The Never-Ending Zipfit Discussion

[Jeronimo]

What makes more sense, buying Gara LV and extra OM Fit, or buying the HV and fiddling with that?

 

[Wade]

I still use the ratchet but don’t expect it to hold a super tight lace fit. I just get it snug with the laces and ratchet and then rely on the boot closure itself from there.

It’s sure not “industrial strength” for sure, but it seems much the same as similar fittings on other shoes I’ve seen!

I gave up on the little plastic cinch thing. It was just ok at securing the laces and always seemed to be in a spot where I could feel it after tightening my booster strap. I took the cinches off and just tie the laces manually.

 

[chris_the_wrench]

What makes more sense, buying Gara LV and extra OM Fit, or buying the HV and fiddling with that?

What's your time worth to you? Removing material isn't hard but it's time involving vs injecting new cork, which adds to the initial price, is very easy.

 

[Jeronimo]

LV and extra tubes it is!

 

[givethepigeye]

I gave up on the little plastic cinch thing. It was just ok at securing the laces and always seemed to be in a spot where I could feel it after tightening my booster strap. I took the cinches off and just tie the laces manually.

I did this too on my old pair - waiting for the cam lock to break on the newer pair and will be right back to this

 

[slidingmike]

The laces aren't supposed to be pulled very tight at all -- in fact doing so, cinched with a robust camlock, would somewhat quickly saw through the nylon lace loops. If you want to keep the laces, just pull them lightly and use the plastic camlock minimally.

 

[Wade]

The laces aren't supposed to be pulled very tight at all. .

Source?

 

[TheArchitect]

Source?

Yeah, I second that request. My pair feel much better when pulled tight.

 

[slidingmike]

My source was the two zipfit dealers I've worked with (Buck Brown at Olympic Bootworks, Gary at Helm of Sun Valley). Not meant to be cranked. I think Buck has been zipfit's number one retailer for many years.

@TheArchitect I assume you mean they feel better outside the boot -- once they're in the boot, how could you possibly feel the difference unless your shells were way too large?

 

[TheArchitect]

My source was the two zipfit dealers I've worked with (Buck Brown at Olympic Bootworks, Gary at Helm of Sun Valley). Not meant to be cranked. I think Buck has been zipfit's number one retailer for many years.

@TheArchitect I assume you mean they feel better outside the boot -- once they're in the boot, how could you possibly feel the difference unless your shells were way too large?

Yes, it’s outside the boot. I have a very close fitting boot. I would just say that I feel a very solid connection through the zipfit to the shell with no play and that I assume the tightness of the zipfit lacing is enhancing that.

 

[Brad J]

The laces aren't supposed to be pulled very tight at all -- in fact doing so, cinched with a robust camlock, would somewhat quickly saw through the nylon lace loops. If you want to keep the laces, just pull them lightly and use the plastic camlock minimally.

I have tighten them up tightly for 270 ski days , no problem with cam or loops , did replace one lace

 

[Saller]

just got the gara lv for my Tecnica Mach 1 130 LV.
After warming up the liner , I can barely close the shell.
After closing the shell (3rd buckle !!) its almost unbearable around the instep.

what do you think? too tight of a fit? tor screw it and go skiing?
couldn't go skiing this week (as planned) have to wait 4 more weeks most possibly.

 

[givethepigeye]

@Saller - If you search, you can find many posts from @Noodler <- not sure if he is still active on "how to break in the liner" My Langes have more instep height, so didn't have that issue on those shells but I did when I skied a Nordica shell. If you can ski it, the OMFit eventually moves around and you will be able to close it. You might consider maxing out the buckle (twist) and even moving the catch over.

The above is just my $0.02 and I'm not a boot fitter

 

[Brad J]

I have the same boot and used the Gran Prix liner, , I did warm the shell as Zipfits recommended back then and it barely buckled, 270 days later , I have added cork twice to tongue and ache pockets, I do like a firm fit , I can ski them on the first buckle but usually use the second buckle, that’s the way they have been for all but the first 10 ski days. Break in is a little tough but the end result is great

 

[EricG]

@Saller - when the liners are new it is very common for the bear trap to barely close. As the OmFit moves around and settles it does get better. Do not crank these down, they do not compress like stock liners. Just lightly buckle and ski em.

 

[AchtungSki]

@Saller See this post from noodler:

More info...

