$349 Traditional Lace Intermediate to Expert All Mountain The Nike Kaiju is one of those companies that we didn't want in the snowboard industry but now that they are here we have to say its good that they are. This is one of the better boots we have come across in a while. The Kaiju has a traditional design and none of their tech is ground breaking but everything is just made very well. Speed lace or BOA might make this boot more sexy but after you try it you might feel the fit is sexy enough. The liner is very similar to Burton's where it feels very comfortable on your foot from day one. The sole of the foot is sectioned into little squares that seem to help the sole respond well to just about any angle your boot will lean to on a binding. In addition to the very flexible sole there is a good bit of articulation around the ankle that allows for the boot to flex better and last longer. If you are looking at the Burton Ion then this is a traditional lace alternative. The 2011 and 2012 are very similar to the point where the review isn't any different. Check out the detailed review below
Days on this boot- 20+ The Nike Zoom Kaiju is one of those boots that you would expect a lot from at a price of $349. Most of us at The Good Ride seem to prefer speed lace but this boot is good enough to tolerate a little extra time to deal with the traditional lace. Often times when you take a close look at a boot you get to see little issues or defects with stitching or glue but so far we haven't noticed any. Even when we pulled out the liner there wasn't anything we noticed inside the boot. Often times you see the biggest issues in the stitching inside the boot so good job Nike. On the bottom you can't see the stitches because of the heat shield but the sides look as good as we have seen in a long time. Now back to the exterior. The toe is very stiff and that can handle a good toe strap crank over the boot. The profile seems low as well and there is a reduced footprint similar to the Burton boots. So a size 11 is more like a Size 10. The removable liner is very thick around the top of the ankle and provides good cushioning. The remainder of the liner is thin to safe space. There is a bit of a bend at the ankle when flexing that could provide a pressure point but the ankle strap of the binding alleviates this. We'd like to see a little more of a continuous flex like the tongue. The laces lock at the top of the lower portion so it's just like a speed lace here. The top lacing locks in at eash rung so you have excellent upper and lower adjustability. The boots fit very true to size. They might be just a slight bit smaller than the Burton Boots. We might say 1/4 size smaller but as it packs out it will fit. The insole is like all snowboard boot insoles. It sucks but that is always expected. As always we recommend getting better insoles from Sole or Montrail. We put in the Montrail LP in this boot and it made the fit a lot better. It's all about comfort and this boot is very comfortable even from our first day with it on the hill. It runs a bit on the narrow side so it might not be ideal for a wide foot. It conforms to your foot/leg as well as the top Burton boots and will handle long hours on the hill.
One of the things we initially noticed is the Nike Kaiju is incredibly responsive out of the box. We initially paired this boot with the Rossignol Onemag Amptek and it made the board almost too easy to turn. It reminded me (editor) of the first time I transitioned from some Ride boots that are now discontinued to the Burton Driver X. It takes a couple days to get use to. In fact these initially have very similar turn initiation to the Driver X's. Peter loved this feeling and said he liked these boots better than his Burton SL-X's. I (editor) did not agree with this but felt the overall feel and response from these boots was amazing. After several days of riding the Kaiju starts to mellow out and the response acts more like the flex. The only complaint we had with the Nike Kaiju was that the boot did not insulate us very well. We took this out on a day in the low 20's and normally my feet don't get cold but after 1 hour on the hill my toes were numb. I changed back into my SLX's and they warmed up again. We have heard this complaint from other riders as well about the Kaiju. It seems that the tech to warm up the boot is lacking a bit. The sole cushioning isn't top notch but there is some cushioning there. It's more of a balance between low profile and shock absorption. It almost leans on the average side of things.
So despite the traditional laces and that the Kaiju isn't terribly warm we were very impressed with how this boot rides and feels. It conforms to your foot very quickly and has excellent response.
A quick look at the Nike Kaiju Snowboard Boots 2011
The Good Ride Take On Nike
You can say what you want about Nike but they do know feet and how to make a good athletic shoe. This is no different when it comes to making a snowboarding boot. They haven't made anything revolutionary but they did everything very well. All there boots are more on the responsive and stiff side but we can see with their success that they will probably expand with styles. They also make good clothing for the price. We are impressed with the price point on their Gore Tex clothing.
BOA vs. Speed Lace vs. Traditional Lace A Snowboard Boot Lacing System Comparison by The Good Ride.
