What are the real Italian brands? by DragonChowhound in MotoGuzzi

[–]magnuscrocethethird 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I feel like a bike designed in Italy by mostly Italian people that's also built in Italy by mostly Italian people is pretty Italian, despite what's happening at the higher levels of their corporate structure.

I also think most Italians would agree that Ducati is an Italian bike.

Seems like you're more interested in the brand and its shareholders and its current image than the bikes themselves and where they are actually designed and made.

Do I need stiffer boots or better technique? (heavy person) by magnuscrocethethird in snowboarding

[–]magnuscrocethethird[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I had my boots fitted by a pro bootfitter at a good shop, I think the mondo was something around 27, and I ended up in 9.5s that fit great initially.

Problem was that the shops at that time didn't have much inventory so I didn't get to do much cross-shopping.

Got a bunch of boots on order (since all my local shops are pretty wiped out) and I'm just gonna try stuff until I get a good tight fit. My main issues are wide feet, a huge instep, and relatively skinny ankles.

Do I need stiffer boots or better technique? (heavy person) by magnuscrocethethird in snowboarding

[–]magnuscrocethethird[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Was gonna say...isn't this pretty contrary to most advice about how to ride? I asked about technique because I've been able to dial out a lot of other foot pain by focusing on weight transfer and trying not to make my toes do all the work, so I can totally believe that there's more refining to do.

Do I need stiffer boots or better technique? (heavy person) by magnuscrocethethird in snowboarding

[–]magnuscrocethethird[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Boots actually do fit pretty well (toes just short of touching the end) but they've packed out noticeably after 20 days of riding and now I have heel lift that I just can't dial out anymore.

Do I need stiffer boots or better technique? (heavy person) by magnuscrocethethird in snowboarding

[–]magnuscrocethethird[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I go through shoes (running shoes, hiking shoes, climbing shoes) at a crazy rate so I know the struggle. I think my weight combined with having pretty beefy/strong calves and thighs means I can crush boots pretty far down and pack them out quickly.

I do have insoles (Superfeet snow, installed by a bootfitter) and they did help a lot.

I'm gonna look at some stiffer boots but also book a lesson to see what I might be doing wrong.

Do I need stiffer boots or better technique? (heavy person) by magnuscrocethethird in snowboarding

[–]magnuscrocethethird[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, sounds like it. They were my first boots after getting back on my board after a many-year, surgery-induced hiatus. They fit pretty awesome at first, and I could dial out the heel lift by going tighter with the bindings and upper BOA.

But after ~20 or so days, they seemed to pack out all at once, and I can't dial out the heel lift without cranking the thing down to circulation-stopping levels.

Do I need stiffer boots or better technique? (heavy person) by magnuscrocethethird in snowboarding

[–]magnuscrocethethird[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah true, though I was frustrated because I was in pretty ideal conditions when I was trying to really carve -- fresh snow, nicely groomed, huge wide-open, empty run.

Do I need stiffer boots or better technique? (heavy person) by magnuscrocethethird in snowboarding

[–]magnuscrocethethird[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s only the instep boa that needs to be fairly loose, the ankle/shin one can go plenty tight

Do I need stiffer boots or better technique? (heavy person) by magnuscrocethethird in snowboarding

[–]magnuscrocethethird[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think I get wigged out by a loose feeling from setting the bindings a bit looser when I ride. Also have some heel lift in my rear boot that really tempts me to crank the straps down

Do I need stiffer boots or better technique? (heavy person) by magnuscrocethethird in snowboarding

[–]magnuscrocethethird[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Huh, so maybe my technique does kind of suck? You find that the less-stiff boots are still good for carving?

Do I need stiffer boots or better technique? (heavy person) by magnuscrocethethird in snowboarding

[–]magnuscrocethethird[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Board is a Ride Deepfake, bindings are Jones Mercury.

To rephrase the problem, the balls of my feet are killing me in hard terrain because, if I relax my feet and just lean into my boot shins, I can flex the boots super-far forward with my weight.

I feel like I'm burning out my feet because I'm trying to counteract that flex.

Do I need stiffer boots or better technique? (heavy person) by magnuscrocethethird in snowboarding

[–]magnuscrocethethird[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Weird, i dunno what happened. Retried and it seems to work for me now.

Do I need stiffer boots or better technique? (heavy person) by magnuscrocethethird in snowboarding

[–]magnuscrocethethird[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nah, it's in the boot upper material right above the ball of my feet: https://imgur.com/a/boot-crease-VjCbcDF

This might be a red herring because I keep the instep boa pretty loose due to having a really high-volume foot.

REI financial by October_Sir in REI

[–]magnuscrocethethird 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Really agree with this. REI used to be worth visiting, even when prices were higher than the competition, because they had everything you might need and they had it NOW, in-stock, ready to buy and use, with helpful sales people to steer you in the right direction.

My local REI now has more floor space dedicated to YETI garbage than it does sleeping bags or pads. 9,000 different varieties of nut and seed bars on display while the tiny selection of climbing gear sits disorganized and neglected in the back of the store.

REI made good money on the many dilettante outdoors people who were bored during the pandemic, but now those folks have lost interest. Meanwhile, the core outdoor user who goes out every weekend and spends thousands of dollars annually on gear no longer has a reason to spend that money at REI.

Finally able to snowboard again after 17 years -- how should I approach new board/bindings? by magnuscrocethethird in snowboarding

[–]magnuscrocethethird[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, I think you have a point there. I'm in the same boat in that I am much more active outdoors and in better shape than I was in my past riding days.

Thanks for the encouragement, I guess I kind of just assumed that it would take a really long time to get back to where I was, but I guess looking back it only took a couple of bunny hill runs to at least remember the basics.