ZipFit questions

[Gaperious Basterd]

I did ZipFit World Cup Limited Edition in a Fischer Vacuum RC4 130.

I did microwave method. 40 seconds high, then flip and 25 seconds 50% power. One liner smoked, the other didn't.

Pre-froze Instaprint customs in freezer, but they still deformed.


Anyway, the inner shell cuff collars can't overlap with boots buckled. Note that the buckles DO close, but I'm worried about leaks.

I got poor tongue fit, or so I think. No it's fine; the tongue is just so damn thick :-0

Should I take heat-gun to tongues to activate OMfit in the tongue?

Should I attempt to remove cork through openings? If so, how?



Or does this sound like it's too big for my boot?


It will feel awkward skiing with cuff buckles in loosest position. Yet the ankle fit is so tight.

[gonzo_lives]

Did you steam heat the boots ?

[Gaperious Basterd]

Did you steam heat the boots ?

No, because doing so would melt the Vacuplast material that my boots are made of.

Vacuplast activates at 170 F, and steam is (theoretically) 212 F

[Gaperious Basterd]

ZipFit says their liner's sole thickness is 4-6mm. Isn't this a bit thicker than a stock liner?

If so, does it follow that one should attempt to get the thinnest footbed possible? I think my Instaprints may be too thick, as the toebox has a vertical height that would be too uncomfortable for a day on the mountain. I really want to avoid grinding of the shell. Maybe I'll grind the footbed myself.


I will add that the fit after molding (yet to ski in them) is tighter than anything I've experienced. It borders on the pressure of a sphygmomanometer's cuff squeezing on your biceps. It is not painful, but it is claustrophobic at best. It isn't a "sharp" type of pressure like you get with places the plastic shell is too narrow; it is rather a dull and diffuse constriction of your entire foot.

The pressure along the cuneiforms and on the dorsal pedis artery and extensor tendons is--at times--acutely painful. Keeping the boots buckled for five minutes while sitting results in lactic acid burning pain in foot musculature, and pins and needles on sole of foot. There is, unquestionably, vascular occlusion around the calcaneus, because taking the boots off results in in the tingling pain of reperfusion to the area's nerves.



I don't know if others had it this bad... I know the blistergearreviews guy says that the initial few days of skiing will make for a "very, very tight" fit. He said then it got better and to the point the boots could be left on all day.

What concerns me are two things: The material doesn't pack out, and your body heat (98 F) heats and expands the OMFit compound 10% volumetrically. In our performance shell fits that already are maxing things out, all of a sudden adding 150-200 cubic centimeters of volume to what wasn't there is going to make things unbelievably tight... and perhaps the vasuclature of the foot is going to take the brunt of the pressure, rather than the cold plastic of your ski boot... Perhaps this phenomenon is why I should have gone with the Gara. But it seemed silly to use a liner designed for true race shells in a 98 mm Fischer Vacuum.

[Ggreenie]

Why don't you use them for more than never before publishing your next thesis

[dcpnz]

ZipFit says their liner's sole thickness is 4-6mm. Isn't this a bit thicker than a stock liner?

If so, does it follow that one should attempt to get the thinnest footbed possible? I think my Instaprints may be too thick, as the toebox has a vertical height that would be too uncomfortable for a day on the mountain. .

Well yeah they may be a bit thicker so you need to think about that if you have a problem with a thick footbed. I did have to switch to a thinner footbed and you may have to too. But why don't you try them first?

As for the rest of your post ...WTF!!!

Just heat the fricken things with a hair dryer, stick your foot in them to take the general shape of your foot and go ski for christ sake! The point of zips is they'll mold to your foot as you actually use them for stuff they're designed for, you know things like skiing!!

[Kied]

I gave up on those things years ago... heavy, uncomfortable, cold and expensive. Intuitions were entirely the opposite, but to each their own.

[Gaperious Basterd]

Well, Fischers new stock liner is an ultralon hybrid, and it's even worse than the first generation liner. In fact, much worse.

But all the more power to people who like ultralon.

[regct]

There are other threads on this topic but...

I love my Zipfit WC. LOVE them.

You need to put them on warm. That said, don't put them in the fucking microwave WTF.

If they are deathly tight, which they should be, ski them for 10 days or so.

The cork silicone is a dynamic compound, it moves, eventually it will feel good...IF...you ditch the super feet and get a custom footbed.

You wouldn't put some shit off brand tire on a Ferrari would you?

Don't go pulling material out of the holes yet either. There is a special tool for that.

However, they aren't made for everyone. They work best with a low volume foot, last, and a race fit shell.

[Gaperious Basterd]

The cork silicone is a dynamic compound, it moves, eventually it will feel good...IF...you ditch the super feet and get a custom footbed. .

I do have a custom Instaprint in there. I also have three other custom footbeds but don't like them. Considering a thin THIN custom footbed.

[pfluffenmeister]

^^^ which insoles?

i use DFP Podium + and am quite pleased.
but i haven't used any other brands so couldn't offer comparisons.

http://www.dfpsole.com/products-tech...o-fit-any-foot

[ghettostyle]

I've skied Zips for years, had a 1 season stint in intuitions, and now back to the zips. Best fitting and performing liner available. Have them w/ Fischer Vacuums at basically a plug fit. Heat them up slightly, put on the liners, then pull open the shells and step into it. Takes a little getting used to taking them on/off, but the feel and heal hold can't be beat. Use a thicker version ive had for 5 years in my AT setup. Same fit, same result even thought my shells are a little more touring roomy.