The Good Ride Take on BOA Boots- A BOA Boot has a steel cable attached to some sort of plastic Coiler mechanism that tightens the boot instead of laces. There are 2 main types of BOA boots. 1. Single BOA- This uses just one BOA Coiler to adjust the entire boot. 2. Double BOA - This uses 2 BOA Coilers for upper and lower adjusting. Some have 1 for the outside and 1 for the inside but most are for upper and lower. BOA boots are the easiest to get on, get off and adjust out of any boot. Single BOA boots have the least upper/lower adjustability of any boot because the bottom and top is tightened by one coil. If you have a Double BOA (2 Dials for upper and lower) they are closer to other lacing systems but still not as good. Both the upper and lower dials adjust the ankle in the same place. This means you don't have complete separation like you do with Speed Lace and most Traditional Lace Boots. The biggest issue with BOA boots is if they break it requires a shop or the manufacturer to fix them. It’s usually not the cable that breaks but the dials. Out of all the boots you can crank a BOA tighter than any other boot which can be a good or bad thing. There have been some complaints that BOA boots can have some pressure points from the cable system when tightened too tight. The bottom line is BOA tech is a cool technological advancement that will work well with many riders and is super easy to adjust. In the end it comes down to personal preference and BOA could be right for you.
The Good Ride Take on Traditional Lace- Traditional Lace is what most people know. It’s reliable and easy to repair. Lace boots take a lot more effort than BOA or Speed Lace. Also many riders complain about blisters in attempts to get them tight. Some Lacing systems have handles at the top that connect to the laces and we love this. Another thing we like is when the upper lace hooks hold the lace in place so each section can tighten independently. When you have this along with a handle connected to the end of the laces it’s more adjustable than BOA and Speed lace. We really like this but it’s almost not a traditional lace boot. It’s more a hybrid but whatever you call it we like it! However it’s not great in terms of the time it takes to get things dialed out or make minor adjustments on the hill.
The Good Ride Take on Speed Lace- Speed lace is a perfect compromise between BOA and Traditional lace. It’s almost as fast as BOA and more adjustable. Some Traditional Lace is just as adjustable but speed lace is easier to do so. We really like how the upper and lower laces are 100% separate. This is a huge advantage over BOA Boots and some traditional laces that don’t lock at each hook. Speed Lace is super easy to tighten up and dial out. It’s also pretty easy to make small adjustments throughout the course of the day. If the laces break out on the hill it will be a lot more difficult to fix than traditional laces but it can be done without help from a shop or sending it back. If you are a 100 day a year rider then plan on changing out your laces half way through the season. We have been lucky so far and never had one break on the hill because any time they start to get frayed they break. We mainly ride speed lace boots but we aren't that high on ourselves to say that's the way it should be. Everyone is different.
All lacing systems have strengths and weaknesses. It’s up to you to figure out what will work the best.
User reviews
Average user rating from: 3 user(s)
Overall Rating:
5.0
From burton to Nike
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful
I have owned many burton boots. Tribute, freestyle, hail and grail. I thought nothing would be as comfortable as the grail. Boy was I wrong. I normally size down a half size in boots to ensure a strong heel hold. Since this was Nike and I already own a lot of their shoes I went with my normal size (11.5). The boots were tight at first like all boots. But after one day of hard riding, they broke in. The second day was awesome. My toe was very close but not touching the front of the boot and the heel hold was amazing. This makes unmatched comfort while walking and even ore comfort while riding. The articulating cuff is made of some type of wet suit material. This make the flex consistent. My burton boots reach a max where the flex is inconsistent. Burton's also squeak when I crouch. Nike is completely silent... Like a ninja. Lol.
The lacing system is difficult at first to get used to but once you get it, it is solid. There is a device that separates the bottom lace tightness from bottom. When you lace the top, the hooks have a pinching mechanism that keeps the laces tight between each loop.
Please believe all the hype behind this boot. I can only compare this boot to burton, but burton Is the industry leader in research and development. Nike clearing has the boots I have rode beat
Overall Rating:
5.0
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Reviewed by James
March 21, 2012
Nike Kaiju
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful
Great boots...the best boots i have ever worn!!!
Overall Rating:
5.0
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Reviewed by Manuel
February 20, 2012
uber comfortable boot lots of nike technology
12 of 14 people found the following review helpful
I've been running these boots for over 60 days this season. I'm an advanced level rider who rides all mountain, powder, pipe and some park. I highly recommend this boot for riders looking for an intermediate flex boot with great board feel, awesome articulation and great all day comfort.
Fit:
The Kaiju has a medium width, medium volume fit. The heel fits narrow to medium. For 2011, the boot runs half a size bigger than DC, Ride, Burton.
Liner:
The 2011 model has a new liner that is as good as anything out there. The hand lasted liner construction provides a great fit and the eva foam used has a temper material feeling. Put your foot inside and the dense foam just molds around it. Amazing!
Shell/Midsole/Outsole:
The shell is lightweight and has great articulation. You will like this boot if you like some forward lean in your boot. The mid sole is thin and light w/o compromising support. The Kaiju boasts a nitrogen filled air bag that is not affected as much by temperature or altitude. The best feature here however is the free sole inspired outsole. The boot flexes in such a responsive way. You just have to try a pair on to understand what this technology does.
