The Gist
It's baaack. And way better than it ever was. The all-new Speedmachine 130 is lighter, stronger, more comfortable and easier to get on and off. It’s a rare occurrence when a long-awaited sequel exceeds expectations, but this one most definitely does. It's a bit like a contestant on “The Voice” doing an Adele song better than the pop superstar herself.
Fit
Quintessential (old school) Nordica: cushioned, contoured, pillowy love. The first slide inside brings immediate gratification. “Sublime,” one tester called it. The Speedmachine 130 has quite a roomy toebox and forefoot for a medium width but the feel underfoot is surprisingly neutral (flat) and connected.
The rearfoot control center (ankle, heel, instep) maintains a secure grip on the average foot. Testers liked the way the tongue contoured around the shin (not at all bulky like previous generation Nordica mediums). Testers said the Power Driver power strap cup thingamajig creates a snug and well-distributed fit at the boot top once positioned properly.
Performance
The Speedmachine utilizes a higher density polyurethane plastic and a thinner wall construction in non-critical areas. It maintains thicker plastic in the power transmission regions. The result is a lighter weight boot with amazing feel for the ski and snow. Testers unanimously praised the connection and accuracy underfoot.
Lightweight and cushioned often coincides with wimpy but not here; the power to the edge and stability at speed was shockingly good. Don't let the creature comfort bounty deceive. This boot is the real deal.
Cool Features
The Speedmachine line utilizes a proprietary custom fitting system called Infrared. Not surprisingly, it uses an infrared heating source to turn the materials malleable. Infrared stretching has been around for a while but hasn't been packaged and marketed this well.
The system comes in a super cool carry case with a nifty no-meltdown cage around the heating element. Because the thin shell wall at key fit areas (forefoot, navicular, styloid) gets heated through-and-through by the penetrating infrared heat the stretches are well-defined and permanent.
But that's not the coolest part. The stretches are accomplished by a suction mechanism akin to an auto body dent puller. The suction head is placed on the heated plastic at the desired location and it pulls at the warm plastic for a few minutes and—voila!—a perfect bump for your lump. It also works with the foot inside the boot so the skier can perfectly gauge the amount of stretch necessary. The liner also has a grindable and moldable cork area on the exterior of the ankle pockets.
Kudos
Caveats