Ride Fuse- A Breakdown of How It Rides And Who It Is For Review by The Good Ride

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Ethics Statement: We don’t get paid by the manufacturer to write these reviews.  We do make money from the “Where To Buy” links, but this is our best attempt at an honest and objective review from an average rider’s perspective.

How This Review Happened:  Borrowed this for an extended demo and sent it back. 1 day demo. A few laps at a demo. Liked it so much, asked to keep it (only do this with favorites).  Liked it so much we bought it.  Precious Good Ride dollars were spent buying and reviewing this.

Size: 9US
Days: 40+
Conditions: Everything from Super Deep Pow and an early morning slackountry time with Drift Board bindings on Union Rovers
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10”, 185-190lbs)
Insoles: Footprint Insole Technology Gamechangers,
 Bindings:  many, including the Union Atlas, Union Force, Burton Genesis X, Burton Cartel, Nitro Team, Nitro Phantom +, Nitro Phantom, Rome Cleaver, Rome Katana, Rome Vice, Rome DOD, Rome 390 Boss
Boards: Many, but here are some. Capita Spring Break 158 Powder Glider, Soul Blower, Korua Dart, Korua Pencil, Korua Café Racer, Weston Japow, Soul Shift, Gentemstick Mantaray 156, Yes Hybrid, Jones Hovercraft, Korua Transition Finder, Salomon Dancehaul, K2 Excavator, Cardiff Powgoda, Jones Mind Expander, YES PYL Uninc, Jones Flagship, Jones Mind Expander, Korua Otto, Jones Frontier, Ride Shadowban, Yes Greats, Ride TwinPig
Jacket: Burton AK Gore-Tex Pro 3L Tusk Jacket, Volcom TDF Infuse 3L Gore-Tex Jacket
Pant: Burton AK Gore-Tex Pro 3L Hover Pant, Burton AK Gore-Tex 2L Swash Pant, Burton Gore-Tex Ballast Pant
Helmet: Smith Maze
Goggle: Smith 4D Mag
Gloves: Burton AK Guide Glove, Burton AK Clutch Mitt, Burton AK Clutch Glove, Burton AK Tech Leather Glove, Burton AK Tech Glove, CG Habitats Glove, CG Habitats Work Glove, Drop Tahoma Mitt, Drop Cascade Glove, Drop Web Glove,

Similar (but not the same) Boots: Ride Deadbolt, Ride Fuse, Ride Torrent,  Burton Ion, Vans Infuse, Nitro Team TLS

James’ Foot Specs
Foot Size: 9 US
Foot Width: E
Arch Length: Right 9.5 and Left 9
Calf Circumference: Top of boot 17” & Bottom of boot 12”

How These Were Tested

I’ve ridden these a ton with a wide variety of boots and bindings and even compared them to several other boots as well.

Fit

The Ride Fuse fits pretty true to size for my 9 US boots but runs a little on the tight side for my size E Width. With a heat molding, they opened up nicely, and it has a pretty wide toe box, which I personally like.

Even after these boots are packed out, they are pretty close to staying true to a 9 US. All I needed to do was add a little boot-fitting foam into the heel to keep it close.

Flex/Response

 

The Ride Fuse is a pretty responsive boot for traditional lace, and the Flex matches the response.

Flex Retention/Construction

It doesn’t look like it will keep its flex, but it does a near-excellent job with flex retention. There is a hard plastic spine and then a rubber-like tongue that doesn’t break down easily. That combo, along with a little ankle articulation, does an amazing job at retaining the flex. After 40+ days, it’s pretty close to the original flex, and there is only a little breakdown of the shell next to the ankle articulation.

The ride went for durability, and it has rubber throughout the toe, and the boot is holding up incredibly well.

Adjustability/Heel Hold

So having traditional lace with a BOA around the ankle makes this incredibly adjustable. It’s a little slower than Double BOA getting it on but it’s soo much more adjustable. If you have heel hold issues but still want a lot of adjustablility, this is a great choice.

Shock Absorption

This is one area where I’d personally like to see improvement. The Fuse looks like it has lots of shock-absorbent foam, but it’s very stiff and doesn’t give easily. It has a great board feel, but I wish they made this foam more like the Deadbolts, which has more shock absorption.

Traction

The Ride Fuse had really poor traction out of the box but after I scraped about 1mm off the soles over pavement it became usable.

Reduced Footprint

This isn’t bad, and it is only about 5mm longer in footprint vs. a size 9 Burton, which leads to the reduced footprint game.

Conclusion

So if the Ride Fuse had better shock absorption this would be one of my all time favorite boots but as it stands it’s quite exceptional for adjustability, response and overall flex retention.