La Sportiva Syborg Boot

I wear 10.5-11 US (Alpina 44 EUR) and have a new pair of La Sportiva Syborgs, size 28.5 that I have not used and have not had them heat molded. They seem a little tight (short) in the toes. Can I expect the fit in the toes to improve if I have them heat molded?

I am currently skiing the TLT 5’s in a 27.0. What size Syborg would be equal to the dynamite boot?

Hi,

This is part review, part question.

Firstly, I've just realised that these huge vert. numbers people are posting are in feet! Us Europeans think in meters, so I was a bit intimidated!

I've had these boots 2 seasons, and for my feet they're by far the most comfortable ski boots I've tried. I have skinny ankles so I have some movement there, but I wear chubby ankle socks and that seems to do the trick.

I'll try not to repeat what's been commented before. Here's some of my experiences.
I use the grivel haute route crampons, and they work fine with these boots. I have the walk/ski locking mechanism adjusted to maximum out when in walk mode and I've never felt it catch.

I try to take as much care as I can when putting on/off the boots but, nevertheless, the leather upper and zip thing do take a beating. Both boots have about 1cm tears at the top rivet, and the zip on one of the boots is detached a bit.
I find that the velcro doesn't stay in place and I get snow collecting between the leather upper and the boot liner. Especially in races with fast transitions, the leather just flops out and then snow bundles in.

The boot liners are comfortable and warm, they've worn against the pivot rivets, so I need to patch them up. I find it takes a fair bit of effort to enter the boot with the liners on, but the boot seems to survive.

I've found the lower buckle is fragile, catching it on a rock can be curtains. I've bent two, and replaced them. I've also found the catch mechanism weak. Often it just releases to a looser position during the day/race.

I have the "new" blocking rod on the ski/walk lever to prevent it going up. I had this fitted after I accidentally caught the lever with a carabiner while putting away my via ferrata gear during a race! I decided to just finish the race with the boot loose which was a bad idea!

I have two problems with the ski/walk lever. One is that it seems to have stiffened; when I try to put it in to ski mode it doesn't spring in anymore without a helping hand. Any suggestions on how to fix that? I'll try some lube first.
Secondly, the little hook collects snow/ice, and ices up preventing it from locking. Both of these problems, particularly the last, have given me very stressful transitions in races. In my last race it was the main reason I lost a place.

The little metal hook holding the red heel flap in place has broken on one of my boots. I must have also once caught the red flap when putting the boot on, as it's bent a bit. Is it possible to get a replacement heel flap with metal hook?

Overall I find the boots ok - the most important thing is that boots are comfortable. Due to my weird feet most boots leave me in total agony, almost crying in pain and frustration. These are the only ones I've found so far that are comfortable. This is a heavy plus. The ski/walk locking mechanism is a heavy minus. The fact I sometimes have to spend a minute or so at transitions poking ice out of the hook is not good. Also, the leaver sticks out, and I'm waiting for the moment where I catch it on a rock and break it. The front buckle also doesn't hold the ratchet in well which isn't ideal either, but I have such a high arch my foot is snug enough.

If I can find an alternative that is comfortable, I'll probably switch, but here in Norway there's no skimo.co - gear selection is limited and tech knowledge is average, so until something changes I'll stick with these.

My set-up is almost identical to Colin's (Hagan Y-drive skis with Dynafit Speed Turn bindings). My impressions are similar to Colin's too but I've used the boots longer so wanted to give a durability evaluation. I'm not a racer. I'd say I'm a moderate ski tourer so wanted to give a review from this viewpoint. I'm neither young nor particularly strong and a very moderate skier but these boots allowed me to summit and ski quite a few mountains and keep up with much stronger people! So definitely a game changer for me.

Durability: Resort skinning and touring for two seasons in WA, CO, and New England. Well over 200K vertical and also quite a bit of hiking miles. Skied a few 14ers and a bunch of 13ers in CO, Baker and Shuksan in WA in these boots. The boots are still in pretty good shape. So far, the only obvious damage is to the gaiters. They started to rip near the rivet attachment. Zippers also started to separate on one gaiter so I had to fix it some thread and needle. The design and materials for those gaiters are not great. It but the design is weak. I think it can be repaired using some fabric patches and glue but I'm lazy and it does not really affect the performance. The liners show the use but no actual damage and still quite usable.

Comfort/Usability: Never had a blister even though my typical skinning session at the local ski resort is 8K vertical. I did not mold the liners. I like the cords system for adjusting the rigidity of the upper and find it easy to use. The ski/walk mechanism is amazingly easy to operate. On the flat downhill sections I often switch the modes on the fly without stopping to make things easier. However, when cold I at times I had some difficulties when locking in a ski mode due to icing of the hook. Similar to Colin, I like the red piece near the heel which keeps snow out works and I never had a problem with it as long as I was careful putting the boots on in the beginning.

