So a few of these stiffeners have cracked this season. Only three that I know about but I suspect there are more out there.
I'm working on getting another batch with a higher quality plastic that's less brittle for next season. This might mean a softer, more flexible plastic that will have to be thicker to maintain the same stiffness. To do this, I will need a new mold.
So this seems like a good time to collect feedback from the riders who have been using these and see if we can improve the design at the same time.
Specifically, I'm wondering how many of you used the supplied foam to relieve pressure points? And where were those pressure points? Did you find them too stiff or too soft? Did many people stack them together for added support?
It has been suggested that adding about 1.5" to the length at the toes might alleviate some pressure there, though some smaller riders might have to cut a bit to fit their boots. I didn't find this extra length necessary, though my old custom stiffeners did extend over my toes and this idea was considered. I also maintain that when used with a strap, the stiffeners don't really dig into the toes (much).
For now, I've started sending out two sets for each set ordered, so at least customers will have a backup if they break one.
Lemme know your experience please. I want to be making the highest performance equipment that we can.
Thanks,
James
I'm just slaying...
Hi James - my Trenched stiffeners have performed perfectly - even after I did a modification so I could position them on the outside of the shell - I have not used the foam shim. I have used them in my Deeluxe Ground Control hybrid boots as well as on the K2 Thraxis soft boots - I love all my Trenched hardware❤️
@wild-cherry understand you are still dialing in the existing stiffeners but I’d like to suggest asymmetrical Trenched stiffeners to account for posi (and more extreme posi) angles. These would provide more lateral support-particularly for the back foot-for when the knee bends in.
My friend has McGuyvered one by basically cutting a PowerRide which works pretty well.
Asymmetrical Trenched Boot Stiffeners
Yes! Thanks for this!
The Trenched Boot Stiffeners can be easily trimmed and customized to achieve asymmetrical flex.
I'm working on some improvements with a factory in Canada. If I can get them made here they'll ship to the US tariff free. I'm hoping for some prototypes early season.
@neversnowbored Show me what your friend came up with please?
For lateral support on heelside I've been thinking of a separate lateral stiffener for the front foot, like something between Jasey's custom carbon fiber custom lateral stiffener (photo) and a soccer shinguard that goes behind the calf rotated towards the nose on the front foot. I hadn't considered one for the back foot...
I'm just slaying...
I hope to sort these out this year (my last season got messed up). On my first run I thought ‘wholly shit these are great’, but then I had to retire them on my second run due to my instep issues. I never tried the foam, which I’m sure will help, but I’m also keen on this exoskeleton idea.
Big White, BC, Canada
@wild-cherry sorry for the late reply.
personally I found more of a need for asym stiffeners in the back foot since I am bending my back knee in.
When engaging my edge this way and following through with the line with my hips/pelvis, my shin and ankle are angled even more than my binding angles so the traditional stiffener offers less support and at times can even have a pressure point towards the end of my turn when my weight is out back and my hips are pushing for the tail pop.
@neversnowbored Thanks for this, though I'm still confused.
So this is cut for the back foot... is a left or a right? I assume this was made for a rider with pretty extreme stance angles like 45/33 or something?
How does cutting the stiffener add more support? Seems to me it will add more flexibility, no?.
Pressure points I can appreciate. I include some sticky back bootfitter's foam with my stiffeners. This is meant to be placed beside and/or around the hot spot to spread out the pressure more evenly, not over the hot spot which just adds pressure at that point. I didn't find the foam necessary at first, but after about day 70 last season my liners were wearing out so I put a couple of strips in for relief. (By the way, this is the highest quality foam for bootfitting and orthotics, I install the sticky back myself so don't throw it away!)
Looks like your friend used a power tool to trim his stiffeners. I used a tin snips cutter (basically a heavy duty scissors) on Evelyn's stiffeners for a clean result. I warmed up the plastic first and it cut quite easily.
Honestly, the molds are quite expensive. For this kind of custom asym stiffener it's much more efficient to make one shape and cut it down manually after production.
So I'm thinking riders with high stance angles and no cant or lift in or under the binding will have to contort quite a bit more than a rider with Canted Risers and more relaxed angles like 27/12. Is this potentially the cause of the discomfort and the source of the need for asym stiffeners as pictured above?
I haven't ridden anything over 36/24 since before I starting riding wide boards. In those days I was trying to make standard width boards perform but I gave up because I found those extreme angles quite uncomfortable and I figured that at a certain point I'm losing so much of the comfort and versatility that the relaxed soft boot stance offers that I might as well go back to my hard boots. Which is what I did, until I met Ryan Knapton and my eyes were opened...
Not judging, I know that every body is different and mine in not the most flexible. I also know that there are a heck of a lot of riders out there carving in what I would consider "extreme" stances, that they ride the bindings flat and that they make it work!
I'm just slaying...
@wild-cherry yeah this is the back right foot on a non-goofy stance rider. It’s basically made to be rotated to the left of tongue of the right boot and the cut is to fit the change while maintaining the support.
It’s also with very forward 42/33 stance angles
The biggest difference I noticed from lower posi angles to the above is that with lower angles are restricted in how much they can bend their knee in. This means that much of the time the knee is pushed down and out towards the board to generate edge pressure.
If you crank up the angle of your back foot such that you are able to align your back knee with the back of your front knee(or as close as possible), I found that it is much more efficient to generate edge pressure since your joints are aligned. Further, I have more leverage over my board from a length perspective (nose to tail) and can use my back foot and hips to “kick” myself out of a turn for the transition (retraction) as opposed to simply rolling over for the transition.
I’m still a student, not a master yet, but I can see elite/expert carving have a higher focus on retraction transitions since it can be more versatile for steeps (and is just plain fun) than traditional cross over or cross under transitions.
I hear you on the molds and limitations though, thought I’d put this out there and plant a seed
