Boa shoe closure system

[spartacus]

Is Boa reliable and long lasting?

Cheers, Sparts.

[PaMtbRider]

Yes. No issues with boa closure on my Lake boots or Specialized road shoes.

[dekindy]

This is an interesting question that I would like to know the answer to also. I was taught to curl my toes when tightening the bottom two straps to allow for the fact that my feet would swell and to tighten tighten the ankle strap as tight as I wanted. I even loosen the bottom two straps further after riding for awhile. This strategy keeps me from having hot spots.

It is my understanding that the boa strap applies equal pressure at all points so it has not interested me.

[LegendRider]

For what it's worth, I have two friends who had problems with their Specialized S-Works shoes that used monofilament (fishing line) for the closure. Both got warranty replacements with the new metal cable and neither have had problems since.

[fourflys]

I have Boa on my Lake CX330's and have not had an issue in over 2 years... I REALLY like the system, I think it gives you a much more "glove-like" fit than ratchet straps... I had Sidi Genious's before the Lakes and the Lakes are so much nicer for me... Now, my Lakes have the Boa on the heel instead of the side... no idea if it makes a difference...

[dekindy]

I have Boa on my Lake CX330's and have not had an issue in over 2 years... I REALLY like the system, I think it gives you a much more "glove-like" fit than ratchet straps... I had Sidi Genious's before the Lakes and the Lakes are so much nicer for me... Now, my Lakes have the Boa on the heel instead of the side... no idea if it makes a difference...

Does the shoe feel equally snug all over or is it snugger around the ankles?

When you had a 3-strap system what was your approach to tightening the straps? What I am trying to get at is whether you tightened all of them equally snug or did not snug them down very tight or if you followed the procedure that I described above of tightening the ankle strap very tight but leaving the other straps looser to allow for swelling?

[tele]

I used the Lakes last year and loved the BOA. Pressure is equal all over and it makes me feel so comfy. Now maybe it is the shoes, but when I am on the rollers now with some old Vittorias, they are not nearly as comfy as the BOA system.
When I put on the 3 velcro Vittorias, I think the little one doesnt do much for me at all, the middle and upper straps get more attention. BOA system is just better for me.

[gasman]

I have very high arches and found the BOA system on the S-works shoes very uncomfortable and I exchanged them for the lower model with two velcro straps and a ratchet strap. But that's just me.

[fourflys]

Does the shoe feel equally snug all over or is it snugger around the ankles?

When you had a 3-strap system what was your approach to tightening the straps? What I am trying to get at is whether you tightened all of them equally snug or did not snug them down very tight or if you followed the procedure that I described above of tightening the ankle strap very tight but leaving the other straps looser to allow for swelling?

what tele said...

I never tried scrunching up my toes, but no matter what I did the Sidi's just never felt right... the lakes are like butter though...

[Mike748]

I have the S-works road shoes. I run them pretty loose as I have a problem with foot swelling in the summer heat. I don't really find that the BOA system distributes the lacing tension... too much friction I guess. But it works fine. But no better than the Pro velcro.

[Ti Designs]

When the string breaks it's amazing how fast your foot comes out of the shoe. I wound up sitting on the ground in front of my bike wondering what just happened. That said, I've used the shoes for 4 years, only one failure. I've had worse luck with just about everything and anything else.

[fourflys]

When the string breaks it's amazing how fast your foot comes out of the shoe. I wound up sitting on the ground in front of my bike wondering what just happened. That said, I've used the shoes for 4 years, only one failure. I've had worse luck with just about everything and anything else.

wonder if it would be worth preemptive replacement every couple of years...

[Johnnyg]

I had to replace the knobs and line (rebuild kit) after a year of heavy use. A tedious task but work like new. Good luck. JG

[phlash23]

Work at a Specialized dealer and we see very few come back with problems. Those that have were quickly warranted. Specialized seems very good about standing behind their products.

