is that they will be way too stiff for EC and they definately don't have enough forward flex. They have maybe 1/3 to 1/2 of the forward flex than the Northwaves On a positive note they do have decent backward flex that is spring controlled like the Northwaves.
Modification to the flex control to increase forward flex seems impossible due to it's design

[fivat]

I'm looking forward to reading your report!

Modification to the flex control to increase forward flex seems impossible due to it's design

Is there a velcro buckle on the liner? You could remove it (cut it)... We did that with the Northwave to improve the forward flex (the liner moves better in the shell).

Patrice Fivat

[SITO]

Hi Patrice.

Speaking about velcros on the linner etc, wich are for a extra support on the boots,

What do you think about velcros ,how BOOSTER STRAP for EC or a freestyle hard-boots(jump, ride on swich....), they give an extra support ,but less movement room between legs and boots,??

Greets Sito

[gradyh]

There is no velcro on the liners at all. The only velcro on the boot is the top nylon strap, which by the way is too long. They should make it about 2-3 inches shorter.
I think the stiffness problem is due to the fact that the tongue of the boot wraps around the front of the boot, so when you flex forward it does not have a center "bending" point (can't evenly fold it). The Northwaves have a one piece tongue like on a tennis shoe, where it's only attachment to the boot is the hinge at the bottom of the tongue. I think that the Northwave design would flex better and more evenly (linear) than a UPZ style tongue, which feels more like a progressive flex even in walk mode. I think the Deeluxe Indy's might use the wrap style tongue as well
As far as forward flex goes, the spring (flex) mechanism on the back uses a system which glides on a track similar to my old Burton Reactor's. So even by taking the spring completly off, the foward flex travel seems limited to the lenth of the track
If somehow the forward flex travel could be increased, the other problem is that the UPZ's use 5 buckles. IF forward travel was increaed, the third and forth buckles might hit each other, again limiting the travel

[fivat]

SITO, I'm not sure to understand well your question

What do you think about velcros ,how BOOSTER STRAP for EC or a freestyle hard-boots(jump, ride on swich....), they give an extra support ,but less movement room between legs and boots,??

You can't have boots for doing everything. With very soft boots, you have large mobility for jumping and making tricks... But you lose a lot on carving. I use myself soft boots for freeriding in powder, but they have velcros and straps making a good stiffness: I prefer to be not too soft, I can be more powerful. It's also possible to carve on the slopes, but as not as extreme and dynamic as what we can do with hard boots of course... (discussed a lot already: importance of the springs, etc.).

Patrice Fivat

[fivat]

gradyh, if you find a solution to reduce UPZ stiffness, I give you a Swoard
Joking... but these boots seem made more for racing (or skiing, hehe)...

Patrice Fivat

[SITO]

Hi,Patrice
I'll try to explain me better.

Ski metrix (www.skimetrix.com) make the Booster strap, which is for a better support for the hard-boots,increase his response, and reduces the shing-bang.

Well my question was if this type of products are good complement for our alpine boots and ride EC, jump , swich,.... or are they better for racing style.?

Sito

[fivat]

Well my question was if this type of products are good complement for our alpine boots and ride EC, jump , swich,.... or are they better for racing style.?

Such straps prevent good boot flex because the liners can't move properly in the shells. It's OK for ski boots or race snowboarding which require quite stiff boots. But it isn't good for extremecarving: a good and progressive forward flex is necessary. However the Booster straps (from www.skimetrix.com ) are elastic... what could be nice to test

Patrice Fivat

[SITO]

Ok! Patrice

This is the same that I was thinking,but as you said it would be nice tested

Sito

[István]

One addition to this topic on the boot itself, although I have not tested it, but I've seen it in Sölden and have also seen Frank riding in it.

I have percieved that it was very time-consuming to step into the bails (although Frank is obviously an experienced rider and knows his own boots) due to the build-up of the heel part - it did not seem to be easy to find the split on the boot with the bail, although TD2's have a spring system to keep the bail in an upper position.

That's all, maybe it happened by accident, but this is what I've seen.

Cheers,

István

[tommaso2k]

Istvan,

i assume it was your board Frank was riding with the TD2´s or?

The back bail could be adjusted in the high to fit exactly in the boot. So i assume the bails are optimized for your Indy´s and not the UPZ from Frank.

Thomas

[István]

Indeed, it was mine. But I believe it was not the setting, but the shape of the boot. It is difficult to explain it in writing, but the point is that the heel of the boot does not stick out at all, it is rather like a round shaped heel with a horizontal nieche in it which is not easy to find with the rear bail.

Most of the snowbord boots look like this, but check it out here: http://www.virus-snowboards.de/2005/html/boots.html and you'll know what I mean (left picture).

On the other hand I'm a bit surprised, I have not realized that there is a setting possibility of the rear bails on TD2... do you mean that the two gadgets at the two ends of the rear bail that are attached to the heel part of the binding can be set by turning in and out? I actually do not have them here in my office, but the first thing I'll do when I get home is to check that. Till then I have checked it on the picture of TD2 http://www.bomberonline.com/Store/image ... iso_lg.jpg but did not really get the point....


Cheers,


István

[tommaso2k]

Hi Istvan,

I have not realized that there is a setting possibility of the rear bails on TD2... do you mean that the two gadgets at the two ends of the rear bail that are attached to the heel part of the binding can be set by turning in and out?

This is what i meant at the end of the bail where the screws go in to mount the bail on the baseplate of the binding there is a thread which you can turn in and out to adjust the height of the bail. Doing this you can easily micro adjust the bidning bails to your boot. This is really a nice setting because the different boot vary in the height of the heel slightly.
This is as well possible with the front bails and is really a nice setting

Hope this helps if not please send me a message.

Thomas