Ski: I don't think I can contribute much on this topic as I haven't had enough experience with other types of boots for a proper comparison. I agree with what other reviewers said.

Skinning: Enough said, pretty awesome. I want to add that I liked to hike in them just fine, felt light and agile. On the snow it felt like the best footwear period, way better than regular plastic climbing boots.

Crampon fit: As was mentioned in the previous reviews, these will not fit your regular automatic crampons. My solution was a taking rear and upper parts from different crampons accumulated in my basement and coming up with a combination that fits perfectly. Not a solution for everybody but worked very well for me.

Overall: I would definitely buy these again. I think you have to realize what they are, and ski them in all conditions

I wanted to review these boots from a viewpoint of a moderate ski tourer. I'm not a racer, not an endurance athlete, not particularly strong guy. I've used these boots a lot, probably well over 200,000K vertical now. Resort skinning and touring for two seasons in WA, CO, and New England. To give you an idea, I've skied a few 14ers and a bunch of 13ers in CO, Baker and Shuksan in WA in these boots. Frankly, I doubt that I could get up those mountains in heavier boots! So basically,

This was my first foray into a lightweight boot, before this I was touring in a pebax 4 buckle beast. I have used these for a full season, in all conditions, for slightly over 100,000 earned. I have never raced on them, though I might next year. I should say that I skied a Hagan Y-Drive with Dynafit Low Tech's.

Durability: I have had no issues. You do have to be very careful putting these on or you might very well break the zipper (this is not the best design). I don't really tension the buckle across the forefoot, so that was never an issue. And the red piece near the heel which keeps snow out works, some people have really disliked this - just put your thumb on it when you are putting your foot in, I have never had a problem with it.

Ski: Conditions dependent. I mean they are not my Lange RS130s. For me, I had to adopt a much more neutral stance, and frankly - ski better. They are not fun in breakable crust (but what is), on chopped up snow they require vigilance, they would be totally fine on groomer, and they do great in all densities of fresh snow.

Skinning: Pretty awesome. If you haven't skinned in a 'race-boot', it's kind of a game changer. For those that have, I really like throwing just one buckle, the range of motion is really good, and with the gaiter I don't have to worry about snow coming in. Also, with the range of motion I have never felt the need for a higher riser than the low-tech heel, even on stupid steep skin tracks.

Overall: I would definitely buy these again. I think you have to realize what they are, and ski them in all conditions.

Are these officially compatible with Speed Radicals? They seem to be a little sticky when exiting the toes from ski mode.

Is the 28 shell the same size as the 27.5?

I want a light boot for long days and ski mountaineering. I love the sportiva spitfire, but am thinking about going lighter in my next 2-buckle. Two quick questions:

1) How do you think the Syborg would hold-up in a mountaineering setting? (mostly I am worried about durability)

2) How does the fit compare to the Spitfire?

I'm a long time skinner (~60 days/yr), but new to racing. I bought these late last season (sz 28.5).

Despite their flimsy look, they ski great and tour even better. But today, after about 25 days on them, the lower plastic buckle snapped off. Really disappointing. It wasn't ratcheted too tight, just snapped in half on the uphill after 2 laps.

Something more durable is needed.

I'm trying to narrow down what size boot to get. This will be my first skimo racing boot. I wear a 26.5 for the scarpa maestrale and they are comfortable and perhaps a tad roomy. Should I go to a 26.0 for the Syborg? Thanks!

These are my first pair of race boots, so I don't have any specifics comparing them to other boots in this category. I'm 6'5" 190lbs and I was skeptical of how flimsy they seemed out of the box, but when I took them out for their first tour I was blown away by how well they ski.

I've used them on race skis, as well as some Dynastar Mythics, and some Dynafit Carbonio 74s. For a race boot they are fantastic, and they work well with the Carbonios. I'm looking forward to using the Carbonio + Syborg combo for spring skiing objectives. I've skied the Mythics with the Syborg and a Dynafit Titan. The Titan definitely drives the ski a little better, but the weight advantage and comfort of the Syborg on the up is more than worth the trade off.

For waterfall ice, i'd say up to WI4 there's not much difference between these and an ice climbing specific boot. My boot size is 30.0 and I've been using a Black Diamond Cyborg crampon. This combo works fine, and there's no interference between the boot latch and the crampon latch.

As an added bonus, driving in your ski boots has never been easier! I will likely buy another pair when these wear out.

Hello
Looking at picking up a pair of Syborgs but none of our local retailers carry them. The Scarpa Alien in a 26.0 fits me perfectly, does anyone know how the fit between these two compares?

thanks

sb

Has anyone had the leather upper rip. Mine ripped when the zipper froze and i pulled the liner out of the boot which resulted in a large tear and de-lam. Kind of a bummer as it's now a matter of time before the upper is useless, tried to glue it but it just takes too much pressure when the liner comes out.

What is the last width? What is the widest of all skimo race boots?

