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Posted by hipstomp | 6 Mar 2007
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Comments (13)
The newest innovation in laceless shoes: North Face's Boa System (spotted on CoolHunting) which secures the shoe to your foot by means of a crankwheel on the rear. Stainless steel cables keep your foot solidly anchored within the shoe, even while screaming and trying to outrun a bear.
Currently sold in adult sizes only, which, for the sake of the metaphors we use to teach children to tie shoelaces, is just as well.
Then: "The rabbit goes around the tree, and into the hole...."
Now: "Grab the rabbit's ass and twist it until he hugs your foot."
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Comments
not new, check out specialized road shoes from at least 2 years prior...
http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCEqProduct.jsp?spid=31599
How is this new? This system was developed a few years ago for the snowboard industry. I used it in 2003 on a line of ice skates for CCM. I'm not surprised it has taken awhile for it to come to common footwear though. The system is overly robust for use on a simple shoe...imho.
uhmmm Puma Disc Blaze anyone? I actually sketched out something similar to this last year. but something about stainless steel cables around my foot made think of them cutting my flesh. But nice execution.
Did I not have a pair of these in '85?
Not sure if you intended to imply that this was The North Face's system or not. The BOA Lacing System has been used in many different snowboard boot designs for the past few years - but this is the first use I've seen for any sport outside of snowboarding. A quick check of their site shows that there are many different activities where this system is being put to use. See... http://www.boatechnology.com/boa.php?section=sport
New? It's been on snowboard boots for a couple years now. It takes many rotations to fasten it.
this system has been out for years in the cycling and snowboard market.
coolmunting shouldn't be a site you source for new technologies. it's pretty poor over there...
It's been around for a while for snowboard boots. Guess it doesn't apply to shoes, but the newest thing for BOAs are the dual zone BOAs. One dial adjusts the bottom half of the boot, the other dial adjusts the top half. It's kind of bulky/cumbersome though. I think in the next iteration, they are going to need to figure out how to fit the dual zone BOA into one dial. Possibly have the dial pop up at different levels to adjust either the bottom or top half of the boot? Sort of like the dial on the watches. Pull up half way to adjust the date, all the way to adjust the time.
The "boa" system has been around for a couple of years already. It has been implemented in snowboard boots primarily, and the technology has been licensed out to companies like K2,Burton,DC shoes etc.
This has been around for ages on ski boots...
Boa Technology has been available for a while. Boa lace systems have been in K2 and DC snowboarding boots, wakeboard bindings and cycling shoes. Not trying to be a pain, but just pointing out some facts.
http://www.boatechnology.com/boa.php?section=sports&page=snowboard&drill=
Northface didn't invent Boa technology, it's been used in snowboard boots for a while now. Some wakeboard boots are starting to use it too, but cool application.
this seems no different than the monofilament line/ratcheting dial lacing systems found on some road cycling shoes, like Sidi, that have been available for a number of years.