Boa closure loosening quite a bit during ride

[CPP]

Anybody else see this in their Boa shoes?

I tighten the boa dials before my ride, nice and snug. When I get back from my normal ride, (nothing too strenious) the cables have a surprising amount of slack and I can tighten the boa dial again quite a bit.

I'm wearing shoe covers at the moment (well not right at this moment) and I don't bother tightening the dials during my ride.

[Cicli]

I would have a hard time understanding how you could tighten a shoe enough to stretch a cable.
Me thinkith something else is up.

[CPP]

Good point. Will change the title!

[unterhausen]

I suspect it's just snagging and you aren't tightening it as much as you think in the first place. I would clean the system. There are some videos on youtube about how to do this

[Veloo]

I believe bao warranties them for life. I bought an extra set for my Lake shoes just to have in case they did break. Wasn't very expensive.

[dave thompson]

You may need new adjusters. The little ratchets can wear and allow them to unwind.

[weiwentg]

I believe bao warranties them for life. I bought an extra set for my Lake shoes just to have in case they did break. Wasn't very expensive.

You may need new adjusters. The little ratchets can wear and allow them to unwind.

Yeah, and I wasn't expecting this to happen when I got my S-works shoes. Re-lacing them is a huge pain (version 1, so I have to thread the cable in). At this point, I would rather have paid more upfront to have something that lasted a whole lot longer. For that matter, I already paid something like $350 for the shoes ... feels a bit cheap that the laces wore out within two years of not very much riding.

[CPP]

Well, I'm not even at half a season yet!!

I've always had Sidis and since they came out, I've used the Wires. I decided to try another closure system. With the Sidis, there was no loosening at all! That's why I was so hit by the way the Boas loosen.

The boa dials seem to be fine. They engage/disengage perfectly fine. I'm a bit puzzeled.

Just goes to show you.... Don't try to fix something if it ain't broken!!!

[thunderworks]

I've had the same problem with my Specialized #74 shoes. I'm a spinner without much power so it really baffles me . . . I found myself having to tighten the BOA closures every 10 minutes during a ride. I replaced the BOA ratchet and wires once but that didn't seem to help much. I finally gave up on the BOA system.

[regularguy412]

I've had mine for over 6 years. the bottom insides of the part that is attached TO the shoe broke,,so even tho i got new dials, they do not really work as replacements as the little screw like item has nothing to screw into. boa will give you one new set of dials, but after that , must purchase. I chose to get new shoes with a different/better boa closure (Bontrager xxx shoes) instead of trying to get Spec to do something about the shoe portion of the closure.

Mike in AR:beer:

[CPP]

I changed to Lake CX 402s after the Sidis. I love the shoe but t I'm not groovin the Boas. Funny, I had always heard/thought that the Boa system was the cat's ass.

Anyway, 2 pairs of Lakes will be in The Classifieds for a song very soon. (Yes I know, that comment was a shot in the salesmanship foot)

[R3awak3n]

I never liked BOA because of exactly this. I am not sure and thought maybe was that specific shoe or the way I ride but it always cam loose/never felt very tight.

I then moved to laces on the giro empires which I really liked but my prefered is velcro on bottom and buckle on top (giro privateers and now I just got bont vaypors)

[kgreene10]

Happens to me all the time. Step 1: unscrew ratchets and clean thoroughly. You will need the little tool that should have come with the shoes. Step 2: get the ratchets replaced for free by your local Spec dealer or, if they won't provide this service (which they should) go online and get free replacements from Boa. Easy to install.

[Hilltopperny]

I have had the same problem with my specialized shoes with the boa lacing as well. Luckily I have a few different pairs. Glad to hear it can be fixed as I like my specialized carbon shoes but haven't used them much because of the inability to keep the right shoes tight enough.

[JasonF]

I've had the same problem with my Specialized #74 shoes. I'm a spinner without much power so it really baffles me . . . I found myself having to tighten the BOA closures every 10 minutes during a ride. I replaced the BOA ratchet and wires once but that didn't seem to help much. I finally gave up on the BOA system.

Interesting that you mention this. My '74 road shoes have the same issue while my S-Works don't. It's pretty frustrating, especially considering the price point of the shoes. The shoes have less than 10 hours of use.

[shovelhd]

I love the BOA system. The dials wear out. Replacements are free. What's the big deal?

The newer BOA dials have metal ratchet tangs which last longer.

[weiwentg]

I love the BOA system. The dials wear out. Replacements are free. What's the big deal?

The newer BOA dials have metal ratchet tangs which last longer.

If Sidi can make a ratcheting closure system that doesn't wear out inside of a year, why can't Boa? Why should I have to send a mail in to Boa, yank four reel systems out of my shoes and, and screw new ones in every year, if I don't need to do the same for Sidi? That's the big deal.

[shovelhd]

Mine last way longer than a year.

[or277]

I've also experienced this with an older pair of specialized shoes, but I understand that the newer ones work better now.

[CPP]

I got mine in November, so not even a half of a real season! Anyway, it seems to be a Boa issue and that's what I wanted to know.

When you guys talk about changing the dials, do you change just the outer dial or everything else as well? That, would be the deal breaker!

[shovelhd]

Dials and wires. The rest is bonded to the shoe.

I wonder if the haters ride in wet weather or on dirt roads often. BOA's don't do well in grimy environments. I would not choose shoes with them if I was riding in mucky conditions all the time. I have MTB shoes for those conditions, with a ratchet strap.