I live in Alaska, and will be in Utah Dec 3-16. Can I swing by your warehouse and try a pair of these on? Easier than ordering the wrong sized and dealing with the epic shipping fest to Ketchikan.

Hello,
Was wondering if anyone could compare sizing between the Syborg and Scarpa's F1 Evo. I'm begrudgingly returning my warrantied pair and am looking for something to fill a similar niche. Thanks!
Ben

I can think of one thing La Sportiva forgot...a size 31 boot!

I bought these boots with the intention to use them as a daily driver and for some longer technical ski traverses. I chose them to fill in the gaps I saw where my Alien 1.0 are a bit week. I wanted something that, like the Alien 1.0, was 1) light weight, 2) full range of motion, and 3) stiff but that also 4) was full coverage, and 5) had a locking mechanism that was less prone to breakage / could easily be repaired in the field. No doubt that the Syborg is light, stiff, and has a full range of motion (and at a great price!) - criteria 1-3 check! On full coverage: I have found that the vinyl outer on the front and the additional insert for the back to be sufficient. The front has proved surprisingly durable and has provided no problems. The back inserts however are flimsy and poorly attached to the boot. Once these back inserts see a bit of wear they easily bent out of shape and sometimes come out of place. when putting the boot liner in the shell. As long as I am concious of the issue it's fine. So criteria 4 is met... but not with flying colors. Criteria 5 is where things get tricky. On first inspection and use the locking mechanism is smooth as can be, but there are some issues. First, the locking lever gets in the way of most automatic crampons. You can adjust the tension on the locking lever to make space for a normal automatic crampon heel lock - but this is completely impractical in the field. I have gotten around this by using a pair of CAMP race 290's which utilize a TLT specific design or by using a pair of crampons with Petzl's sidelock mechanism - neither of which get in the way of the boot's locking mechanism. This is something potential buyers must be aware of - without the right crampons this boot can become significantly less useful (at least in my mind). This is especially relevant as I consider one of the boots greatest strengths is how well it climbs. I have lead WI4 in these boots without any problems (much better climbing boot than the Alien 1.0). Howerver the real issue with the locking mechanism that it can potentially be pushed upwards, triggering a safety release, when walking in deep snow (especially walking downhill). Resetting the spring back into place is a major pain in the ass (even if you're sitting at home in your living room). I've only had this issue on two occasions but it was enough to bend the spring that tensions the locking mechanism so that even once the spring was reset there was not enough tension for the boot to lock into ski mode. Luckily I was sitting by a car and could take the time to sit down and get at the spring with a leatherman and bend it back into shape to provide just enough tension to lock the boots into ski mode. I would expect a more durable and robust build for such a crucial part on the boot - which in the end has proved quite flimsy. The Syborgs are a great everyday touring ski that super comfy (great liner that dries super quick) and ski great. I detract one star from my rating because of the specific technical details with the locking mechanism and the flimsy nature of the rear snow guard inserts. Overall I am quite satisfied with these boots.That being said, I prefer the alien 1.0 without question when it comes to racing and training. I often tell people that I think of the alien 1.0 as a running shoe, the syborg as an approach shoe, and the the tlt6 as a light boot.

I have only used these twice so far, but am very impressed with the range of motion, weight (29's were 859g), snug but comfortable fit, and stiffness. My feet are 285mm long, 109mm wide at the forefoot and heel is about 68mm. I have a lot of trouble getting my heel snug in hiking boots, running shoes, and nordic boots, but these are pretty good right out of the box. I'll probably add some inserts to snug the heel up a up a bit, but I'm not even sure if it's necessary. If you have a wider forefoot than me, you'll likely have to do some modifications to the shell. Doing the shell fit I'm just about touching either side of the boot without the liner in. I have a fairly low volume foot and usually need to run two insoles in my ski boots to fill up the vertical space, but these fit really well.

I was mostly impressed with how stiff and responsive these were on the icecoast moguls we skiied last weekend at the Jay Peak rando race. I felt that they skiied as well, if not better, than my black diamond primes on the hardpack, and WAY better than the only other touring boot I've used - the scarpa flash.

The walk to ski mode switch is super easy. No straining to close the buckle at all. Pretty amazing compared to the beefier alpine and touring boots I've used where I need serious leverage to get a snug ankle fit.

I'm somewhat skeptical about the durability of these, given the plastic buckle, and plastic latches for the string that secures your ankle, but only time will tell on that. The skepticism may prove unwarranted - fingers crossed. I think the forefoot boa closure scarpa is using is probably the best design - I love the boas on my cycling shoes - but this ankle strap works well to secure the foot in place.

I'll add details as I ski them more!

Fantastic boot! Considering it's in the same price range as the non carbon alien, it beats it hands down! There's no comparison.
Lighter, skis better, and less bulky.

The 75 degrees movement range is amazing... It's like wearing a Pierre Gignoux.

If you have the choice between the Cyborgs, Aliens or PDG's, go for these!!!