When I'm working on getting the "bear trap" of the boot shell to close more completely over the ZipFit liner, here is the process. Right after inserting the hot liner into the shell (with my foot in it), I will first close the instep buckle of the shell while being very careful to ensure that the overlap is seated correctly. Then do the ankle buckle followed by the top buckle (the toe buckle is basically meaningless for the liner fitting). Flex the boot quite a few times and then go back to the instep buckle and tighten it. Then the ankle and top buckles again. Keep cycling through shell flexing and buckling tightening as long as you can handle it. When you can't handle the tightness any longer, pop open all the buckles and relax, but don't take your foot out of the shell. Your goal is to get the liner to break-in and form to your feet and the shell. This takes time and patience to do it correctly, but the end result will be fantastic.

If the Corsa is already fitting quite easily into your shells, there's a good chance that it will need more OMFit compound along the way. I'm willing to bet the Gara is the better match for your foot and shell.

While you're waiting to ski run through this protocol a few times when you have the time. For heating the liner put your oven as low as it'll go (zipfits can't get over 150F and most oven get down to around 180F), place the liners on a wood cutting board, then leave the over door cracked. Give them maybe 5-8 minutes in there, if you have an infrared thermometer then you can take the guess work out, if not go buy one because they're fun . You aren't trying to roast them you just need to get them very warm to the touch, but not painful to hold.

I ski a pair of WorldCup Sidewinders that I have 20+ days on (they're basically a gara but all leather and they have a plastic reinforcement panel on the medial side that partially extends over the navicular area, so even stiffer and more volume) that I originally bought for a pair of Salomon XMaxs that had packed out. I couldn't even get the top two buckles closed on my first attempt. After repeating the above process a few times though I successfully closed the buckles and could get them as tight as the second catch but they were non adjustable. I now have the exact same shells as you, which actually feel roomier in the instep than the Salomons, and I can close them comfortably snug on the 3rd or 4th catch with the ladders in the default middle position, although they still are slightly tight over that instep/crook of the ankle area at that setting. Usually when I'm skiing though I don't notice any discomfort, mostly just noticeable when stepping out at the end of day.

 

[mikes781]

just got the gara lv for my Tecnica Mach 1 130 LV.
After warming up the liner , I can barely close the shell.
After closing the shell (3rd buckle !!) its almost unbearable around the instep.

what do you think? too tight of a fit? tor screw it and go skiing?
couldn't go skiing this week (as planned) have to wait 4 more weeks most possibly.

I bought a pair of Gara HVs this season to go with my Mach 130 HVs. Same experience with the first fitting. Could barely get the buckles closed. As others have suggested I heated them up and fitted them at home on two separate occasions and got them close to skiable. First day out they were still very tight and somewhat uncomfortable after on the first position of the buckles. By the second or third outing they were perfect and I’ve even thought about adding some cork after about 15 days in them. I’d put some work into them at home and then given them a few days on the slopes. I wasn’t sure that they’d work when I first got them, but now,I can’t see myself in anything else.

 

[Saller]

thanks everybody!
I did the heating cycle twice and also massaged the cork up the tongue and it got better. but only a very little bit.
Will See after skiing...

 

[OnEdge]

For break-in, I was told to ski the liners and unbuckle after every run. They said the combination natural heat off the foot, ski moments and repeated buckling/unbuckling would help move the cork into the right places and right amounts.

So I'd suggest rolling out the hill and skiing a run or two un or very lightly buckled, then tighten down at the top and unbuckle at the bottom during the course of the day. Liners will start to break in so be prepared to adjust settings on the buckles throughout the day.

I'd say this process took a day and a half, then I didn't think about the liners for 15 ski days after which I needed a trip back for more cork. After adding cork be prepared to go through another day of adjustment cycles. Liners have been incredible since.

 

[TheWombat]

I went through the same experience a month or so ago with Tecnica Mach 1 120 LVs and Gara HVs and then Gara LVs.

For the Gara HVs after doing some warming cycles in the over I was able to move the OMFit around and get my boots closed - just!. I ended up moving the 2 top buckles to the outer holes in the shell with the Gara HVs for a few days before deciding to return them and replace them with the Gara LVs.

I didn't put the Gara LVs in the oven, but I did manually move the OMFit around. It took a few days of skiing but I can now do my boot buckles up properly - almost as tight as I could with the stock liners. The only 'issue' I have is making sure the bear claw doesn't catch on itself and deform.

I decided to keep the Gara LVs in the end as I decided I would prefer to add OMFit at a later date if needed than to try and remove OMFit from the Gara HVs.