[Gaperious Basterd]

^^^ which insoles?

i use DFP Podium + and am quite pleased.
but i haven't used any other brands so couldn't offer comparisons.

http://www.dfpsole.com/products-tech...o-fit-any-foot

My Instaprint is the full custom, molded semi-weighted, and posted on rigid foam base ground "flat"

Oh, my three others are a Conformable (painful beyond belief), a custom made at a race shop (posted, semi-weighted on pillow), and another pair that is rigid as **** that came from another race shop (unposted).

I had a Superfeet Kork Vac but returned it due to mis-position of heel while molding the one footbed, an arch support too short, and violent foot pain for ONE WEEK after skiing 30 minutes in them.

For a THIN I was thinking Superfeet Custom Carbon, but I'll look into DFP as I'm unfamiliar.

[Gaperious Basterd]

I've skied Zips for years, had a 1 season stint in intuitions, and now back to the zips. Best fitting and performing liner available. Have them w/ Fischer Vacuums at basically a plug fit. Heat them up slightly, put on the liners, then pull open the shells and step into it. Takes a little getting used to taking them on/off, but the feel and heal hold can't be beat. Use a thicker version ive had for 5 years in my AT setup. Same fit, same result even thought my shells are a little more touring roomy.

Oh nice, you have Vacuums too.

Do you have 98 or 95 mm vacuums, and do you use Gara or Worldcup ZipFit model?

[gonzo_lives]

A hot bag also helps a lot

[Gaperious Basterd]

A hot bag also helps a lot

Yeah I'm gonna get one for next season. Apparently the low setting (120 F) is OK to use with Fischer Vacuums

[Ggreenie]

A hot bag also helps a lot

Heeeeeeell yeah. Makes the fit way better every day and the heat stays in the foot for hours, instead of minutes.

[ghettostyle]

I have the vacuum 130s which I think have the range of low 90s to low 100s, and I'm about a 98. I have the lower volume zips, World Cup i think

[XXX-er]

After watching all 6 zipfit youtube vids the common theme it would seem is to heat the whole boot from the shell on inwards

Zip fit looks cool but I will probably stick with Intuition

[Gaperious Basterd]

When I'm so inclined, I think my next heat-molding attempt will be like this:

1. Put liners in conventional oven at 200 F for 5 minutes (footbeds in freezer during this time)

2. Spray outside of liners with ice-cold water and wait till it evaporates (cools the surface so Vacuplast doesn't get deformed).

3. Put on ski socks plus thick tube socks (double-socks), put footbeds in, and step into liner and step into boot. If intuitions call for double-socks, then why not ZipFit too?

4. Buckle, and wait 20 minutes.


While the cork doesn't pack out, I hope the regular non-cork foam does pack out.

I also need to take heat gun to plastic on tongue to let it shape to both shell and leg.

[Ggreenie]

When I'm so inclined, I think my next heat-molding attempt will be like this:

1. Put liners in conventional oven at 200 F for 5 minutes (footbeds in freezer during this time)

2. Spray outside of liners with ice-cold water and wait till it evaporates (cools the surface so Vacuplast doesn't get deformed).

3. Put on ski socks plus thick tube socks (double-socks), put footbeds in, and step into liner and step into boot. If intuitions call for double-socks, then why not ZipFit too?

4. Buckle, and wait 20 minutes.


While the cork doesn't pack out, I hope the regular non-cork foam does pack out.

I also need to take heat gun to plastic on tongue to let it shape to both shell and leg.

Be sure to let us know how badly you fuck it up

[Muggydude]

I feel like you're over estimating the hot liner's affect on the shell- ain't going to "deform it". The shell isn't going to melt...

For the record I didn't like the zipfits I had for one season, had a bunch of other issues with the boots themselves, but in general I though they were a pain and easy to screw up.

Much happier with the stock Salomon X-Pro liners honestly. But that boot also fits like a glove after some work and molding.

[Gaperious Basterd]

Yeah, I agree they are a pain in the ass, but it is the only liner that gives me good ankle fit and heel hold.

[Gaperious Basterd]

When I'm so inclined, I think my next heat-molding attempt will be like this:

1. Put liners in conventional oven at 200 F for 5 minutes (footbeds in freezer during this time)

2. Spray outside of liners with ice-cold water and wait till it evaporates (cools the surface so Vacuplast doesn't get deformed).

3. Put on ski socks plus thick tube socks (double-socks), put footbeds in, and step into liner and step into boot. If intuitions call for double-socks, then why not ZipFit too?

4. Buckle, and wait 20 minutes.


While the cork doesn't pack out, I hope the regular non-cork foam does pack out.

I also need to take heat gun to plastic on tongue to let it shape to both shell and leg.

I'm actually going to use an infrared thermometer to measure the temperature at different points on the outside of the shell; will not put liners in boots until it is below 150 F, to be safe.

I may pre-chill the Vacuum shells along with my footbeds in the freezer, just for good measure.

[LiveLarger]

Do not feed the trolls.