Boa works with hundreds of companies and claims to have 25 million Boa-equipped products out in the world.
By now most cyclists have at least heard of Boa Technology. In the last few years, the Denver, Colorado-based company that makes reel-based closure systems primarily for athletic shoes has become a significant player in the two-wheeled world. Boa dials regularly show up on road and mountain bike kicks, as well as some apparel, helmets and protective gear.
For the uninitiated, the Boa dial offers a replacement to traditional laces, ratchets, Velcro straps, or any of the other various closure mechanisms, instead utilizing a steel lace, nylon guides and mechanical reel to keep shoe snugly on foot. The device's primary feature is the ability to equalize pressure without isolating on friction points. They're also claimed to offer more precise fit due the micro-adjustability of click-by-click fit. Boa's newer two-way dials make it easy to tighten and loosen shoes with one hand, and of course they never come untied.
Under the expert guidance of marketing coordinator Michael De La Rosa, we got to tour the company's four-story headquarters in Denver's up-and-coming RiNo district (River North) earlier this year. Here are our 10 most interesting discoveries.
Specialized helped lead Boa into the cycling space, and its shoes are still outfitted with exclusive dials that are more flush than on other cycling shoes.
1. Boa, as in boa constrictor, was founded by Gary Hammerslag, who had grown tired of tying the laces on his young son's hockey skates and snowboard boots. Hammerslag previously spent time in the medical supply business and realized that the steel lacing being used for certain equipment could be the perfect antidote to his problems. He went to work on a prototype and by 2001 had founded the new company and established partnerships with the likes of Vans and K2. Today, Boa works with hundreds of companies and claims to have 25 million Boa-equipped products in the world.
2. Besides cycling shoes, Boa dials are spec'd on shoes for golf, snowboarding, trail running, hunting, fishing, and skiing, as well as a wide array of utility applications such as the military and construction. Boa dials are also used on medical equipment such as braces and prosthetics. Dials are broken into three main categories (low, medium, high) based on the amount of tension provided. Low is typically found on below the ankle shoes (cycling, golf, running); medium are for above the ankle (hiking, hunting, utility boots); and high is high torque above the ankle (snowboarding, backcountry skiing). The power of the dials is measured in tensile force and gear ratios, which together determine closure force.
[IMG alt="Boa dials are spec'd on all sorts of shoes, including these "moon" walkers."]https://www.roadbikereview.com/reviews/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/boa4.jpg[/IMG]
Boa dials are spec'd on all sorts of shoes, including these "moon" walkers from Under Armor.
Boa dials are spec'd on all sorts of shoes, including these "moon" walkers from Under Armor.
3. Thanks primarily to sales in Asia, golf is the No. 1 application for Boa dials. Among the largest purchasers of Boa dials is Engelbert Strauss, a German manufacturer of work shoes, clothes and equipment. Boa also just set up a European office in Austria. Surprisingly, running is not a strong segment for Boa, but changing that is the company's current No. 1 initiative.
Continue to page 2 for more from our tour of Boa HQ »
Boa also produces after-market kits, which allow you to transform your normal lace-up shoes into Boa-equipped shoes. However, these are only available through Boa's Retrofit Lab that shows up at various events from time to time.
4. Due to so much interest in its product, Boa does not actively seek new partners. Instead it has an email address where interested clients can send in a request. The interested party explains how they want to apply Boa product, and then staff at the Denver office evaluates the proposal to determine whether or not to move forward. Boa says its primary objective is to partner with brands that are innovating or at the top of their category.
5. Boa credits Specialized with leading it into the cycling world, and it still makes exclusive product for the California-based bike, gear and apparel maker. The current Specialized dial is more flush than dials found on other cycling shoes.
6. After debuting with Specialized, Boa's added another dozen bike industry partners, including the likes of Bontrager, Lake, Pearl Izumi, Scott and Louis Garneau.
Boa dials are found on all manner of shoes, including military and SWAT. But the No. 1 application right now is golf.
7. Once Boa decides it wants to work with a brand, the development process begins. New product ideas are hatched and then initial prototypes are fabricated using computer-aided design and an in-house 3D printer. Boa also has the capacity to create its own shoes (for R&D purposes only), which allows it to better understand the shoe development process and in turn design better "ingredient" product. This all happens in the design and engineering department, the self-proclaimed heart of the company. The prototype lab includes two CNC machines, which allows for more rapid turn on prototypes.
Continue to page 3 for more from our tour of Boa HQ »
The prototype lab has access to a 3D printer and two CNC machines that aid in rapid prototype turns.
8. The Boa test lab has machines that replicate freezing temperatures, muddy trails, and even the ocean. The goal is to identify the point of field failure and whether or not it's at an acceptable level. They claim it can replicate virtually any environment in the world. For instance, one test reproduces the effect of having gritty sand rubbing all over your mountain bike shoes; another replicates sitting inside a stifling storage container being shipped by boat from China to the U.S. Boa also does extensive real world testing, such as placing force measuring strain gauges on a shoe and then having a tester run up and down a mountain.
9. The harshest environment is a tie between kids and fishing. Kids are constantly crawling around in the dirt. Fishing means constantly being submerged where water transports abusive particles into the dial's many nooks and crannies. Mountain biking also ranks high due to the increased likelihood of exposure to dirt, water and abrasion.
This test lab machine reproduces the effect tightening and loosening the laces thousands of times.
For more information visit www.boatechnology.com.
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