[bobswire]

When the string breaks it's amazing how fast your foot comes out of the shoe. I wound up sitting on the ground in front of my bike wondering what just happened. That said, I've used the shoes for 4 years, only one failure. I've had worse luck with just about everything and anything else.

I have the Lakes with the knob on the rear , a few months ago I had somehow caught on something releasing the tension and my foot came out of the shoe while shoe remained in the pedal, I was going slow enough that I was able to maintain my balance.
I've been using them for over a year with no problems other than that,I
prefer them over straps with ratchet.

[Nooch]

Work at a Specialized dealer and we see very few come back with problems. Those that have were quickly warranted. Specialized seems very good about standing behind their products.


not only is specialized very good about the warranty, but BOA themselves are awesome.

http://www.boatechnology.com/guarantee

they'll get you a replacement asap, but they only do black dials on replacements.

[tele]

not only is specialized very good about the warranty, but BOA themselves are awesome.

http://www.boatechnology.com/guarantee

they'll get you a replacement asap, but they only do black dials on replacements.
Good to know, thanks.

[Velosmith]

3 years on my Specialized Boas. No issues and they are still working great.

My favorite shoes of all time.

[Charles M]

Wow.

This is a dang short thread and there are people with failures and a shop guy that says they've had failures...

The thing that bothers me with it is that, much like the single failure I've seen, in every case here, you're just OUT of your shoe.


I would love to know how many people have had the cable fail (versus the abandoned mono line)


I don't think I've ever seen a thread with this percentage of fails for a single part. I've had no issues but I think a little more of a look see is wise...

[r_mutt]

1 year, 5,000 miles+ , no problems.

the sound of knocking on wood...

[spartacus]

Wow.



The thing that bothers me with it is that, much like the single failure I've seen, in every case here, you're just OUT of your shoe.




Yes, the boa seems like an ejection system. It sounds as though it could do with a design enhancement to prevent premature release, some kind of lockover cap to cover the edges of the button to stop it being pulled open.

I can imagine the heel position being a safer location for the button than the top of the foot, but even that appears to have suffered failures.

Having read through the failure posts it isn't clear to me what caused the button to pop open in each exit incident. I can imagine off road riding would be more of a problem than road riding, but coming out of my shoe on the road is potentially far more of a safety issue than just hitting the dirt trail, even if hard.

[Charles M]

The lake shoes I have here have a separate Velcro closure and up till now I wondered why it was needed at all.

It never occured to me till reading this thread that it makes perfect sense to have a back up and I dont fasten it in a fashion that I can feel it at all under use. I really like the spread load of Boa, but it's just one of those things that I need more info on if I were to ever use it on a shoe without an additional strap... The boa system along with a strap is likely as light as any 3-4 straps or strap and buckle systems.

[spartacus]

The lake shoes I have here have a separate Velcro closure and up till now I wondered why it was needed at all.

It never occured to me till reading this thread that it makes perfect sense to have a back up and I dont fasten it in a fashion that I can feel it at all under use. I really like the spread load of Boa, but it's just one of those things that I need more info on if I were to ever use it on a shoe without an additional strap... The boa system along with a strap is likely as light as any 3-4 straps or strap and buckle systems.

I notice that some of the Lake shoes with the Boa dial on the heel have the wire routing exposed along the outside of the shoe below the ankle bone. Seems a 'perfect' way to get hooked up on an external object (branch, gate, et.c.) and suffer. The Lake MX330 mtb shoe seems to route the wire internally though, which seems the better way.

[Ti Designs]

The thing that bothers me with it is that, much like the single failure I've seen, in every case here, you're just OUT of your shoe.


I think there's a saving grace here. Time to failure distributions are always based on the common method of failure. In every case that I know about including my own, the system failed very shortly after the shoe was tightened. Mine broke within sight of my house, and I was going pretty slowly. There's also the humor factor. Picture a rider just starting out, gets out of the saddle to climb a small hill and then for no reason jumps over the bars and lands on the ground in front of the bike. If that's not funny enough, picture the next thing that happens, his own ghost rider bike then runs him over... If it broke in a sprint I wouldn't be as amused.

