WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BOOT STIFFNESS AND
FLEX or... ARE THEY THE SAME THING?
Alpine riders sometimes confuse shell stiffness with ankle flex or pivot.
Let me try to clarify those two points.
Shell stiffness can be
defined as the rigidity created by the type of material used
in the manufacturing and the design of the shell structure itself. If
there are areas of the shell that are thin, those areas may fold or flex
more than areas of the shell that are thicker or have more structural
support members. Similarily, if the material used to manufacture the boot
is not rigid enough, the boot's overall stiffness may suffer.
Ankle flex can be defined as the mechanism that provides the
means (and resistance) to allow fore and aft flex of the lower
leg about the ankle's pivot point. This is not directly related
to shell stiffness but can be affected by it if the shell is not very
stiff.
The DeeLuxe LeMans (and former Raichle SB) series of boots are designed
with a softer shell structure. There are few internal structural supports
and they are also manufactured with a somewhat soft/flexible plastic material.
The DeeLuxe Suzuka/Indy (former Raichle AF) series of boots have an "skeletonized
reinforced" lower shell design that provides added stiffness
in the areas of the shell that are prone to distortion and flexing. The
Suzuka uses the same plastic material as the Lemans, while the Indy is
manufactured using a more rigid plastic (adding to the boot shell's overall
stiffness).
The ankle flex of the Lemans & Suzuka boots is controlled by tongue
and liner stiffness (if the lean mechanism is left in walk mode). Ankle
flex can be nearly eliminated by locking the boot in a given position
with the 5 position lean mechanism. There will be a small amount of ankle
flex even with the boot locked due to shell flex/distortion.
The ankle flex of the Indy boot is controlled by not only tongue and
liner stiffness but an adjustable spring mechanism as well. This
spring mechanism controls the amount of force necessary to flex the ankle
forward (not back). Different spring stiffness can produce different force
requirements. Again, some ankle flex is due to shell flex/distortion.
So what does this mean to the rider? When working with your boot fitter/professional,
it's important that they understand what you're going to be using the
boot for. For the most part, racing requires not only a stiff shell design
but fully adjustable ankle pivot too. For the adult racer, the Indy meets
these requirements. For those riders that want to hit the gates on occasion
but prefer to focus on carving "C-shaped" arcs, the Suzuka
hits the spot. This also holds true for the younger or lighter rider that
may not be able to flex the spring-loaded ankle pivot of the Indy. If
the occasional off-piste run is for you, then the LeMans' shell design
with walk-mode ankle pivot provides for that.
– Dave Morgan |
