I'm considering buying a set, but I know nothing about them. Can someone point me in the right direction, particularly, with respect to flex?
Do they work in slop?
Also, who sells boots with a wide toe-box?
FasterSkier Forums » Gear
"Zeros" Due Diligence
(8 posts)-
Posted 1 year ago #
-
most of the major companies have a zero to buy. Find a reputable shop and have them fit you. you need to be able to get the base material to compress to the snow, but not soo much that it stays in contact during the glide phase. a little more important since you can not just wax shorter or longer depending on drag. They are called zeros because that is where they work the best.
From my experience they work pretty well in new falling snow near the 0 temp line. the older the snow, the less i find they work. I can get my pair to kick in 28+ if snow is right. If too warm, Slop, I do not find great luck with them. it seems klister is simply better their. others may have more insight on that area though.
Boots... how wide... If i remember correctly the older style Fischer boots with SNS bindings had a real wide toe box. My new Salomons have a wider toe box then say the old carbons, but still not real wide.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Fitting of zeros is critical, they need to be flexed softer than normal, but as James said, they can't be too soft. Zeros will work in a surprisingly wide range of conditions, but they are the best in only a few conditions. They are a great 4th pair of classic skis, but unless you race a lot, or live somewhere like Vancouver were you get zero conditions a lot, i wouldn't say that they are worth it.
Never count out zeros, i remember in the relay at JO's in soldier hollow, it was 40+ degrees and had rained that morning and was super sloppy and wet, but zeros were the ski of the day. You just never know when you'll need them.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Connect with Roger Knight of Boulder Nordic Sports East, 207.541.7438. One of my industry contacts tells me that he
sold more zeroes in the US last year than anyone else. He should be able to further answer any fit/condition questions you may have.I have very wide feet, and I find that Salomon boots are more than accommodating. On this year’s model, I ended up thickening the forefoot of the insole with 1/8” adhesive medical foam, and I still have plenty of room with thick socks. However, don’t give up on your current boots because you have plenty of options. There is a wide assortment of athletic socks that you can comfortably ski/race in that might allow you to find an extra fraction of a size. Also, you aren’t obligated to use factory insoles, as there are all sorts of aftermarket products (including old running shoe inserts) at your disposal. Feel free to use scissors and duct tape as well to create your own solutions.
My experience has been that all boots are uncomfortable out of the box, and it takes to forever to ‘break them in’ (to the extent they ever really break in). When I have a new pair of boots, I’ll wear them around the house (on carpet) as much as possible to soften them up before I take them out in the cold. I’ve found that anything I can do in advance to make the transition more comfortable is worthwhile.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Zeros can be really nice to ski on but since they are only good in a few conditions it is not really worth shelling out $600 on a new pair. What I do is use an older pair of skis that I have out grown. They are too soft for normal wax but work great for Zeros. They just have a normal base but you can sand it and it works fine. It might not last quite as long as real Zeros but for anything under 30km they are great.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Zero skis can be kick waxed.
I like Fischer combi boots.
Posted 1 year ago # -
After using Zero's extensively this season, I'll chime in a couple of comments...
First: As with waxing, a lot of it depends on where you live. I live in the California Sierra Nevada, where waxless skis are a MUST if you want to classic on a regular basis without spending hours dealing with wax. That doesn't mean that I don't love to kick wax my skis -- I do. But if you have an hour or two to ski in the Sierra, there are many times you don't want to spend half of it waxing and re-waxing your skis. When it's good, it's great, but when it's changeable....waxless rules.
Second: I have found my Fischer Zero's to be AWESOME in MANY conditions, close to waxable skis in performance a lot, and way better than any of my Crowns. I was skeptical about how "narrow" a range of conditions they might be good in, but I've found that that range is WAY wider than I had anticipated. I sold my Crowns.
Third: My experience with using various pairs of Zero's is that they DON'T have to be flexed "softer" than normal, as Doug1 said. My optimum flex for Fischer classics is in the 38-39 kg range, my Zero's are 41's, and they are fantastic. Plus, the kick and glide can be easily altered with a little sanding of the kick zone.
Fourth: ALWAYS have some Swix ZERO spray or equivalent to put on the kick zone. You will thank me for that tip.
Posted 1 year ago # -
The tip about the ZERO spray is the important part. Hairies will ice up pretty quickly if you leave them untreated. We've been using off the shelf 100% silicone spray rather than the fancy strictly for skiing stuff. Spray it onto a piece of Fiberlene, then wipe a good wet layer onto the zero base area and let dry. I've heard the suggestion to use hair spray to stiffen the hairies but have never tried it. Whenever you hear about probs, it's with icing so definitely go with some sort of "de-icer.
DavePosted 1 year ago #
Reply
You must log in to post.