[nm87710]

many miles on my 2006 S-works monofilament boas without issue.

[Pete Serotta]

One pair with about 8K miles and the other with 5k ( and last year plenty of climbing in them and zero problems.)


PETE

[11.4]

First of all, when the cable tightens up, it slides back and forth in the fittings so if you have a tight spot against your foot, it'll loosen there and tighten elsewhere. Not a lot, but enough to equalize pressure reasonably. It works pretty well.

Second, the nylon cables tended to pull loose or fatigue where they were clipped into the buckle The newer coated wire ones are very reliable and I haven't seen them fail. I've seen a few pairs of Boa-equipped shoes in pretty substantial crashes where the whole buckle was torn off the upper, and the cables are still attached to the buckle.

On the track, where uppers often come under severe strain and a bad buckle results in an unintended failure, these shoes have been quite reliable. I've actually seen a pair of Specializeds separate the upper from the sole, without a failure of the buckle itself.

About snagging, you aren't really going to snag anything substantial enough to damage the buckle, except possibly sliding along in a crash (and at that point it's largely moot). If you were able to snag a cable, you'd also be snagging a velcro strap or other hardware on a shoe. I just don't see it as a realistic worry.

In short, I don't think you need to worry about them. They are a good fastener and as long as the buckle are positioned to fit your foot and the rest of the shoe fits, you should be confident in their reliability.

[fourflys]

^^ I think that pretty much ends this one... ;)

[Velosmith]

@ 11.4 +1

[phlash23]

Wow.

This is a dang short thread and there are people with failures and a shop guy that says they've had failures...


Out of the couple hundred pairs we've sold 2 have come back with problems with the dial. Both pairs looked like they were ridden pretty hard and both involved the dial. 2 out of a couple hundred is .5% failure rate (as far as what we've seen). I don't think those are too bad of odds. And for the record I ride Sidi so I don't have a dog in the hunt.

[Bob Ross]

Out of the couple hundred pairs we've sold 2 have come back with problems with the dial. Both pairs looked like they were ridden pretty hard and both involved the dial. 2 out of a couple hundred is .5% failure rate (as far as what we've seen).


I generally suck at math, but I'm pretty sure 2 out of a couple hundred is exactly 1%.

Still decent odds. At least I hope so, 'cuz I just bought a pair of Specialized shoes w/ the Boa system.

[Likes2ridefar]

I've worn 330mx mtb shoes with the boa on the rear for 3 or so years now. great fit, super comfortable, and the tread is far better than most.

i've hit the tightener a few times during nasty hike-a-bike sections over small rocks and hit the release. But I raced 'cross for the past few months and basically abused them with no issues.

I've also used the custom road shoes in the past. Both with and without the velcro. The boa worked fine on both and I never had an issue over thousands of miles mostly racing.

[HenryA]

I have a pair of Diadora shoes that used a system very much like the BOA. (maybe the exact same). I rode them for thousands and thousands of miles without failure. The monofilament never gave any trouble.

I have not used them for years since I replaced them with some custom molded Shimanos. But the Diadoras were really good shoes and the fit was excellent since the load was spread over a large area.

[dmurphey]

I have used BOA on Lake road shoes for two years exclusively with great results. They are fast and easy, better at tightening up than Velcro and rachets. I have never had an issue with their function. I am sold. Lakes are the dogs dagglies!

[fourflys]

Lakes are the dogs dagglies!

that's good, I think.... :D

[desalvo]

I've had 2nd gen Lake CX400 road shoes for 3 or 4 years now. It was after they changed the BOA dial to a pop-up and changed the cable from monofilament to either ss &/or kevlar-reinforced.

I don't wear them exclusively, but they've seen a lot of duty over the years with no issues. Haven't had to replace any parts. The even-ness of the fit is great.

[vpierce1]

I've had zero worry about my s-works breaking, however sometimes the line jams in the dial. It's pretty annoying when all you want to do is get out of your kit after a hard ride and you can't even get your damn shoe off!