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The Good Ride Take

The Good Ride Take on 3D Molded Tongues vs. Traditional Tongues
A 3D molded tongue is smooth and continuous and is seen on a lot of boots.   It never folds down or bites into the top part of your foot or ankle.   There are traditional tongues that have different names that have a folding point that is usually at the top of the ankle.  We have seen that many people with bumps and issues on the top of their feet seem to have less pressure points with 3D molded tongues.  It really all comes down to personal preference but we hope this breakdown helps.

The Good Ride Take on Rome
Rome is relatively new but has some of the best people in the industry working there.  For example the designer of the Burton custom is now a principle and designer at Rome.  Their strong point is that they make exceptional park and all mountain snowboards.  They make boots and bindings that are loved or hated but don’t have the rep that their boards have.  From what we have experienced with their clothing its well made, fits well and the waterproofing isn’t bad for the price.   Their gloves are hit or miss and don’t really have the rep that their clothing does.  They have exceptional customer service and everyone at Rome seems to really love what they are doing so if you have an issue it will most likely be handled professionally.   Rome hasn’t really been leading the innovation charge the last few years but almost everything they make is well thought out and fun to use.   Rome has the average to 100+ day freestyle to all mountain rider dialed out.

Company Info

Rome Smith 2012

Smith

FAST-LACING COMFORT STOMPS BLUE COLLAR SNOWBOARDING

Progressing into new types of terrain; progressing into new jump tricks; progressing into new levels of control; lacing technologies to increase fit and decrease lace time

MSRP: $160.00 USD

Lucite/Light Blue    Black

Your Boot to Binding Size

Liner Tech

c1

Flex/Feel

Rome Smith 2011

Rome Smith 2010

Designed by Snowboarding

At Rome SDS we take our boot design cues from snowboarding. For a boot like the Smith, this means its flex profile and comfortable, secure fit are driven by how it feels to throw a carve, tweak out a method, or nose press a fun box.

MSRP: $150.00 USD, $190.00 USD (BOA)

Pictures

Rome Smith 2012

Rome Smith 2011

Rome Smith 2010

Other Reviews

Compare Laces & Sizing

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.